bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Forty-eight hours of unloading and 24 h of reloading lead to changes in global gene expression patterns related to ubiquitination and oxidative stress in humans
Authors: Reich Kimberly A. , Chen Yi-Wen , Thompson Paul D. , Hoffman Eric P. , Clarkson Priscilla M.
Published: August 2010

Although short-term disuse does not result in measurable muscle atrophy, studies suggest that molecular changes associated with protein degradation may be initiated within days of the onset of a disuse stimulus. We examined the global gene expression patterns in sedentary men ( n = 7, mean age ± SD = 22.1 ± 3.7 yr) following 48 h unloading (UL) via unilateral lower limb suspension and 24 h reloading (RL). Biopsy samples of the left vastus lateralis muscle were collected at baseline, 48 h UL, and 24 h RL. Expression changes were measured by microarray and gene clustering; identification of enriched functions and canonical pathways were performed using the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA). Four genes were validated with quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR), and protein levels were measured with Western blot. Of the upregulated genes after UL, the most enriched functional group and highest ranked canonical pathway were related to protein ubiquitination. The oxidative stress response pathway was the second highest ranked canonical pathway. Of the downregulated genes, functions related to mitochondrial metabolism were the most highly enriched. In general, gene expression patterns following UL persisted following RL. qRT-PCR confirmed increases in mRNA for ubiquitin proteasome pathway-related E3 ligase Atrogin1 (but not accompanying increases in protein products) and stress response gene heme oxygenase-1 (HMOX, which showed a trend toward increases in protein products at 48 h UL) as well as extracellular matrix (ECM) component COL4A3. The gene expression patterns were not reversed on RL, suggesting that molecular responses to short-term periods of skeletal muscle inactivity may persist after activity resumes.
Fatty diabetic lung: functional impairment in a model of metabolic syndrome
Authors: Yilmaz Cuneyt , Ravikumar Priya , Bellotto Dennis J. , Unger Roger H. , Hsia Connie C. W.
Published: August 2010

The Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF fa/fa) rat with genetic leptin insensitivity develops obesity and Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with age accompanied by hyperplastic changes in the distal lung ( Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 298: L392–L403, 2010). To determine the functional consequences of structural changes, we developed a rebreathing (RB) technique to simultaneously measure lung volume, pulmonary blood flow, lung diffusing capacity (DlCO), membrane diffusing capacity (DmCO), pulmonary capillary blood volume (Vc), and septal tissue volume in anesthetized tracheostomized male ZDF fa/fa and matched lean (+/+) control animals at 4, 8, and 12 mo of age. Results obtained by RB technique were compared with that measured by a single-breath (SB) technique and to that expected in a wide range of species. In fa/fa animals compared with +/+, lung volumes and compliance were 13–35% lower at different ages, and the normal age-related increase in lung compliance was no longer evident. Mean pulmonary blood flow declined with age in fa/fa but not in +/+ animals. DlCOmeasured at a given pulmonary blood flow was 20–43% lower at different ages due to reductions in both DmCOand Vc. Septal tissue volume was also reduced in older fa/fa rats. We conclude that obese rats with T2DM develop significant restrictive pulmonary defects with diffusion impairment in a pattern similar to that previously reported in obese human subjects with T2DM. Functional impairment became exaggerated with age and duration of T2DM. In both fa/fa and +/+ animals, DlCOmeasured by RB was systematically higher than by SB technique whereas lung volume was similar, a finding consistent with heterogeneous distribution of ventilation in the rat lung.
Effects of Type II diabetes on exercising skeletal muscle blood flow in the rat
Authors: Copp Steven W. , Hageman K. Sue , Behnke Brad J. , Poole David C. , Musch Timothy I.
Published: August 2010

The purpose of the present investigation was to examine the muscle hyperemic response to steady-state submaximal running exercise in the Goto-Kakizaki (GK) Type II diabetic rat. Specifically, the hypothesis was tested that Type II diabetes would redistribute exercising blood flow toward less oxidative muscles and muscle portions of the hindlimb. GK diabetic ( n = 10) and Wistar control ( n = 8, blood glucose concentration, 13.7 ± 1.6 and 5.7 ± 0.2 mM, respectively, P < 0.05) rats were run at 20 m/min on a 10% grade. Blood flows to 28 hindlimb muscles and muscle portions as well as the abdominal organs and kidneys were measured in the steady state of exercise using radiolabeled 15-μm microspheres. Blood flow to the total hindlimb musculature did not differ between GK diabetic and control rats (161 ± 16 and 129 ± 15 ml·min−1·100g−1, respectively, P = 0.18). Moreover, there was no difference in blood flow between GK diabetic and control rats in 20 of the individual muscles or muscle parts examined. However, in the other eight muscles examined that typically are comprised of a majority of fast-twitch glycolytic (IIb/IIdx) fibers, blood flow was significantly greater (i.e., ↑31–119%, P < 0.05) in the GK diabetic rats. Despite previously documented impairments of several vasodilatory pathways in Type II diabetes these data provide the first demonstration that a reduction of exercising muscle blood flow during submaximal exercise is not an obligatory consequence of this condition in the GK diabetic rat.
Synergistic Chemosensitivity of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cell Lines to Poly(ADP-Ribose) Polymerase Inhibition, Gemcitabine, and Cisplatin
Authors: Hastak Kedar , Alli Elizabeth , Ford James M.
Published: August 2010

