bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
CDC/AHA Workshop on Markers of Inflammation and Cardiovascular Disease
Authors: Wilson Peter W.F.
Published: December 2004

There is great interest in moving beyond established risk factors to consider markers of inflammation for the prediction of initial cardiovascular disease events. Inflammatory markers such as leukocyte count, serum amyloid A, C-reactive protein, and vascular outcomes in individuals free of cardiovascular disease at baseline are the key markers that have been investigated in the population setting. A meta-analysis of 11 prospective studies in asymptomatic individuals compared people in the bottom third of the C-reactive protein distribution with those in the top tertile. The authors reported an odds ratio of 2.0 (95% CI 1.6 to 2.5) for coronary heart disease among people in the top tertile. These results are among the strongest assembled thus far to recommend incorporating newer biomarkers into coronary heart disease risk estimation algorithms. A variety of issues should be considered and conditions satisfied before vascular disease risk factors are adopted into regular use. The type of vascular event and the follow-up interval are important features because results for short-, intermediate-, and long-term intervals may yield different results. The factors under consideration should have been standardized, and characteristics such as the variability of the measurements, correlations with established factors, evidence from observational studies and clinical trials, type of effect (linear, nonlinear, dichotomous), improvement in overall prediction (discrimination), generalization of results (calibration), and cost can affect the utility. Each of these issues needs to be considered and the effects on relative, absolute, and population-attributable risks described. In particular, we need to (1) develop sound strategies for implementing new testing and (2) demonstrate the benefit of testing by using the current foundation of prior probabilities developed from already-published risk factor assessments based on large population studies.
Clinical Assessment and Management of Patients With Implanted Cardioverter-Defibrillators Presenting to Nonelectrophysiologists
Authors: Stevenson William G. , Chaitman Bernard R. , Ellenbogen Kenneth A. , Epstein Andrew E. , Gross Wendy L. , Hayes David L. , Strickberger S. Adam , Sweeney Michael O.
Published: December 2004

All physicians increasingly will encounter patients who have implanted cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) for protection from ventricular arrhythmias. This advisory provides a concise summary relevant to the assessment and management of patients with ICDs, including those who present to primary care or emergency department physicians with symptoms suggesting arrhythmia or ICD malfunction and those who require cardiac or surgical procedures.
Genome-Wide Linkage Scan Identifies a Novel Genetic Locus on Chromosome 5p13 for Neonatal Atrial Fibrillation Associated With Sudden Death and Variable Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Oberti Carlos , Wang Lejin , Li Lin , Dong Jiamei , Rao Shaoqi , Du Wei , Wang Qing
Published: December 2004

Background—

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia, and patients with AF have a significantly increased risk for ischemic stroke. Approximately 15% of all strokes are caused by AF. The molecular basis and underlying mechanisms and pathophysiology of AF remain largely unknown.

Methods and Results—

We have identified a large AF family with an autosomal recessive inheritance pattern. The AF in the family manifests with early onset at the fetal stage and is associated with neonatal sudden death and, in some cases, ventricular tachyarrhythmias and waxing and waning cardiomyopathy. Genome-wide linkage analysis was performed for 36 family members and generated a 2-point logarithm of the odds (LOD) score of 3.05 for marker
D5S455
. The maximum multipoint LOD score of 4.10 was obtained for 4 markers:
D5S426
,
D5S493
,
D5S455
, and
D5S1998
. Heterozygous carriers have significant prolongation of P-wave duration on ECGs compared with noncarriers (107 versus 85 ms on average;
P
=0.000012), but no differences between these 2 groups were detected for the PR interval, QRS complex, ST-segment duration, T-wave duration, QTc, and R-R interval (
P
>0.05).

Conclusions—

Our findings demonstrate that AF can be inherited as an autosomal recessive trait and define a novel genetic locus for AF on chromosome 5p13 (
arAF1
). A genetic link between AF and prolonged P-wave duration was identified. This study provides a framework for the ultimate cloning of the
arAF1
gene, which will increase the understanding of the fundamental molecular mechanisms of atrial fibrillation.
Nuclear Factor-κB Represses Hypoxia-Induced Mitochondrial Defects and Cell Death of Ventricular Myocytes
Authors: Regula Kelly M. , Baetz Delphine , Kirshenbaum Lorrie A.
Published: December 2004

Background—

Oxygen deprivation for prolonged periods of time provokes cardiac cell death and ventricular dysfunction. Preventing inappropriate cardiac cell death in patients with ischemic heart disease would be of significant therapeutic value as a means to improve ventricular performance. In the present study, we wished to ascertain whether activation of the cellular factor nuclear factor (NF)-κB suppresses mitochondrial defects and cell death of ventricular myocytes during hypoxic injury.

