bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
MASS SPECTROMETRY OUTGROWS SIMPLE BIOCHEMISTRY: NEW APPROACHES TO ORGANELLE PROTEOMICS
Authors: FOSTER LEONARD J.
Published: March 2006

Organelles are subcellular compartments or structures that typically carry out a defined set of functions within the cell. The functions of many organelles are known or predicted, but without knowing all the components of any recognized organelle it is difficult to fully understand them. Mass spectrometry-based proteomics now allows for routine identification of several hundreds or thousands of proteins in very complex samples; for cell biologists, organelles represent perhaps the most interesting class of cellular components to apply this new technology to. However, in order to analyze the proteome of an organelle it first must be purified, and the limitations in purifying any biological sample to homogeneity quickly become apparent to the vigilant mass spectrometrist. At the end of an organelle proteomic investigation, investigators are left with a long list of proteins whose location needs to be verified by an orthogonal method, a daunting prospect; or, they must accept an unknown and possibly very high level of incorrect localizations. Some of these caveats can be partially overcome by incorporating quantitative aspects into organelle proteomic studies. This review discusses some alternative approaches to organelle proteomics where questions of specificity and/or functional relevance are addressed by incorporating a quantitative dimension into the experiment.
SCATTERING FROM SINGLE NANOPARTICLES: MIE THEORY REVISITED
Authors: TRAVIS KORT , GUCK JOCHEN
Published: March 2006

Recent intense interest in nanoparticle materials and nanoparticle-based contrast enhancement agents for biophysical applications gives new relevance to Mie scattering theory in its original context of application. The Mie theory still provides the most exact treatment of scattering from single nanoparticles of the noble metals. When recast in terms of modern electrodynamic formalism, the theory provides a concise closed-form representation for the scattered fields and also serves as a vehicle to elaborate the formal electrodynamic technique. The behavior of the Debye truncation condition for the multipole expansion is illustrated with numerical examples, clearly showing the features of the transition between the Rayleigh, dipole and higher order multipole approximations for the scattered fields. The classical Mie theory is an approximation in that only the transverse field components are included in the calculation. Extensions to the classical theory which include the effects of longitudinal fields are discussed and illustrated numerically. The example of scattering from multilayer composite particles is used to examine the feasibility of engineering spectral features of the scattering cross-section to target the requirements of specific applications.
OPTIMIZATION OF ELECTROSPINNING PROCESS PARAMETERS FOR TISSUE ENGINEERING SCAFFOLDS
Authors: CHEN MING , PATRA PRABIR K. , WARNER STEVEN B. , BHOWMICK SANKHA
Published: March 2006

The goal of the current study was to optimize important process parameters for electrospinning polycaprolactone (PCL) for growing 3T3 fibroblasts. We hypothesized that the smallest obtainable fiber diameter would provide the best cell growth kinetics and we tested this hypothesis for three different process parameters: solution concentration, voltage and collector screen distance. Beaded structures were formed when using low concentration electrospinning solutions (8 wt% to 13 wt%), in which the viscosity ranged from 16.0 c P to 340.0 c P . In this concentration range, cell growth kinetics was impeded when using a high concentration of cells (8–10 × 105). Higher PCL concentration led to an increase in the average fiber diameter from 400 nm to 1600 nm when PCL solution concentration changed from 15 wt% to 20 wt%. Although, the mean values indicated that cell growth kinetics were higher at the lower end of the concentration (15% as opposed to 20%) and this correlated with lower average fiber diameter, the results in this range were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). The average fiber diameter of scaffolds first decreased and then increased when electrospinning voltage was increased. The cell growth kinetics demonstrated that smaller average diameter PCL fiber scaffolds had higher growth kinetics than larger average diameter scaffolds with the best conditions obtained at 15 KV. By increasing the screen distance, the average fiber diameter decreased but had no significant impact on cell growth kinetics. In summary, the optimal parametric space for 3T3 fibroblast growth for our studies was electrospinning a 15 wt% PCL solution using 15 kV voltage and a 25 cm collector distance.
MODELLING OF POLYCOMB-DEPENDENT CHROMOSOMAL INTERACTIONS INVOLVED IN DROSOPHILA GENE SILENCING
Authors: RITTER SILKE , ODENHEIMER JENS , HEERMANN DIETER W. , BANTIGNIES FREDERIC , GRIMAUD CHARLOTTE , CAVALLI GIACOMO
Published: March 2006

The conditions of the chromosomes inside the nucleus in the Rabl configuration have been modelled as self-avoiding polymer chains under restraining conditions. To ensure that the chromosomes remain stretched out and lined up, we fixed their end points to two opposing walls. The numbers of segments N, the distances d1 and d2 between the fixpoints, and the wall-to-wall distance z (as measured in segment lengths) determine an approximate value for the Kuhn segment length kl. We have simulated the movement of the chromosomes using molecular dynamics to obtain the expected distance distribution between the genetic loci in the absence of further attractive or repulsive forces. A comparison to biological experiments on Drosophila Melanogaster yields information on the parameters for our model. With the correct parameters it is possible to draw conclusions on the strength and range of the attraction that leads to pairing.
Coronary Surgery in Patients Requiring Chronic Hemodialysis
Authors: Krabatsch T. , Yeter R. , Hetzer R.
Published: March 2006