The basal-like subtype of breast cancer is characterized by a triple-negative (TN) phenotype (estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2/neu negative). TN breast cancers share similar gene expression profiles and DNA repair deficiencies with BRCA1-associated breast cancers. BRCA1-mutant cells exhibit sensitivity to gemcitabine, cisplatin, and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibition; therefore, we hypothesized that TN cancer cells may also exhibit sensitivity to these drugs. In this study, we report that TN breast cancer cells are more sensitive to these drugs compared with non-TN breast cancer cells. Moreover, combination treatments indicated that PARP inhibition by the small-molecule inhibitor PJ34 or siRNA knockdown synergized with gemcitabine and cisplatin in TN cells but not in luminal cancer cells. TN cells exhibited reduced repair of UV-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers after PARP inhibition, suggesting that the synergistic effect of PJ34 and gemcitabine or cisplatin reflected inefficient nucleotide excision repair. Mechanistic investigations revealed that in TN cells, PJ34 reduced the levels of ΔNp63α with a concurrent increase in p73 and its downstream target p21. Thus, the sensitivity to combination treatment seemed to be mediated by sustained DNA damage and inefficient DNA repair triggering p63/p73–mediated apoptosis. Our results suggest a novel therapeutic strategy to treat women with TN breast cancer, an aggressive disease that presently lacks effective treatment options. Cancer Res; 70(20); 7970–80. ©2010 AACR.
Dietary Fish Oil Alters T Lymphocyte Cell Populations and Exacerbates Disease in a Mouse Model of Inflammatory Colitis
Authors: Woodworth Hillary L. , McCaskey Sarah J. , Duriancik David M. , Clinthorne Jonathan F. , Langohr Ingeborg M. , Gardner Elizabeth M. , Fenton Jenifer I.
Published: August 2010

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) increase the risk of developing colorectal cancer. Dietary components that reduce inflammation are associated with lower cancer risk. The long-chain omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is present in fish oil and has potent anti-inflammatory properties. The objective of this study is to determine whether dietary fish oil enriched with DHA (DFO) could reduce experimentally induced colitis and colon cancer risk in a mouse model. When SMAD3−/− mice are exposed to Helicobacter hepaticus, mild colitis is observed 4 weeks postinfection. Mice were fed isocaloric diets modified to include corn oil, safflower oil, or DFO (doses ranging from 0.75% to 6.00%) as the fatty acid source for 8 weeks. Mice were gavaged with H. hepaticus; DFO feeding was continued; and mice were sacrificed 4 weeks after infection. The colon and cecum were collected for histopathology. Spleens and mesenteric lymph nodes were collected and analyzed for T-cell populations using flow cytometry. Contrary to expectations, DFO induced severe colitis and adenocarcinoma formation. DFO consumption was associated with decreased CD8+ cell frequency and diminished CD69 expression on CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell populations. Mice consuming DFO also exhibited higher FoxP3+ CD25+ CD4+ T regulatory cell frequency, FoxP3 expression, and altered L-selectin expression during infection. We concluded that DFO-fed mice may be less equipped to mount a successful response to H. hepaticus infection, increasing colon cancer risk. These results support the need to establish a tolerable upper limit for DHA intake particularly in the context of chronic inflammatory conditions such as IBD. Cancer Res; 70(20); 7960–9. ©2010 AACR.
Mitochondrial-Mediated Apoptosis in Lymphoma Cells by the Diterpenoid Lactone Andrographolide, the Active Component of Andrographis paniculata
Authors: Yang Shuo , Evens Andrew M. , Prachand Sheila , Singh Amareshwar T.K. , Bhalla Savita , David Kevin , Gordon Leo I.
Published: August 2010

Purpose: Andrographolide is a diterpenoid lactone isolated from Andrographis paniculata (King of Bitters), an herbal medicine used in Asia. It has been reported to have anti-inflammatory, antihypertensive, antiviral, and immune-stimulant properties. Furthermore, it has been shown to inhibit cancer cell proliferation and induce apoptosis in leukemia and solid tumor cell lines.

Experimental Design: We studied the Burkitt p53-mutated Ramos cell line, the mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) line Granta, the follicular lymphoma (FL) cell line HF-1, and the diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) cell line SUDHL4, as well as primary cells from patients with FL, DLBCL, and MCL.

Results: We found that andrographolide resulted in dose- and time-dependent cell death as measured by MTT. Andrographolide significantly increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in all cell lines. To determine mechanism of cell death, we measured apoptosis by Annexin V/propidium iodide in the presence and absence of the antioxidant N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC), the glutathione (GSH)–depleting agent buthionine sulfoxamine (BSO), or caspase inhibitors. We found that apoptosis was greatly enhanced by BSO, blocked by NAC, and accompanied by poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage and activation of caspase-3, caspase-8, and caspase-9. We measured BAX conformational change and mitochondrial membrane potential, and using mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) Bax/Bak double knockouts (MEFBax−/−/Bak−/−), we found that apoptosis was mediated through mitochondrial pathways, but dependent on caspases in both cell lines and patient samples.

