bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Will investors change their superannuation fund given the choice?
Authors: Fry Tim , Heaney Richard , McKeown Warren
Published: April 2007

A large number of Australian investors have been granted the right to choose where their superannuation fund contributions will be invested, but it is difficult to ascertain whether investors will exercise this choice. Although expected‐utility‐maximizing investors might tend to change their fund once given the choice, loss averse investors would favour the status quo. Using a survey of over 1600 Australian investors, conducted by FinaMetrica in early 2005, we find support for inertia (status quo) in our sample suggesting that, with respect to superannuation choice, individual Australian investors are loss averse.
Marriage, Divorce and Reciprocity‐based Cooperation
Authors: Anderberg Dan
Published: April 2007

This paper considers partnership formation, partnership dissolution and reciprocity‐based cooperation by couples in the form of voluntary transfers to smooth consumption. While risk sharing is one benefit of having a partner, it is also limited by the (endogenous) risk of separation. The equilibrium formation and dissolution of partnerships are determined simultaneously with cooperative behavior. Publicly provided earnings insurance is shown to increase the “turnover” rate in the marriage market as well as to reduce the steady‐state marriage rate and the implicit financial cooperation between partners.
Aid Selectivity According to Augmented Criteria
Authors: Amprou Jacky , Guillaumont Patrick , Jeanneney Sylviane Guillaumont
Published: April 2007

A dominant trend in the literature maintains that donor assistance should be targeted at poor countries with sound institutions and policies. In this context, donor selectivity refers to what extent aid is allocated according to the principles of this ‘canonical’ model. This paper shows that it is legitimate for donors to simultaneously use other selectivity criteria corresponding either to expected factors of aid effectiveness or to handicaps to development. It is notably argued that vulnerability to exogenous shocks and low level of human capital should be considered as selectivity criteria. Taking these other criteria into account dramatically changes the assessment of donor selectivity.
Institutional Determinants of Foreign Direct Investment
Authors: Bénassy‐Quéré Agnès , Coupet Maylis , Mayer Thierry
Published: April 2007

In this paper, we contribute to the literature on the determinants of foreign direct investment in developing countries and re‐evaluate the role of the quality of institutions on FDI independently of the general level of development. We implement cross‐section estimations based on a newly available database with unprecedented detail on institutions for a set of 52 countries, as well as panel data estimations based on Fraser Institute's data. Furthermore, we control for the correlation between institutions and GDP per capita and for endogeneity of institutions. Finally, we evaluate whether the similarity of institutions between the host and the origin country raises bilateral FDI. We find that a wide range of institutions, including bureaucracy, corruption, but also information, banking sector and legal institutions, do matter for inward FDI independently of GDP per capita. Interestingly, weak capital concentration and strong employment protection tend to reduce inward FDI. Institutional proximity between the origin and the host country also matters, but we find little impact of institutions in the origin country. These results are encouraging in the sense that efforts towards raising the quality of institutions and making them converge towards those of source countries may help developing countries to receive more FDI, independently of the indirect impact of higher GDP per capita. The orders of magnitude found in the paper are large, meaning that moving from a low level to a high level of institutional quality could have as much impact as suddenly becoming a neighbour of a source country.
FDI in Chinese Cities: Spillovers and Impact on Growth
Authors: Madariaga Nicole , Poncet Sandra
Published: April 2007

This study reconsiders the question of impact of FDI on growth performance. We rely on a dataset of Chinese cities between 1990 and 2002 to investigate the effects of FDI in the traditional growth regression framework using the GMM estimator for dynamic panels. Our growth model incorporates an explicit consideration of spatial dependence effects in the form of spatially lagged income and FDI. Our results reveal that Chinese cities take advantage not only of FDI flows received locally but also of FDI flows received by their neighbours.
THINKING ABOUT ‘STYLE’ IN THE ‘POST‐STYLISTIC ERA’: RECONSTRUCTING THE STYLISTIC CONTEXT OF CHAUVET
Authors: ABADÍA OSCAR MORO , MORALES MANUEL R. GONZÁLEZ
Published: April 2007

Summary.  Over the past decade, new radiocarbon dating from several art caves has conflicted with the traditional stylistic sequence of Palaeolithic art. Using Chauvet as a paradigm, some archaeologists have suggested that stylistic approaches to Palaeolithic art should be rejected in favour of more sophisticated methods, such as AMS radiocarbon dating. Contrary to this proposal, we suggest that the high antiquity of the Chauvet paintings (dated to c.32,000 years BP) does not necessarily imply the end of all stylistic approaches to Palaeolithic art. Taking the recent discoveries (2003) at the site of Hohle Fels and the attribution of the Palaeolithic engravings of the cave of l'Aldène to the Aurignacian (2005) into account, we suggest that the Chauvet paintings can be placed within an Aurignacian stylistic context. Throughout this analysis, we propose some critical thoughts on the concept of ‘style’ and discuss some ways in which stylistic approaches can be used to improve our knowledge of Palaeolithic art.
A CERAMIC TOOL FOR THE GLASS‐BLOWER
Authors: LAUWERS VEERLE , DEGRYSE PATRICK , WAELKENS MARC
Published: April 2007

