bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Molecular correlates of emotional learning using genetically selected rat lines
Authors: Zhang S. , Amstein T. , Shen J. , Brush F. R. , Gershenfeld H. K.
Published: February 2005

The genetic contributions to active avoidance learning in rodents have been well established, yet the molecular basis for genetically selected line differences remains poorly understood. To identify candidate genes influencing this active avoidance paradigm, we utilized the bidirectionally selected Syracuse high‐ and low‐avoidance (SHA and SLA) rat lines that markedly differ in their two‐way active avoidance behavior. Rats were phenotyped, rested to allow recovery from testing stress and then hippocampi were dissected for gene expression profiling (Affymetrix U34A chips; approximately 7000 known genes), comparing SLA to SHA. Next, a subset of differentially expressed genes was confirmed by real‐time PCR (RT‐PCR) in hippocampi. Additional studies at the protein level were performed for some genes. Using triplicate arrays on pooled hippocampal samples, differentially expressed genes were identified by microarray suite 5.0 and robust multi‐array average analyses. By RT‐PCR analysis in hippocampi, eight genes were nominated as potential candidate genes consistent with the differential expression from the microarray data. Four genes, Veli1 (mlin‐7B), SLC3a1, Ptpro and Ykt6p, showed higher expression in SHA hippocampi than SLA. Four genes, SLC6A4, Aldh1a4, Id3a and Cd74, showed higher expression in SLA hippocampi than SHA. The active avoidance behavioral difference between lines probably emerges from ‘many small things’. These potential candidate genes generate hypotheses for future testing in human association and rodent studies. Differences in levels of a pleiotropic gene like Ptpro and SLC6A4 suggest that small differences over a lifespan may contribute to large behavioral differences.
Missense mutations as a cause of metachromatic leukodystrophy
Authors: Poeppel Peter , Habetha Matthias , Marcão Ana , Büssow Heinrich , Berna Linda , Gieselmann Volkmar
Published: February 2005

Metachromatic leukodystrophy is a lysosomal storage disorder caused by a deficiency of arylsulfatase A (ASA). Biosynthesis studies of ASA with various structure‐sensitive monoclonal antibodies reveal that some epitopes of the enzyme form within the first minutes of biosynthesis whereas other epitopes form later, between 10 and 25 min. When we investigated 12 various ASAs, with amino acid substitutions according to the missense mutations found in metachromatic leukodystrophy patients, immunoprecipitation with monoclonal antibodies revealed folding deficits in all 12 mutant ASA enzymes. Eleven of the 12 mutants show partial expression of the early epitopes, but only six of these show, in addition, incomplete expression of late epitopes. In none of the mutant enzymes were the late forming epitopes found in the absence of early epitopes. Thus, data from the wild‐type and mutant enzymes indicate that the enzyme folds in a sequential manner and that the folding of early forming epitopes is a prerequisite for maturation of the late epitopes. All mutant enzymes in which the amino acid substitution prevents the expression of the late forming epitopes are retained in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In contrast, all mutants in which a single late epitope is at least partially expressed can leave the ER. Thus, irrespective of the missense mutation, the expression of epitopes forming late in biosynthesis correlates with the ability of the enzyme to leave the ER. The degradation of ER‐retained enzymes can be reduced by inhibitors of the proteasome and ER α1,2‐mannosidase I, indicating that all enzymes are degraded via the proteasome. Inhibition of degradation did not lead to an enhanced delivery from the ER for any of the mutant enzymes.
The male seahorse synthesizes and secretes a novel C‐type lectin into the brood pouch during early pregnancy
Authors: Melamed Philippa , Xue Yangkui , Poon Jia Fe David , Wu Qiang , Xie Huangming , Yeo Julie , Foo Tet Wei John , Chua Hui Kheng
Published: February 2005

The male seahorse incubates its young in a manner resembling that of a mammalian pregnancy. After the female deposits her eggs into the male's brood pouch they are fertilized and the embryos develop and grow for several weeks until they are able to withstand the external environmental conditions independently, at which point they are irreversibly released. Although the precise function of the brood pouch is not clear, it is probably related to providing a suitable protective and osmotic environment for the young. The aim of this project was to construct and characterize a cDNA library made from the tissue lining the pouch, in order to help understand the molecular mechanisms regulating its development and function. The library profile indicates expression of genes encoding proteins involved in metabolism and transport, as well as structural proteins, gene regulatory proteins, and other proteins whose function is unknown. However, a large portion of the library contained genes encoding C‐type lectins (CTLs), of which three full‐length proteins were identified and found to contain a signal peptide and a single C‐lectin domain, possessing all the conserved structural elements. We have produced recombinant protein for one of these and raised antisera; we have shown, using Western analysis and 2D electrophoresis, that this protein is secreted in significant quantities into the pouch fluid specifically during early pregnancy. Preliminary functional studies indicate that this CTL causes erythrocyte agglutination and may help to repress bacterial growth.
Cytosolic phospholipase A2‐α and cyclooxygenase‐2 localize to intracellular membranes of EA.hy.926 endothelial cells that are distinct from the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi apparatus
Authors: Grewal Seema , Herbert Shane P. , Ponnambalam Sreenivasan , Walker John H.
Published: February 2005

