bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dose-Dependent Inhibition of Tobacco Smoke Carcinogen–Induced Lung Tumorigenesis in A/J Mice by Indole-3-Carbinol
Authors: Kassie Fekadu , Matise Ilze , Negia Mesfin , Upadhyaya Pramod , Hecht Stephen S.
Published: December 2008

Recently, we reported inhibition of 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) plus benzo(a)pyrene (BaP)–induced lung tumorigenesis in A/J mice by indole-3-carbinol (I3C; 112 μmol/g diet) administered beginning at 50% in the carcinogen treatment phase. In this study, we examined the dose-dependent and postcarcinogen tumor-inhibitory activities of I3C. A mixture of NNK plus BaP (2 μmol each) administered by gavage as eight biweekly doses caused 21.1 ± 5.2 lung tumors per mouse. Carcinogen-treated mice given diets containing I3C at 1, 10, 30, 71, and 112 μmol/g, beginning at 50% in the carcinogen treatment phase, had 17.9 ± 6.1, 10.4 ± 3.7, 9.8 ± 5.1, 5.2 ± 4.0, and 2.5 ± 2.4 lung tumors per mouse, corresponding to reductions by 15%, 51%, 53%, 75%, and 88%, respectively. All reductions, except at the lowest dose level (1 μmol I3C/g diet), were significant (P < 0.001). Similarly, administration of I3C (112 μmol/g diet) beginning 1 week after the last dose of the carcinogen significantly reduced NNK plus BaP-induced lung tumor multiplicity to 5.6 ± 3.5, corresponding to a reduction by 74%. Analyses of cell proliferation and apoptosis markers revealed that I3C reduced the number of Ki-67–positive cells and expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen, phospho-Akt, and phospho-BAD and increased cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, suggesting that the lung tumor inhibitory effects of I3C were mediated, at least partly, through inhibition of cell proliferation and induction of apoptosis. These results clearly show the efficacy of I3C in the prevention of tobacco carcinogen–induced lung tumorigenesis in A/J mice and provide a basis for future evaluation of this compound in clinical trials as a chemopreventive agent for current and former smokers.
Esophagectomy in Scleroderma: Report of a Case
Authors: Yekeler Erdal , Gürsan Nesrin
Published: December 2008

Scleroderma is a generalized autoimmune disease with variable involvement of the skin and major organs (esophagus, lung, heart and kidney). Scleroderma is essentially a skin disease that frequently involves the digestive system. In scleroderma, the esophagus is the most frequently affected organ of the digestive system, and esophageal dysmotility, reflux and stricture may be observed in the advanced stage. Balloon dilatation and bougienage are generally sufficient in patients developing stricture, and the number of cases in whom resection is performed is very low. In a 20-year-old patient with difficulty in taking even liquid foods, tests revealed sclerodermal involvement of the distal end of the esophagus and stricture. Esophageal resection and gastric replacement were performed. Such systemic diseases as scleroderma, although rare, must be considered in the differential diagnosis of nonmalignant dysphagia, and resection must be borne in mind as a surgical option in cases of advanced stricture.
Problem-Based Learning and Medical Education Forty Years On
Authors: Neville Alan J.
Published: December 2008

Problem-based learning (PBL) has swept the world of medical education since its introduction 40 years ago, leaving a trail of unanswered or partially answered questions about its benefits. The literature is replete with systematic reviews and meta-analyses, all of which have identified some common themes; however, heterogeneity in the definition of a ‘problem-based learning curriculum’ and its delivery, coupled with different outcome measurements, has produced divergent opinions. Proponents and detractors continue to dispute the merits of the cognitive foundation of a PBL approach, but, despite this, there is evidence that graduates of PBL curricula demonstrate equivalent or superior professional competencies compared with graduates of more traditional curricula.
Paraneoplastic Motor Neuron Disease Resembling Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in a Patient with Renal Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Turk H. Mehmet , Ozet Ahmet , Kuzhan Okan , Komurcu Ferhan , Arpaci Fikret , Ozturk Bekir , Ataergin Selmin
Published: December 2008

Objective: To report an unusual paraneoplastic syndrome, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, associated with renal cell carcinoma. Case Presentation and Intervention: A 59-year-old man presented with muscle weakness and fasciculations in the upper extremities. Neurological examination showed that the fasciculations arose spontaneously in the upper limbs. Electrodiagnostic studies revealed an active neurogenic disorder. The patient was diagnosed with a motor neuron disease mimicking amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Urine analysis revealed microscopic hematuria. Abdominal computerized tomography scans showed a 9.5 × 8 cm renal mass in the lower pole of the right kidney. Curative right radical nephrectomy was performed. Pathologic examination showed a clear cell adenocarcinoma. After nephrectomy, the muscle weakness and fasciculations disappeared spontaneously within 2 months. The patient was disease-free for 58 months after right radical nephrectomy. He complained of muscle weakness and fasciculation at the last follow-up again. Physical examination revealed fasciculation in the upper limbs. Abdominal tomography showed a 22 × 20 mm solid mass in the lower pole of the left kidney. Kidney-saving surgery was performed and the diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma was confirmed pathologically. Following surgery, fasciculations completely disappeared and muscle weakness diminished within 3 months. Conclusion: This case highlights motor neuron disease as a rare paraneoplastic syndrome in association with renal cell carcinoma and resolution after removal of the tumor.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms Mediate Early-Onset Smoking
Authors: Huizink A.C. , van Lier P.A.C. , Crijnen A.A.M.
Published: December 2008