Methods and Results—

In contrast to normoxic control cells, ventricular myocytes subjected to hypoxia displayed a 9.1-fold increase (
P
<0.05) in cell death, as determined by Hoechst 33258 nuclear staining and vital dyes. Mitochondrial defects consistent with permeability transition pore opening, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm), and Smac release were observed in cells subjected to hypoxia. An increase in postmitochondrial caspase 9 and caspase 3 activity was observed in hypoxic myocytes. Adenovirus-mediated delivery of wild-type IKKβ (IKKβwt) resulted in a significant increase in NF-κB-dependent DNA binding and gene transcription in ventricular myocytes. Interestingly, subcellular fractionation of myocytes revealed that the p65 subunit of NF-κB was localized to mitochondria. Hypoxia-induced mitochondrial defects and cell death were suppressed in cells expressing IKKβwt but not in cells expressing the kinase-defective IKKβ mutant.

Conclusions—

To the best of our knowledge, the data provide the first direct evidence that activation of the NF-κB signaling pathways is sufficient to suppress cell death of ventricular myocytes during hypoxia. Moreover, our data further suggest that NF-κB averts cell death through a mechanism that prevents perturbations to the mitochondrion during hypoxic injury.
Role of Omi/HtrA2 in Apoptotic Cell Death After Myocardial Ischemia and Reperfusion
Authors: Liu Hui-Rong , Gao Erhe , Hu Aihua , Tao Ling , Qu Yan , Most Patrick , Koch Walter J. , Christopher Theodore A. , Lopez Bernard L. , Alnemri Emad S. , Zervos Antonis S. , Ma Xin L.
Published: December 2004

Background—

Omi/HtrA2 is a proapoptotic mitochondrial serine protease involved in caspase-dependent as well as caspase-independent cell death. However, the role of Omi/HtrA2 in the apoptotic cell death that occurs in vivo under pathological conditions remains unknown. The present study was designed to investigate whether Omi/HtrA2 plays an important role in postischemic myocardial apoptosis.

Methods and Results—

Male adult mice were subjected to 30 minutes of myocardial ischemia followed by reperfusion and treated with vehicle or ucf-101, a novel and specific Omi/HtrA2 inhibitor, 10 minutes before reperfusion. Myocardial ischemia/reperfusion significantly increased cytosolic Omi/HtrA2 content and markedly increased apoptosis. Treatment with ucf-101 exerted significant cardioprotective effects, as evidenced by less terminal dUTP nick end-labeling staining, a lower incidence of DNA ladder fragmentation, and smaller infarct size. Furthermore, treatment with ucf-101 before reperfusion attenuated X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein degradation and inhibited caspase-9 and caspase-3 activities.

Conclusion—

Taken together, these results demonstrate for the first time that ischemia/reperfusion results in Omi/HtrA2 translocation from the mitochondria to the cytosol, where it promotes cardiomyocyte apoptosis via a protease activity–dependent, caspase-mediated pathway.
Recommendations for Blood Pressure Measurement in Humans and Experimental Animals
Authors: Pickering Thomas G. , Hall John E. , Appel Lawrence J. , Falkner Bonita E. , Graves John , Hill Martha N. , Jones Daniel W. , Kurtz Theodore , Sheps Sheldon G. , Roccella Edward J.
Published: December 2004

Accurate measurement of blood pressure is essential to classify individuals, to ascertain blood pressure–related risk, and to guide management. The auscultatory technique with a trained observer and mercury sphygmomanometer continues to be the method of choice for measurement in the office, using the first and fifth phases of the Korotkoff sounds, including in pregnant women. The use of mercury is declining, and alternatives are needed. Aneroid devices are suitable, but they require frequent calibration. Hybrid devices that use electronic transducers instead of mercury have promise. The oscillometric method can be used for office measurement, but only devices independently validated according to standard protocols should be used, and individual calibration is recommended. They have the advantage of being able to take multiple measurements. Proper training of observers, positioning of the patient, and selection of cuff size are all essential. It is increasingly recognized that office measurements correlate poorly with blood pressure measured in other settings, and that they can be supplemented by self-measured readings taken with validated devices at home. There is increasing evidence that home readings predict cardiovascular events and are particularly useful for monitoring the effects of treatment. Twenty-four-hour ambulatory monitoring gives a better prediction of risk than office measurements and is useful for diagnosing white-coat hypertension. There is increasing evidence that a failure of blood pressure to fall during the night may be associated with increased risk. In obese patients and children, the use of an appropriate cuff size is of paramount importance.
Applications of a Multiple Linear Regression Model to the Analysis of Relationships between Eastward- and Westward-Moving Intraseasonal Modes
Authors: Roundy Paul E. , Frank William M.
Published: December 2004

Multiple linear regression models with nonlinear power terms may be applied to find relationships between interacting wave modes that may be characterized by different frequencies. Such regression techniques have been explored in other disciplines, but they have not been used in the analysis of atmospheric circulations. In this study, such a model is developed to predict anomalies of westward-moving intraseasonal precipitable water by utilizing the first through fourth powers of a time series of outgoing longwave radiation that is filtered for eastward propagation and for the temporal and spatial scales of the tropical intraseasonal oscillations. An independent and simpler compositing method is applied to show that the results of this multiple linear regression model provide a better description of the actual relationships between eastward- and westward-moving intraseasonal modes than a regression model that includes only the linear predictor.

A statistical significance test is applied to the coefficients of the multiple linear regression model, and they are found to be significant over broad regions of the Tropics. Correlations between the predictors are shown to not significantly influence results for this case.