Cytosolic phospholipase A2‐α (cPLA2‐α) is a calcium‐activated enzyme that plays an important role in agonist‐induced arachidonic acid release. In endothelial cells, free arachidonic acid can be converted subsequently into prostacyclin, a potent vasodilator and inhibitor of platelet activation, through the action of cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes. Here we study the relocation of cPLA2‐α in human EA.hy.926 endothelial cells following stimulation with the calcium‐mobilizing agonist, A23187. Relocation of cPLA2‐α was seen to be highly cell specific, and in EA.hy.926 cells occurred primarily to intracellular structures resembling the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi. In addition, relocation to both the inner and outer surfaces of the nuclear membrane was observed. Colocalization studies with markers for these subcellular organelles, however, showed colocalization of cPLA2‐α with nuclear membrane markers but not with ER or Golgi markers, suggesting that the relocation of cPLA2‐α occurs to sites that are separate from these organelles. Colocalization with annexin V was also observed at the nuclear envelope, however, little overlap with staining patterns for the potential cPLA2‐α interacting proteins, annexin I, vimentin, p11 or actin, was seen in this cell type. In contrast, cPLA2‐α was seen to partially colocalize specifically with the COX‐2 isoform at the ER‐resembling structures, but not with COX‐1. These studies suggest that cPLA2‐α and COX‐2 may function together at a distinct and novel compartment for eicosanoid signalling.
Isolation and characterization of a D‐cysteine desulfhydrase protein from Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Riemenschneider Anja , Wegele Rosalina , Schmidt Ahlert , Papenbrock Jutta
Published: February 2005

In several organisms d‐cysteine desulfhydrase (d‐CDes) activity (EC 4.1.99.4) was measured; this enzyme decomposes d‐cysteine into pyruvate, H2S, and NH3. A gene encoding a putative d‐CDes protein was identified in Arabidopsis thaliana (L) Heynh. based on high homology to an Escherichia coli protein called YedO that has d‐CDes activity. The deduced Arabidopsis protein consists of 401 amino acids and has a molecular mass of 43.9 kDa. It contains a pyridoxal‐5′‐phosphate binding site. The purified recombinant mature protein had a Km for d‐cysteine of 0.25 mm. Only d‐cysteine but not l‐cysteine was converted by d‐CDes to pyruvate, H2S, and NH3. The activity was inhibited by aminooxy acetic acid and hydroxylamine, inhibitors specific for pyridoxal‐5′‐phosphate dependent proteins, at low micromolar concentrations. The protein did not exhibit 1‐aminocyclopropane‐1‐carboxylate deaminase activity (EC 3.5.99.7) as homologous bacterial proteins. Western blot analysis of isolated organelles and localization studies using fusion constructs with the green fluorescent protein indicated an intracellular localization of the nuclear encoded d‐CDes protein in the mitochondria. d‐CDes RNA levels increased with proceeding development of Arabidopsis but decreased in senescent plants; d‐CDes protein levels remained almost unchanged in the same plants whereas specific d‐CDes activity was highest in senescent plants. In plants grown in a 12‐h light/12‐h dark rhythm d‐CDes RNA levels were highest in the dark, whereas protein levels and enzyme activity were lower in the dark period than in the light indicating post‐translational regulation. Plants grown under low sulfate concentration showed an accumulation of d‐CDes RNA and increased protein levels, the d‐CDes activity was almost unchanged. Putative in vivo functions of the Arabidopsisd‐CDes protein are discussed.
Construction of Neoglans Penis: A New Sculpturing Technique from Rectus Abdominis Myofascial Flap
Authors: Shaeer Osama , El-Sebaie Ashraf
Published: February 2005

Introduction

Construction of a neoglans penis may be required following glans amputation at circumcision, strangulation by a hair coil, or self-mutilation, among other indications. It may also be combined with phalloplasty to imitate the natural appearance and to support a penile prosthesis.

Aim

This is a report on a novel technique of neoglans construction for a patient with an amputated glans penis as a result of circumcision injury.

Methods

A rectus abdominis myofascial flap was used. The flap was deigned to be a 12 × 4 cm segment of the infraumbilical portion of the muscle, based on the inferior epigastric vessels. The flap was harvested through a paramedian incision. The penis was partially degloved through a circumferential incision 1 cm below its summit. The distal penile skin was utilized to elongate the urethra, so that the urethral meatus would be at the tip of the neoglans. The flap was reflected and tunneled underneath the mons veneris and alongside the penis, to emerge distal to the summit of the penis. The flap was fashioned into the shape of a glans and secured in place around the neourethra. The impression of a corona was achieved by tucking the proximal edge of the flap to its undersurface.

Result

Six months following surgery, the patient had a neoglans penis, a corona, and a urethral meatus at the very tip. The neoglans had similar consistency, color, and shape to the normal glans.

