bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The use of quality management tools and techniques in ISO 9001:2000 certified companies: the Greek case
Authors: Fotopoulos Christos , Psomas Evagelos
Published: July 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the level of use of quality management tools and techniques as well as employees' training in ISO 9001:2000 certified companies.

Design/methodology/approach

A research project was carried out in 370 Greek companies, using the questionnaire method. The selected companies have been implementing a quality management system in accordance with the ISO 9001:2000 standard. Independent Samples t‐tests and One‐Way ANOVA tests were used to identify significant differences between selected companies.

Findings

The level of quality tools and techniques used in the ISO 9001:2000 certified companies can be characterised as low. The majority of companies use the easiest to understand and implement quality tools. However, the more complex quality tools and techniques are barely used. As far as employees' training is concerned, it mostly addressed specialized issues, while training on quality tools and techniques was not highly performed.

Research limitations/implications

The study was based on the quality manager's perceptions (subjective data) and it did not examine the reasons for not implementing and the difficulties encountered while implementing quality tools and techniques. These constitute research limitations but also future research orientations.

Practical implications

Given the increased rate of companies adopting a quality management system, continuous improvement through a Total Quality programme can be achieved through the implementation of quality tools and techniques.

Originality/value

This paper describes the implementation status of the quality tools and techniques in companies with a four‐year experience in ISO 9001:2000 standard.
Evaluating clinical leadership: a case study
Authors: Edmonstone John
Published: July 2009

Purpose

The paper aims to describe an evaluation study of advanced leadership programmes run for clinical leaders in the National Health Service (NHS) in England.

Design/methodology/approach

This was a limited, post‐hoc study, strongly influenced by a “moving target” problem, which collected and analysed reaction and learning‐level data through e‐mail questionnaires, document analysis and semi‐structured interviews.

Findings

Significant underlying unchecked assumptions in relation to the programmes were made and were never realised in practice. There were split funding arrangements and lack of clarity over the purpose of the programmes. While there were organisational and individual benefits achieved the programmes only partly met their original objectives.

Research limitations/implications

The post‐hoc nature of the research study was a major limitation, together with the “bespoke” nature of programme delivery, This meant that the findings of the study were broad and general, rather than specific to each individual programme. Future evaluation studies would need to be planned with the programme design, rather than as an afterthought.

Practical implications

Robust project management arrangements are necessary for steering purposes in such complex leadership development programmes. A continuing diagnostic orientation is needed on the part of the programme provider. Programme titles matter – and create expectations. The contractual model potentially creates tensions between client(s) and provider.

Originality/value

Few evaluation studies of clinical leadership programmes have been conducted and reported. The case study offers a rich source of shared learning with regard to the complexity and challenges in this sphere.
Management development on the edge: HRM in a knowledge intensive organization
Authors: Sewerin Thomas , Holmberg Robert , Benner Mats
Published: July 2009

Purpose

This paper aims to present a case of project‐based management development with a group of younger researchers in a medical faculty in a university.

Design/methodology/approach

The case is based on documentation and recollections in which the first author was involved as a learning coach. The paper is a way to share a process of conversation between the authors and to highlight some critical issues through the elaboration of three perspectives: a macro perspective where the situation in the medical faculty is related to developments in the organizational field; a description from the consultant's point of view; and a human resource perspective in which the style of intervention is linked to the contingencies facing the organization at this point in time.

Findings

In retrospect the program was found to create opportunities for identity‐work and sensemaking involving the participants' individual roles as well as their representations of how the medical faculty was organized. While normal human resource management (HRM) may be seen as a kind of regular maintenance of an organization, it is suggested that the style of management development (as part of an overall HRM strategy) described here is better understood as a form of organizational identity work.

Originality/value

Distinguishing between different styles of HRM and relating them to contingencies in terms of threats to organizational identity contributes to a more nuanced discussion of the practical challenges, possibilities and risks related to different styles. There is a need for both large‐scale studies of the prevalence of new practices and in‐depth ethnographies of interventions like the one described in this paper, especially in situations where there are perceived threats to identity.
Ensuring access to treatment from an ethical perspective
Authors: Isosaari Ulla , Ollila Seija , Vartiainen Pirkko
Published: July 2009

Purpose

The allocation of resources is a complex problem in health care. In Finland there has been an effort to solve the problems with a program called “Securing the Future of Health Care”. The main focus of this research is on assessing how managers view the health care policy called guarantee of care from an ethical perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

The theoretical basis of the research covers theories regarding rationing, prioritization, as well as the ethics of health care. The empirical data were gathered through an internet questionnaire. The questionnaires were sent to the top managers in all Finnish health care districts (20 in all). The data were analyzed qualitatively.