Results show that this regression model reveals physical relationships between eastward- and westward-moving intraseasonal modes. The physical interpretation of these regression relationships is given in a companion paper.
The Normal Anterior Cruciate Ligament as a Model for Tensioning Strategies in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Grafts
Authors: Arnold Markus P. , Verdonschot Nico , van Kampen Albert
Published: December 2004

Background

There is some confusion about the relationship between the tension placed on the graft and the joint position used in the fixation of anterior cruciate ligament grafts. This is because of deficiency in accurate basic science about this important interaction in the normal and reconstructed anterior cruciate ligament.

Hypothesis

If the normal femoral attachment of the anterior cruciate ligament can be preserved and the tibial insertion isolated and tested, an accurate force-flexion curve of the human anterior cruciate ligament can be mapped out and used as a standard for proper graft tensioning protocols in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

Study Design

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods

In 10 fresh-frozen human cadaveric knees, an isolated bone plug containing the tibial anterior cruciate ligament insertion was connected with a custom-made tensiometer. The knees were moved through the whole range of motion; the starting point chosen was an anterior cruciate ligament tension of 10 N, which was applied at 10 ° of knee flexion and resulted in a baseline curve. This curve was compared with the results recorded when the starting point was below the baseline curve, similar to, or above it.

Results

The anterior cruciate ligament showed low tension close to slackness in midflexion after starting with 10 N at 10 ° of flexion. Starting points below the baseline curve shifted the whole curve downward; those above the baseline curve increased the force in the anterior cruciate ligament, resulting in a tight anterior cruciate ligament in midflexion.

Clinical Relevance

The normal anterior cruciate ligament shows a physiological laxity in midflexion. This study gives guidelines for tensioning protocols in anterior cruciate ligament grafts to replicate the force-flexion curve characteristics of the normal anterior cruciate ligament.
Gait Patterns after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction are Related to Graft Type
Authors: Webster Kate E. , Wittwer Joanne E. , O'Brien Jason , Feller Julian A.
Published: December 2004

Background

Although there is a tendency toward gait normalization after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, altered moments about the knee flexion-extension axis have been reported. It is possible that these gait alterations relate to donor site morbidity associated with the graft harvest.

Hypothesis

There is a relationship between graft type and external knee moments during walking.

Study Design

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods

Three groups were compared: 17 patellar tendon anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction patients (mean, 11 months after surgery), 17 hamstring tendon anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction patients (mean, 9.3 months after surgery), and 17 matched controls. A 3-dimensional motion analysis and force plate system was used to determine sagittal plane kinematics and kinetics of the lower limb during comfortable-speed walking.

Results

There were significant differences in the moments about the knee that related to graft type. The external knee flexion moment at midstance was significantly smaller than that in the control knees in 65% of patients in the patellar tendon group and 29% of patients in the hamstring tendon group. In contrast, the external knee extension moment at terminal stance was significantly smaller than that in the control knees in 53% of subjects in the hamstring tendon group and 23% of subjects in the patellar tendon group.

Conclusions

There are graft-specific differences in knee biomechanics after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction that appear to relate to the donor site.

Clinical Relevance

Considerable debate continues as to whether the patellar tendon or the hamstring tendon graft is preferable for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. It is therefore clinically relevant to understand the biomechanical differences in knee function associated with both graft types.
The Drop-Jump Screening Test
Authors: Noyes Frank R. , Barber-Westin Sue D. , Fleckenstein Cassie , Walsh Cathy , West John
Published: December 2004

Background

A valgus lower limb alignment has been noted during noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injuries. A video dropjump test can indicate an athlete's ability to control lower limb axial alignment in the coronal plane.

Hypotheses

Female athletes have decreased knee separation distances on landing and acceleration; male athletes have a neutrally aligned lower limb position. A neuromuscular training program will significantly increase knee separation distance in female athletes.

Study Design

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2.

Methods

The authors tested 325 female and 130 male athletes aged 11 to 19 years. The distance between the hips, knees, and ankles was measured during a drop-jump test. The separation distance between the knees and ankles was normalized by the hip separation distance. A neuromuscular training program (Sportsmetrics) was completed by 62 female athletes, and their jump-landing characteristics were reexamined.

Results

A marked decrease in knee separation distance was found on takeoff in 80% of female athletes and in 72% of male athletes. There was no difference between male and female athletes in the normalized knee and ankle separation distance during the landing and takeoff phases. The knee separation distance on landing was 23 ± 9 cm in the female athletes and 22 ± 8 cm in the male athletes. The normalized knee separation distance was 51% ± 19% in the female athletes and 51% ± 15% in the male athletes. After training, statistically significant increases were found in the female athletes in the knee separation distance on landing (29 ± 8 cm, P<. 0001) and in the normalized knee separation distance (68% ± 18%, P<. 0001). The trained female athletes had significantly greater knee separation distance and normalized knee separation distance than did the males (P<. 0001).