Conclusion

Construction of a neoglans penis is possible using the described sculpturing techniques, with satisfactory cosmetic results.
Flexible Control of Mutual Inhibition: A Neural Model of Two-Interval Discrimination
Authors: Machens Christian K. , Romo Ranulfo , Brody Carlos D.
Published: February 2005

Networks adapt to environmental demands by switching between distinct dynamical behaviors. The activity of frontal-lobe neurons during two-interval discrimination tasks is an example of these adaptable dynamics. Subjects first perceive a stimulus, then hold it in working memory, and finally make a decision by comparing it with a second stimulus. We present a simple mutual-inhibition network model that captures all three task phases within a single framework. The model integrates both working memory and decision making because its dynamical properties are easily controlled without changing its connectivity. Mutual inhibition between nonlinear units is a useful design motif for networks that must display multiple behaviors.
Whole-Genome Patterns of Common DNA Variation in Three Human Populations
Authors: Hinds David A. , Stuve Laura L. , Nilsen Geoffrey B. , Halperin Eran , Eskin Eleazar , Ballinger Dennis G. , Frazer Kelly A. , Cox David R.
Published: February 2005

Individual differences in DNA sequence are the genetic basis of human variability. We have characterized whole-genome patterns of common human DNA variation by genotyping 1,586,383 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 71 Americans of European, African, and Asian ancestry. Our results indicate that these SNPs capture most common genetic variation as a result of linkage disequilibrium, the correlation among common SNP alleles. We observe a strong correlation between extended regions of linkage disequilibrium and functional genomic elements. Our data provide a tool for exploring many questions that remain regarding the causal role of common human DNA variation in complex human traits and for investigating the nature of genetic variation within and between human populations.
Learned Predictions of Error Likelihood in the Anterior Cingulate Cortex
Authors: Brown Joshua W. , Braver Todd S.
Published: February 2005

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the related medial wall play a critical role in recruiting cognitive control. Although ACC exhibits selective error and conflict responses, it has been unclear how these develop and become context-specific. With use of a modified stop-signal task, we show from integrated computational neural modeling and neuroimaging studies that ACC learns to predict error likelihood in a given context, even for trials in which there is no error or response conflict. These results support a more general error-likelihood theory of ACC function based on reinforcement learning, of which conflict and error detection are special cases.
Entropically Driven Helix Formation
Authors: Snir Yehuda , Kamien Randall D.
Published: February 2005

The helix is a ubiquitous motif for biopolymers. We propose a heuristic, entropically based model that predicts helix formation in a system of hard spheres and semiflexible tubes. We find that the entropy of the spheres is maximized when short stretches of the tube form a helix with a geometry close to that found in natural helices. Our model could be directly tested with wormlike micelles as the tubes, and the effect could be used to self-assemble supramolecular helices.
ROK-induced cross-link formation stiffens passive muscle: reversible strain-induced stress softening in rabbit detrusor
Authors: Speich John E. , Borgsmiller Lindsey , Call Chris , Mohr Ryan , Ratz Paul H.
Published: February 2005

Passive mechanical properties of strips of rabbit detrusor smooth muscle were examined and found by cyclic loading in a calcium-free solution to display viscoelastic softening and strain-induced stress softening (strain softening). Strain softening, or the Mullins effect, is a loss of stiffness attributed to the breakage of cross-links, and appeared irreversible in detrusor even after the return of spontaneous rhythmic tone during 120 min of incubation in a calcium-containing solution. However, 3 min of KCl or carbachol (CCh)-induced contraction permitted rapid regeneration of the passive stiffness lost to strain softening, and 3 μM of the RhoA kinase (ROK) inhibitor Y-27632 prevented this regeneration. The degree of ROK-induced passive stiffness was inversely dependent on muscle length over a length range where peak CCh-induced force was length independent. Thus rabbit detrusor displayed variable passive stiffness both strain- and activation-history dependent. In conclusion, activation of ROK by KCl or CCh increased passive stiffness softened by muscle strain and thereby attributed to cross-links that remained stable during tissue incubation in a calcium-free solution. Degradation of this signaling system could potentially contribute to urinary incontinence.
Mice deficient in plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 have improved skeletal muscle regeneration
Authors: Koh Timothy J. , Bryer Scott C. , Pucci Augustina M. , Sisson Thomas H.
Published: February 2005

Skeletal muscle possesses a remarkable capacity for regeneration. Although the regulation of this process at the molecular level remains largely undefined, the plasminogen system appears to play a critical role. Specifically, mice deficient in either urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA−/− mice) or plasminogen demonstrate markedly impaired muscle regeneration after injury. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that loss of the primary inhibitor of uPA, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), would improve muscle regeneration. Repair of the extensor digitorum longus muscle was assessed after cardiotoxin injury in wild-type, uPA−/−, and PAI-1-deficient (PAI-1−/−) mice. As expected, there was no uPA activity in the injured muscles of uPA−/− mice, and muscles from these transgenic animals demonstrated impaired regeneration. On the other hand, uPA activity was increased in injured muscle from PAI-1−/− mice to a greater extent than in wild-type controls. Furthermore, PAI-1−/− mice demonstrated increased expression of MyoD and developmental myosin after injury as well as accelerated recovery of muscle morphology, protein levels, and muscle force compared with wild-type animals. The injured muscles of PAI-1-null mice also demonstrated increased macrophage accumulation, contrasting with impaired macrophage accumulation in uPA-deficient mice. The extent of macrophage accumulation correlated with both the clearance of protein after injury and the efficiency of regeneration. Taken together, these results indicate that PAI-1 deficiency promotes muscle regeneration, and this protease inhibitor represents a therapeutic target for enhancing muscle regeneration.
Acetaldehyde disrupts tight junctions and adherens junctions in human colonic mucosa: protection by EGF andl-glutamine
Authors: Basuroy S. , Sheth P. , Mansbach C. M. , Rao R. K.
Published: February 2005