Background/Aims: Symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have often been associated with early-onset smoking. We hypothesize that reductions in ADHD symptoms due to an intervention have a mediating effect on early-onset smoking. Methods: In a universal, school-based, randomized controlled intervention trial, we examined whether intervention-induced reductions in ADHD symptoms at age 9 mediated the reduced risk of tobacco use onset among these children at age 10 or 11 years. A sample of 477 first-grade boys and girls were randomly assigned to the Good Behavior Game intervention (n = 263), a 2-year (grades 2 and 3) universal classroom-based intervention aimed at reducing disruptive behavior problems, or to a control condition (n = 214). ADHD symptoms were assessed through teacher ratings. Early onset of tobacco use was assessed through self-report. Results: The intervention-induced reductions in ADHD symptoms fully mediated the distal effect of intervention on reductions in early-onset smoking. Conclusions: Our results showed that programs that target ADHD symptoms may protect children from early-onset smoking as well. Further research is needed to examine pathways from ADHD symptoms to tobacco use.
Lack of Protection with a Novel, Selective Melanocortin Receptor Subtype-4 Agonist RY767 in a Rat Transient Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion Stroke Model
Authors: Regan Christopher , Shepherd Cherrie , Strack Alison , Weinberg David , Nargund Ravi , Ye Zhixiong , Pollard Patrick , Fong Tung , Reynolds Ian , Lynch Joseph
Published: December 2008

Previous studies utilizing α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) or the synthetic analog [Nle4, D-Phe7] α-MSH have reported beneficial effects in animal models of ischemic stroke, with the latter studies suggesting melanocortin receptor subtype-4 (MC4R) activation as a protective mechanism. The present study directly addresses the hypothesis that MC4R activation may ameliorate ischemic brain injury by assessing the efficacy of a novel small molecule MC4R agonist RY767, administered in a pharmacokinetically guided and pharmacologically validated dosing regimen, in a rat stroke model of transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO). Male Wistar rats were subjected to 90-min tMCAO followed by 72 h of reperfusion. Treatments were i.p. pretreatment with MK-801 (15 min prior to occlusion, positive control), or combined i.v. and p.o. daily administrations of vehicle, dextrose (negative control) or RY767 in blinded fashion initiated 2 h after occlusion. Infarct volume in MK-801-treated rats (158.7 ± 22.3 mm3) was reduced significantly compared to vehicle infarct volume (243.4 ± 12.5 mm3), whereas infarct volumes in dextrose- (224.3 ± 16.5 mm3) and RY767- (262.1 ± 19.2 mm3) treated rats did not differ from vehicle infarct volume. These results indicate that selective MC4R activation provides no significant neuroprotection, as reflected by infarct volume, in a rat stroke model utilizing a 90-min ischemic insult.
Glycerol-Preserved Arterial Allografts Evaluated in the Infrarenal Rat Aorta
Authors: Fahner P.J. , Idu M.M. , van Gulik T.M. , van Wijk B. , van der Wal A.C. , Legemate D.A.
Published: December 2008

Background: Vascular transplantation has become an alternative for prosthetic grafts. Suitable storage methods for vascular allografts are therefore necessary. For small caliber arterial allografts, cryopreservation and cold storage showed discouraging results. Since glycerol preservation proved effective for the storage of skin allografts, this preservation method was investigated for vascular allografts using a rat aortic transplantation model. Methods: Glycerol-preserved allografts (GA) were transplanted to the infrarenal aorta (n = 18) in Wistar rats. A control group (n = 18) underwent immediate autotransplantation (AU) of an equal length of aorta. Results: Cumulative graft patency at 90 days’ follow-up was 93% for AU and 78% for GA (ns). No aneurysm formation was detected in both groups. Intraluminal endothelial cell coverage, integrity of the media and smooth muscle cell repopulation were comparable in both groups. Intimal thickness was less in GA than in AU and inflammatory reaction in the adventitia was diminished in GA. Conclusion: GA were successfully grafted with acceptable patency rates compared to autografts, while intima hyperplasia and adventitial inflammatory reaction were less.
The Challenge of Doing What Is Right in Renal Transplantation: Balancing Equity and Utility
Authors: Courtney Aisling E. , Maxwell Alexander P.
Published: December 2008