Conclusions

The majority of untrained female and male athletes demonstrated a valgus alignment appearance on the video test. After neuromuscular training, female athletes had improved knee separation distances and a more neutral lower limb alignment on landing and takeoff.
A Prospective, Double-Blind, Randomized Clinical Trial Comparing Subacromial Injection of Betamethasone and Xylocaine to Xylocaine alone in Chronic Rotator Cuff Tendinosis
Authors: Alvarez Christine M. , Litchfield Robert , Jackowski Dianne , Griffin Sharon , Kirkley Alexandra
Published: December 2004

Background

Rotator cuff tendinosis is a common problem with significant health and economic effects. Nonoperative management includes the widespread use of subacromial steroid injections despite the lack of evidence of its efficacy.

Hypothesis

A subacromial injection of betamethasone will be more effective than xylocaine alone in improving the quality of life, impingement sign, and range of motion in patients who have chronic rotator cuff tendinosis or partial rotator cuff tears.

Study Design

Randomized controlled clinical trial; Level of evidence, 1.

Methods

Patients with rotator cuff tendinosis or partial cuff tear with symptoms longer than 6 months, with failure of 6 weeks of physical therapy and 2 weeks of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, who were older than 30 years of age, and who showed > 50% improvement with the Neer impingement test were stratified for Workplace Safety and Insurance Board status and previous injection. Outcome measures—the Western Ontario Rotator Cuff Index; American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons standardized form; Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand; active forward elevation; active internal rotation; active external rotation; and the Neer impingement sign—were assessed at 2, 6, 12, and 24 weeks after injection. The injection into the subacromial space contained either 5 mL of 2% xylocaine alone or 4 mL of 2% xylocaine and 1 mL (6 mg) of betamethasone in an opaque syringe.

Results

In 58 patients (betamethasone group, n = 30; xylocaine group, n = 28), the authors found no statistically significant difference between the 2 treatment groups for all outcomes and time intervals. The scores for the Western Ontario Rotator Cuff Index at 3 months were xylocaine = 45.4% ± 13% and betamethasone = 56.3% ± 17% (P=. 13). At 6 months, the scores were xylocaine = 51% ± 32% and betamethasone = 59% ± 26% (P=. 38). All other outcomes showed similar values. As well, similar results were found for 2 and 6 weeks after injection. Both groups showed improvement from baseline in all outcomes.

Conclusions

With the numbers available for this study, the authors found betamethasone to be no more effective in improving the quality of life, range of motion, or impingement sign than xylocaine alone in patients with chronic rotator cuff tendinosis for all follow-up time intervals evaluated.
Surface Conditioning of 316LVM Slotted Tube Cardiovascular Stents
Authors: Raval Ankur , Choubey Animesh , Engineer Chhaya , Kothwala Devesh
Published: December 2004

The surface quality of coronary stents has a significant influence on its biocompatibility. Therefore, surface polishing is of paramount importance in the production and application of stents. In the present study, electropolishing is performed on 316LVM steel slotted tube coronary stents. Additionally, acid pickling, as a pretreatment of electropolishing, is also conducted. Gravimetric analysis of the stents (weight loss and strut width change) in the process of acid pickling and electropolishing are done. Qualitative roughness measurements are made to evaluate the stent surface. Electropolished stents are passivated causing chromium enrichment on the surface of the material, thereby enhancing its corrosion resistance. Passivated and electropolished samples are examined using energy dispersive spectrometry. Balloon expanded and crimped profiles of the passivated stents are qualitatively analyzed.
Ti-substitution mechanism in plutonic oxy-kaersutite from the Larvik alkaline complex, Oslo rift, Norway
Authors: Satoh H. , Yamaguchi Y. , Makino K.
Published: December 2004

Amphibole in the Larvik alkaline plutonic complex in the Oslo rift, Norway, has Ti-rich compositions from edenite through pargasite to kaersutite, and has a large H+ deficiency (0.7–1.1 atoms per formula unit: a.p.f.u.) with a large oxy component in the amphibole OH– site (O2– = 2 – (OH + F + Cl) = 0.2–0.9 a.p.f.u.), similar to the mantle-derived kaersutites. Their compositions reveal a characteristically low Fe3+/(Fe3++Fe2+) ratio (<0.23) and a high F concentration (0.3–0.9 a.p.f.u.). Correlation with the Fe3+ ratio caused by Fe2+ + OH– = Fe3+ + O2– + 1/2H2 substitution is negligible, which is supported by H and O isotope compositions. A possible substitution, [6]Al3+ + OH– = [6]Ti4+ + O2– may be operative for Larvik kaersutites when the O2–/Ti is 1.0. A relatively larger O2–/Ti ratio (1.2—2.0) suggests an another kaersutite substitution mechanism, [6]R2+ + 2OH– = [6]Ti4+ + 2O2–, where [6]R2+ = Fe2+ + Mg + Mn. These effects might result in the limited O2–/Ti ratio value from 1.0 to 2.0.