Findings

According to respondents, ensuring access to treatment partially fulfilled the ethical principles of the right to good care, respect for human dignity, fairness, and co‐operation and mutual respect quite well. On the other hand, trust, impressiveness, non‐partiality in decision making and the right of self‐determination were not as well realized. The shortening of waiting lists had caused exhaustion and motivation problems among personnel and in addition, staff shortages were being experienced.

Originality/value

The administrators of the hospital districts agreed that centralizing resources as a reconstructive action is ethically wrong for the whole health care system. There is a great need for an ethical discussion concerning the choices made in health care policy. Long‐term results need sustainable solutions.
Narrative‐ethics informed approach to health services leadership development
Authors: Conroy Mervyn
Published: July 2009

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the background and an evaluation of a new health and social care leadership programme. Design/methodology/approach – The paper describes a three‐stage programme design methodology. First, participants were asked to narrate their stories of implementing change at a series of in‐depth interviews. Second, the dialogue was continued with these managers and others based around their stories of change to establish that their meanings of change and their support needs had been understood. Finally, their expressed needs and practical suggestions were analysed with the help of MacIntyre's virtue ethics schema. MacIntyre's schema was used for two reasons. First, because it is based on the notion of a narrative underpinning to social reality and to informing our moral standards, and second because strong resonance between the managers' narratives and the schema's underlying thesis of ethical conflict in modern institutions was found. Findings – The finding was that the programme exceeded expectations by influencing the participants' courage to lead change despite the complexity of their working environment. At the start of the programme many of the participants had reported feelings of powerlessness in face of central and local imperatives for reforms to their services. During the course of the six‐month programme their narratives changed from “mission impossible” to “mission possible”. Research limitations/implications – The main limitation is that this was a pilot study. However, the encouraging findings do support the view offered by Moore and Beadle that MacIntyre's thesis offers rich concepts for the furtherance of managerial and organisation studies and imply that a wider education programme based on this methodology and theorising would be worthwhile. Practical implications – The enthusiasm with which this pilot programme was received implies that public sector leadership education needs to pay more attention to narrative constructions of change, ethical conflict and engaging managers in concert with their constructed needs in the face of those conflicts. Originality/value – The study contributes a design methodology for health services leadership education informed by a narrative research methodology and a virtue ethics theoretical framework.
Career advancement and family balance strategies of executive women
Authors: Ezzedeen Souha R. , Ritchey Kristen G.
Published: July 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore coping strategies devised by executive women in family relationships to advance their career and to maintain career/family balance.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative methodology using a sample of 25 executive women explores career advancement and career/family balance strategies within work and family contexts.

Findings

Analysis produces multiple career advancement and career/family balance strategies, including professional support, personal support, value system, and life course strategies such as the “ordering” of career and family, negotiating spousal support, and whether to have children.

Research limitations/implications

Adaptive strategies facilitate engagement in career and family, even in challenging gender environments, encouraging continued research on executive women's advancement and career/family balance. The idiosyncratic nature of career/family balance calls for greater emphasis on the context and timing of career and family experiences.

Practical implications

The paper offers guidance to women seeking to combine executive career and family and to organizations committed to the advancement and retention of women.

Originality/value

The paper jointly explores career advancement and career/family balance strategies pursued by executive women in family relationships. It contributes to a growing body of research on the coping mechanisms and adaptive strategies underlying balance between career and family.
Arab women managers and identity formation through clothing
Authors: Omair Katlin
Published: July 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore how Arab women managers construct their social identities through the meanings they ascribe to their clothing while pursuing managerial careers.

Design/methodology/approach

An interview‐based qualitative approach is adopted for describing the meanings that the United Arab Emirates national women managers give to their clothing.

Findings

This paper identifies multiple coexisting identities in Arab women pursuing managerial careers. While the contradiction is found in the identity as a woman and as a manager, the normative dimensions of identity formation such as being a Muslim and an Emirati serve as enhancing for women's gendered managerial identity.