Summary.  The existence of a local glass workshop is known at Sagalassos through archaeological and chemical analysis. In test soundings in the monumental city, an enigmatic ceramic cane was found attached to a chunk of green glass. This remarkable object is thought to be a pontil rod, more specifically a mandril. This study illustrates the use of ceramic tools in the glass craft as a readily available and cheap solution to the technical problems a glass‐worker encountered.
PURPLE‐DYE PRODUCTION IN LYCIA – RESULTS OF AN ARCHAEOZOOLOGICAL FIELD SURVEY IN ANDRIAKE (SOUTH‐WEST TURKEY)
Authors: FORSTENPOINTNER GERHARD , QUATEMBER URSULA , GALIK ALFRED , WEISSENGRUBER GERALD , KONECNY ANDREAS
Published: April 2007

Summary. In 2003 a substantial deposit of heavily fragmented shells of purple snails was by chance located at the site of Andriake, the ancient port of the Lycian city of Myra near Demre, in southern Turkey. The archaeozoological and archaeological record of a survey project in 2004 proved the identification of a large installation for the production of purple dye. Adjacent to a well preserved Hadrianic granary and partly superimposing the remains of a U‐shaped building, the deposit is wrapped around three sides of a subterranean cistern. Apparently dating to the sixth century AD, the deposit contains approximately 300 m3of shell debris. The unique chance of examining an undisturbed and well preserved manufacturing place for purple dye provides an excellent opportunity to investigate the processual particularities as well as the ecological impact of purple‐dye production in antiquity.
Social partnership and workplace regimes in Ireland
Authors: Roche William K.
Published: April 2007

Workplace partnership has attracted considerable attention from the academic community in recent years, especially in Anglo‐Saxon countries. There has also been considerable debate as to the diffusion of workplace partnership in the Republic of Ireland, notwithstanding strong public policy support over the past decade. There is a good degree of consensus in the literature as to the defining features of partnership, and these are used to identify a series of partnership practices and arrangements that provide the basis for an empirical analysis of the prevalence of partnership in workplaces where unions are recognised and workplaces without union recognition. The article draws on survey data collected from a nationally representative sample of 3,553 employees. Both a descriptive analysis and the use of latent class modelling show that partnership arrangements comprising multiple practices and arrangements are of very limited prevalence in workplaces in Ireland. The pattern is revealed as one of many permutations and combinations in workplaces involving the presence and absence of partnership practices and arrangements, with workplaces combining systematic sets of partnership practices covering small proportions of employees. The evidence of limited diffusion, combined with the growing diversity in employment relations arrangements in Ireland, raises doubts concerning the prospects of workplace partnership.
Performing industrial relations: the centrality of gender in regulation of work in theatre and television
Authors: Dean Deborah
Published: April 2007

Women performers have worked in a formally unsegregated occupation since 1660. However, formal and informal regulation of their access to work can only be understood in the context of their interaction as gendered workers with other, gendered, institutions and processes. This analysis has wider implications for the study of industrial relations.
Developing reservoir tillage technology for semi‐arid environments
Authors: Patrick C. , Kechavarzi C. , James I. T. , O'Dogherty M. , Godwin R. J.
Published: April 2007

Arable farming on suitable land in semi‐arid environments is hampered by low and erratic rainfall and droughts. To use this land effectively, techniques, such as water harvesting may improve soil water storage and increase agricultural productivity. Laboratory experiments were conducted to assess two reservoir tillage methods under different slopes, rainfall intensities and soil densities. A commercial trailed tillage tool (Aqueel) was used to form discrete soil depressions by compression of the soil and a soil scooping device with similar dimensions was used to make depressions in shear by lifting the soil out. The results show that, for the sandy loam used in this study, reservoir tillage is an effective method of harvesting water under high‐intensity rainfall of short duration common in semi‐arid areas. It reduced surface run‐off by 95% on 10° slopes when depressions were staggered and positioned with their long axis across slope. However, high initial soil bulk densities lead to a significant reduction in the volume of the depressions formed in compression and to internal compaction. Increasing vertical load on the Aqueel resulted in an increase in depression volume without an increase in internal compaction but at high bulk densities the depression volumes remained small and high implement load damaged the depression function and stability. This suggests a need for a pre‐loosening tillage operation for compacted soils and the need to design new implements to form depressions in shear.
Newspapers in Victorian Britain
Authors: Hampton Mark
Published: April 2007

This article argues that while the prolific scholarship on the Victorian press arguably does not constitute a coherent research field that engages with common concerns, broader trends can be identified into which much of the scholarship falls. Specifically, many studies of the Victorian press can be categorized around three questions: the level of continuity or rupture between mid‐Victorian newspapers and the New Journalism beginning in the 1880s; the press's role in social control; and the role of the press in buttressing and challenging separate spheres ideologies.
Long‐term Prognosis for Symptomatic (Secondarily) Generalized Epilepsies: A Population‐based Study
Authors: Camfield Peter , Camfield Carol
Published: April 2007

Summary:  Purpose: To describe the long‐term outcome of childhood‐onset secondarily generalized epilepsies (SGEs).