Acetaldehyde, a toxic metabolite of ethanol oxidation, is suggested to play a role in the increased risk for gastrointestinal cancers in alcoholics. In the present study, the effect of acetaldehyde on tyrosine phosphorylation, immmunofluorescence localization, and detergent-insoluble fractions of the tight junction and the adherens junction proteins was determined in the human colonic mucosa. The role of EGF and l-glutamine in prevention of acetaldehyde-induced effects was also evaluated. Acetaldehyde reduced the protein tyrosine phosphatase activity, thereby increasing the tyrosine phosphorylation of occludin, E-cadherin, and β-catenin. The levels of occludin, zonula occludens-1, E-cadherin, and β-catenin in detergent-insoluble fractions were reduced by acetaldehyde, while it increased their levels in detergent-soluble fractions. Pretreatment with EGF or l-glutamine prevented acetaldehyde-induced protein tyrosine phosphorylation, redistribution from intercellular junctions, and reduction in the levels of detergent-insoluble fractions of occludin, zonula occludens-1, E-cadherin, and β-catenin. These results demonstrate that acetaldehyde induces tyrosine phosphorylation and disrupts tight junction and adherens junction in human colonic mucosa, which can be prevented by EGF and glutamine.
Deterministic construct of amplifying actions of ghrelin on pulsatile growth hormone secretion
Authors: Farhy Leon S. , Veldhuis Johannes D.
Published: February 2005

Ghrelin is a native ligand for the growth hormone secretagogue (GHS) receptor that stimulates pulsatile GH secretion markedly. At present, no formal construct exists to unify ensemble effects of ghrelin, GH-releasing hormone (GHRH), somatostatin (SRIF), and GH feedback. To model such interactions, we have assumed that ghrelin can stimulate pituitary GH secretion directly, antagonize inhibition of pituitary GH release by SRIF, oppose suppression of GHRH neurons in the arcuate nucleus (ArC) by SRIF, and induce GHRH secretion from ArC. The dynamics of such connectivity yield self-renewable GH pulse patterns mirroring those in the adult male and female rat and explicate the following key experimental observations. 1) Constant GHS infusion stimulates pulsatile GH secretion. 2) GHS and GHRH display synergy in vivo. 3) A systemic pulse of GHS stimulates GH secretion in the female rat at any time and in the male more during a spontaneous peak than during a trough. 4) Transgenetic silencing of the neuronal GHS receptor blunts GH pulses in the female. 5) Intracerebroventricular administration of GHS induces GH secretion. The minimal construct of GHS-GHRH-SRIF-GH interactions should aid in integrating physiological data, testing regulatory hypotheses, and forecasting innovative experiments.
Serotonin-type 3 receptors mediate intestinal Polycose- and glucose-induced suppression of intake
Authors: Savastano David M. , Carelle Melissa , Covasa Mihai
Published: February 2005

Ondansetron, a selective serotonin-type 3 (5-HT3) receptor antagonist, was used to test the hypothesis that duodenal infusion of isosmotic solutions of Polycose or its hydrolytic product glucose suppressed intake through 5-HT3receptors. Polycose suppressed sucrose intake across both concentrations infused (132 mM, 7.6 ± 0.6 ml; 263 mM, 2.3 ± 0.5 ml), compared with intake under control conditions (12.6 ± 0.3 ml, P <0.001). Pretreatment with 1.0 mg/kg ondansetron attenuated reduction of sucrose intake induced only by the highest concentration of Polycose (4.6 ± 0.8 ml, P = 0.004). Dose-response testing revealed that suppression of food intake by 263 mM Polycose was equally attenuated by ondansetron administered at 1.0, 2.0, and 5.0 mg/kg but not when given at 0.125, 0.25, and 0.5 mg/kg. Acarbose, an α-glucosidase inhibitor, attenuated Polycose-induced suppression of food intake, and pretreatment with 1.0 mg/kg ondansetron had no further effect. Suppression of intake after 990 mM glucose but not mannitol infusion was attenuated by pretreatment with 1.0 mg/kg ondansetron. The competitive SGLT1inhibitor, phloridzin, had no effect on 60-min 990 mM glucose-induced suppression of intake or the ability of ondansetron to attenuate this suppression of intake. Conversely, glucose-induced suppression of intake was attenuated by phloridzin at earlier time points and further attenuated when rats were pretreated with 1.0 mg/kg ondansetron. Ondansetron administration alone had no effect on intake at any dose tested. We conclude that 5-HT3receptors participate in the inhibition of food intake by intraduodenal infusion of carbohydrate solutions through a posthydrolytic, preabsorptive mechanism.
Corticosterone suppresses mesenteric lymph node T cells by inhibiting p38/ERK pathway and promotes bacterial translocation after alcohol and burn injury
Authors: Li Xiaoling , Rana Shadab N. , Kovacs Elizabeth J. , Gamelli Richard L. , Chaudry Irshad H. , Choudhry Mashkoor A.
Published: February 2005