Originality/value

The value of this paper is twofold: first, contributes to the knowledge of the topic of Arab women in management which is understudied in academia; second, it particularly sheds light how women managers meaningfully use symbols, such as dress, to construct and perform gender realities in a career context.
Have they learnt to interrupt?
Authors: Barrett Mary
Published: July 2009

Purpose

Changing language ideology and the decreased popularity of overt feminism suggest that aspiring female managers may be less influenced than senior women managers by the gender of the speaker in evaluating whether specific communication strategies are effective and probable. The purpose of this paper is to investigate this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 255 second‐year female management students evaluate strategies for the same workplace dilemmas as senior women managers (Barrett).

Findings

For short‐ and medium‐term dilemmas students, like senior women managers, regard masculine communication strategies with a feminine element as effective. They are less influenced by the speaker's gender than senior women managers in evaluating the strategies' probability. But when seeking promotion, students avoid some strategies they consider effective, and believe men would use. Students' confidence as communicators affects their personal choice of strategy.

Research limitations/implications

The paper investigates a limited number of dilemmas and sought information about a limited number of demographic factors, limiting the results' generalizability. Nevertheless, it suggests future women managers could learn from their senior counterparts if they want to advance at work. Future research should investigate whether future male managers' reactions to these dilemmas are similar to women students and senior managers, and whether scenarios using female dyads yield similar results. Cross‐cultural extensions of the research are also possible.

Originality/value

This is the first study comparing aspiring and senior women managers' reactions to classic workplace communication problems. The findings show similarities between aspiring managers and their senior sisters, but also differences which could affect aspiring managers' career success.
Mentoring experiences of successful women across the Americas
Authors: Inés Monserrat Silvia , Duffy Jo Ann , Olivas‐Luján Miguel R. , Miller John M. , Gregory Ann , Fox Suzy , Lituchy Terri R. , Punnett Betty Jane , María Bastos F. Santos Neusa
Published: July 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to compare women's mentoring experience in nine countries within the Americas, and to explore linkages between personal characteristics, mentoring practices, mentoring functions, and consequences of being mentee.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 1,146 successful women are questioned about their mentoring experiences as a mentee: 105 from Argentina, 210 from Brazil, 199 from Canada, 84 from Chile, 232 from Mexico, 126 from the USA, and 190 from three countries in the West Indies (Barbados, Jamaica, and St Vincent).

Findings

Most of the women have more than one mentor. Across all countries mentoring practices are more strongly linked to career mentoring function while the age and gender of the mentor are more strongly linked to psychosocial mentoring. Mentoring from the perspective of mentee has the same directional relationship with situational and individual variables, but the significance of those relationships vary by country. A possible cultural difference is detected between Spanish and non‐Spanish speaking countries on the issue of mentoring practice.

Research limitations/implications

The fact that the paper focuses only on successful women in this paper means the findings are not necessarily generalizable to other groups of women or men. The paper is also limited because mentoring functions are constrained to two: psychosocial and career. There may be more functions that mentoring could fulfill for the mentee.

Practical implications

Companies' interest in fostering mentoring among their members, particularly women, should be aware that different mentoring functions are influenced by different factors. For example, formal mentoring programs appear to have a greater impact on career mentoring functions than on psychosocial mentoring functions. To support women in their careers, companies should institute formal mentoring programs; this is especially important in South American countries. Moreover, mentoring programs must be designed to be adaptive since the analyses indicated that there are significant differences by country in terms of many mentoring issues.

Originality/value

In the literature review, the paper finds linkages between culture, mentoring practices, characteristics of mentors and mentees, and mentoring functions, but no evidence that these linkages have been studied with a group of professionally successful women from different American countries, particularly non‐English speaking American countries.
Leadership characteristics of declining firms attempting turnaround
Authors: Abebe Michael A.
Published: July 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the relationship between chief executive officer characteristics and corporate turnaround performance of declining firms attempting turnaround.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 60 US manufacturing firms that experience severe performance decline and turnaround from 1985 to 2000 are selected from a population of declining manufacturing firms in the COMPUSTAT database. Data on leadership characteristics are collected and analyzed using ordinary least square regression analysis and ANOVA.