Conclusions: Andrographolide caused ROS-dependent apoptosis in lymphoma cell lines and in primary tumor samples, which was enhanced by depletion of GSH and inhibited by NAC or the pan-caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK. Further studies of diterpenoid lactones in lymphoma are warranted. Clin Cancer Res; 16(19); 4755–68. ©2010 AACR.
Endothelin Receptor Type B Gene Promoter Hypermethylation in Salivary Rinses Is Independently Associated with Risk of Oral Cavity Cancer and Premalignancy
Authors: Pattani Kavita Malhotra , Zhang Zhe , Demokan Semra , Glazer Chad , Loyo Myriam , Goodman Steven , Sidransky David , Bermudez Francisco , Jean-Charles Germain , McCaffrey Thomas , Padhya Tapan , Phelan Joan , Spivakovsky Silvia , Bowne Helen Yoo , Goldberg Judith D. , Rolnitzky Linda , Robbins Miriam , Kerr A. Ross , Sirois David , Califano Joseph A.
Published: August 2010

Endothelin receptor type B (EDNRB) and kinesin family member 1A (KIF1A) are candidate tumor suppressor genes that are inactivated in cancers. In this study, we evaluated the promoter hypermethylation of EDNRB and KIF1A and their potential use for risk classification in prospectively collected salivary rinses from patients with premalignant/malignant oral cavity lesions. Quantitative methylation-specific PCR was performed to analyze the methylation status of EDNRB and KIF1A in salivary rinses of 191 patients. We proceeded to determine the association of methylation status with histologic diagnosis and estimate classification accuracy. On univariate analysis, diagnosis of dysplasia/cancer was associated with age and KIF1A or EDNRB methylation. Methylation of EDNRB highly correlated with that of KIF1A (P < 0.0001). On multivariable modeling, histologic diagnosis was independently associated with EDNRB (P = 0.0003) or KIF1A (P = 0.027) methylation. A subset of patients analyzed (n = 161) without prior biopsy-proven malignancy received clinical risk classification based on examination. On univariate analysis, EDNRB and risk classification were associated with diagnosis of dysplasia/cancer and remained significant on multivariate analysis (EDNRB: P = 0.047, risk classification: P = 0.008). Clinical risk classification identified dysplasia/cancer with a sensitivity of 71% and a specificity of 58%. The sensitivity of clinical risk classification combined with EDNRB methylation improved to 75%. EDNRB methylation in salivary rinses was independently associated with histologic diagnosis of premalignancy and malignancy and may have potential in classifying patients at risk for oral premalignant and malignant lesions in settings without access to a skilled dental practitioner. This may also potentially identify patients with premalignant and malignant lesions that do not meet the criteria for high clinical risk based on skilled dental examination. Cancer Prev Res; 3(9); 1093–103. ©2010 AACR.
Relations of Biomarkers of Extracellular Matrix Remodeling to Incident Cardiovascular Events and Mortality
Authors: Velagaleti Raghava S. , Gona Philimon , Sundström Johan , Larson Martin G. , Siwik Deborah , Colucci Wilson S. , Benjamin Emelia J. , Vasan Ramachandran S.
Published: August 2010

Objective—

To evaluate if biomarkers reflecting left ventricular/vascular extracellular matrix remodeling are associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and death in the community.

Methods and Results—

In 922 Framingham Study participants (mean age, 58 years; 56% women), we related circulating concentrations of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (binary variable: detectable versus undetectable), log of tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-1, and log of procollagen type III aminoterminal peptide (PIIINP) to incident CVD and death. On follow-up (mean, 9.9 years), 51 deaths and 81 CVD events occurred. Each SD increment of log of tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-1 and log-PIIINP was associated with multivariable-adjusted hazards ratios of 1.72 (95% CI, 1.30 to 2.27) and 1.47 (95% CI, 1.11 to 1.96), respectively, for mortality risk. Log-PIIINP concentrations were also associated with CVD risk (hazard ratio [95% CI] per SD, 1.35 [1.05 to 1.74]). Death and CVD incidence rates were 2-fold higher in participants with both biomarkers higher than the median (corresponding hazard ratio [95% CI], 2.78 [1.43 to 5.40] and 1.77 [1.04 to 3.03], respectively) compared with those with either or both less than the median. The inclusion of both biomarkers improved the C-statistic (for predicting mortality) from 0.78 to 0.82 (
P
=0.03). Matrix metalloproteinase-9 was unrelated to either outcome.

Conclusion—

Higher circulating tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-1 and PIIINP concentrations are associated with mortality, and higher PIIINP is associated with incident CVD, in the community.
Cardiovascular Pathology in Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria: Correlation With the Vascular Pathology of Aging
Authors: Olive Michelle , Harten Ingrid , Mitchell Richard , Beers Jeanette K. , Djabali Karima , Cao Kan , Erdos Michael R. , Blair Cecilia , Funke Birgit , Smoot Leslie , Gerhard-Herman Marie , Machan Jason T. , Kutys Robert , Virmani Renu , Collins Francis S. , Wight Thomas N. , Nabel Elizabeth G. , Gordon Leslie B.
Published: August 2010

Objective—

Children with Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) exhibit dramatically accelerated cardiovascular disease (CVD), causing death from myocardial infarction or stroke between the ages of 7 and 20 years. We undertook the first histological comparative evaluation between genetically confirmed HGPS and the CVD of aging.

Methods and Results—

We present structural and immunohistological analysis of cardiovascular tissues from 2 children with HGPS who died of myocardial infarction. Both had features classically associated with the atherosclerosis of aging, as well as arteriolosclerosis of small vessels. In addition, vessels exhibited prominent adventitial fibrosis, a previously undescribed feature of HGPS. Importantly, although progerin was detected at higher rates in the HGPS coronary arteries, it was also present in non-HGPS individuals. Between the ages of 1 month and 97 years, progerin staining increased an average of 3.34% per year (
P
<0.0001) in coronary arteries.