Previous studies showed that alcohol (EtOH) intoxication before burn injury suppresses mesenteric lymph node (MLN) T cell functions and increases gut bacterial translocation. In this study, we examined whether corticosterone (Cort) plays any role in suppressing MLN T cell function and bacterial accumulation after EtOH intoxication and burn injury. Rats were gavaged with EtOH to achieve a blood EtOH level of ∼100 mg/dl before receiving 25% total body surface area burn or sham injury. A group of rats was treated with the Cort synthesis inhibitor metyrapone (25 mg/kg) at the time of injury and on day 1 after injury. Two days after injury, a significant increase in blood Cort levels and suppression of MLN T cell proliferation and IL-2 production was observed in rats receiving combined insult of EtOH intoxication and burn injury compared with rats receiving EtOH intoxication or burn injury alone. There was no change in T cell apoptosis after combined insult of EtOH and burn injury. Furthermore, T cell suppression was accompanied by a significant decrease in p38 and ERK1/2 activation (phosphorylation). There was no difference in JNK activation after EtOH and burn injury. Treatment of rats with metyrapone prevented the suppression of MLN T cell proliferation, IL-2 production, and p38 and ERK1/2 phosphorylation. Restoration of T cell function in metyrapone-treated animals was also associated with the decrease in bacterial accumulation in MLN. These findings suggest that EtOH intoxication before burn injury augments Cort release, which suppresses MLN T cell function by inhibiting p38 and ERK1/2 activation and promotes bacterial accumulation in MLN after EtOH and burn injury.
Acute effects of resistance exercise on arterial compliance
Authors: DeVan Allison E. , Anton Maria M. , Cook Jill N. , Neidre Daria B. , Cortez-Cooper Miriam Y. , Tanaka Hirofumi
Published: February 2005

Decreased central arterial compliance is an emerging risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Resistance training is associated with reductions in the elastic properties of central arteries. Currently, it is not known whether this reduction is from one bout of resistance exercise or from an adaptation to multiple bouts of resistance training. Sixteen healthy sedentary or recreationally active adults (11 men and 5 women, age 27 ± 1 yr) were studied under parallel experimental conditions on 2 separate days. The order of experiments was randomized between resistance exercise (9 resistance exercises at 75% of 1 repetition maximum) and sham control (seated rest in the exercise room). Baseline hemodynamic values were not different between the two experimental conditions. Carotid arterial compliance (via simultaneous B-mode ultrasound and applanation tonometry) decreased and β-stiffness index increased ( P < 0.01) immediately and 30 min after resistance exercise. Immediately after resistance exercise, carotid systolic blood pressure increased ( P < 0.01), although no changes were observed in brachial systolic blood pressure at any time points. These measures returned to baseline values within 60 min after the completion of resistance exercise. No significant changes in these variables were observed during the sham control condition. These results indicate that one bout of resistance exercise acutely decreases central arterial compliance, but this effect is sustained for <60 min after the completion of resistance exercise.
Electrical Stimulation of the Anterior Cingulate Cortex Reduces Responses of Rat Dorsal Horn Neurons to Mechanical Stimuli
Authors: Senapati Arun K. , Lagraize Stacey C. , Huntington Paula J. , Wilson Hilary D. , Fuchs Perry N. , Peng Yuan B.
Published: February 2005

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is involved in the affective and motivational aspect of pain perception. Behavioral studies show a decreased avoidance behavior to noxious stimuli without change in mechanical threshold after stimulation of the ACC. However, as part of the neural circuitry of behavioral reflexes, there is no evidence showing that ACC stimulation alters dorsal horn neuronal responses. We hypothesize that ACC stimulation has two phases: a short-term phase in which stimulation elicits antinociception and a long-term phase that follows stimulation to change the affective response to noxious input. To begin testing this hypothesis, the purpose of this study was to examine the response of spinal cord dorsal horn neurons during stimulation of the ACC. Fifty-eight wide dynamic range spinal cord dorsal horn neurons from adult Sprague-Dawley rats were recorded in response to graded mechanical stimuli (brush, pressure, and pinch) at their respective receptive fields, while simultaneous stepwise electrical stimulations (300 Hz, 0.1 ms, at 10, 20, and 30 V) were applied in the ACC. The responses to brush at control, 10, 20, and 30 V, and recovery were 14.2 ± 1.4, 12.3 ± 1.2, 10.9 ± 1.2, 10.3 ± 1.1, and 14.1 ± 1.4 spikes/s, respectively. The responses to pressure at control, 10, 20, and 30 V, and recovery were 39.8 ± 4.7, 25.6 ± 3.0, 25.0 ± 3.0, 21.6 ± 2.4, and 34.2 ± 3.7 spikes/s, respectively. The responses to pinch at control, 10, 20, and 30 V, and recovery were 40.7 ± 3.8, 30.6 ± 3.1, 27.8 ± 2.8, 27.2 ± 3.2, and 37.4 ± 3.9 spikes/s, respectively. We conclude that electrical stimulation of the ACC induces significant inhibition of the responses of spinal cord dorsal horn neurons to noxious mechanical stimuli. The stimulation-induced inhibition begins to recover as soon as the stimulation is terminated. These results suggest differential short-term and long-term modulatory effects of the ACC stimulation on nociceptive circuits.
Toll-Like Receptor 4–Dependent and –Independent Cytokine Secretion Induced by Minimally Oxidized Low-Density Lipoprotein in Macrophages
Authors: Miller Yury I. , Viriyakosol Suganya , Worrall Dorothy S. , Boullier Agnès , Butler Susan , Witztum Joseph L.
Published: February 2005

Objective—Innate immune responses to oxidized low-density lipoprotein LDL (LDL) regulate the development of atherosclerosis. We demonstrated previously that an early form of oxidized LDL, minimally modified LDL (mmLDL), triggers cytoskeletal rearrangements in macrophages via CD14 and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/MD-2. Because lipopolysaccharide (LPS) activation of TLR4 leads to proinflammatory gene expression, in this study, we asked whether mmLDL also induced proinflammatory signaling.