Methods: Children were identified from the Nova Scotia population‐based epilepsy study (n = 692). Onset of epilepsy was between 1977 and 1985, and follow‐up was mainly in 2003. SGE was defined as having a mixture of more than one generalized seizure types including myoclonus, akinetic/atonic, tonic, or atypical absence, plus an interictal EEG with generalized spike–wave (irregular or slow) and/or multifocal spikes.

Results: SGE was identified in 80 children, 11.6% (80 of 692) of all childhood epilepsy. Forty percent did not fit into a currently accepted syndrome (such as Lennox–Gastaut, myoclonic–astatic or West). Seizure onset was in the first year of life in 60%, with only 9% later free of intellectual or physical handicap. Sixty‐five percent (11 of 17) with Lennox–Gastaut had preceding West syndrome. During a median follow‐up of 20 years, mortality was 24% (n = 19), and 53% (n = 42) had persistently intractable seizures. Surprisingly, 22 (28%) had ≥5 years of terminal remission (West, 31%, 10 of 32; Lennox–Gastaut, 0, none of four; myoclonic–astatic, 56%, five of nine; undefined, 31%, 10 of 32). At the end of follow‐up, nearly 90% of patients fell into one of three outcome categories: death, 19 (24%); alive with intractable epilepsy, 31 (39%); or in remission for ≥5 years, 21 (26%).

Conclusions: Many children with SGE have ill‐defined epilepsy syndromes. SGE is characterized by early age at onset, high rates of handicap, intractability, and death, although one third achieve complete seizure control with a long terminal remission.
Neurologic Improvement in a Type 3 Gaucher Disease Patient Treated with Imiglucerase/Miglustat Combination
Authors: Capablo Jose L. , Franco Rafael , De Cabezón Alicia Sáenz , Alfonso Pilar , Pocovi Miguel , Giraldo Pilar
Published: April 2007

Summary:  Purpose: Gaucher disease (GD) is an autosomal recessive lysosomal disorder caused by a deficiency of glucocerebrosidase. The neurologic manifestations of GD patients have to date been refractory to any treatment approach. We present a report of a neuronopathic GD patient whose myoclonic epilepsy improved after combination therapy with imiglucerase and miglustat.

Methods: In an adult type 3 GD patient who, despite good visceral and analytic response to ERT, developed progressive neurologic deterioration with marked myoclonic epilepsy and dystonia, we added miglustat to the enzyme‐replacement therapy.

Results: After 2 years of combined miglustat (200 mg, 3 t.i.d.) and imiglucerase (60 IU/kg every 2 weeks), generalized tonic–clonic seizures decreased, speech improved, and the general neurologic clinical picture improved markedly. The EEG showed a reduction in focal and generalized paroxysmal discharges. No significant adverse effects were observed.

Conclusions: Combined imiglucerase and miglustat therapy may be beneficial for some neuronopathic forms of GD.
Facial Paresis in Patients with Mesial Temporal Sclerosis: Clinical and Quantitative MRI‐based Evidence of Widespread Disease
Authors: Lin Katia , Carrete Henrique , Lin Jaime , De Oliveira Pedro Alessandro Leite , Caboclo Luis Otávio Sales Ferreira , Sakamoto Américo Ceiki , Yacubian Elza Márcia Targas
Published: April 2007

Summary:  Purpose: To assess the frequency and significance of facial paresis (FP) in a well‐defined cohort of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) patients.

Methods: One hundred consecutive patients with MRI findings consistent with mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS) and concordant electroclinical data underwent facial motor examination at rest, with voluntary expression, and with spontaneous smiling. Hippocampal, amygdaloid, and temporopolar (TP) volumetric measures were acquired. Thirty healthy subjects, matched according to age and sex, were taken as controls.

Results: Central‐type FP was found in 46 patients. In 41 (89%) of 46, it was visualized at rest, with voluntary and emotional expression characterizing true facial motor paresis. In 33 (72%) of 46 patients, FP was contralateral to the side of MTS. By using a 2‐SD cutoff from the mean of normal controls, we found reduction in TP volume ipsilateral to MTS in 61% of patients with FP and in 33% of those without (p = 0.01). Febrile seizures as initial precipitating injury (IPI) were observed in 34% of the patients and were classified as complex in 12 (26%) of 46 of those with FP and in five (9%) of 54 of those without (p = 0.02). The presence of FP was significantly associated with a shorter latent period and younger age at onset of habitual seizures, in particular, with secondarily generalized tonic–clonic seizures.

Conclusions: Facial paresis is a reliable lateralizing sign in MTLE and was associated with history of complex febrile seizures as IPI, younger age at onset of disease, and atrophy of temporal pole ipsilateral to MTS, indicating more widespread disease.
Effect of Focal Low‐frequency Stimulation on Amygdala‐kindled Afterdischarge Thresholds and Seizure Profiles in Fast‐ and Slow‐kindling Rat Strains
Authors: Carrington Carys A. , Gilby Krista L. , McIntyre Dan C.
Published: April 2007

Summary:  Purpose: To determine whether low‐frequency, 1‐Hz sine‐wave stimulation (LFS) applied to a fully kindled amygdala focus would show antiepileptic properties in rats that were either naturally seizure prone (Fast) or seizure resistant (Slow).