Arguably the greatest challenge faced by the transplant community is the disparity between the number of persons waiting for a solid organ transplant and the finite supply of donor organs. For renal transplantation the gap between supply and demand has risen annually reflecting the increasing prevalence of end-stage renal disease versus the relatively static deceased donor organ pool. Maximising the benefit from this scarce resource raises difficult ethical issues. For most patients on dialysis therapy a successful transplant offers improved quality and quantity of life, but the absolute gain in survival provided by a donated organ varies greatly depending on recipient factors such as age and co-morbid illnesses. The philosophies of equity (a fair opportunity for everyone in need to receive a transplant) and utility (optimal profit from each organ) are often competing. National allocation schemes and local policies regarding assessment of potential recipients and acceptance of organs are designed to balance these ethical principles in a standardized and socially acceptable manner. The ongoing debate surrounding these issues and modifications to such policies reflect the evolving clinical picture of renal transplantation and the challenge in maintaining equipoise between renal transplant utility and equity.
Irbesartan Ameliorates Diabetic Nephropathy by Reducing the Expression of Connective Tissue Growth Factor and Alpha-Smooth-Muscle Actin in the Tubulointerstitium of Diabetic Rats
Authors: Ren Xiaojun , Guan Guangju , Liu Gang , Liu Gaohong
Published: December 2008

The effect of irbesartan on the expression of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and α-smooth-muscle actin (α-SMA) in the renal tubulointerstitium of diabetic rats was investigated in our study. Diabetes was induced in male Wistar rats by intraperitoneal administration of streptozotocin (STZ), 60 mg·kg–1 body weight. The rats were then randomized to a diabetic group (DM) and an irbesartan therapy group (DM + Irb). The normal group (non-DM) rats were administered only citrate buffer. At the end of the 16th week, blood glucose, kidney weight/body weight, urine albumin (UAlb) and creatinine clearance rate were determined. The renal histopathology was observed by light microscopy. Further biochemical analysis of CTGF and α-SMA was provided using real-time reverse transcription PCR, immunostaining and Western blotting techniques. Compared with the non-DM group, blood glucose, kidney weight/body weight, UAlb, creatinine clearance and interstitial fibrotic lesions were increased in the DM group (p < 0.01). Treatment with irbesartan improved these parameters except blood glucose. Compared with the non-DM group, expressions of CTGF and α-SMA in the renal tubulointerstitium were highly upregulated in the DM group (p < 0.01). Administration of irbesartan prevented the high expressions of CTGF and α-SMA in renal tissue of diabetic rats. These results indicated that irbesartan can protect the kidney of STZ-diabetic rats by reducing the expression of CTGF and α-SMA in the renal tubulointerstitium.
The Non-Anaesthetic Propofol Analogue 2,6-Di-tert-Butylphenol Fails to Modulate GABAA Receptor Function
Authors: Ahrens Jörg , Leuwer Martin , de la Roche Jeanne , Foadi Nilufar , Krampfl Klaus , Haeseler Gertrud
Published: December 2008

Modulation of inhibitory synaptic transmission within the central nervous system contributes considerably to the anaesthetic effects of propofol and its analogues in vivo. We have studied the effects of the non-anaesthetic propofol analogue 2,6-di-tert-butylphenol on rat α1β2γ2 GABAA receptors expressed in a mammalian expression system (HEK 293 cells) using the whole-cell patch clamp technique. Our experiments showed that 2,6-di-tert-butylphenol completely lacks co-activation and direct activation of the inhibitory GABAA receptor. Our results support the assumption that modulation of inhibitory GABAA receptor function is responsible for the anaesthetic effects of propofol in vivo.
Impact of Time in the Development of Acute Appendicitis
Authors: Hansson L.-E. , Laurell H. , Gunnarsson U.
Published: December 2008

Background: The aim of this study was to elucidate the natural history of appendicitis. Methods: Data was collected prospectively from consecutive patients admitted to hospital for acute abdominal pain. The degree of appendiceal inflammation in relation to preoperative duration of pain was analysed. Results: The study comprised 253 patients operated on for acute appendicitis that could recall the onset of abdominal pain. There was a longer duration of pre-hospital pain in patients, irrespective of age, with perforated appendicitis compared to patients with phlegmonous or gangrenous appendicitis (p < 0.001). In the multivariate analysis, patient age and preoperative duration of pain were independent risk factors for perforation. Conclusion: Patient delay in presentation is the predominant factor determining the incidence of complicated appendicitis, and this delay is not influenced by age or gender.
Endobronchial Ultrasound for Detecting Central Pulmonary Emboli: A Pilot Study
Authors: Aumiller J. , Herth F.J.F. , Krasnik M. , Eberhardt R.
Published: December 2008