Background: In uremic patients coronary surgery and the entire perioperative management is demanding. Methods: We analyzed retrospectively data from all patients requiring chronic hemodialysis who under went coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) between January 1 2001 and December 31 2004 at the Deutsches Herzzentrum Berlin and compared them to those of a randomized nonuremic control group (n = 68), which consisted of patients who underwent CABG during the same period. Results: During the study period 6315 patients underwent coronary artery bypass grafting at the Deutsches Herzzentrum Berlin. Among these patients, we identified 71 chronic dialysis patients (1.12%). Among dialysis patients, we recorded a perioperative mortality of 5.6%. One-year survival rate was 87.7% among uremic patients and 91.0% in the control group; the corresponding 4-year survival rates were 56.7 and 88.0%, respectively. The incidence of peripheral artery disease was significantly higher in the dialysis group. Uremic patients showed significantly lower hemoglobin serum levels at the time of admission compared to the control group (11.4 ± 1.62 vs. 13.3 ± 1.81 mg/dl). These patients received significantly higher numbers of blood transfusions (6.7 ± 5.6 vs. 2.75 ± 3.8), and platelet transfusions. Conclusion: Our preliminary study indicates that coronary surgery can be performed with acceptable mid-term results when the specific requirements of this patient group are taken into account.
Influence of Different Lipid-Lowering Strategies on Plaque Volume and Plaque Composition in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease: Role of Intravascular Ultrasound Imaging
Authors: Bocksch Wolfgang , Fateh-Moghadam Suzanne , Huehns Sonja , Schartl Michael
Published: March 2006

Lipid-lowering therapy has a significant impact on the prognosis and clinical course of coronary artery disease (CAD). Slowdown of plaque progression and plaque stabilization are the major cardiac goals of any lipid-lowering strategy. Until now, intravascular ultrasound imaging (IVUS) has been the only in vivo imaging modality which allows serial analysis of plaque burden and plaque composition on a volumetric basis. Several serial IVUS studies have shown that chronic statin therapy could decrease or even halt plaque growth. Moreover, aggressive lipid-lowering therapy using statins changes plaque composition over time. There is evidence that changes in plaque composition might explain the positive prognostic impact of statin therapy in patients with CAD. Beyond clinical endpoint studies, serial volumetric IVUS studies will become the standard to prove the efficacy of new lipid-lowering strategies in the future.
Oxidative Stress in Renal Anemia of Hemodialysis Patients Is Mitigated by Epoetin Treatment
Authors: Siems Werner , Carluccio Francesco , Radenkovic Sonja , Grune Tilman , Hampl Hannelore
Published: March 2006

Background/Aims: Oxidative stress often occurs in chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients. The objective of our study was to investigate the interrelationship between oxidative stress and the degree of renal anemia. Methods: In 107 consecutive HD patients, serum concentrations of two major aldehydic lipid peroxidation (LPO) products, 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE) and malondialdehyde (MDA), and of protein carbonyls were analyzed as parameters of oxidative stress and related to the degree of renal anemia. Additionally, in 76 patients treated with epoetin long-term changes in the serum levels of aldehydic LPO products were observed. Results: In HD patients, serum levels of HNE, MDA, and protein carbonyls are increased in comparison to controls. The lower the hemoglobin, i.e. the stronger the degree of renal anemia, the higher the serum concentrations of HNE, MDA, and protein carbonyls. The HNE and MDA levels decreased during HD. Long-term studies on the correction of renal anemia by epoetin demonstrated a mitigation of oxidative stress during this therapy. During periods of 1 and 2 years, it was observed that the serum levels of HNE and MDA could be reduced. Conclusion: Chronic renal failure is connected with oxidative stress which correlates with the degree of renal anemia, and the serum levels of aldehydic LPO products could be reduced during correction of renal anemia by epoetin.
Advances in the Medical Treatment of Pulmonary Hypertension
Authors: Dandel Michael , Lehmkuhl Hans B. , Hetzer Roland
Published: March 2006