Methods: Normal twisted and/or “spanning” bipolar electrode configurations were implanted in the amygdalae of adult male Fast and Slow rats. In experiment one, rats were kindled daily to stage‐5 levels through one electrode type until stable afterdischarge thresholds (ADTs) were obtained. Next, LFS was applied through the kindled electrode, and ADTs were redetermined 1 min later, and daily for a week, without reapplying the LFS. In experiment two, a single, normal bipolar kindling electrode was implanted in the amygdala and centered between two poles of a spanning electrode. After stable kindled ADTs were obtained, LFS was applied to the amygdala “area” through the spanning electrode. ADTs were redetermined at the kindled electrode as earlier.

Results: LFS through the kindling electrode had no effect on ADTs 1 min later, but the ADTs increased dramatically 24 h later and then slowly returned to baseline over days. In experiment two, LFS applied through the nonkindled spanning electrode also showed a small but significant threshold elevation at the interposing kindled electrode. Importantly, no obvious neuropathology was associated with these LFS treatments.

Conclusions: LFS applied directly to the kindled network has significant threshold‐elevating properties that are less evident when applied to the “general area”; here LFS must be delivered through a larger surface area and/or at higher intensity.
A Hypothesis for How Non‐REM Sleep Might Promote Seizures in Partial Epilepsies: A Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Study
Authors: Salih Farid , Khatami Ramin , Steinheimer Saskia , Kretz Rebekka , Schmitz Bettina , Grosse Pascal
Published: April 2007

Summary:  Purpose: To investigate alterations of inhibitory and excitatory cortical circuits during non–rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep in drug‐naive patients with partial epilepsies and sleep‐bound seizures only.

Methods: A paired‐pulse TMS paradigm was used to test intracortical inhibition (ICI) and facilitation (ICF) in the hemisphere of the epileptic focus in three untreated patients with nonlesional, nongenetic frontal lobe epilepsy in NREM2 (three patients), NREM3/4 (one patient), and wakefulness (three patients).

Results: All three patients exhibited a major decrease of ICI in NREM sleep as opposed to the physiological enhancement of ICI with the progression of NREM sleep.

Conclusions: Decreased ICI might reflect a substrate for the association of epileptic processes with thalamocortical networks that propagate sleep. Thus our findings contribute to a hypothesis of how NREM sleep could promote seizures.
Panayiotopoulos Syndrome: A Prospective Study of 192 Patients
Authors: Caraballo Roberto , Cersósimo Ricardo , Fejerman Natalio
Published: April 2007

Summary: Objectives:To characterize the electroclinical features and evolution of Panayiotopoulos Syndrome (PS).

Methods:Children with electroclinical criteria of PS were prospectively identified and followed‐up clinically, and with sleep and awake EEGs between February 1990 and 2006.

Results:We identified 192 patients with PS. In the same length of time 398 children with benign childhood epilepsy with centro‐temporal spikes (BCECTS) were registered. PS had a peak age at onset of 5 years. Autonomic manifestations were one of the most common ictal event. Ictal deviation of the eyes and progression to generalized convulsions were also quite frequent. Approximately one third had partial status epilepticus. In all patients except five, the seizures occurred during sleep. One‐third also had fits while awake. Sixteen children had concomitant symptoms of rolandic epilepsy and eight developed rolandic seizures after remission of PS seizures. Prognosis was excellent. Eighty‐four (44.2%) had a single seizure, 79 (41.2%) had 2–5 fits, and 28 (14.6%) had frequent seizures.

Conclusion:PS is less common than BCECTS, but is well defined and easily recognizable by clinical and EEG features, with autonomic manifestations as one of the most common ictal event.
Choosing a First Drug Treatment for Epilepsy after SANAD: Randomized Controlled Trials, Systematic Reviews, Guidelines and Treating Patients.
Authors: Chadwick David , Marson Tony
Published: April 2007

Summary: The ILAE treatment guidelines for initial monotherapy emphasise the poor quality of information available to inform everyday clinical practice. Industry sponsored studies comparing antiepileptic drugs answer restricted licensing questions, rather than those relevant to the clinical community (patients, health professionals and funders of health care). The SANAD study, a pragmatic randomized clinical trial, offers a methodology to address some of these questions. It identifies lamotrigine as a cost‐effective alternative to carbamazepine for the treatment of focal epilepsies, but confirms valproate as the most effective drug for the treatment of generalized or unclassified epilepsy.
Pharmacokinetics of Levetiracetam in Infants and Young Children with Epilepsy
Authors: Glauser Tracy A. , Mitchell Wendy G. , Weinstock Arie , Bebin Martina , Chen Dion , Coupez Rene , Stockis Armel , Lu Zhihong (Sarah)
Published: April 2007

Summary:  Purpose: To assess the single‐dose pharmacokinetics of levetiracetam and its major metabolite ucb L057 in infants and young children with epilepsy.

Methods: Eligible patients with a stable regimen of antiepileptic medications received a single oral dose of levetiracetam 20 mg/kg administered as a 10% oral solution followed by a 24‐hour pharmacokinetic evaluation.