Background: Contrast-enhanced, computed tomography of the chest (angio-CT) is the preferred modality for evaluating central pulmonary embolism (PE). However, acute PE must be diagnosed quickly, and contraindications to contrast agents, hemodynamic instability preventing transport and radiation exposure may limit its use. Because the mediastinal vessels lie within 5 mm of the trachea and central airways, endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) imaging may be a feasible alternative to detecting PE. Objectives: To demonstrate the feasibility of detecting PE in the central airways by EBUS. Methods: In a prospective, multicenter pilot study, consecutive patients underwent flexible bronchoscopy with a convex EBUS probe under local anesthesia and moderate sedation within 24 h after angio-CT had documented a central PE. The EBUS images were compared to the CT findings. Results: Among 32 patients (mean age 69 years, 20 men), angio-CT documented 101 PE, of which 97 (96%) were also detected with EBUS. The 4 emboli not detected consisted of 1 in a middle lobe and 3 in a left upper lobe artery. At least 1 embolus was detected with EBUS in every patient, which is sufficient to confirm a diagnosis of central PE. No bronchoscopic complications were observed. Mean procedure time was reduced from 5 min in the first 16 patients to 3 min in the last 16. Conclusions: In this pilot study, EBUS was a feasible and safe approach to detecting central pulmonary emboli. Blinded, comparative trials will be necessary to evaluate its use as a primary tool for diagnosing these emboli.
Thrombin and Brain Recovery After Intracerebral Hemorrhage
Authors: Hua Ya , Keep Richard F. , Gu Yuxiang , Xi Guohua
Published: December 2008

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a common and often fatal subtype of stroke and produces severe neurological deficits in survivors. At present, there is lack of effective treatments that improve outcome in ICH. A neglected aspect of ICH research is the development of approaches that can be effectively used to improve recovery. Although previous studies have showed that thrombin induces blood-brain barrier leakage, brain edema, and neuronal death after ICH, our recent studies have shown that thrombin may have a role in brain recovery after ICH. An understanding of the mechanisms by which thrombin affects neurogenesis, angiogenesis, and plasticity may facilitate brain recovery after ICH.
Inflammation and the Emerging Role of the Toll-Like Receptor System in Acute Brain Ischemia
Authors: Marsh Brenda J. , Stevens Susan L. , Hunter Brian , Stenzel-Poore Mary P.
Published: December 2008

Background and Purpose—

Systemic administration of cytosine-guanine (CpG) oligodeoxynucleotides provides neuroprotection against subsequent cerebral ischemic injury. We examined the genomic response of leukocytes and brain cells after ischemia in the context of CpG preconditioning.

Methods—

RNA was isolated from circulating leukocytes and ischemic cortex 3 and 24 hours after middle cerebral artery occlusion after CpG or saline pretreatment and subjected to microarray analysis. Genes uniquely upregulated in CpG-pretreated mice were examined for overrepresented transcriptional regulatory elements.

Results—

CpG preconditioning induced a novel response to middle cerebral artery occlusion within circulating leukocytes that was dominated by natural killer cell-associated genes and the GATA-3 transcriptional regulatory element. Preconditioning also caused a novel brain response to stroke that was dominated by Type I interferon, interferon-associated genes, and transcriptional regulatory elements.

Conclusion—

CpG preconditioning invokes novel leukocyte and brain responses to stroke. In this, CpG may be a unique preconditioning agent, coordinating peripheral and brain responses to protect against ischemic injury.
India–China Relations
Authors: Singh Swaran
Published: December 2008

Mutual perceptions and policies of an emerging India and a rising China have increasingly become the focus of public debates around the world. The two countries are seen today as ordained to become major pillars of the international system. The future of India-China relations clearly impinges on the future of Asia, if not the whole world. But in addition to bringing a limited visibility, this public glare has only further complicated their already complex web of problems and potential. The fact that both countries still continue to work together to enhance their mutual understanding holds promise for their future. While their historical baggage continues, continued engagement between China and India remains an imperative for their own survival and for the welfare of their people. In the context of the increasing external influences on their interactions, this article makes an appeal for indigenisation of their mutual explorations and policy formulations.
Linguistic variation in the discourse of outsourced call centers
Authors: Friginal Eric
Published: December 2008

This study explores linguistic variation in outsourced call centers involving Filipino call-takers and American callers engaged in various types of customer service transactions. The specific goals of this study are: 1) to establish the statistical co-occurrence of linguistic features in outsourced call center discourse; and 2) to examine how the speakers use these features and patterns of speech based on role (as agent or caller), gender, and the types of service transactions (or `accounts'). The data for analysis come from a corpus of call center texts collected in the Philippines ( N of texts = 364, approximately 453,630 words). The research design follows a quantitative multi-dimensional framework developed by Biber (1988) for the extraction and interpretation of linguistic co-occurrence in the corpus. Three linguistic dimensions are extracted and interpreted microanalytically: 1) Addressee-Focused, Polite, and Elaborated Information vs Involved and Simplified Narrative; 2) Planned, Procedural Talk; and 3) Managed Information Flow. Results show that the discourse of agents and callers are different in linguistic and textual composition across these extracted dimensions. Similarly, accounts and participants' gender are both found to affect linguistic choices in the transactions.
Mapping the components of the telephone conference: an analysis of tutorial talk at a distance learning institution
Authors: Horton-Salway Mary , Montague Jane , Wiggins Sally , Seymour-Smith Sarah
Published: December 2008

This article maps the components of telephone tutorial conferences (TTCs) used for distance learning in higher education. Using conversation analysis we identified four common sequences of TTCs as `calling in'; `agenda-setting'; `tutorial proper'; and `closing down'. Patterns of student participation look similar to those in face-to-face tutorials and the degree of interaction during `calling-in' and agenda setting does not foretell student participation in the `tutorial proper'. Student participation was related to differences in `communicative formats' adopted by tutors and students for different purposes. These findings have helped us reflect on our communicative practices as university teachers and indicate that TTCs are functionally comparable with face-to-face tutorials in higher education settings.
Visually branding the environment: climate change as a marketing opportunity
Authors: Hansen Anders , Machin David
Published: December 2008