Increased pulmonary precapillary vascular resistance due to vasoconstriction and vasoproliferative processes is the basic pathophysiological mechanism in the development of pulmonary hypertension (PH). With the exception of pulmonary venous hypertension, where the primary cause of PH is left ventricular failure or mitral valvular disease, all the other PH categories will benefit to a greater or lesser extent from pulmonary vasodilator and antivasoproliferative therapy. Today, for this purpose, in addition to intravenous prostacyclin (epoprostenol), which is restricted to severe pulmonary arterial hypertension (NYHA class IV and late class III), other therapeutic options such as treatment with more stable prostacyclin analogs (oral beraprost, aerosolized iloprost), endothelin-receptor antagonists (bosentan) or phosphodiesterase inhibitors (sildenafil) are also available and these are especially useful for the treatment of the early stages of the disease. The recent progress in medical therapy has markedly increased the life expectancy in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension and substantially improved their quality of life. Chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients show higher endothelin-1 (ET-1) activity in comparison to healthy individuals and there is evidence that the increase of pulmonary vascular resistance in these patients is at least in part mediated by ET-1. Recent data show good results after PH therapy with the endothelin-receptor antagonist bosentan in HD patients. Also prostacyclin and its analogs, as well as phosphodiesterase inhibitors, can be useful for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension in patients with chronic renal failure.
Current Understanding of HIF in Renal Disease
Authors: Rosenberger Christian , Rosen Seymour , Heyman Samuel N.
Published: March 2006

Hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF) are ubiquitous transcription factors regulated by oxygen-dependent proteolysis, and hence rapidly mount an adaptational response to hypoxia. The HIF system is apparently more complex than initially considered in the perspective of the increasing number of HIF target genes, and the inter-relationship with various additional regulatory pathways. Regional hypoxia is believed to play a major role in renal disease. Experimental data confirm a role for HIF in renal pathophysiology. The discovery of HIF prolyl-hydroxylases as key enzymes of oxygen sensing and HIF proteolysis offer new possibilities to therapeutically target HIF. Herein, we review basic concepts of HIF regulation, and existing data on HIF activation in renal disease.
Circulating NO Pool in Humans
Authors: Rassaf Tienush , Kleinbongard Petra , Kelm Malte
Published: March 2006

Nitric oxide (NO) generated from L-arginine by NO synthases in the endothelium and in other cells plays a central role in several aspects of vascular biology and has been linked to many regulatory functions in mammalian cells. Whereas for a long time the signaling actions of NO in the vasculature have been thought to be short-lived as a result of the rapid reaction of NO with hemoglobin, recent studies changed the biochemical thinking of NO. NO is not anymore the paracrine agent with only local effects, but, like a hormone, it disseminates throughout the body. Thus, a circulating pool of NO exists, opening new considerable pharmacological and therapeutical avenues in the diagnosis and therapy of cardiovascular diseases. In this review we briefly discuss the major routes of NO metabolism and transport in the mammalian circulation, considering plasma, red blood cell and tissue compartments separately, with a special focus on the implication of the circulating NO pool in clinical research.
Oxysterols Are Increased in Plasma of End-Stage Renal Disease Patients
Authors: Siems Werner , Quast Stephan , Peter Daniela , Augustin Wolfgang , Carluccio Francesco , Grune Tilman , Sevanian Alex , Hampl Hannelore , Wiswedel Ingrid
Published: March 2006

Background/Aims: Oxidative stress occurs in chronic renal failure patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD). The objective of our study was to measure oxidation products of cholesterols, so-called oxysterols, in the serum of HD patients in comparison to healthy control persons. Methods: In 42 HD patients, plasma oxysterols were measured before and after HD. The values were compared with those in 40 healthy controls. The following cholesterol derivatives were analyzed: dienes, 7β-OH, β-epoxy, α-epoxy, 20α-OH, α-triol, and 7-keto cholesterol. Results: In HD patients, serum levels of oxysterols are increased in comparison to controls. The highest values were measured for β-epoxy cholesterol and for 20α-OH cholesterol. During HD oxysterol concentrations increased, obviously by water removal and concentration of nondialyzable compounds. Conclusion: Due to oxidative stress which is known as a typical sign of chronic renal failure the plasma concentrations of oxysterols are also significantly increased in comparison to healthy controls. This underlines the data on accelerated lipid peroxidation in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. Accumulated oxysterols which are accused of exerting atherosclerosis-stimulating effects, which can contribute to the increased cardiovascular risk of ESRD patients, could either induce atherosclerosis via signaling or chronic effects. Direct chemical reactions stimulating plaque formation can be excluded because of the low levels of oxysterols. The share of oxysterols within the total cholesterol ranges from 4 to 15‰.
The Impact of Mechanical Ventilation on Immature Airway Smooth Muscle: Functional, Structural, Histological, and Molecular Correlates
Authors: Cullen Aaron B. , Cooke Peter H. , Driska Steven P. , Wolfson Marla R. , Shaffer Thomas H.
Published: March 2006