Results: Thirteen subjects (age 2.3–46.2 months) enrolled and received levetiracetam; 12 provided evaluable pharmacokinetic data. Levetiracetam was rapidly absorbed and reached peak plasma concentration (tmax) 1.4 ± 0.9 hours after dosing. The mean half‐life (t1/2) of levetiracetam was 5.3 ± 1.3 hours, and the apparent clearance was 1.46 ± 0.42 mL/min/kg. Graphical differences were observed among three age subgroups (1 to <6 months, 6 to <24 months, and 24 to <48 months); however, statistical analysis was limited due to each subgroup's small sample size. No significant gender differences were detected. Treatment‐emergent adverse events were seen in three patients (23.1%) but were not considered to be related to levetiracetam.

Conclusions: The mean t1/2 of levetiracetam was shorter and its apparent clearance was more rapid for infants and young children than that previously reported for adults. When determining dosage, age‐dependent drug clearance should be considered; these findings suggest that a larger dose of levetiracetam (corrected for body weight) needs to be considered for infants and young children with epilepsy than that given to adults with epilepsy. A single dose of levetiracetam was well tolerated in this study population.
Daily Variation in an Intracranial EEG Feature in Humans Detected by a Responsive Neurostimulator System
Authors: Duckrow Robert B. , Tcheng Thomas K.
Published: April 2007

Summary:  Purpose: Based on the observation that epileptic seizures can occur at specific times of the day, we looked for daily variation in an intracranial electrographic feature used by a responsive neurostimulator system to detect seizures.

Methods: A computationally efficient measure of intracranial EEG energy or complexity, the line length baseline, was calculated and reported by an external responsive neurostimulator during a clinical trial of device safety. Data were obtained from 24 consecutive patients with medically intractable epilepsy undergoing intracranial monitoring over 2 to 54 days to localize the seizure onset zone. Measurements from individual subjects made at different times of day over many days were displayed on a single 24‐h cycle and fit with a cosine function to characterize the time of the maximum value. The timing of epileptic seizures was also noted.

Results: The time of the maximum line length baseline value had a bimodal distribution with relative peaks at 05:30 and 15:00 hours. The time of the maximum value did not associate with specific brain regions, except that a nocturnal peak was not measured from temporal neocortex. The temporal distribution of maximum values was similar to the timing of epileptic seizures.

Conclusion: The line length baseline feature of the intracranial EEG shows daily variation with location specific characteristics within individual subjects.
Intracarotid Amobarbital Procedure in Post‐temporal Lobectomy Patients
Authors: Burton D. Bradley , Pereira Edgard , Modur Pradeep N.
Published: April 2007

Summary:  We describe two patients who underwent intracarotid amobarbital procedure (IAP) postoperatively following temporal lobectomy (one right temporal and one left temporal lobectomy), prompted by consideration of reoperation for persistent, intractable seizures. IAP memory score, consisting of the percentage of correctly recognized dually encoded stimuli, was calculated for each hemisphere. Both patients performed well on the IAP baseline memory assessment prior to injections, and both were left hemisphere dominant for language. The IAP memory results were consistent with the postoperative neuropsychological memory evaluation in that the patient who had undergone nonlanguage‐dominant temporal resection performed within normal limits, while the patient who had undergone language‐dominant temporal resection performed poorly, although not completely amnestic, on memory testing. Injection of the nonsurgical, presumably healthy, hemisphere resulted in complete failure of memory in both patients, implying that baseline memory was dependent on the functional integrity of the nonsurgical hemisphere, inactivation of which led to complete memory disruption. Secondly, the hippocampus in the nonlanguage‐dominant hemisphere was able to support memory to some extent, if not completely, when it functioned in isolation without the influence of the language‐dominant hemisphere during the IAP. These findings are discussed in the context of functional reserve and adequacy models.
An Unspecified Clinical Syndrome in Mentally Retarded Patients with Bilateral Mesial Temporal Sclerosis
Authors: Gürses Candan , Kınay Demet , Kulaksızoğlu Işın Baral , Sencer Serra , Bebek Nerses , Baykan Betül , Gökyiğit Ayşen , Tanör Öget Öktem
Published: April 2007

Summary:  Purpose: The association of febrile convulsions and mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS) is a well‐known phenomenon. However, the effects of mental retardation on febrile convulsions and MTS have not been investigated previously. The aim of this study is to investigate the relation of mental retardation to febrile convulsions especially as febrile status epilepticus and MTS.

Methods: We describe three patients who have bilateral mesial temporal sclerosis with mental retardation and a history of febrile status epilepticus (FSE), and have clinically typical mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE).

Results: The FRSB and neuropsychology test revealed executive dysfunction in patients whose bilateral MTS had a benign course, which was unexpected.