Methods and Results—We studied cytokine secretion and signaling in J774 and primary peritoneal macrophages stimulated with mmLDL, which was prepared by incubating LDL with cells expressing human 15-lipoxygenase. MmLDL stimulated robust phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) activation, and Akt and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) phosphorylation, which exceeded that induced by LPS. On the other hand, although mmLDL induced nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) p65 translocation to the nucleus, there was no detectable NF-κB activation. However, mmLDL induced early mRNA and protein expression of the cytokines MIP-2, MCP-1, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin-6. Chemokine MIP-2 but not MCP-1 secretion depended on TLR4/MyD88, ERK1/2, and PI3K signaling. In turn, TLR4 regulated phosphorylation of ERK1/2 but not of Akt, suggesting that mmLDL-induced PI3K activation is TLR4 independent.

Conclusions—In macrophages, mmLDL activates TLR4-dependent and -independent signaling pathways, resulting in secretion of proinflammatory cytokines. These results provide new insights into the inflammatory origins of atherosclerosis.
A Role for Endoglin in Coupling eNOS Activity and Regulating Vascular Tone Revealed in Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia
Authors: Toporsian Mourad , Gros Robert , Kabir Mohammed G. , Vera Sonia , Govindaraju Karuthapillai , Eidelman David H. , Husain Mansoor , Letarte Michelle
Published: February 2005

Decreased endothelial NO synthase (eNOS)-derived NO bioavailability and impaired vasomotor control are crucial factors in cardiovascular disease pathogenesis. Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia type 1 (HHT1) is a vascular disorder associated with
ENDOGLIN
(
ENG
) haploinsufficiency and characterized by venous dilatations, focal loss of capillaries, and arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). We report that resistance arteries from
Eng
+/−
mice display an eNOS-dependent enhancement in endothelium-dependent dilatation and impairment in the myogenic response, despite reduced eNOS levels. We have found that eNOS is significantly reduced in endoglin-deficient endothelial cells because of decreased eNOS protein half-life. We demonstrate that endoglin can reside in caveolae and associate with eNOS, suggesting a stabilizing function of endoglin for eNOS. After Ca
2+
-induced activation, endoglin-deficient endothelial cells have reduced eNOS/Hsp90 association, produce less NO, and generate more eNOS-derived superoxide (O
2
−
), indicating that endoglin also facilitates eNOS/Hsp90 interactions and is an important regulator in the coupling of eNOS activity. Treatment with an O
2
−
scavenger reverses the vasomotor abnormalities in
Eng
+/−
arteries, suggesting that uncoupled eNOS and resulting impaired myogenic response represent early events in HHT1 pathogenesis and that the use of antioxidants may provide a novel therapeutic modality.
Poverty and Demography: The Case of the Gracchan Land Reforms
Authors: Ligt de
Published: February 2005

According to many ancient historians the second century BC witnessed a fast expansion of slave-staffed estates that pushed large numbers of free peasants off the land. The widespread rural impoverishment caused by this development is thought to have resulted in population decline and a shortage of military recruits. Against this view this paper argues that not only the number of Roman citizens but the free population of Italy as a whole continued to grow during the decades preceding the Gracchan land reforms. This means that Tiberius Gracchus was correct in assuming that the number of impoverished citizens was steadily increasing but wrong to interpret the census figures of the 140s and 130s BC as indicating that the citizen body had begun to shrink. In short, the widespread rural misery lying behind the Gracchan reforms should be seen as a consequence of continuing population growth rather than as a cause of demographic decline.
The Critical Theory of Society: The Longing for the Totally Other
Authors: Siebert Rudolf J.
Published: February 2005

This essay is concerned with the religious and theological dimension of Max Horkheimer's, Theodor W. Adorno's, and Walter Benjamin's and other theorists' critical theory of society. It aims at a new critical theory of religion, which would go beyond the religious and theological concerns of the critical theory of society. The essay concentrates on the way, in which the critical theorists of the first and second generation dealt with the modern dichotomy between the religious and the secular, the sacred and the profane, revelation and enlightenment, religious faith and autonomous reason, church and state. The critical theorists have left behind the idealistic attempt to reconcile the modern dichotomy of the religious and the secular: e.g., that of Leibnitz, Hegel, Goethe, or Beethoven.