Preterm infants exposed to mechanical ventilation often develop airway dysfunction and bronchopulmonary dysplasia. The mechanisms of mechanical ventilation-induced airway injury are currently unknown. This study correlates the age-related effects of mechanical ventilation on airway function with structural alterations at the tissue, cellular, ultrastructural, and molecular levels. Mechanically ventilated and nonventilated tracheal rings were obtained from premature and newborn lambs. In tissue baths, the passive and active length-tension relationships and dose-response characteristics of the tracheal rings were determined. Fixed tracheal rings were digested and the resulting isolated smooth muscle cells measured. Rings were analyzed by light and electron microscopy. Additionally, protein was extracted from the tracheal smooth muscle and myosin heavy chain isoforms were separated by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and analyzed by densitometry. Mechanical ventilation resulted in a significant decrease of both the slope of the passive length-stress relationship and of maximal force generation, with both effects being most pronounced in the newborn age group. These age-related functional alterations correlated with a decrease in smooth muscle cell length and a disruption of ultrastructural architecture, which were also most pronounced in the older groups. Furthermore, mechanical ventilation resulted in epithelial denudation at all ages. There were no acute statistically significant effects of mechanical ventilation on myosin heavy chain isoform expression. This study demonstrates age-related effects of mechanical ventilation on the passive and active characteristics of tracheal function and provides a structural analysis of potential mechanisms. The mechanisms behind these functional differences involve ultrastructural changes in cell length, tissue matrix, and disruption of epithelial integrity. These findings help elucidate the pathogenesis of ventilator-induced airway injury.
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo due to a Simultaneous Involvement of both Horizontal and Posterior Semicircular Canals
Authors: Imai Takao , Takeda Noriaki , Ito Mahito , Nakamae Koji , Sakae Hideki , Fujioka Hiromu , Matsunaga Takashi , Kubo Takeshi
Published: March 2006

From April 2001 to November 2003, we investigated 8 patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) that was suspected to simultaneously affect both the horizontal and posterior semicircular canals (HSCC and PSCC). These cases showed typical vertical-torsional nystagmus induced by the Dix-Hallpike maneuver, followed by a horizontal nystagmus. They also showed a direction-changing geotropic or apogeotropic positional nystagmus triggered by lateral head rotations in the supine position. Using the three-dimensional analysis of the positional nystagmus, the rotation axis of the positional nystagmus had a component perpendicular to the plane of PSCC and another component perpendicular to the plane of HSCC. All these findings suggest that BPPV in these patients was a combination of posterior and horizontal canal BPPV. The observation of a vertical-torsional positional nystagmus should prompt the specialist to perform not only the canalith repositioning procedure, but also to execute lateral head turns in the supine position.
Classification of Exogenous Factors Contributing to the Itch Response
Authors: Yelverton Christopher B. , Yosipovitch Gil
Published: March 2006

Itch is a common sensation and a component of numerous disease states. Itch can be classified according to its origin and may be modulated by both endogenous and exogenous factors. Recent research has led to a better understanding of the mechanisms of itch, but there are still many areas to be explored. The purpose of this article is to classify the common causes of exogenous itch in humans. To facilitate this, a Medline literature review was conducted using the MeSH search term ‘pruritus’ along with relevant associated subheadings to identify articles dealing with exogenous factors related to itch. Factors relevant to exogenous itch were classified into mechanical, chemical, and environmental components. A better understanding of the various mechanisms of pruritus is critical to effective research into the treatment of itch.
Exogenous Factors in Atopic Dermatitis
Authors: Guttman-Yassky Emma
Published: March 2006

The prevalence of atopic dermatitis (AD), the most common inflammatory skin disease in children, has increased over the last decade. Although there is a genetic predisposition to AD, there is strong evidence suggesting a crucial role for environmental factors. The etiology of AD is probably multifactorial and includes interactions between the genetic predisposition and exogenous provocation factors. Many specific exogenous factors have been associated with the disease. These factors include, house dust mites, irritants, dietary allergens, air pollution, etc. In the present paper we try to review the most important factors that have been implicated in the etiology of AD.
Vitiligo – Exogenous Factors
Authors: Matz Hagit , Tur Ethel
Published: March 2006

Vitiligo is an acquired depigmentary disorder of the skin that results from the selective destruction of melanocytes. The etiology of vitiligo is poorly understood. There appears to be a genetic predisposition, but additional factors are probably involved. The purpose of this article is to outline the factors that might play a role in the development of vitiligo. These include trauma such as vaccination, radiotherapy, and sun exposure, malignancies and treatment of malignancies like lymphoma or melanoma, bone marrow transplantation, interferon, interleukin, and other drugs, psychological factors, endocrine disease and cytotoxic compounds that cause contact vitiligo. We hope future research will shed more light on the subject and identify the precipitating factors, since in the majority of vitiligo cases the contributing factors are as yet unidentified.
Pregnancy Outcome in the Psammomys obesus Gerbil on Low- and High-Energy Diets
Authors: Patlas Natan , Avgil Meytal , Ziv Ehud , Ornoy Asher , Shafrir Eleazar
Published: March 2006