A negative correlation between Ti and F, suggesting F incorporation into kaersutite may diminish the O2–/Ti ratio, not only due to the occupation of this non-oxy species in the O3 site, but also due to F—Ti avoidance. Composition-dependent H and O isotope variations (δD = –106 to –71% and δ18O = 4.6–5.2%) suggest equilibrium in the closed-system magma with differentiation. The mineral chemistry of Larvik oxy-kaersutitic amphibole could reflect the crystallization in a closed-system magma during rifting with passive crustal thinning at the Oslo palaeorift.
Boer Generalship and the Politics of Command
Authors: van der Waag Ian
Published: December 2004

The British forces fielded in South Africa during the Anglo-Boer War, after suffering several reverses, rolled back the Boer armies from the frontiers. The British did not expect protracted resistance after the fall of Pretoria. Yet, the Boer armies, the very nature of which facilitated their transition to a guerrilla force, underwent a transformation during the second half of 1900. The pre-war leadership, unprofessional and found wanting by the realities of the war, was replaced by a younger, better educated and disciplined cadre of commanders. Not conditioned by small native campaigning, they adopted a guerrilla strategy, which tied up thousands of British troops and delayed the outcome, perhaps now inevitable, by 20 months.
Representation and alienation in the political land-scape
Authors: Olwig Kenneth R.
Published: December 2004

The question of representation in the definition of landscape is arguably at the nexus of important theoretical issues in the social sciences and humanities, and is in evident need of clarification. A key but largely overlooked concept in the debate on landscape and representation is the concept of alienation and, by extension, the concepts of commodification and reification. This paper will first examine the relation between landscape representation and alienation in terms of its substantive historical meaning, the transferral of ownership of rights in the land=property and the loss of rights which effectively makes one an alien, or foreigner, in the land. It will then examine this relationship in terms of the philosophical concern with alienation and objectification, particularly as explicated by the literary scholar and philosopher Georg Lukaacs.
Landscape and scale in media representations: the construction of offshore farm labour in Ontario, Canada
Authors: Bauder Harald
Published: December 2004

Thousands of migrant workers travel from Mexico and the Caribbean to Ontario every year to assist Canadian farmers in their horticulture operations. These migrants have become a structural necessity to the industry, ensuring growth and profits. I propose that exploitative and coercive labour practices are legitimated and sustained through cultural representations which identify migrants not only as outsiders to the community and a cultural threat, but also as economic assets and subordinate labour. A content analysis of the Ontario daily newsprint media between 1996 and 2002 reveals that the construction of offshore workers relies on coexisting dualisms created on different geographical scales. These dualisms work in tandem to produce a powerful and pervasive discourse of subordination.
Gemcitabine and ISIS-2503 for Patients With Locally Advanced or Metastatic Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma: A North Central Cancer Treatment Group Phase II Trial
Authors: Alberts Steven R. , Schroeder Mark , Erlichman Charles , Steen Preston D. , Foster Nathan R. , Moore Dennis F. , Rowland Kendrith M. , Nair Suresh , Tschetter Loren K. , Fitch Tom R.
Published: December 2004

Purpose

Gemcitabine remains the standard therapy for metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma (ACA), but has limited activity. ISIS-2503 is an antisense compound directed against H-ras with preclinical activity against pancreatic ACA in tumor models. The combination of ISIS-2503 and gemcitabine has been evaluated in a prior phase I study.

Methods

Patients with metastatic or locally advanced pancreatic ACA not amenable to surgery or local radiation received gemcitabine 1,000 mg/m2 intravenously over 30 minutes on days 1 and 8 and ISIS-2503 6 mg/kg/d as a continuous intravenous infusion over 14 days of an every-3-weeks cycle. Responses were monitored by radiologic imaging every 6 weeks.

Results

Forty-eight eligible patients were enrolled, 43 with metastatic disease. Median follow-up was 12.6 months (range, 2.2 to 16.8 months) for living patients. A median of four cycles of treatment was given (range, 1 to 18 cycles). All patients were assessable for response and toxicity. The 6-month survival percentage was 57.5% (95% CI, 44.9% to 73.5%) and the median survival was 6.6 months. The response rate was 10.4% (one complete response, four partial responses). Clinically significant toxicity was limited except for one fatal pulmonary embolism.

Conclusion

This study shows a promising response rate to the combination of gemcitabine and ISIS-2503 in patients with pancreatic ACA. The observed 6-month survival rate in these patients met our protocol-defined criteria for success. This regimen is tolerable, but is of unclear benefit. Additional studies evaluating the role of gemcitabine and ISIS-2503 in the treatment of pancreatic ACA should be considered.
Role ofVHLGene Mutation in Human Cancer
Authors: Kim William Y. , Kaelin William G.
Published: December 2004

Germline inactivation of the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor gene causes the von Hippel-Lindau hereditary cancer syndrome, and somatic mutations of this gene have been linked to the development of sporadic hemangioblastomas and clear-cell renal carcinomas. The VHL tumor suppressor protein (pVHL), through its oxygen-dependent polyubiquitylation of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF), plays a central role in the mammalian oxygen-sensing pathway. This interaction between pVHL and HIF is governed by post-translational prolyl hydroxylation of HIF in the presence of oxygen by a conserved family of Egl-nine (EGLN) enzymes. In the absence of pVHL, HIF becomes stabilized and is free to induce the expression of its target genes, many of which are important in regulating angiogenesis, cell growth, or cell survival. Moreover, preliminary data indicate that HIF plays a critical role in pVHL-defective tumor formation, raising the possibility that drugs directed against HIF or its downstream targets (such as vascular endothelial growth factor) might one day play a role in the treatment of hemangioblastoma and renal cell carcinoma. On the other hand, clear genotype-phenotype correlations are emerging in VHL disease and can be rationalized if pVHL has functions separate from its control of HIF.
Pain Education for Underserved Minority Cancer Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Anderson Karen O. , Mendoza Tito R. , Payne Richard , Valero Vicente , Palos Guadalupe R. , Nazario Arlene , Richman Stephen P. , Hurley Judith , Gning Ibrahima , Lynch Garrett R. , Kalish Dorianne , Cleeland Charles S.
Published: December 2004