Conclusions: Febrile status epilepticus might have a role in the development of their mental retardation. This study also pointed out that MTS might have subtypes as a result of our attempts at distinguishing patients with MTS.
Status Epilepticus Triggers Caspase‐3 Activation and Necrosis in the Immature Rat Brain
Authors: Niquet Jerome , Auvin Stéphane , Archie Mark , Seo Dae‐Won , Allen Suni , Sankar Raman , Wasterlain Claude G.
Published: April 2007

Summary:  The mode and mechanism of neuronal death induced by status epilepticus (SE) in the immature brain have not been fully characterized. In this study, we analyzed the contribution of neuronal necrosis and caspase‐3 activation to CA1 damage following lithium‐pilocarpine SE in P14 rat pups. By electron microscopy, many CA1 neurons displayed evidence of early necrosis 6 hours following SE, and the full ultrastructural features of necrosis at 24–72 hours. Caspase‐3 was activated in injured (acidophilic) neurons 24 hours following SE, raising the possibility that they died by caspase‐dependent “programmed” necrosis.
Diminished Response of CA1 Neurons to Antiepileptic Drugs in Chronic Epilepsy
Authors: Schaub Christina , Uebachs Mischa , Beck Heinz
Published: April 2007

Summary Purpose:A substantial proportion of epilepsy patients (∼30%) continue to have seizures despite carefully optimized treatment with antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). One key concept to explain the development of pharmacoresistance is that epilepsy‐related changes in the properties of CNS drug targets result in AED‐insensitivity of these targets. These changes then contribute to drug‐resistance on a clinical level. We have tested this hypothesis in hippocampal CA1 neurons in experimental epilepsy.

Methods:Using patch‐clamp techniques, we thoroughly examined the effects of carbamazepine (CBZ) and phenytoin (PHT) on voltage‐gated Na+currents (INa) in hippocampal CA1 neurons of sham‐control and chronically epileptic rats.

Results:We find that there were significant changes in the effects of PHT, but not CBZ on the voltage‐dependence of inactivation, resulting in a significant reduction in voltage‐dependent blocking effects in chronically epileptic animals. Conversely, CBZ effects on the time course of recovery from inactivation of INawere significantly less pronounced in epileptic compared to sham‐control animals, whereas PHT effects remained unaltered.

Conclusions:Our findings indicate that AED‐sensitivity of Na+currents is reduced in chronic epilepsy. The reduction in sensitivity is due to different biophysical mechanisms for CBZ and PHT. Furthermore, comparison to published work suggests that the loss of AED‐sensitivity is less pronounced in CA1 neurons than in dentate granule neurons. Thus, these results suggest that target mechanisms of drug resistance are cell type and AED specific. Unraveling these complex mechanisms is likely to be important for a better understanding of the cellular basis of drug‐resistant epilepsy.
An Epidemiological Study of Children with Status Epilepticus in Okayama, Japan
Authors: Nishiyama Itsuko , Ohtsuka Yoko , Tsuda Toshihide , Inoue Hideo , Kunitomi Taiji , Shiraga Hiroshi , Kimura Takafumi , Fujimoto Kiyoshi
Published: April 2007

Summary:  Background: The incidence of status epilepticus (SE) in Asian children, including Japanese, has not been reported.

Methods: In 2003, we performed an epidemiological study of SE on Japanese children (31 days or older to <15 years of age) in Okayama City by ascertaining all lifetime first episodes of SE.

Results: Thirty‐seven patients (22 males and 15 females) were identified. The annual incidence of SE was 38.8 per 100,000 population (95% CI: 24.5–49.5). Febrile SE in the absence of CNS infection accounted for 17. Acute symptomatic etiologies other than febrile SE were observed in eight patients, including three cases of influenza encephalitis/encephalopathy. Five were classified as remote symptomatic and the remaining seven as cryptogenic. The highest incidence (155.1/100,000) was seen in the age range of 31 days or older to <1 year, followed by 101.5/100,000 in the age range of one year, and the incidence decreased after eight years. In 26 of the 37 patients, SE was their first seizure. As for seizure types, 32 had convulsive SE, including tonic status in one. Five others showed nonconvulsive SE, including complex partial SE in four and absence status in one. No one died of SE. Two patients who brought on SE because of influenza encephalitis/encephalopathy suffered from motor disturbance with or without mental disturbance after SE.

Conclusions: The incidence of SE tended to be higher in Japanese children than reported in Caucasians. The Japanese had an age‐specific incidence pattern similar to that of Caucasians.
Pathological Tau Tangles Localize to Focal Cortical Dysplasia in Older Patients
Authors: Sen Arjune , Thom Maria , Martinian Lillian , Harding Brian , Cross J. Helen , Nikolic Margareta , Sisodiya Sanjay M.
Published: April 2007

Summary:  Purpose: Reactivation of neurodevelopmental processes may contribute to neurodegeneration. For example, the proteins cyclin dependent kinase 5 (cdk5) and glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK3β), which are essential to normal cortical development, can hyperphosphorylate tau and might contribute to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. Focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) is an important neurodevelopmental cause of refractory human epilepsy within which dysplastic neurons exhibit increased immunoreactivity for cdk5 and GSK3β as well as neurofilamentous accumulations. We therefore hypothesized that the developmentally abnormal cortex of FCD might be more susceptible to tau‐mediated neurodegeneration than adjacent histologically normal cortex.

Materials and Methods: We examined a series of 15 cases of FCD, spanning a wide age range, for β‐amyloid, pathologically phosphorylated tau and neurofibrillary tangles using silver staining, immunohistochemistry for tau, AT8, RD3, RD4 and two‐dimensional cell counting.

Results:β‐amyloid plaques, aberrantly phosphorylated tau and neurofibrillary tangles are only found in older patients. The hyperphosphorylated tau tangles are confined to dysplastic neurons. Immunoreactivity for 3‐ and 4‐repeat tau was again only detected within regions of FCD in older patients. With increasing age, the dysplastic cortex became hypocellular and a higher proportion of dysplastic neurons exhibited pathological tau phosphorylation.