The essay focuses on the critical theorists' materialistic attempt — not to reconcile faith and knowledge, that is not possible at this point in history — but at least to prevent the modern contradiction between monotheism and enlightenment to be closed prematurely either fundamentalistically or scientistically and positivistically. Adorno and Benjamin have initiated an inverse theology, which presupposes a. that religion has indeed contributed to the humanization of mankind, and b.that the secularization process cannot be stopped. The inverse theology allows semantic and semiotic materials and potentials to migrate from the depth of the mythos into the secular discourse among the expert cultures — sociology, psychology, anthropology, philosophy — and through it into communicative and political action, in order thus to prevent the further rebarbarization of the Western civilization. The inverse theology is a test in so far as that semantic or semiotic material, which cannot be translated into the profane discourse of expert cultures, cannot be rescued and will be lost. One central semantic element, which Adorno and Horkheimer intended to rescue, was the longing for the totally Other than the slaughterbench, holocaust — altar and Golgatha of history. In this longing for the entirely Other is concretely superseded, i.e., criticized, but also preserved and elevated and fulfilled, what once in the world — religions and — philosophies had been called: Eternity, Beauty, Heaven, God, Infinite, Transcendence, Being, Idea, Absolute, Unconditional. The critical theorists transform once certain religious dogmas into longings. The longing for the totally Other has been the fundamental motive and motivation of the critical theorists, which gave them manifestly or latently energy for almost a whole century, and which allowed them to survive two world wars, and fascism, and emigration, and to make it possible for them on one hand not to regress into mythology, and on the other hand not to fall victim to positivism as the metaphysics of what is the case.
The Dialectics of Belief and Practice: Religious Process as Praxis
Authors: Wright Bonnie , Rawls Anne Warfield
Published: February 2005

Contrary to the view that beliefs drive religious behavior, we argue that enacted practices in their details are essential to the faith experience. In keeping with C. Wright Mills (1940) argument that rules cannot be followed, and Emile Durkheim's much neglected argument (1912) that beliefs provide only retrospective accounts of social action, not recipes for its enactment, we find that religious process, as a prospective matter, must be carefully orchestrated in empirically recognizable ways in order to create and sustain belief. They must prospectively exhibit expected local order details, as practices, in order to be accepted in a particular religious context. This paper describes general beliefs and the local order details of several practices involved in Assemblies of God religious services. Cases sanctioned as inappropriate are also analyzed as evidence that practices must be recognizable in their details in order to work as expressions of belief in particular religious contexts.
A Portrait of Detained Youth in the State of Hawaii
Authors: Wolf Angela M. , Hartney Christopher
Published: February 2005

Until a recently perceived surge in delinquency, Asian or Pacific Islander (API) youth appeared to be relatively protected from negative developmental outcomes such as delinquency, school failure, and teen pregnancy. However, the increasing rate of API youth entering the juvenile justice system has sparked more in-depth consideration of delinquency in the API population. This article describes relevant characteristics of the predominantly API youth detained in Hawaii’s only youth detention facility and examines their recidivism rate after release.
Compaction of a Bone Dowel in the Tibial Tunnel Improves the Fixation Stiffness of a Soft Tissue Anterior Cruciate Ligament Graft
Authors: Howell Stephen M. , Roos Phil , Hull Maury L.
Published: February 2005

Background

Despite increasing attention on fixation of a soft tissue anterior cruciate ligament graft in the tibia, there have been no studies on the use of a bone dowel as a joint line fixation device for promoting fixation properties, especially stiffness at the time of implantation.

Purpose

To determine whether compacting a bone dowel into the tibial tunnel improves fixation stiffness, yield load, and resistance to slippage of a soft tissue anterior cruciate ligament graft.

Study Design

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods

A double-looped tendon graft was fixed at the distal end of the tibial tunnel with a WasherLoc in 24 calf tibias. The tibial tunnels were treated with or without a dowel of cancellous bone. The bone dowel was harvested from the tibial tunnel and then compacted into a tapered space anterior to the anterior cruciate ligament graft as a joint line fixation device. A cyclic load and measurement test was administered to determine fixation stiffness, yield load, slippage, and failure mode.

Results

The specimens with the bone dowel had 58 N/mm more stiffness (P =. 04); however, the yield load and resistance to slippage were similar in specimens with and without the bone dowel.

Conclusions

A bone dowel harvested from the tibial tunnel can be used as a joint line fixation device in series with a distal fixation method to improve initial fixation stiffness and increase the fit, which is known to enhance tendon graft-to-bone healing in the tibia.
Arthroscopic Assessment for Intra-articular Disorders in Residual Ankle Disability after Sprain
Authors: Takao Masato , Uchio Yuji , Naito Kohei , Fukazawa Ikuo , Ochi Mitsuo
Published: February 2005

Background

After ankle sprain, there can be many causes of disability, the origins of which cannot be determined using standard diagnostic tools.

Hypothesis

Ankle arthroscopy is a useful tool in identifying intra-articular disorders of the talocrural joint in cases of residual ankle disability after sprain.

Study Design

Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 2.

Methods

The authors gathered the independent diagnostic results of physical examination, standard mortise and lateral radiography, stress radiography of the talocrural joint, and magnetic resonance imaging for 72 patients with residual ankle disability lasting more than 2 months after injury (mean, 7 months after injury). They performed arthroscopic procedures and compared the double-blind results.