Conclusion—

We find concordance among many aspects of cardiovascular pathology in both HGPS and geriatric patients. HGPS generates a more prominent adventitial fibrosis than typical CVD. Vascular progerin generation in young non-HGPS individuals, which significantly increases throughout life, strongly suggests that progerin has a role in cardiovascular aging of the general population.
The Emerging Role of the Thioredoxin System in Angiogenesis
Authors: Dunn Louise L. , Buckle Andrew M. , Cooke John P. , Ng Martin K.C.
Published: August 2010

Although there have been a multitude of studies, the mechanisms of angiogenesis remain incompletely understood. Increasing evidence suggests that cellular redox homeostasis is an important regulator of angiogenesis. The thioredoxin (TRX) system functions as an endogenous antioxidant that can exert influence over endothelial cell function via modulation of cellular redox status. It has become apparent that the cytosolic TRX1 isoform participates in both canonical and novel angiogenic signaling pathways and may represent an avenue for therapeutic exploitation. Recent studies have further identified a role for the mitochondrial isoform TRX2 in ischemia-induced angiogenesis. TRX-interacting protein (
TXNIP
) is the endogenous inhibitor of TRX redox activity that has been implicated in growth factor-mediated angiogenesis. As
TXNIP
is strongly induced by glucose, this molecule could be of consequence to disordered angiogenesis manifest in diabetes mellitus. This review will focus on data implicating the TRX system in endothelial cell homeostasis and angiogenesis.
ATP-Binding Cassette Transporter G1 and High-Density Lipoprotein Promote Endothelial NO Synthesis Through a Decrease in the Interaction of Caveolin-1 and Endothelial NO Synthase
Authors: Terasaka Naoki , Westerterp Marit , Koetsveld Joris , Fernández-Hernando Carlos , Yvan-Charvet Laurent , Wang Nan , Sessa William C. , Tall Alan R.
Published: August 2010

Objective—

To investigate whether cholesterol efflux to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) via ATP-binding cassette transporter G1 (ABCG1) modulates the interaction of caveolin (Cav) 1 and endothelial NO synthase (eNOS).

Methods and Results—

ABCG1 promotes cholesterol and 7-oxysterol efflux from endothelial cells (ECs) to HDL. It was previously reported that ABCG1 protects against dietary cholesterol-induced endothelial dysfunction by promoting the efflux of 7-oxysterols to HDL. Increased cholesterol loading in ECs is known to cause an inhibitory interaction between Cav-1 and eNOS and impaired NO release. In human aortic ECs, free cholesterol loading promoted the interaction of Cav-1 with eNOS, reducing eNOS activity. These effects of cholesterol loading were reversed by HDL in an ABCG1-dependent manner. HDL also reversed the inhibition of eNOS by cholesterol loading in murine lung ECs, but this effect of HDL was abolished in Cav-1–deficient murine lung ECs. Increased interaction of Cav-1 with eNOS was also detected in aortic homogenates of high-cholesterol diet–fed
Abcg1
−/−
mice, paralleling a decrease in eNOS activity and impaired endothelial function.

Conclusion—

The promotion of cholesterol efflux via ABCG1 results in a reduced inhibitory interaction of eNOS with Cav-1.
Local Regulation of Arterial L-Type Calcium Channels by Reactive Oxygen Species
Authors: Amberg Gregory C. , Earley Scott , Glapa Stephanie A.
Published: August 2010

Rationale:

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are implicated in the development of cardiovascular disease, and oxidants are important signaling molecules in many cell types. Recent evidence suggests that localized subcellular compartmentalization of ROS generation is an important feature of ROS signaling. However, mechanisms that transduce localized subcellular changes in redox status to functionally relevant changes in cellular processes such as Ca2+influx are poorly understood.

Objective:

To test the hypothesis that ROS regulate L-type Ca2+channel activity in cerebral arterial smooth muscle.

Methods and Results:

Using a total internal reflection fluorescence imaging–based approach, we found that highly localized subplasmalemmal generation of endogenous ROS preceded and colocalized with sites of enhanced L-type Ca2+channel sparklet activity in isolated cerebral arterial smooth muscle cells. Consistent with this observation and our hypothesis, exogenous ROS increased localized L-type Ca2+channel sparklet activity in isolated arterial myocytes via activation of protein kinase Cα and when applied to intact cerebral arterial segments, exogenous ROS increased arterial tone in an L-type Ca2+channel–dependent fashion. Furthermore, angiotensin II–dependent stimulation of local L-type Ca2+channel sparklet activity in isolated cells and contraction of intact arteries was abolished following inhibition of NADPH oxidase.

Conclusions:

Our data support a novel model of local oxidative regulation of Ca2+influx where vasoconstrictors coupled to NAPDH oxidase (eg, angiotensin II) induce discrete sites of ROS generation resulting in oxidative activation of adjacent protein kinase Cα molecules that in turn promote local sites of enhanced L-type Ca2+channel activity, resulting in increased Ca2+influx and contraction.
Pioglitazone-Induced Reductions in Atherosclerosis Occur via Smooth Muscle Cell–Specific Interaction With PPARγ
Authors: Subramanian Venkateswaran , Golledge Jonathan , Ijaz Talha , Bruemmer Dennis , Daugherty Alan
Published: August 2010

Rationale:

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)γ agonists attenuate atherosclerosis and abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). PPARγ, a nuclear receptor, is expressed on many cell types including smooth muscle cells (SMCs).