While there has been extensive work on the textual realizations of climate change in the media, there has been little on the way such discourses are realized and promoted visually. This article addresses this using Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis to examine a new collection of images from the globally operating Getty Images intended for use in promotions, advertisements and editorials. Getty is promoting this collection in terms of Green Issues being a `marketing opportunity'. In this article we consider the results of these issues being recontextualized through this process, where they are shaped to fit the culture of branding. Analysis is of the images and the search terms where Getty lay out what can be said with the images.
AKT inhibitor, GSK690693, induces growth inhibition and apoptosis in acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell lines
Authors: Levy Dana S. , Kahana Jason A. , Kumar Rakesh
Published: December 2008

The PI3K/AKT signaling is activated in various hematologic malignancies. We evaluated the effect of a novel, pan-AKT kinase inhibitor, GSK690693, on the proliferation of 112 cell lines representing different hematologic neoplasia. Fifty-five percent of all cell lines tested were sensitive to AKT inhibitor (EC50 < 1 μM), with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and Burkitt lymphoma showing 89%, 73%, and 67% sensitivity to GSK690693, respectively. The antiproliferative effect was selective for the malignant cells, as GSK690693 did not inhibit the proliferation of normal human CD4+ peripheral T lymphocytes as well as mouse thymocytes. Phosphorylation of downstream substrates of AKT was reduced in both sensitive and insensitive cell lines on treatment with GSK690693, suggesting that the cause of resistance was not related to the lack of AKT kinase inhibition. Consistent with the role of AKT in cell survival, GSK690693 also induced apoptosis in sensitive ALL cell lines. Overall, our data provide direct evidence for the role of AKT signaling in various hematologic malignancies, especially ALL and some lymphomas.
Activated T cells recruit exosomes secreted by dendritic cells via LFA-1
Authors: Nolte-‘t Hoen Esther N. M. , Buschow Sonja I. , Anderton Stephen M. , Stoorvogel Willem , Wauben Marca H. M.
Published: December 2008

Dendritic cells (DCs) are known to secrete exosomes that transfer membrane proteins, like major histocompatibility complex class II, to other DCs. Intercellular transfer of membrane proteins is also observed during cognate interactions between DCs and CD4+ T cells. The acquired proteins are functional and play a role in regulation of immune responses. How membrane protein transfer is achieved and regulated is unclear. Here we show that T cells can recruit major histocompatibility complex class II–containing DC exosomes secreted in the extracellular milieu during cognate DC–T-cell interactions. Recruitment of these exosomes required T-cell activation and was dependent on leukocyte function–associated antigen-1 (LFA-1) rather than on T-cell receptor specificity. Indeed, inducing a high-affinity state of LFA-1 on resting T cells was sufficient to provoke exosome binding. These results imply that DC exosomes secreted in the extracellular milieu during cognate T-cell–DC interactions are targeted to T cells activated in that microenvironment.
Adaptive multiple subtraction based on constrained independent component analysis
Authors: Lu Wen-kai , Liu Lei
Published: December 2008

Adaptive multiple subtraction is a critical and challenging procedure for the widely used surface-related multiple elimination techniques. One of the problems encountered in this procedure is that a good result usually is hard to obtain when primaries and multiples have overlap or when the true and predicted multiples have mismatches, such as wavelet difference, time shift, and scalar inconsistency. We propose an adaptive multiple subtraction method based on constrained independent component analysis (CICA). It combines the advantages of two current adaptive multiple subtraction methods: the independent component analysis method and the multidimensional prediction error filters (PEF) method. In CICA, the prediction error obtained by the PEFs, which measures the lateral continuity of the primaries, is adopted as a constraint term of its objective function.
Adaptive focusing window for seismic angle migration
Authors: Alerini Mathias , Ursin Bjørn
Published: December 2008

Kirchhoff migration is based on a continuous integral ranging from minus infinity to plus infinity. The necessary discretization and truncation of this integral introduces noise in the migrated image. The attenuation of this noise has been studied by many authors who propose different strategies. The main idea is to limit the migration operator around the specular point. This means that the specular point must be known before migration and that a criterion exists to determine the size of the migration operator. We propose an original approach to estimate the size of the focusing window, knowing the geologic dip. The approach benefits from the use of prestack depth migration in angle domain, which is recognized as the most artifact-free Kirchhoff-type migration. The main advantages of the method are ease of implementation in an existing angle-migration code (two or three dimensions), user friendliness, ability to take into account multiorientation of the local geology as in faulted regions, and flexibility with respect to the quality of the estimated geologic dip field. Common-image gathers resulting from the method are free from migration noise and can be postprocessed in an easier way. We validate the approach and its possibilities on synthetic data examples with different levels of complexity.
Early Prediction of Response to Sunitinib After Imatinib Failure by 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography in Patients With Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor
Authors: Prior John O. , Montemurro Michael , Orcurto Maria-Victoria , Michielin Olivier , Luthi François , Benhattar Jean , Guillou Louis , Elsig Valérie , Stupp Roger , Delaloye Angelika Bischof , Leyvraz Serge
Published: December 2008

Purpose

Positron emission tomography with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG-PET) was used to evaluate treatment response in patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) after administration of sunitinib, a multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor, after imatinib failure.