Conclusions: In older patients, FCD appears more susceptible to formation of pathologically phosphorylated tau neurofibrillary tangles than adjacent histologically normal cortex. Our results suggest a novel convergence of pathological neurodevelopment with pathological age‐related neurodegeneration.
Decision Making and Binge Drinking: A Longitudinal Study
Authors: Goudriaan Anna E. , Grekin Emily R. , Sher Kenneth J.
Published: April 2007

Background: Behavioral decision making, as measured by the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) is found to be diminished in individuals with substance dependence and other types of disinhibitory psychopathology. However, little is known regarding the relation between heavy alcohol use and decision‐making skills in young adults. This study therefore investigated whether binge drinking is related to disadvantageous decision making, as measured by the IGT. We also examined the relation between decision making and impulsivity.

Methods: Latent class growth analysis was used to classify college students into 4 groups (each group n=50, 50% male), based on their binge drinking trajectories over a 2‐year time period (precollege through second year of college). Participants were 200 college students, divided in 4 subgroups: (1) low binge drinkers, (2) stable moderate binge drinkers, (3) increasing binge drinkers, and (4) stable high binge drinkers. A measure of decision making, the IGT, impulsivity questionnaires, and multiple indicators of heavy alcohol use were included.

Results: The stable high binge‐drinking group made less advantageous choices on the IGT than the low binge‐drinking group. Impulsivity was not related to decision‐making performance. Decision‐making performance did not differ by gender, but deck preferences and decision time patterns did differ; women preferred low frequency, high amount punishments to a greater extent than men.

Conclusions: Although disadvantageous decision making is related to binge‐drinking patterns in emerging adulthood, this relation is independent of impulsivity. Additionally, the association appears attributable to those who engage in heavy (binge) drinking at an early age, but not to age of onset of drinking in general.
A Randomized Trial of a DWI Intervention Program for First Offenders: Intervention Outcomes and Interactions With Antisocial Personality Disorder Among a Primarily American‐Indian Sample
Authors: Woodall W. Gill , Delaney Harold D. , Kunitz Stephen J. , Westerberg Verner S. , Zhao Hongwei
Published: April 2007

Background: Randomized trial evidence on the effectiveness of incarceration and treatment of first‐time driving while intoxicated (DWI) offenders who are primarily American Indian has yet to be reported in the literature on DWI prevention. Further, research has confirmed the association of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) with problems with alcohol including DWI.

Methods: A randomized clinical trial was conducted, in conjunction with 28 days of incarceration, of a treatment program incorporating motivational interviewing principles for first‐time DWI offenders. The sample of 305 offenders including 52 diagnosed as ASPD by the Diagnostic Interview Schedule were assessed before assignment to conditions and at 6, 12, and 24 months after discharge. Self‐reported frequency of drinking and driving as well as various measures of drinking over the preceding 90 days were available at all assessments for 244 participants. Further, DWI rearrest data for 274 participants were available for analysis.

Results: Participants randomized to receive the first offender incarceration and treatment program reported greater reductions in alcohol consumption from baseline levels when compared with participants who were only incarcerated. Antisocial personality disorder participants reported heavier and more frequent drinking but showed significantly greater declines in drinking from intake to posttreatment assessments. Further, the treatment resulted in larger effects relative to the control on ASPD than non‐ASPD participants.

Conclusions: Nonconfrontational treatment may significantly enhance outcomes for DWI offenders with ASPD when delivered in an incarcerated setting, and in the present study, such effects were found in a primarily American‐Indian sample.
Drinking Level, Neighborhood Social Disorder, and Mutual Intimate Partner Violence
Authors: Cunradi Carol B.
Published: April 2007

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) remains a significant public health problem. The purpose of this study is to assess the contribution of drinking patterns to risk for mutual IPV among married/cohabiting adults in the general population, and to determine if the association between drinking level and mutual IPV varies by level of neighborhood social disorder.

Methods: The study sample consists of 19,035 non‐Hispanic black, Hispanic, and non‐Hispanic white married/cohabiting adults who participated in the 2000 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA), and whose responses were available through the NHSDA public use file. Gender‐specific multivariate logistic regression models of mutual IPV were developed to assess the association between drinking level and mutual IPV, and to test whether these associations vary by neighborhood social disorder.

Results: Compared with men who are abstainers, men who are past‐30 day heavy drinkers are at a more than 6‐fold increased risk for mutual IPV. Men in less hazardous drinking categories are at a 2‐ to 3‐fold increased risk of mutual IPV. Neighborhood disorder is independently associated with men's risk for mutual IPV (odds ratio=1.61). Except for women in the most hazardous drinking category, neighborhood disorder moderates the association between women's drinking level and risk of mutual IPV such that risk for mutual IPV significantly increases under conditions of high neighborhood disorder, and decreases to insignificant risk under conditions of low neighborhood disorder. Compared with abstainers, women who are past‐30 day heavy drinkers are at an approximate 6‐fold risk for mutual IPV regardless of level of neighborhood disorder.