Objective:

To determine whether a PPARγ agonist reduces angiotensin II (Ang II)–induced atherosclerosis and AAAs via interaction with SMC-specific PPARγ.

Methods and Results:

Low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR)
−/−
mice with SMC-specific PPARγ deficiency were developed using PPARγ floxed (PPARγ
f/f
) and SM22 Cre
+
mice. PPARγ
f/f
littermates were generated that did not express Cre (Cre
0/0
) or were hemizygous for Cre (Cre
+/0
). To assess the contribution of SMC-specific PPARγ in ligand-mediated attenuation of Ang II–induced atherosclerosis and AAAs, both male and female Cre
0/0
and Cre
+/0
mice were fed a fat-enriched diet with or without the PPARγ agonist pioglitazone (Pio) (20 mg/kg per day) for 5 weeks. After 1 week of feeding modified diets, mice were infused with Ang II (1000 ng/kg per minute) for 4 weeks. SMC-specific PPARγ deficiency or Pio administration had no effect on plasma cholesterol concentrations. Pio administration attenuated Ang II–increased systolic blood pressure equivalently in both Cre
0/0
and Cre
+/0
groups. SMC-specific PPARγ deficiency increased atherosclerosis in male mice. Pio administration reduced atherosclerosis in only the Cre
0/0
mice, but not in mice with SMC-specific PPARγ deficiency. SMC-specific PPARγ deficiency or Pio administration had no effect on Ang II–induced AAA development. Pio also did not attenuate Ang II–induced monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 production in PPARγ-deficient SMCs.

Conclusions:

Pio attenuates Ang II–induced atherosclerosis via the interaction with SMC-specific PPARγ, but has no effect on the development of AAAs.
Risk of Early Carotid Endarterectomy for Symptomatic Carotid Stenosis
Authors: Brinjikji Waleed , Rabinstein Alejandro A. , Meyer Fredric B. , Piepgras David G. , Lanzino Giuseppe
Published: August 2010

Background and Purpose—

The purpose of this study was to determine and compare the rate of stroke, myocardial infarction, and death in patients undergoing early and late carotid endarterectomy (CEA) after a symptomatic event and in asymptomatic patients.

Methods—

We conducted a retrospective analysis of all CEAs performed in the Department of Neurosurgery between January 2004 and May 2009. Patients were divided into 3 groups: Group 1, asymptomatic patients; Group 2, symptomatic patients operated on >2 weeks after their transient ischemic attack or stroke; and Group 3, symptomatic patients operated on ≤2 weeks of their transient ischemic attack or stroke. Primary outcomes were any myocardial infarction, stroke, or death occurring within 30 days postoperatively. The secondary end point was transient ischemic attack within 30 days postoperatively.

Results—

Five hundred thirty-two CEAs were performed on 507 patients during the study period. Thirty-day follow-up was available for 500 patients with 525 CEAs. Groups 1, 2, and 3 consisted of 278, 105, and 142 CEAs, respectively. In total, 12 patients had primary outcomes. In Group 1, 5 patients had primary outcomes of stroke, myocardial infarction, or death (1.8%); in Group 2, 1 patient had primary outcomes (1.0%); and in Group 3, 6 patients had primary outcomes (4.2%). There was no significant difference in the rate of primary outcomes among the 3 groups (
P
=0.17) or when Groups 2 and 3 were compared (
P
=0.24).

Conclusions—

Although the perioperative risk of transient ischemic attacks, stroke, death, and myocardial infarction is slightly higher in symptomatic patients operated on early, CEA can be done with an acceptable risk in properly selected symptomatic patients within 2 weeks of their transient ischemic attack or stroke.
Effect of Thermal Stimulation on Upper Extremity Motor Recovery 3 Months After Stroke
Authors: Wu Hung-Chia , Lin Yu-Ching , Hsu Miao-Ju , Liu Shin-Mei , Hsieh Ching-Lin , Lin Jau-Hong
Published: August 2010

Background and Purpose—

To examine the effect of thermal stimulation (TS) on upper extremity (UE) motor recovery in patients at least 3 months after stroke.

Methods—

Participants were randomly assigned to either the experimental group or the control group. In addition to regular rehabilitation programs, the experimental group received an UE-TS protocol for 30 minutes per day (3 days/week for 8 weeks); the control group received the same TS protocol on lower extremity. The UE subscale of the Stroke Rehabilitation Assessment of Movement and the Action Research Arm Test were primary outcome measures. The Modified Ashworth Scale and the Barthel Index were secondary outcome measures. All measures were administered at baseline, after TS, and at 1-month follow-up.

Results—

Twenty-three participants (12 in the experimental group) completed the study. After treatment, the experimental group showed significant improvement compared to the control group in the scores of the UE subscale of the Stroke Rehabilitation Assessment of Movement and Action Research Arm Test. At follow-up examination, a significant improvement in the experimental group was observed on the UE subscale of the Stroke Rehabilitation Assessment of Movement.