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus (DM) during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk for poor reproduction and a high rate of congenital malformations. The gerbil Psammomys obesus is a unique model for nutritionally induced Type 2 DM (T2DM) that enabled us to study the outcome of uncontrolled T2DM during pregnancy. Methods: Female Psammomys on low-energy (LE) or high energy (HE) diet were studied. The blood glucose levels and weights of pregnant animals were determined. The offspring from the different groups were followed-up to weaning. Results: Most of the HE-diet animals were diabetic (77%). There were no differences in the pregnancy rates in animals on both diets (32.7% in HE vs. 38.3% in LE). Pregnancy of the HE-diet group was longer than the LE-diet group (26.7 vs. 26.1 days), and litter average was reduced (2.7 vs. 3.0). At birth, the offspring of the HE-diet dams weighed less (5.2 vs. 7.2 g) and had smaller crown rump length (4.0 vs. 4.6 cm) These offspring also presented a 1–3 days delay in neuro-developmental parameters (first turn over, hair appearance, eye-opening and response to noise). However, from the fourth week of life they became diabetic, and from the third week they weighed more than the LE offspring. Conclusion: HE-diet caused diabetes, maternal complications and altered reproduction in Psammomys animals. The offspring of diabetic Psammomys presented birth weight and length changes as well as developmental delay.
A Simplified Method to Integrate Metabolic Images in Stereotactic Procedures Using a PET/CT Scanner
Authors: Picozzi Piero , Rizzo Giovanna , Landoni Claudio , Attuati Luca , Franzin Alberto , Messa Cristina , Ferrari da Passano Camillo , Bettinardi Valentino , Fazio Ferruccio
Published: March 2006

We have developed a method that needs only the computed tomography (CT) indicator box to coregister positron emission tomography (PET) images and integrates this information with magnetic resonance imaging. The study was performed using a PET/CT scanner. A standard CT bed adapter was attached to the scanner couch. Then, the patient, with the Leksell G frame fixed, was positioned into the scanner with the CT indicator box. PET images were acquired using either [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose or [11C]choline as radioisotopes. After acquisition, CT and PET images were exported in DICOM 3 standard and transferred to a dedicated workstation via data link. Homemade software was implemented for multimodal image fusion. PET images were overwritten to their corresponding CT point values using a threshold algorithm, maintaining the stereotactic CT markers. The use of a CT indicator simplifies the procedure, because there is no need for a radioactive solution filling the indicator box. This method was tested first using a phantom and then in patients. The localization accuracy of the PET images is limited only by the slice thickness.
Progression of Parkinson’s Disease following Thalamic Deep Brain Stimulation for Tremor
Authors: Tarsy Daniel , Scollins Lisa , Corapi Kristin , O’Herron Siobhan , Apetauerova Diana , Norregaard Thorkild
Published: March 2006

We assessed the long-term effect of thalamic deep brain stimulation (DBS) on motor symptoms and progression of Parkinson’s disease (PD) in PD patients treated for resting and postural/action tremor. Thalamic DBS was performed in 17 patients with treatment-resistant resting and postural/action tremor. Nine patients were available for follow-up examination a mean of 5.5 years after surgery. Three had tremor-dominant PD. DBS produced marked improvement in resting and postural/action tremor in target upper extremity in all 9 patients, which persisted unchanged at the time of the last follow-up visit 5.5 years after surgery. PD severity with DBS ‘on’ and ‘off’ 1 year after surgery was compared to PD severity at the last follow-up visit using UPDRS (Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale) III motor scores and individual motor item subscores. Patients were tested while on medication. There was no significant worsening of tremor, rigidity, speech, postural stability, gait, or axial bradykinesia with DBS either on or off at the last follow-up visit compared to the 12-month visit. UPDRS III motor scores were unchanged. However, global assessment of PD progression and increased mean L-dopa dose and L-dopa equivalent daily dose at the time of last follow-up visit indicated that a progression of PD had occurred.
Intraoperative Neuronavigation Using Diffusion Tensor MR Tractography for the Resection of a Deep Tumor Adjacent to the Corticospinal Tract
Authors: Hlatky Roman , Jackson Edward F. , Weinberg Jeffrey S. , McCutcheon Ian E.
Published: March 2006

Objective and Importance: Delineation of cerebral white matter tracts using MR tractography adds essential information for planning intracranial surgery. Integrating tractography with intraoperative neuronavigation may reduce the likelihood of new neurological deficits after surgery done to remove tumors adjacent to the projection fibers of eloquent cortex. We report the utility of such integration for the resection of deep (paraventricular) tumors. Clinical Presentation: A 67-year-old male with malignant melanoma underwent stereotactic radiosurgery for a single metastasis within the paraventricular white matter of the right frontal lobe near the corticospinal tract. The lesion doubled in size within 12 months of radiotherapy. Surgical extirpation was performed aided by intraoperative neuronavigation. Technique: MR images of the brain including MR tractography and post-contrast T1-weighted sequences were acquired and imported into a neuronavigational workstation. Asymmetric fusion of contrast-enhanced images and tractography was employed to assist in preservation of the integrity of critical white matter tracts during the surgical procedure. Conclusion: Inclusion of tractography in standard imaging protocols for neuronavigational systems may increase the safety of neurosurgical intervention near white matter tracts, including deep areas adjacent to the ventricles.
Increased IL-6 in Supernatant of Rat Mesangial Cell Cultures Treated with Erythrogenic Toxin Type B and Its Precursor Isolated from Nephritogenic Streptococci
Authors: Pedreanez Adriana , Viera Ninoska , Rincon Jaimar , Mosquera Jesus
Published: March 2006