Patients and Methods

Tumor metabolism was assessed with FDG-PET before and after the first 4 weeks of sunitinib therapy in 23 patients who received one to 12 cycles of sunitinib therapy (4 weeks of 50 mg/d, 2 weeks off). Treatment response was expressed as the percent change in maximal standardized uptake values (SUV). The primary end point of time to tumor progression was compared with early PET results on the basis of traditional Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) criteria.

Results

Progression-free survival (PFS) was correlated with early FDG-PET metabolic response (P < .0001). Using −25% and +25% thresholds for SUV variations from baseline, early FDG-PET response was stratified in metabolic partial response, metabolically stable disease, or metabolically progressive disease; median PFS rates were 29, 16, and 4 weeks, respectively. Similarly, when a single FDG-PET positive/negative was considered after 4 weeks of sunitinib, the median PFS was 29 weeks for SUVs less than 8 g/mL versus 4 weeks for SUVs of 8 g/mL or greater (P < .0001). None of the patients with metabolically progressive disease subsequently responded according to RECIST criteria. Multivariate analysis showed shorter PFS in patients who had higher residual SUVs (P < .0001), primary resistance to imatinib (P = .024), or nongastric GIST (P = .002), regardless of the mutational status of the KIT and PDGFRA genes.

Conclusion

Week 4 FDG-PET is useful for early assessment of treatment response and for the prediction of clinical outcome. Thus, it offers opportunities to individualize and optimize patient therapy.
Definition, Prognostic Factors, Treatment, and Response Criteria of Adult T-Cell Leukemia-Lymphoma: A Proposal From an International Consensus Meeting
Authors: Tsukasaki Kunihiro , Hermine Olivier , Bazarbachi Ali , Ratner Lee , Ramos Juan Carlos , Harrington William , O’Mahony Deirdre , Janik John E. , Bittencourt Achiléa L. , Taylor Graham P. , Yamaguchi Kazunari , Utsunomiya Atae , Tobinai Kensei , Watanabe Toshiki
Published: December 2008

Adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma (ATL) is a distinct peripheral T-lymphocytic malignancy associated with a retrovirus designated human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-1). The diversity in clinical features and prognosis of patients with this disease has led to its subclassification into the following four categories: acute, lymphoma, chronic, and smoldering types. The chronic and smoldering subtypes are considered indolent and are usually managed with watchful waiting until disease progression, analogous to the management of some patients with chronic lymphoid leukemia (CLL) or other indolent histology lymphomas. Patients with aggressive ATL generally have a poor prognosis because of multidrug resistance of malignant cells, a large tumor burden with multiorgan failure, hypercalcemia, and/or frequent infectious complications as a result of a profound T-cell immunodeficiency. Under the sponsorship of the 13th International Conference on Human Retrovirology: HTLV, a group of ATL researchers joined to form a consensus statement based on established data to define prognostic factors, clinical subclassifications, and treatment strategies. A set of response criteria specific for ATL reflecting a combination of those for lymphoma and CLL was proposed. Clinical subclassification is useful but is limited because of the diverse prognosis among each subtype. Molecular abnormalities within the host genome, such as tumor suppressor genes, may account for these diversities. A treatment strategy based on the clinical subclassification and prognostic factors is suggested, including watchful waiting approach, chemotherapy, antiviral therapy, allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (alloHSCT), and targeted therapies.
Tumor-Infiltrating FOXP3+ T Regulatory Cells Show Strong Prognostic Significance in Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Salama Paul , Phillips Michael , Grieu Fabienne , Morris Melinda , Zeps Nik , Joseph David , Platell Cameron , Iacopetta Barry
Published: December 2008

Purpose

To determine the prognostic significance of FOXP3+ lymphocyte (Treg) density in colorectal cancer compared with conventional histopathologic features and with CD8+ and CD45RO+ lymphocyte densities.

Patients and Methods

Tissue microarrays and immunohistochemistry were used to assess the densities of CD8+, CD45RO+, and FOXP3+ lymphocytes in tumor tissue and normal colonic mucosa from 967 stage II and stage III colorectal cancers. These were evaluated for associations with histopathologic features and patient survival.

Results

FOXP3+ Treg density was higher in tumor tissue compared with normal colonic mucosa, whereas CD8+ and CD45RO+ cell densities were lower. FOXP3+ Tregs were not associated with any histopathologic features, with the exception of tumor stage. Multivariate analysis showed that stage, vascular invasion, and FOXP3+ Treg density in normal and tumor tissue were independent prognostic indicators, but not CD8+ and CD45RO+. High FOXP3+ Treg density in normal mucosa was associated with worse prognosis (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.51; 95% CI, 1.07 to 2.13; P = .019). In contrast, a high density of FOXP3+ Tregs in tumor tissue was associated with improved survival (HR = 0.54; 95% CI, 0.38 to 0.77; P = .001).