Findings

The general findings of the study provide empirical support for the upper echelons theory that emphasizes leadership characteristics as predictors of organizational outcomes. More specifically, the findings suggest the strong and adverse influence of long executive tenure on corporate turnaround performance. The findings also indicate that executives with output‐related functional background positively influence corporate turnaround performance in declining firms attempting turnaround.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of this paper have important implications for corporate governance issues in declining firms attempting turnaround. In addition, the findings also lend further empirical support for the role of strategic leadership in shaping organizational outcomes especially under declining environmental conditions.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the turnaround literature by providing empirical evidence on the role of strategic leadership in formulating and implementing turnaround strategies in declining firms. It also provides further support for the upper echelons perspective and strategic decision making.
Dynamic linkages between mental models, resource constraints and differential performance
Authors: Mandal Abhijit , Thomas Howard , Antunes Don
Published: July 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to focus around the literatures of the resource‐based firm and cognitive mental models, explores the dynamic linkages between cognitive models, resources and firm performance in the context of the insurance industry.

Design/methodology/approach

In a real‐life example drawn from the insurance industry, a process‐based simulation model is developed to explore the linkages between managerial mental models, resources and performance. It represents resources as endogenous flows and mental models and resource constraints as exogenous parameters. This allows, for example, the impact of heterogeneity in mental models, on such factors as the time path of resource allocations, resources and capabilities, and ultimately performance, to be studied in two firms (business units) in the insurance industry.

Findings

In general, heterogeneity in mental models leads to differences in performance in the long run. This finding is reinforced by the presence of resource constraints. Facing strategic change, however, it is often difficult for senior managers to overcome the influence of well‐established managerial mental models or recipes which create cognitive inertia and, in turn, hinder performance improvements.

Originality/value

There are few empirical studies which explore the impact of changes in mental models and resource constraints on firm‐performance and resource allocation decisions.
Exploring the roots of Porter's activity‐based view
Authors: Sheehan Norman T. , Foss Nicolai J.
Published: July 2009

Purpose

Porter's activity‐based view of the firm is a comprehensive strategic framework which analyzes firm‐level competitive advantage. Although Porter's activity‐based view is widely cited by academics, taught to students, and applied by practitioners, little is known about its intellectual roots. Given that a framework's intellectual antecedents not only determine its current content, but also its future development, this paper aims to examine the intellectual roots of Porter's activity‐based view and the value chain.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper examines Porter's writings in an effort to document his influences while developing the activity‐based view and value chain. Porter's and other scholars' explanations are found to be lacking, so the paper ventures further down paths first suggested by Porter and others.

Findings

Whereas Porter's five forces framework built on the existing industrial organization paradigm, the activity‐based view is not derived from any existing paradigms. While consultants of the 1970s impacted Porter's development of the value chain and the activity‐based view, its deeper roots lay in operations research, particularly activity analysis; and the work of Arch Shaw, who was the first to teach a business policy course at Harvard Business School. Porter's contribution is to bring the diverse threads together into a coherent whole which managers can apply to analyze and improve their competitive positions.

Practical implications

Following Porter, the authors argue that activities are a key link between resource holdings and strategic positions. Therefore, it is only when the activity‐based and resource‐based views are integrated that they provide a comprehensive explanation of firm value creation.

Originality/value

The paper is the first to critically examine the intellectual antecedents of the activity‐based view.
Product and process innovation in process industry: a new perspective on development
Authors: Bergfors Markus E. , Larsson Andreas
Published: July 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to open up the research and development (R&D) organisation by separating product and process innovation and exploring these activities in terms of the structural variable of centralisation versus decentralisation.

Design/methodology/approach

Case studies of three multinational firms, representing food and beverage, mining and minerals, and pulp and paper industry.

Findings

Dual structures may exist within the R&D organisation, one for product innovation and one for process innovation. Consequently, it is suggested that the conventional notion of R&D organisational design, equating R&D more or less with product innovation, does not present a complete picture for many firms.

Research limitations/implications

Opening up the R&D organisation will help further the understanding link between the organisational structuring of product and process innovation, and the efforts of organisations to develop resources and competitive advantages.

Practical implications

The findings have implications for managing the strategy‐organizational fit concerning innovation in process industry.

Originality/value

The conventional view regarding R&D as a single entity – either centralised or decentralised – does not present a complete picture. This paper clarifies the link between strategic innovation determinants and the organisational configuration of R&D.
Strategy workshops facilitating and constraining strategy making
Authors: Schwarz Mirela
Published: July 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a new framework for exploring the key elements of strategy workshops and provide empirical evidence on how these can influence strategy making within a firm.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is based on structuration theory and the “practice” view of strategy. The empirical data are based on a longitudinal case study, including ethnographic data, extensive observations and interviews.