Background/Aims: Previous reports have shown the presence of streptococcal erythrogenic toxin type B (ETB), IL-8, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and glomerular proliferation in renal biopsies from patients with acute poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis (APSGN). In addition, increased levels of plasma IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) and urinary IL-6 have also been reported in this disease. To determine the effect of ETB in mesangial cell cytokine production and proliferation, the concentration of several cytokines (IL-6, IL-1β, TNFα, IL-10, IL-4, RANTES), soluble TNF receptor I (STNFR-I), soluble TNF receptor II (STNFR-II) and proliferation were measured in rat mesangial cells cultures after treatment with ETB or its precursor (ETBP). Methods: To analyze the levels of cytokines and production of soluble receptors as well as proliferation, rat mesangial cells were cultured with ETB or ETBP (50 µg/ml). After 24, 48 and 96 h of incubation, culture supernatants were assessed for cytokines and receptors by ELISA and for proliferation by incorporation of radioactive thymidine. Results: A significant increase in IL-6 levels was found in mesangial cell cultures treated with either ETBP or ETB when compared with controls. Streptococcal proteins treated mesangial cells also showed elevated levels of proliferation at 96 h. Increased production of IL-6 was not correlated with proliferation. A polyclonal anti-ETB antibody abolished the IL-6 stimulatory effect of ETB on mesangial cells. ETB/ETBP failed to increase the levels of other cytokines and cytokine soluble receptors. Conclusion: Streptococcal ETB/ETBP is capable of inducing increased production of IL-6 and proliferation on mesangial cells. These findings could be relevant in a possible early interaction of streptococcal proteins with mesangial cells and during the course of APSGN.
Cardiac Auscultation
Authors: Tavel Morton E.
Published: March 2006

Cardiac auscultation remains an important part of clinical medicine. The standard acoustic stethoscope, which has been useful for more than a century, cannot process, store, and play back sounds or provide visual display, and teaching is hindered because there is no means to distribute the same sounds simultaneously to more than one listener. Modern portable and inexpensive tools are now available to provide, through digital electronic means, better sound quality with visual display and the ability to replay sounds of interest at either full or half speed with no loss of frequency representation or sound quality. Visual display is possible in both standard waveform and spectral formats. The latter format is readily available and provides certain advantages over the time-honored waveform (phonocardiographic) method. Both methods, however, can and should be used simultaneously. Sound signals obtained electronically may then be subjected to objective visual and numerical analysis, transmitted to distant sites, and stored in medical records. Signal analysis shows early promise for clinical application, such as in the assessment of severity of aortic stenosis and in the separation of innocent from organic murmurs. In addition to their clinical value, these methods provide a critical vehicle for the teaching of cardiac auscultation, a method that can and should be preserved for future generations.
Driving Times and Distances to Hospitals With Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in the United States
Authors: Nallamothu Brahmajee K. , Bates Eric R. , Wang Yongfei , Bradley Elizabeth H. , Krumholz Harlan M.
Published: March 2006

Background—

The success of prehospital triage protocols for patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) will depend, in part, on how patients are geographically distributed around hospitals that perform percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Accordingly, we determined the proportion of the adult population in the United States with timely access to PCI hospitals using driving times and distances.

Methods and Results—

We performed a cross-sectional study using hospital-level data from the American Hospital Association Annual Survey and Census tract-level data on adults 18 years of age or older from the 2000 United States Census. Our aims were to determine the proportion of the adult population who (1) lived within 60 minutes of a PCI hospital and (2) had additional transport times within 30 minutes if directly referred to a PCI hospital as opposed to a closer, non-PCI hospital. Median times and distances to the closest PCI hospital were 11.3 (interquartile range [IQR] 5.7 to 28.5) minutes and 7.9 (IQR 3.5 to 22.4) miles, respectively. A total of 79.0% of the adult population lived within 60 minutes of a PCI hospital. Among those with a non-PCI hospital as their closest facility, 74.0% required additional transport times of <30 minutes if directly referred to a PCI hospital as opposed to the non-PCI hospital. These estimates varied substantially across regions and urban, suburban, and rural Census tracts.

Conclusions—

Nearly 80% of the adult population in the United States lived within 60 minutes of a PCI hospital in 2000. Even among those living closer to non-PCI hospitals, almost three fourths would experience <30 minutes of additional delay with direct referral to a PCI hospital, which suggests that such a strategy might be feasible for these individuals.
The Art of David Tudor: Indeterminacy and Performance in Postwar Culture
Authors: Beal Amy C. , Holzaepfel John , Kahn Douglas , Kotz Liz , Levitz Tamara , Lochhead Judy , Miller Tyrus H. , Stiles Kristine
Published: March 2006

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Composer's Notebook: Star Networks at the Singing Point
Authors: Jones Ralph
Published: March 2006