Purpose

Previous studies found that African American and Hispanic cancer patients are at risk for undertreatment of pain. We evaluated the efficacy of a pain education intervention for underserved minority patients.

Patients and Methods

Ninety-seven underserved African American and Hispanic outpatients with cancer-related pain were enrolled onto a randomized clinical trial of pain management education. The patients in the education group received a culture-specific video and booklet on pain management. The control group received a video and booklet on nutrition. A research nurse met with each patient to review the materials. We measured changes in pain intensity and pain-related interference 2 to 10 weeks after the intervention, as well as changes in quality of life, perceived pain control, functional status, analgesics, and physician pain assessments.

Results

Physicians underestimated baseline pain intensity and provided inadequate analgesics for more than 50% of the sample. Although the ratings for pain intensity and pain interference decreased over time for both groups, there was no statistically significant difference between groups. Pain education did not affect quality of life, perceived pain control, or functional status. African American patients in the education but not the control group reported a significant decrease in pain worst ratings from baseline to first follow-up (P < .01), although this decrease was not maintained at subsequent assessments.

Conclusion

Brief education had limited impact on pain outcomes for underserved minority patients, suggesting that more intensive education for patients and interventions for physicians are needed.
Making Better Decision Makers
Authors: Keeney Ralph L.
Published: December 2004

Decision analysis has been used to help solve numerous complex decisions over the last few decades. However, its power as a basis for structuring one's thinking to resolve decisions has barely been tapped. To realize this potential, we in the decision analysis community must train people to think about their decisions using the concepts and principles of decision analysis. In this process, more emphasis must be placed on structuring decisions worth thinking about, and less emphasis must be placed on analyzing structured decisions. This paper outlines what we should do to train people to be better decision makers and why this is important. It includes a description of what we must learn to do this effectively.
Do We Think We Make Better Forecasts Than in the Past? A Survey of Academics
Authors: Franses Philip Hans
Published: December 2004

A survey of 76 members of the editorial boards of six academic journals indicates that 64 percent believe that we have made modest progress in forecasting over the past three decades. They attribute this progress largely to increased computing power and improved data. They believe we would make further progress by including experts' opinions.
Strategy Selection and Performance Measurement Choice When Profit Drivers Are Uncertain
Authors: Dye Ronald A.
Published: December 2004

This paper studies a manager's attempt to maximize his firm's discounted expected profits by choosing what strategic actions to select and what performance measurement system to employ in a setting where the manager is uncertain about what variables “drive” the firm's profits, the firm's profit drivers remain stationary over time, and strategic actions differ in the amount of information they produce about the firm's profit drivers. For each available performance measurement system, this paper identifies necessary and sufficient conditions for experimentation—that is, deviating from the firm's short-run expected profit-maximizing action—to be optimal. In addition, the paper determines what factors influence a firm's preferred performance measurement system, and it explains why the preferred performance measurement system is likely to change over time.
Franchising, Ownership, and Experience: A Study of Pizza Restaurant Survival
Authors: Kalnins Arturs , Mayer Kyle J.
Published: December 2004

We hypothesize that retail and service business units will enjoy reduced failure rates if affiliated with experienced multiunit owners and franchisors. Experience of individual owners and franchisees should result in knowledge that is tacit and idiosyncratic and thus primarily of value locally. Because franchisors typically codify knowledge gained from experience, we argue that units should benefit from both local and distant experience of their franchisor. Using Texan pizza restaurant failure data, we found that the units of all multiunit owners, franchised or not, benefited from their owner's local congenital experience, but not from distantly gained experience. Further, the franchisor's local experience reduced failure rates. Contrary to one hypothesis, franchisors' distant experience did not prove beneficial. In addition, a complementary effect was found for owner and franchisor congenital experience. These results highlight the continued importance of local experience, even among the most codified and standardized business organizations.
Information Revelation, Incentives, and the Value of a Real Option
Authors: Mittendorf Brian
Published: December 2004

The real options approach to capital budgeting focuses on valuing benefits of project flexibility. This paper presents an incentive consideration in such valuation. Operating flexibility not only allows a firm to change course in response to new information, but also allows interested observers to make inferences based on the change in course (or lack thereof). Such information conveyance through refined operating choices can alter observers' incentives. As a result, an option to delay may prove valuable because it allows a firm to prolong informational advantages.
Information Distortion in a Supply Chain: The Bullwhip Effect
Authors: Lee Hau L. , Padmanabhan V. , Whang Seungjin
Published: December 2004

(This article originally appeared in Management Science, April 1997, Volume 43, Number 4, pp. 546–558, published by The Institute of Management Sciences.)