Conclusions: Drinking level and neighborhood characteristics should be taken into account when assessing risk for mutual IPV among married/cohabiting men and women in the general population. An environmental approach to IPV prevention and intervention which addresses the neighborhood context in which couples reside may be a promising strategy for reducing IPV occurrence.
College Attendance and Its Effect on Drinking Behaviors in a Longitudinal Study of Adolescents
Authors: Timberlake David S. , Hopfer Christian J. , Rhee Soo Hyun , Friedman Naomi P. , Haberstick Brett C. , Lessem Jeffrey M. , Hewitt John K.
Published: April 2007

Background: While college attendance has been shown to be associated with increased drinking behaviors, there are no studies to our knowledge that have examined whether college attendance moderates genetic influences for drinking. We first tested for changes in alcohol consumption in adolescents who did and did not subsequently attend college, and then tested for variation of the genetic and environmental determinants of drinking in these 2 groups.

Methods: Participants eligible for this study were selected from 2 samples from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), a national probability sample (n=7,083) and a sample of sibling pairs (n=855 pairs). Participants were assessed for measures of drinking behaviors as adolescents (wave I) and reinterviewed at 1 (wave II) and 6 years (wave III) following the initial survey. Changes in binge drinking and average quantity of alcohol consumed in the past year were estimated among 4 groups (2‐year college students, 4‐year college students, college withdrawers, noncollege participants) in sequential cohorts which spanned the ages of 13 to 24 across the 3 Add Health waves. Gene by environment interactions were then tested at wave III using biometrical models in the genetically informative pairs.

Results: Participants who did not attend college reported more binge drinking and consumed greater quantities of alcohol as adolescents than participants who subsequently attended college. However, the college students not only surpassed their noncollege peers in alcohol use as young adults, but also exhibited a greater genetic influence on quantity of alcohol consumed per drinking episode.

Conclusions: Exposure to a college environment acts as an environmental moderator, supporting the hypothesis that the magnitude of genetic influence on certain aspects of alcohol consumption is greater in environments where drinking behaviors are more likely to be promoted.
Extreme Prematurity: An Alcohol‐Related Birth Effect
Authors: Sokol Robert J. , Janisse James J. , Louis Judette M. , Bailey Beth Nordstrom , Ager Joel , Jacobson Sandra W. , Jacobson Joseph L.
Published: April 2007

Background: Rates of preterm delivery, a major proximate cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality, have been increasing. Prenatal alcohol exposure has been implicated in preterm delivery, although results have been inconsistent due to inadequate control for confounding factors, insufficient power, unreliable and inaccurate assessment of both exposure and gestational age, and lack of stratification of prematurity into severity levels. The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between maternal alcohol, cocaine and cigarette use during pregnancy, and extreme and mild preterm birth.

Methods: Three thousand one hundred thirty consecutive gravidas were followed prospectively for antenatal substance use and had ultrasound confirmed pregnancy dating.

Results: Alcohol and cocaine, but not cigarette use, were associated with increased risk of extreme preterm delivery after control for potential confounders. For every unit increase in alcohol exposure, risk of extreme preterm delivery increased significantly [odds ratio (OR) 34.8]. Furthermore, in women aged 30+, alcohol exposure was associated with mild prematurity. Abstention from alcohol while continuing to use cocaine and tobacco was related to a decrease in extreme prematurity of 41%.

Conclusions: The risk of extreme preterm delivery associated with alcohol use is substantial and similar in magnitude to other well‐recognized risks. Increased accuracy in identifying exposure and the use of ultrasound to confirm gestational age dating likely contributed to the findings of the current study. These findings suggest that eliminating pregnancy alcohol use might substantially reduce the risk of preterm delivery.
Upper and Lower Limb Motor Impairments in Alcoholism, HIV Infection, and Their Comorbidity
Authors: Fama Rosemary , Eisen Jeffrey C. , Rosenbloom Margaret J. , Sassoon Stephanie A. , Kemper Carol A. , Deresinski Stanley , Pfefferbaum Adolf , Sullivan Edith V.
Published: April 2007

Background:Both HIV infection and alcoholism can impair motor abilities involving manual dexterity and postural stability. Given the high prevalence of HIV and alcoholism comorbidity, we examined whether each disease selectively disrupts different components of upper and lower limb motor control and whether these impairments are compounded by disease comorbidity.

Methods:Simple and complex upper (speed and finger dexterity) and lower (static posture) limb functions were tested in 31 men with HIV infection, 27 with alcoholism, 43 comorbid for HIV infection and alcoholism, and 22 normal healthy controls to assess whether comorbid patients would demonstrate greater motor impairment relative to those with a single diagnosis.

Results:Individuals with HIV infection and those with alcoholism had impaired upper and lower limb motor function. Disease comorbidity compounded deficits in speeded finger movement. Neither Beck Depression Inventory scores, self‐reported peripheral neuropathy, nor HIV medication accounted for group differences. Lower limb motor composite scores with eyes open were correlated with upper limb motor scores in the alcoholism group.

Conclusions:Overall, the observed impairment patterns indicate the presence of upper and lower limb motor impairment in both HIV infection and alcoholism and the relevance of alcoholism in exacerbating impairment in speeded fine finger movement, when it occurs in HIV infection.