Star Networks at the Singing Point, poetic though it sounds, is merely a description in engineering terminology of the sound-producing method that forms the basis for the piece. A “star network” is a circuit node having three or more connections. The “singing point” is the particular tuning at which the gain in a feedback circuit produces oscillation. In Star Networks at the Singing Point, the performer creates analog circuits composed of multiple nodes, each of which has three or more connections—in essence, “mazes” having a number of paths through which current can flow. Connecting such a circuit in a feedback loop around a gain stage produces an oscillator that is inherently unstable. Tuned to what is called in chaos theory a “tipping point,” the circuit sings unpredictably of its own accord.
David Tudor's Rainforest: An Evolving Exploration of Resonance
Authors: Driscoll John , Rogalsky Matt
Published: March 2006

Of the works of David Tudor, none would seem to be better known than Rainforest IV, his large-scale performed installation of the 1970s. Although it has received widespread and well documented public performance, Rainforest's germination in the mid-1960s in elements of Bandoneon! (1966) and its evolution over a period of 10 years, from versions I (1968), II (1968–1969), III (1972) and IV (1973) through Forest Speech (1976), have not yet been adequately assessed. This paper follows Rainforest's trajectory chronologically: Matt Rogalsky focuses on the early versions of the work, and John Driscoll describes the collaborative development of Rainforest IV.
John Cage and Recording
Authors: Tone Yasunao
Published: March 2006

There is general agreement that John Cage's attitude toward records and recording was ambiguous and not necessarily coherent. However, if one closely analyzes his work and his evolution of the concept of the art—that is, from his pieces for prepared piano to his use of the I Ching for Music of Changes to 4′33′′ to his prototype of Happenings at Black Mountain College in 1952—one finds a critique of something that other composers take as self-evident. Cage's critique of recording relates to the representation as re-presentation of music. The author aims in this article to discover/uncover Cage's critique of the metaphysics of presence through his work and utterances.
Recursive Audio Cutting
Authors: Collins Nick
Published: March 2006

Algorithmic procedures for the cutting and splicing of audio can be iterated to explore the technique of recursive audio cutting. The author investigates both implicit (intuitive) and explicit (analytic) methodologies applicable either to prerecorded signals or to continuous streams in real time, with an emphasis upon practical implementation. The techniques can be of immediate use as special effects for audio processing, as well as in deeper explorations of fractal music. This work has grown out of a broader search for new audio cutting procedures. Analysis is also provided of the trends exposed by such routines in relation to the order of recursion employed. An appendix connects this work to the subject of time-map representations, and a glossary is provided for the terminology of cuts employed.
Regenerative Feedback in the Medium of Radio: Study 1.0 (FM) for Radio Transceiver
Authors: Burtner Matthew
Published: March 2006

The author discusses compositional applications of feedback in the medium of radio as a means of exploring the nature of transmission and reception. His Studies for Radio Transceiver are presented here along with a detailed discussion of Study 1.0 (FM). This composition juxtaposes the historical and technical use of feedback in radio with audio signal recursion. Regenerative feedback is used to redefine the compositional capabilities of the medium.
Damaged Sound: Glitching and Skipping Compact Discs in the Audio of Yasunao Tone, Nicolas Collins and Oval
Authors: Stuart Caleb
Published: March 2006

From the initial release of the CD in 1982, artists have tampered with the system to test it, compose with it and sample from it. The author examines the use of the cracked and manipulated CD in the work of Yasunao Tone, Nicolas Collins and Oval in relation to their differing approaches and the role of the CD in sound expansion. Tone and Collins are interested in indeterminacy and the benevolent catastrophe in composition, while Oval's process has more in common with pop production and studio practices.
Early Musical Impressions from Both Sides of the Loudspeaker
Authors: Freire Sérgio
Published: March 2006

Ametaphoric image of the loudspeaker and its sides sums up the spatio-temporal ruptures that started shaping aural perception in the late 19th century: on one side, the listener; on the other, sound events conveyed by phonographic products, radio and various sound-recording devices. Diverse practices as well as samples of theoretical and aesthetic thinking from the early 20th century illustrate how new media have affected the musical imagination and listening in general.
Warrior Women of the Apocalypse: The Role of the Female in Some Apocalyptic Films
Authors: Pippin Tina
Published: March 2006

The roles of women in the Apocalypse of John have been much debated in recent years. Even the "good" women do not triumph. Contemporary apocalyptic films vary in their presentation and involvement in warding off the End. In most of these films women have secondary roles as love interests, even if they are able to participate in stopping the violence. In utopia or dystopia women are usually left to sexual and reproductive roles, and women who try to rise above their status are portrayed as evil or are neutralized. It is interesting to observe some of the stereotypes of women in these films with the imaging of women in children's fairy tales, especially for those women who try to exercise their power. As with fairy tales, in the acts of storytelling there are openings for empowerment.
The Possibility of Error: Minority Report and the Gospel of Mark
Authors: Aichele George
Published: March 2006