Consider a series of companies in a supply chain, each of whom orders from its immediate upstream member. In this setting, inbound orders from a downstream member serve as a valuable informational input to upstream production and inventory decisions. This paper claims that the information transferred in the form of “orders” tends to be distorted and can misguide upstream members in their inventory and production decisions. In particular, the variance of orders may be larger than that of sales, and distortion tends to increase as one moves upstream—a phenomenon termed “bullwhip effect.” This paper analyzes four sources of the bullwhip effect: demand signal processing, rationing game, order batching, and price variations. Actions that can be taken to mitigate the detrimental impact of this distortion are also discussed.
Comments on “Games with Incomplete Information Played by ‘Bayesian’ Players, I–III Harsanyi's Games with Incoplete Information”
Authors: Myerson Roger B.
Published: December 2004

This review of Harsanyi's great three-part paper on “Games with Incomplete Information Played by ‘Bayesian’ Players” has been written for a special 50th anniversary issue of Management Science.
Comments on “Information Distortion in a Supply Chain: The Bullwhip Effect”
Authors: Lee Hau L. , Padmanabhan V. , Whang Seungjin
Published: December 2004

In this commentary, we trace back how we pursued research on the bullwhip effect, which resulted in the article published in Management Science. We reflect on the evolution of this concept, the impact that our work has had on industry, the way our work has been used in the teaching of supply chain management, and the key directions of research that have taken place since then.
Comments on “Models and Managers: The Concept of a Decision Calculus”
Authors: Little John D. C.
Published: December 2004

Managerial models for practice have undergone remarkable growth in the past 50 years. My paper on decision calculus, published in 1970, was both a progress report and a prescription for improvement. This commentary describes why I wrote the paper, my perception of why it has been considered influential, and a brief overview of what has happened since. The overview starts by tracing the trends and ideas of the 1960s into the 1970s. The 1970s blend easily into the era of decision support systems (DSS). Starting late in the decade and still continuing, DSSs have evolved rapidly due to an explosion of data, increased computer power, and advances in modeling methods. I review highlights of this evolution from the point of view of managerial models, giving special emphasis to marketing, since that has been my window on this world. The good news is that more managers than ever are using models. The bad news is that many managers do not even realize they are using models! (But we should ask whether this is really bad.) The commentary concludes with thoughts about the future of managerial models.

The selection of my paper as one of the most influential in the first 50 years of Management Science was a significant honor for which I am grateful. I take it as an indication by the members of INFORMS of the importance to our field of the issues addressed.
Managing Inventory and Supply Performance in Assembly Systems with Random Supply Capacity and Demand
Authors: Bollapragada Ramesh , Rao Uday S. , Zhang Jun
Published: December 2004

We consider stock positioning in a pure assembly system controlled using installation base-stock policies. When component suppliers have random capacity and end-product demand is uncertain, we characterize the system's inventory dynamics. We show that components and the end product play convex complementary roles in providing customer service. We propose a decomposition approach that uses an internal service level to independently determine near-optimal stock levels for each component. Compared with the optimal, the average error of the decomposition approach is 0.66% across the tested instances. Compared with current practice, this approach has the potential to reduce the safety-stock cost by as much as 30%. Our computational analysis on two-echelon systems also illustrates several managerial insights: We observe that the cost reduction from improving supply performance is high when demand variability or the number of components or target customer service is high, or when the end product is more expensive relative to components. On average, (i) reducing the lead time of the more expensive component yielded higher benefit than reducing the lead time for the less expensive component, and (ii) the benefit of improving one of the supply parameters (service level or lead time) was higher when the value of the other parameter was already more favorable (lower lead time or higher service level, respectively). Finally, we analytically show how a multi-echelon pure assembly system may be converted into an equivalent two-echelon assembly system to which all our results apply.
Clearing the Confusion Surrounding Bailment: Bailment as an Exercise of Legal Power by the Bailor
Authors: Dempster Hamish
Published: December 2004

The purpose of this essay is to identify the essential nature of the legal concept of bailment. It is, in part, a response to a sceptical argument that bailment is not a legal conceptual category. The achievement of this purpose will enable beneficial clarification of the law relating to bailment which has been compromised by misunderstanding and misuse. It will expose the conflation of bailment with similar, but discrete, legal concepts and will enable us to discriminate rationally between classes of bailment. A better understanding of the concept of bailment will also facilitate more informed practical deliberation regarding the use of legal interests in chattels.
Body Practices and Consciousness: A Neglected Link
Authors: Johnson Don Hanlon
Published: December 2004