Conclusions—

The 8-week additional UE-TS protocol improved UE motor recovery for stroke patients 3 months after onset.
Use of ς with the Future Participle in Herodotus as an Indicator of Unfulfilled Expectations
Authors: Welser Christopher S.
Published: August 2010

An examination of Herodotus’s use of the circumstantial participle in the future tense with and without the adverbial particle ς reveals that Herodotus reserves ς almost exclusively for those cases in which the expectations or intentions represented by the participle are ultimately disappointed. This observation should teach us to distrust the conventional assertion that the appearance of ς with the circumstantial participle has no implications for an author’s thoughts. It also suggests that, in those cases where we lack direct knowledge of historical outcomes, the presence of ς with a circumstantial participle may permit us to be reasonably certain that any expectations or intentions expressed by that participle are likely to have gone unfulfilled. Thus, Herodotus’s use of the phrase ς νασοντες at the end of the Histories to refer to the Athenians’ intentions to dedicate the equipment from Xerxes’ bridge (9.121) should probably be understood as implying that no such dedication ever took place.
Le Protrepticus ad nepotem d’Ausone: rhétorique et humour, ou Ausone est-il sérieux?
Authors: Amherdt David
Published: August 2010

This article deals with the rhetorical and literary wealth of Ausonius’ Protrepticus ad nepotem, and particularly with the poet’s irony and humor. Irony is an indispensable key to the correct interpretation of a text that was often misunderstood and whose actual addressee is the Gallo-Roman aristocracy. The aim of this exhortation is promoting a culture and a political vision in which classics play an essential role. Ausonius brings into play all his literary abilities to make his poem into a poetical celebration. The rhetorician of Bordeaux conveys a very serious message in a funny and charming way, in perfect consonance with the culture and the expectations of his readers: this is the power of persuasion of late Antiquity literature.
Deme Accounts and the Meaning of hosios Money in Fifth-Century Athens
Authors: Blok Josine H.
Published: August 2010

Comparing the accounts of the deme Ikarion (IG I3 253) with those of Rhamnous (IG I3 247 bis and 253; IRhamnous 181 and 182) and Plotheia (IG I3 258), this article argues that the adjective hosios applied to a fund in Ikarion indicates that this money was dêmosios and to be used in a way pleasing to the gods. The long-standing view that hosios when applied to money means ‘free for secular use’ or ‘secular’ (e.g. LSJ s.v. σιος) is shown to be unfounded, inviting a reassessment of the meanings of hosios. The use of public money for funding cults as attested in these deme accounts sheds new light on public finance in classical Athens.
A Mixed Scheme for Subgrid-Scale Fluxes in Cloud-Resolving Models
Authors: Moeng C.-H. , Sullivan P. P. , Khairoutdinov M. F. , Randall D. A.
Published: August 2010

A large-domain large-eddy simulation of a tropical deep convection system is used as a benchmark to derive and test a mixed subgrid-scale (SGS) scheme for scalar and momentum fluxes in cloud-resolving models (CRMs). The benchmark simulation resolves a broad range of scales ranging from mesoscale organizations, through gravity waves and individual clouds, down to energy-containing turbulent eddies. A spectral analysis shows that the vertical-velocity kinetic energy peaks at scales from hundreds of meters in the lower cloud layer to several kilometers higher up; these scales are typical grid sizes of today’s CRMs. The analysis also shows that a significant portion of the scalar and momentum fluxes in the benchmark simulation are carried by motions smaller than several kilometers (i.e., smaller than a typical grid resolution of CRMs). The broad range of scales of the benchmark simulation is split into two components: filter scale (mimicking CRM resolvable scale) and subfilter scale (mimicking CRM SGS), using filter widths characteristic of a typical CRM grid spacing. The local relationship of the subfilter-scale fluxes to the filter-scale variables is examined. This leads to a mixed SGS scheme to represent the SGS fluxes of scalars and momentum in CRMs. A priori tests show that the mixed SGS scheme yields spatial distributions of subfilter-scale fluxes that correlate much better with those retrieved from the benchmark when compared with an eddy viscosity/diffusivity scheme that is commonly used in today’s CRMs.
The Analysis and Prediction of the 8–9 May 2007 Oklahoma Tornadic Mesoscale Convective System by Assimilating WSR-88D and CASA Radar Data Using 3DVAR
Authors: Schenkman Alexander D. , Xue Ming , Shapiro Alan , Brewster Keith , Gao Jidong
Published: August 2010

The Advanced Regional Prediction System (ARPS) model is employed to perform high-resolution numerical simulations of a mesoscale convective system and associated cyclonic line-end vortex (LEV) that spawned several tornadoes in central Oklahoma on 8–9 May 2007. The simulation uses a 1000 km × 1000 km domain with 2-km horizontal grid spacing. The ARPS three-dimensional variational data assimilation (3DVAR) is used to assimilate a variety of data types. All experiments assimilate routine surface and upper-air observations as well as wind profiler and Oklahoma Mesonet data over a 1-h assimilation window. A subset of experiments assimilates radar data. Cloud and hydrometeor fields as well as in-cloud temperature are adjusted based on radar reflectivity data through the ARPS complex cloud analysis procedure. Radar data are assimilated from the Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) network as well as from the Engineering Research Center for Collaborative and Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere (CASA) network of four X-band Doppler radars. Three-hour forecasts are launched at the end of the assimilation window. The structure and evolution of the forecast MCS and LEV are markedly better throughout the forecast period in experiments in which radar data are assimilated. The assimilation of CASA radar data in addition to WSR-88D data increases the structural detail of the modeled squall line and MCS at the end of the assimilation window, which appears to yield a slightly better forecast track of the LEV.
The Influence of CEO Tenure and Attitude Toward Change on Organizational Approaches to Innovation
Authors: Musteen Martina , Barker Vincent L. , Baeten Virginia L.
Published: August 2010