Conclusion

FOXP3+ Treg density in normal and tumor tissue had stronger prognostic significance in colorectal cancer compared with CD8+ and CD45RO+ lymphocytes. The finding of improved survival associated with a high density of tumor-infiltrating FOXP3+ Tregs in colorectal cancer contrasts with several other solid cancer types. The inclusion of FOXP3+ Treg density may help to improve the prognostication of early-stage colorectal cancer.
The Ascent and Decline of Catholic Economic Thought, 1830–1950s
Authors: Almodovar António , Teixeira Pedro
Published: December 2008

The emergence of Catholic economic thought in the late nineteenth century was preceded by several attempts to deal with some crucial moral issues arising out of economic activity, although economic questions did not rank high in the church's concerns until the second half of the nineteenth century. From the 1830s onward we identify several political economists bearing a Catholic viewpoint and the development of intellectual networks in several continental European Catholic countries in the second half of the nineteenth century. At the end of the century these efforts received a significant stimulus with the first papal documents promoting the social doctrine of the Catholic Church. By the early decades of the twentieth century, Catholic economic thought had flourished. In this article we deal with the evolution of Catholic economic thought in western continental Europe between 1830 and the early 1950s, especially the efforts to develop a Catholic school of economic thought, with a specific agenda of research and of social and economic transformation.
Faith, Morality, and Welfare: The English School of Welfare Economics, 1901–29
Authors: Backhouse Roger E.
Published: December 2008

In the first three decades of the twentieth century, a group of British economists, described by Walton Hamilton as the “English welfare school,” sought to bring religious convictions into economics through providing the ethical judgments underlying welfare economics. This article focuses on three members of this group—J. A. Hobson, R. H. Tawney, and Henry Clay. Although they differed in their political and religious views, they were all responding to the challenges faced by the Victorian church. Society was believed to rest on a morality, and when a foundation could no longer be found in traditional Christian beliefs, it had to be sought either through reinterpreting these beliefs or looking elsewhere. Tawney turned to Christian socialism, remaining within the Church of England, and Hobson turned to the Ethical Movement, but both were seeking ethical judgments that could serve as a foundation for welfare economics.
Das Adam Smith Problemand Faculty Psychology in the Antebellum North
Authors: Davenport Stewart
Published: December 2008

This essay addresses the question of what happened when the Adam Smith problem of industrializing Europe met the faculty psychology of antebellum America. Although it was not called the Adam Smith problem until the late nineteenth century, the fact that Smith wrote two books instead of one has always posed difficulties for those seeking integrity between the ethical and the economical.

For two groups of antebellum Protestants—the “clerical economists” and the “pastoral moralists”—this is where faculty psychology came in. Employing the tripartite scheme of conscience, self-interest, and passions, both of these groups nevertheless sought a moral order that was binary. In other words, they wanted to understand the world in terms of good and evil—of what kind of commercial behavior was permissible and what was not.

The difference, unsurprisingly, was over what each group thought about self-interest, the faculty that occupied the middle position. For their part, the clerical economists lumped self-interest in with conscience as partners in the noble republican struggle to keep the passions of individuals in check. The two were not the same, but they were close enough to serve this same utilitarian purpose.

The pastoral moralists, on the other hand, wanted to divide faculty psychology's tripartite scheme in half. In their collective understanding, self-interest could go in either direction. The pastoral moralists therefore sought the point at which an individual's healthy and natural self-interest crossed the line and, as one of them put it, passed “without heeding it, the boundary which separates virtue from vice.”
The Impact of Liberal Religion on Richard Ely's Economic Methodology
Authors: Frey Donald E.
Published: December 2008

Richard T. Ely's economic methodology was heavily influenced by the scholarship of nineteenth-century liberal German Protestantism. It held that religious beliefs, even scripture, were not final truths but evolving expressions of historical experience. Thus historical and empirical study of religion and its documents in their contexts was crucial. The outlook influenced other disciplines, including economics, by the time Ely obtained his doctorate in Germany. The approach was compatible with tendencies the young Ely had already evinced, and the outlook continued long into his American career. In particular, Ely consistently attacked laissez-faire economics for positing absolute economic laws rather than understanding the economy and economics as human enterprises subject to change. He advocated for empirical economic research as an antidote to the static premises of laissez-faire. As an economic reformer, Ely realized that the determinism of laissez-faire was fatal to reform and ethics; by definition, one cannot change practices dictated by unchanging laws. Even when he was not advocating specific reforms, Ely consistently taught that economic institutions and ideas are human creations, subject to change and improvement, and not manifestations of unchangeable economic laws beyond the reach of human will.
The Religion of a Skeptic: Frank H. Knight on Ethics, Spirituality, and Religion during His Iowa Years
Authors: Emmett Ross B.
Published: December 2008