The dominant notions of consciousness in the West are anchored in a peculiar matrix of dissociated sensibility held in place by unthematized body practices. It is misleading to evaluate spiritual and philosophical notions of consciousness simply from the point of view of verbal, logical analysis, when they are expressions of these deeply rooted experiential sensibilities, deliberately cultivated over long years of habituation. There is a dramatic difference between how the West thinks of body practices as irrelevant to analyzing states of consciousness and how other cultures make direct links between these practices and the shaping of consciousness. For at least the last 150 years in Europe and the United States a number of teachers have developed body practices in deliberate resistance to the dualistic structurings of mentalities and physicality. They constitute a cultural movement of resistance shaped by the recognition of the mistaken notions embodied in Western dualism. An example is given of the work of Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, the creator of the School of Body‐Mind Centering. Key Words: Embodiment, Somatics, Cultivation, Practices, Dualism
The Phenomenology of Body‐Mind: The Contrasting Cases of Flow in Sports and Contemplation
Authors: Hunter Jeremy , Csikszentmihalyi Mihaly
Published: December 2004

The demise of Cartesianism as an animating force in conceptualizing mind and body relations has opened up the field to a wider variety of perspectives, like the "embodiment" of phenomenological thinkers. However, because of Cartesianism's deeply rooted psychic legacy it still makes its presence felt in various places in everyday life. This paper will explore two facets of everyday life, sports and contemplation, which lend themselves to a mind‐body cognitive dissonance affected by latent Cartesian thinking. As an alternative, we will propose a more phenomenologically oriented interpretation based on what has been revealed by historical precedents as well as our empirical investigations. Keywords: Flow, Contemplation, Phenomenofogy, Sports
Body and Consciousness: A Conversation with Antonio Damasio
Authors: Rich Grant Jewell
Published: December 2004

This is an interview with neurologist Antonio Damasio, MD, PhD, whose work on consciousness has influenced scholars in a variety of fields, including anthropology. Damasio addresses a number of issues, including the neurobiology of altered states, the neurology of flow and other optimal, pleasurable states, and the potential to identify biological markers that are common to the experience of altered states in a variety of cultures. Damasio also discusses the relationship between body and brain, and concludes by discussing the scope of the consciousness problem and contributions to the solution that anthropologists might be well suited to make. Key words: body, consciousness, altered states, interview.
Making the Body Beautiful: A Cultural History of Aesthetic Surgery
Authors: Rich Grant Jewell
Published: December 2004

Making The Body Beautiful:. Cultural History of Aesthetic Surgery. By Sander L. Gilman. 1999. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. $29.95 (cloth)
For We Are Sold, I and My People: Women and Industry in Mexico's Frontier
Authors: Rothstein Frances
Published: December 2004

Fernández Kelly. Maria Patricia 1983 For We Are Sold,. and My People: Women and Industry in Mexico's Frontier. Albany: State University of New York Press.
Aging in Early Industrial Society: Work, Family, and Social Policy in Nineteenth‐Century England
Authors: Meyer Cynthia J. , Rosenblatt Paul C.
Published: December 2004

Jill Quadagno 1982 Aging in Early Industrial Society: Work .Family, and Social Policy in Nineteenth‐Century England. New York: Academic Press.
Technology and Social Complexity
Authors: Zimmer Richard
Published: December 2004

Maurice N. Richter 1982 Technology and Social Complexity. Albany, N. Y.: State University of New York Press.
The Redivision of Labor: Women and Economic Choice in Four Guatemalan Communities
Authors: Babb Florence E. , Nunez Gabriela
Published: December 2004

Laurel Herbenar Bossen 1984 The Redivision of Labor: Women and Economic Choice in four Guatemalan Communities, Albany, N.: State University of New York Press.
Work in Market and Industrial Societies
Authors: Maloney Thomas J.
Published: December 2004

Herbert Applebaum Work in Market and Industrial Societies. State University of New York Press. 1984
A Year in the Life of a Factory
Authors: Sherry John F.
Published: December 2004

Maynard Seider. Year in the Life of. Factory. 1984 San Pedro, CA.: Singlejack Books.
The Cultural Environment of International Business
Authors: Hamada Tomoko
Published: December 2004

Vern Terpstra and Kenneth David The Cultural Environment of International Business 1985 Dallas:South Western Publishing Co.
Europe and the People Without History
Authors: Weil Jim
Published: December 2004

Eric R. Wolf Europe and the People Without History 1982 Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press.
Overtime: Punchin' Out with The Mill Hunk Herald
Authors: Skipper William
Published: December 2004

Overtime: Punchin' Out with The Mill Hunk Herald. Worker Writer Anthology, 1979‐1989. Pittsburgh, PA: Piece of the Hunk Publishers, Inc., 1990.
The Gender of Breadwinners: Women, Men and Change in Two Industrial Towns 1880–1950
Authors: George Glynis
Published: December 2004

Joy Parr 1990 The Gender of Breadwinners: Women, Men and Change in Two Industrial Towns 1880–1950. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Power, Measure, and Technology: Some Tales of Gender, Engineering, and the Cooperative Workplace/Women Changing Work/Dishing It Out: Power and Resistance among Waitresses in a New Jersey Restaurant
Authors: Hochwald Eve
Published: December 2004

Sally Hacker. Power, Measure, and Technology: Some Tales of Gender, Engineering, and the Cooperative Workplace. Boston, Unwin Hyman, 1989.

Patricia Lunneborg. Women Changing Work. New York, Bergin and Garvey, 1990.

Greta Foff Paules. Dishing It Out: Power and Resistance among Waitresses in. New Jersey Restaurant Philadelphia, Temple University Press, 1991.