Using Miles and Snow’s typology as a measure for organizational approach toward innovation, this study investigates the effect of CEOs’ attitudes toward change on the extent of emphasis on innovation in competitive strategies. The data come from multiple respondents at nonprofit organizations and are gathered in a manner that eliminates the possibility of common method variance, a problem that has plagued past studies linking executives’ attitudes and organization-level innovation. The findings suggest that organizations headed by CEOs with more liberal attitudes toward change follow prospector strategies characterized by high levels of exploration to develop innovations. Meanwhile, organizations managed by CEOs who have more conservative attitudes toward change were found to focus more on defender strategies that exploit existing advantages rather than innovations. Increasing CEO tenure was found to positively moderate this relationship.
From Competition to Collaboration: Critical Challenges and Dynamics in Multiparty Collaboration
Authors: Prins Silvia
Published: August 2010

This article gives a rich and vivid account of a collaborative process in the domain of foster care. Five foster care organizations tried to move from a competitive relationship toward structural collaboration in the interest of foster children and their parents. They engaged in a multistakeholder project, which turned out to be harder than expected. The leading actors struggled with three key issues: constructing a collective goal to establish direction; working with the stakeholders and keeping the interdependent domain as the focus for change; and dealing with the anxiety of an emergent process with an uncertain outcome. The article explores, with the system psychodynamic perspective in mind, which dynamics emerged around those issues. It discusses how the group drifted away from the initial objectives and the intended multistakeholder approach, and how the interests and the survival of the individual organizations started to prevail.
Writing radical protest: The Angry Brigade and two English novels
Authors: Crews Brian
Published: August 2010

The Angry Brigade was a group of individuals who claimed responsibility for a series of attacks against property at the beginning of the 1970s. They were infuriated by the social and political situation in Britain, particularly anti-working-class legislation introduced by the Conservative government.The trial of eight people accused of the bombings received widespread press coverage which presented them in a derisory fashion. A consideration of the Angry Brigade’s activities and the reasons behind their actions will be followed by a discussion of two novels: Christie Malry’s Own Double-Entry by BS Johnson and The Angry Brigade by Alan Burns, both written out of the same sense of injustice. We will find that these novels go beyond the narration of the circumstances that lead to terrorist acts or the acts themselves to become acts of radical protest which depict the motives which provoke such a violent response.
The coding of aesthetic and thematic discourse in a cinematic mnemonic: The case of Ama Lur (1968)
Authors: Stone Rob
Published: August 2010

The deployment of film for purposes of propaganda is well documented, but the makers of the Basque documentary Ama Lur ( Motherland) (1968) committed themselves to far greater experimentation with film language and aesthetics when they attempted to construct Ama Lur as a collage of Basque identity that would impact upon its audience as a mnemonic, a device to aid memory that relies on visual, kinesthetic or auditory associations between more easily remembered constructs. This article contextualizes the making of Ama Lur (the first full-length feature made in the Basque Country since the Spanish Civil War) in the turbulent and increasingly violent decade of the 1960s as it was lived in the Basque Country during the dictatorship of General Franco. Against a backdrop of the emergence of ETA, the makers of Ama Lur sought to both document and make newly relevant a notion of extant and vibrant Basque nationhood. With reference to the theories of time put forward by Henri Bergson, this analysis of Ama Lur seeks to explain its functioning in the service of an oppressed but nevertheless evolving Basque culture and identity.
Italian cinema and the ‘anni di piombo’
Authors: O'Leary Alan
Published: August 2010

This essay provides an introduction to the representation and working through in Italian cinema of the experience of terrorism during the ‘leaden years’ ( anni di piombo, 1969— c. 1983). It begins by discussing the key terms ‘terrorism’ and ‘anni di piombo’ themselves before providing a short history of the different terrorisms in Italy during the long 1970s. The remainder of the essay is given over to a discussion of the key films, genres and modes that have dealt with the events or memories of that terrorism. Genres include the cop film, Italian-style comedy and auteurist films. Key titles include Cadaveri eccellenti ( Illustrious Corpses, dir. Francesco Rosi, 1976), Colpire al cuore ( A Blow to the Heart, dir. Gianni Amelio, 1982), La seconda volta ( The Second Time, dir. Mimmo Calopresti, 1995), and Buongiorno, notte ( Good Morning, Night, dir. Marco Bellocchio, 2003).
RAF revivalism in German fiction of the 2000s
Authors: Preece Julian
Published: August 2010

The last decade has seen a resurgence of interest among German novelists in the political violence associated with the Baader-Meinhof Group or RAF in the 1970s. Much of this has been from writers who were young adults during the student movement and its aftermath. A trio of writers born between 1956 and 1973, Ulrich Peltzer in Teil der Lösung (2007, Part of the Solution), Thomas Weiss in Tod eines Trüffelschweines (2007, Death of a Truffle Pig), and Thilo Bock, Die geladene Knarre von Andreas Baader (2009, The Loaded Shooter of Andreas Baader), depict, in very different ways, politically motivated violence or planned violence in the present. Each time the cause is globalized capitalism and each time links are made with the 1970s. There the similarities between them end. In Peltzer’s highly accomplished novel, whose plot echoes Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four , what the ‘solution’ might be is left open. Weiss, in contrast, appears to justify the murder of an American investor, who furthermore may be Jewish, whose company’s purchase of a formerly German firm will result in profit for him and job losses for the Germans. Bock, on the other hand, shows terrorism to be a dark fantasy, for which his narrator pays with his life.
The Role of Job Demands and Emotional Exhaustion in the Relationship Between Customer and Employee Incivility
Authors: van Jaarsveld Danielle D. , Walker David D. , Skarlicki Daniel P.
Published: August 2010