Results

In all cases, the arthroscopic results matched those of other means of diagnosis. In 14 cases, the arthroscopic approach exceeded the capabilities of the other methods. Including duplications, 39 patients (54.2%) had anterior talofibular ligament injuries, 17 patients (23.6%) had distal tibiofibular ligament injuries, 29 patients (40.3%) had osteochondral lesions, 13 patients (18%) had symptomatic os subfibulare, 3 patients (4.2%) had anterior impingement exostosis, and 3 patients (4.2%) had impingement due to abnormally fibrous bands. There were only 2 cases in which the cause of symptoms could not be detected by ankle arthroscopy, compared with 16 cases in which the cause of disability could not be detected using standard methods. In 3 cases (17.6%) of distal tibiofibular ligament injuries, 8 cases (27.6%) of osteochondral lesions, and all 3 cases (100%) of impingement of an abnormal fibrous band, ankle arthroscopy was the only method capable of diagnosing the cause of residual ankle pain after a sprain.

Conclusion

The present results suggest that arthroscopy can be used to diagnose the cause of residual pain after an ankle sprain in most cases that are otherwise undiagnosable by clinical examination and imaging study.
Intimate Partner Violence Research in the Health Care Setting
Authors: Zink Therese , Putnam Frank
Published: February 2005

The past 20 years of research has exposed the profound cost of intimate partner violence (IPV) in health care problems and health care dollars for victims and bystanders. As a result, professional organizations encourage clinicians to identify IPV victims and to refer them to community resources. To date there is little evidence to show the value of these efforts, and many completed studies are criticized for methodological weaknesses. IPV studies are challenging to design, and the double-blind randomized controlled trial may be an impossible standard. To move forward, funders and study committees are encouraged to reassess the standards for IPV research methodologies.
Intimate Partner Violence in the U.S. General Population
Authors: Field Craig A. , Caetano Raul
Published: February 2005

This article reviews survey research on intimate partner violence (IPV) in the U.S. general population. Results from survey research conducted over the past quarter century are briefly summarized. Three additional national studies related to injuries, crime victimization, and homicide among intimate partners in the United States are also considered. The article emphasizes the progress that has been made in general population survey research related to IPV. It concludes with a discussion of the current controversies and future directions for survey research of IPV in the U.S. general population.
Violence and Trauma
Authors: Jackson Arrick L. , Veneziano Carol , Ice Wendy
Published: February 2005

The issues of violence and trauma over the past 20 years have generated a significant amount of research. However, the development of each field has remained, for the most part, exclusive from the other. Therefore, the goal of this article is to address this shortcoming within the literature by responding to three important questions: (a) What is the most important thing we have learned about violence and trauma in the past 20 years? (b) What is the most important thing we need to learn in the next 10 years? and (c) What is the most promising methodological innovation in the past 20 years for the study or treatment of trauma or interpersonal violence? This article concludes that by increasing the discourse between the two fields, both research fields may be better able to develop conceptually, methodologically, and empirically.
Beyond PTSD
Authors: Becker-Blease Kathryn A. , Freyd Jennifer J.
Published: February 2005

During the past 20 years, we have learned how similarly harmful are experiences of terror, violence, and abuse, whether they occur on the combat field or at home. The field of family violence has gained much from the field of traumatic stress, and collaborations between these two previously separate fields have yielded important new answers, as well as new research questions. The field of traumatic stress is poised to integrate, more fully than in the past, a variety of aspects of trauma such as social betrayal, as well as outcomes of trauma such as depression, criminality, and physiological harm that go beyond posttraumatic stress. The field of family violence has much to offer in this process. We look forward to improved research designs that will further our knowledge of how trauma affects aspects of people’s lives, including productivity, relationships, cognition, and emotions, in negative and positive ways.
How Academics and Practitioners Evaluate Technical Texts
Authors: Abbott Christine , Eubanks Philip
Published: February 2005

In this study, six focus groups comprising technical communicators and technical communication instructors evaluated and discussed two versions of an instructional manual and two versions of a memo. Findings reveal that the practitioners and academics relied on similar metaphors (including the Conduit Metaphor), metonymies, and constructed scenarios. Although their ways of evaluating texts were broadly similar, practitioners exhibited greater awareness of task-related rhetorical variables whereas academics were more likely to be concerned with textual features and general principles that apply to technical writing tasks. Differences between the groups were particularly evident in discussions of the memo.
The Personal Map: A Lesson in Similarities, Differences, and the Invisible
Authors: Litvin Deborah R. , Betters-Reed Bonita L.
Published: February 2005

The Personal Map is a series of activities designed to help students develop self-reflexivity, interpersonal communication, emotional intelligence, and diversity awareness. Students create and present to their classmates personal maps depicting formative life events. They then reflect on their experience of the project and share their reflections. The personal map challenges students to explore visible and invisible aspects of themselves and of their classmates, along with the experiences that shaped those selves. Through these explorations, it helps to create an open and affirming classroom community. Theoretical grounding, pedagogical tips, instructions for the exercise, and samples of student reflections are provided.
Adventures in Creating an Outdoor Leadership Challenge Course for an Emba Program
Authors: Judge William
Published: February 2005

This article documents the evolution of an outdoor-based experiential leadership training event within an Executive MBA (EMBA) program. The purpose of this article is to encourage other EMBA faculty and directors to consider adding a similar event to their leadership development initiatives and to learn from our experiences. After 3 years of experience with this approach, we improved continuously each year and now offer a potentially transformative capstone personal growth experience that focuses on Kouzes and Posner’s (1995) leadership practices inventory.