References to and images of eyes and of blindness and seeing (including natural sight, clairvoyance, and artificially recorded images) play significant parts in Stephen Spielberg's 2002 movie, Minority Report. Based on Philip K. Dick's story, "The Minority Report," the movie plays with familiar Dickian paradoxes of fate and freedom, and of truth that conceals and/or makes itself false. The gospel of Mark also features similar paradoxes of "blindness and insight." This essay plays Spielberg's movie against Dick's story, and the mutual relation between them against Mark's gospel, with the goal of exploring Mark's function as a "minority report" (in more ways than one) among the synoptic gospels, as well as the Christian "captivity" of the gospels in the canon.
Inherited Crypts of the Wife/Mother: Ang Lee's Hulk Meets Zechariah 5:5–11 in Contemporary Apocalyptic Discourse
Authors: Runions Erin
Published: March 2006

This paper puts the political concerns expressed by secular apocalypse in Ang Lee's Hulk (2003) into conversation with the political concerns expressed by religious apocalypse in conservative Christian discourse. The film sets a revised version of the Akedah, in which the wife/mother is killed instead of the son, at the heart of its plot and of its critique of U.S. foreign policy. Set within Lee's apocalyptic analysis of repressed trauma, this quasi-biblical allusion points toward the repeating biblical tradition of the murdered wife/mother. One such repetition of this originary trauma can be found in what Diana Edelman has argued to be Yahweh's murder of his wife Asherah in Zechariah 5:5-11, a text which can be read in the same psychoanalytic terms that the film evokes. Both film and text represent the missed encounter of trauma and the entombment of the lost love object. In both film and text, the lost object, the mother, is entombed, encrypted and forgotten. But because this proto-apocalyptic text is one that conservative Christians take up in their defence of the war on Iraq as the precursor to the doomed Whore of Babylon, this text, uncannily, brings the film into contact with its religious apocalyptic roots. But where the biblical text is read in ways that only increase a violent repetition compulsion, the film models mourning and letting go as a way of working through the trauma. Thus, the film offers an alternate way of reading the biblical text in culture.
A Miserable Feast: Dishing Up the Biblical Body in The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover
Authors: Black Fiona
Published: March 2006

The paper considers the place of the Bible in the abject world of Peter Greenaway's The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover. Two biblical intertexts are evident: Psalm 51, which is sung repeatedly throughout the film as a call to repentance, and the Last Supper, which forms the climactic revenge of one of the characters. The texts are interwoven with some significant themes in the film (corporeality, consumption and violence), all of which work to establish and manipulate the presence of the abject. With the assistance of the Bible, the characters' relation to the abject becomes contested and contradictory. Ultimately, the texts exhibit a peculiar logic that threatens to undermine the film's plot, and its characters.
A Historical Review of Popular Music and Social Change in Taiwan
Authors: Wai-Chung Ho
Published: March 2006

This article considers the relationship between popular music and the power of the state through an analysis of the history of Taiwan and the settings within which popular music was constructed and transformed by contentious political and social groups in the twentieth century. The historical formation of Taiwanese society falls into three distinct stages: Japanese colonization between 1895 and 1945; the Kuomintang's (KMT) military rule between 1947 and 1987; and the period from the end of martial law in 1987 to the resurgence of Taiwanese consciousness in the early 2000s. The evolution of Taiwan's popular music has always been connected with the state's production of new ideologies in line with changing socio-political and economic conditions, and this music still embodies a functional social content.
Imperialism, State and Social Movements in Latin America
Authors: Cockcroft James D.
Published: March 2006

The militarised imperialism being consolidated by the Bush Administration forms a pretext for assuring and increasing control over natural resources, the expansion of financial and industrial capital, and the best possible conditions for U.S. trade and investment. The greatest threat facing U.S. imperialism in Latin America is the new wave of social movements that has arisen across the region. Key aspects of this process are outlined including the role of movements led by indigenous peoples' movements, women, youth, poor people, trade unionists, and peasants. Market fundamentalism is shown to play an essential role in the economic and ideological domination of imperialism. Attention is also given to those processes that tend to unify popular struggles across Latin America and it is proposed that immediate actions include an internationalist alliance that refuses any further payment on the foreign debt.
Deus in Machina Movet: Religion in the Age of Technological Reproducibility
Authors: Lardas John
Published: March 2006

This essay demonstrates that the concept of feedback—as a technological condition, historical ontology, and theoretical frame—challenges traditional ways of conceiving of religion and writing its history. This essay "begins" in 1920's America, a moment when the capacity of machines to regulate both nonhuman and human systems reached a point of critical mass and intensity. Integrating theoretical exploration with historical specificity, I address responses to this changing technological atmosphere among Anglo-Protestant leaders as well as leaders of the infamous "Revival" of Herman Melville and his long-forgotten Moby-Dick (1851). Historically, I argue that Protestant strategies of self-centering, so pervasive in the early twentieth century, failed to hold their ground against the billowing nature of feedback technology. Theoretically, I argue that Protestant-inspired definitions of what constitutes religious belief and practice, still pervasive in the modern academic study of religion, are not equipped to deal with crises of the natural within (post)modernity.