Workplace incivility research has focused on within-organizational sources of incivility, and less attention has been paid to outside-organizational sources such as customers. In a cross-sectional field study, the authors found that service employees (N = 307) who reported higher levels of uncivil treatment from customers engaged in higher levels of incivility toward customers. Specifically, the results show that customer incivility toward employees is related to employee incivility toward customers through job demands first and then emotional exhaustion. The authors discuss the implications of these results and highlight directions for future research.
The Second Time Around: Accounting for Retest Effects on Oral Examinations
Authors: Raymond Mark R. , Luciw-Dubas Ulana A.
Published: August 2010

Years of research with high-stakes written tests indicates that although repeat examinees typically experience score gains between their first and subsequent attempts, their pass rates remain considerably lower than pass rates for first-time examinees. This outcome is consistent with expectations. Comparable studies of the performance of repeat examinees on oral examinations are lacking. The current research evaluated pass rates for more than 50,000 examinees on written and oral exams administered by six medical specialty boards for several recent years. Pass rates for first-time examinees were similar for both written and oral exams, averaging about 84% across all boards. Pass rates for repeat examinees on written exams were expectedly lower, ranging from 22% to 51%, with an average of 36%. However, pass rates for repeat examinees on oral exams were markedly higher than for written exams, ranging from 53% to 77%, with an average of 65%. Four explanations for the elevated repeat pass rates on oral exams are proposed, including an increase in examinee proficiency, construct-irrelevant variance, measurement error (score unreliability), and memorization of test content. Simulated data are used to demonstrate that roughly one third of the score increase can be explained by measurement error alone. The authors suggest that a substantial portion of the score increase can also likely be attributed to construct-irrelevant variance. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for making pass—fail decisions when retesting is allowed. The article concludes by identifying areas for future research.
Assessing Implicit Gender Bias in Medical Student Performance Evaluations
Authors: Axelson Rick D. , Solow Catherine M. , Ferguson Kristi J. , Cohen Michael B.
Published: August 2010

For medical schools, the increasing presence of women makes it especially important that potential sources of gender bias be identified and removed from student evaluation methods. Our study looked for patterns of gender bias in adjective data used to inform our Medical Student Performance Evaluations (MSPEs). Multigroup Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was used to model the latent structure of the adjectives attributed to students (n = 657) and to test for systematic scoring errors by gender. Gender bias was evident in two areas: (a) women were more likely than comparable men to be described as ‘‘compassionate,’’ ‘‘sensitive,’’ and ‘‘enthusiastic’’ and (b) men were more likely than comparable women to be seen as ‘‘quick learners.’’ The gender gap in ‘‘quick learner’’ attribution grows with increasing student proficiency; men’s rate of increase is over twice that of women’s. Technical and nontechnical approaches for ameliorating the impact of gender bias on student recommendations are suggested.
Team Work in Context: Institutional Mediation in the Public-service Professional Bureaucracy
Authors: Finn Rachael , Currie Graeme , Martin Graham
Published: August 2010

This paper examines how context shapes team work within the public-service professional bureaucracy. We examine the effects of an interaction between both macro-institutional and local-organizational context upon the micro-negotiation of team work. Specifically, we consider how features of local context mediate professional-institutional effects. Drawing upon neo-institutionalism (Lawrence and Suddaby 2006; Powell and DiMaggio 1991), we view team members as ‘institutional agents’ (Scott 2008), shaping team work in ways that either reproduce or transform professional structures within particular local conditions. Exemplary of international government transformative efforts for public-service enhancement (Newman 2001; Osborne and Gaebler 1992), we focus upon a UK government initiative to reconfigure professional relationships through introducing team work in National Health Service genetic care. Findings from two qualitative, comparative case studies reveal contrasting outcomes: reproduction or transformation of the professional institution, respectively. Specific local conditions — organizational, and human and social in particular — combine to produce these divergent mediating effects towards inertia or change. This highlights the importance of antecedents to team work and taking a historical perspective to understand the influence of context. While the challenges of reconfiguring professional structures through team work are shown, our analysis also suggests optimism regarding possibilities for change, albeit within certain local conditions. The challenge for management and policy-makers becomes the extent to which — and indeed, if at all — such facilitative local environments might be supported.
Performance Pinned Down: Studying Subjectivity and the Language of Performance
Authors: Hoedemaekers Casper , Keegan Anne
Published: August 2010

We draw on Lacan’s notion of language to study employee subjectivity in a public sector organization (Publica) in the Netherlands. Our main contribution lies in using Lacan’s theorization of language and subjectivity as a basis for a detailed textual analysis of how local organizational discourses shape and inform the subjectivities of employees. We situate our approach within the literature on subjectivity, language and power in work organizations before describing how we carried out interviews to elicit interviewees’ accounts of performance management. The mechanisms of metonymy and punctuation, two central features of a Lacanian conceptualization of language, are analysed by means of a relational analysis of key performance signifiers that we identify in the interview texts. We show how the signification of performance in Publica is pinned down by a central empty signifier which can be understood as a ‘quilting point’ and serves as a site for employee desire and identification. Finally, we show how desire and identification are channelled in specific ways to activate employee self-regulation in achieving the devolvement of responsibility and labour intensification.