Frank H. Knight's antagonism to religion is well known and features prominently in his writings from the 1930s on. But during the 1920s, when he was a professor at the University of Iowa and wrote some of his most important essays on the limitations of economics, Knight was an active participant in the Iowa City Unitarian Church. Drawing on research about his association with the Unitarian Church, and his unpublished writings from the period on religion, economics, and social organization, the essay argues that the Unitarian association provided a community open to discussing the multidimensionality of human experience, which assisted Knight in his investigation of ethics, economics, science, and liberal democracy. In the end, however, his association with the Unitarians ceased when he moved back to the University of Chicago in 1928.
Home
Authors: Schlunke Katrina
Published: December 2008

Does “possession” produce “home”? This essay figures the claim by Captain Cook to possess Australia as an attempt to institute a single order of time and nature. But that order was and is always undercut by the reality of an enduring indigenous sovereignty. Through ideas of memory, nature, and experience, this paper proposes a different order of home making that can exist alongside indigenous sovereignty. The idea of homemaking for the nonindigenous suggested in this essay involves a recognition of productive melancholia and attempts to release the differences obscured by colonial orders of time and ways of seeing nature. This alternative notion of home recognizes the ongoing force of multiple indigenous cultures that dictated that we will encounter that particular nature and that already imaged imagining amid colonizing and nationalizing practices that include the making of national parks and the management of museum displays.
Stranger Danger: Approaching Home and Ten Canoes
Authors: Henderson Ian
Published: December 2008

This essay explores the meaning of home in the 2006 film Ten Canoes. The film resulted from an extraordinary collaboration between the Ramingining Aboriginal community of northeastern Arnhem Land and Australian art-house director Rolf de Heer. It tells of Dayindi (Jamie Dayindi Gulpilil Dalaithngu), a young Yolngu man living one thousand years ago, who is in love with his elder brother's youngest wife. To correct Dayindi's “wrong feelings,” his brother tells him another story that we also witness in the film, this one set tens of thousands of years in the ancient past. The essay argues that simply articulating the film's twists in the logic of Western cinematic storytelling renders it richly suggestive of traditional Yolngu law, a process that in turn reveals the Ramingining community's commentary on the complex racial politics of the contemporary Australian “homeland.”
Home: The Importance of Place to the Dispossessed
Authors: Behrendt Larissa
Published: December 2008

The concept of “home” is multifaceted and complex. This is especially so for Aboriginal people who are forcibly removed from their land, retain deep spiritual and cultural attachments to their traditional homes, but have been forced to create new communities. This essay looks at the concepts of home and place from a contemporary Aboriginal perspective. It looks at the way in which Aboriginal families have navigated assimilation policies such as the removal of Aboriginal children from their families and shows the impact on and legacy of such policies on Aboriginal people today. It includes personal reflections and analysis of some of the future implications for government policy relating to Aboriginal people in Australia.
Compassion and Rage: The Face of the Migrant
Authors: Juffer Jane
Published: December 2008

Taking its cue from Emmanuel Levinas's notion that the “nudity” of the face creates the possibility for ethical encounters, this essay considers the face of the Latino and Latin American migrant in the United States at a seemingly contradictory moment. On the one hand, this is a time of intensified deportations, border militarization, and congressional posturing on immigration reform; the undocumented migrant is no longer the anonymous dishwasher or nanny in hiding but rather appears as the highly publicized face of the “illegal alien.” On the other hand, this is a time of increased integration of Latinos—both indigenous to the United States and newly arrived; Latinos are claiming the United States as home in unprecedented numbers. In both instances—that of policing and of belonging—subjects interact intimately, face-to-face, creating the possibility of friendship, community, desire, all generated by the vulnerability of face-to-face contact. Yet vulnerability produces both compassion and rage, says Levinas, and hence the question: if the openness of the face calls one both to compassion and to rage, why compassion by some and rage by others? Hate crimes against Latinos are on the rise, for example, while at the same time, the New Sanctuary Movement has revived the 1980s' faith-based activist network that provides shelter to refugees in danger of deportation. Both compassion and rage rely on proximity to one's home, in all senses of the word: familial, local, and national. When does the face-to-face encounter produce new configurations of home: communities that are open to redefinition based less on strict boundaries between us and them and more on the dissolution of those boundaries so as to enable the face-to-face encounter? When does the encounter prompt communities to police the border of community and nation, foreclosing possibilities generated by mutual vulnerability? I argue that definitions of community/sanctuary based on the experience of economic and political suffering are more likely to sustain compassionate interactions than notions of community based on identity and familial politics.
The Time of Epithets
Authors: Binder David
Published: December 2008

When and how did the characterization nationalist become an epithet that indicates abuse or contempt? The most obvious advent of the new usage may be found in the journalism and academic writing about the civil wars (1991–95) that doomed the existence of Yugoslavia. Employing nationalist as a negative quantity was made even more explicit by attaching intensifying prefixes such as “ultra” or “extreme.” Searches of newspaper and other archives show that nationalist as a denunciatory epithet has continued in the media to the present day, especially as applied to Serbian politicians. It has also begun to infect the discourse among the political parties in Serbia.