Findings

The findings show that strategy workshops are institutionalized as part of a firm's strategy‐making process, and provide a forum for strategic discourse facilitated through knowledge‐sharing and/or promotion of strategic consensus. Strategy workshops may, however, also constrain strategy making through opposition and rejection of participation which may lead to strategic paralysis.

Practical implications

This research propose guidelines for managers on the effective preparation and management of strategy workshops.

Originality/value

The paper provides a new framework to explore key elements of strategy workshops and evidence of how these influence strategy making. The research highlights the dualistic nature of strategy workshops in strategy making.
Interview with Sir Mike Rake, Chairman of BT
Authors: O'Regan Nicholas , Ghobadian Abby
Published: July 2009

Purpose

British Telecom (BT) has achieved a classic turnaround that involved divestment and efficiency drives. This interview with Sir Mike Rake, Chairman of BT, sheds light on BT's past development and future growth.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper takes the form of an interview with Sir Mike Rake, Chairman of BT.

Findings

The interview outlines a number of important factors in running a resilient and effective global company such as culture and common values, leadership at board and executive levels, remuneration transparency, skills, technology, and corporate governance.

Originality/value

The paper provides insight into the strategic journey of BT.
The Arabidopsis floral meristem identity genes AP1, AGL24 and SVP directly repress class B and C floral homeotic genes
Authors: Gregis Veronica , Sessa Alice , Dorca‐Fornell Carmen , Kater Martin M.
Published: July 2009

During the initial stages of flower development, floral meristems increase in size without the formation of floral organs. When a critical meristem size is reached, the floral meristem begins to develop the floral organs. The first stages of flower development are characterized by the expression of genes such as APETALA 1 (AP1), CAULIFLOWER (CAL), AGAMOUS‐LIKE 24 (AGL24) and SHORT VEGETATIVE PHASE (SVP). We have shown that AP1, AGL24 and SVP act redundantly to control the identity of the floral meristem and to repress expression of class B, C and E genes. Recently, it was shown that class E gene repression was direct and established by two independent pathways. We show here that repression of class B and C genes is also directly established by a co‐repressor complex that comprises LEUNIG (LUG), SEUSS (SEU) and the MADS box dimers AP1–AGL24 and AP1–SVP. Furthermore, we show that the distantly related SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CO 1 (SOC1) MADS box gene can complement for the loss of AGL24 and SVP activity; however, under normal conditions, this transcription factor does not play a role during the early stages of flower development.
Genetic and spatial interactions betweenFT,TSFandSVPduring the early stages of floral induction in Arabidopsis
Authors: Jang Seonghoe , Torti Stefano , Coupland George
Published: July 2009

Flowering is controlled by a network of pathways that converge to regulate a small number of floral integrator genes. We studied the interactions in Arabidopsis between three of these integrators,FLOWERING LOCUS T(FT),TWIN SISTER OF FT(TSF) andSUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CONSTANS 1(SOC1), as well as their repression by the MADS box transcription factor SHORT VEGETATIVE PHASE (SVP). FT is a mobile signal transmitted from the leaf to the meristem to initiate flowering. Using mRNA null alleles, we show thatFTand the closely relatedTSFare not essential for flowering, but that the double mutant is photoperiod‐insensitive. Inactivation of both genes also fully suppresses the early‐flowering phenotype caused by over‐expression of CONSTANS (CO), a transcriptional regulator in the photoperiod pathway. In addition, we demonstrate that TSF and FT have similar biochemical functions by showing that they interact in yeast with the same bZIP transcription factors. Expression ofFTorTSFfrom promoters specific for phloem companion cells drives early flowering of the double mutant, so no expression of either gene is required in the meristem. Furthermore,TSF, likeFT, is repressed by SVP, but the triple mutantsvp‐41 ft‐10 tsf‐1expressesSOC1in the meristem sooner and flowers earlier thanft‐10 tsf‐1. Thus we distinguish the functions of SVP in repressingFTandTSFin the leaf andSOC1in the meristem. In addition, a time course ofin situhybridizations suggested that repression ofSVPand activation ofSOC1proceed simultaneously in the meristem. These observations clarify the relationships between these early regulators of the floral transition, and further emphasize the relatedness of mechanisms acting in the leaf and meristem to control flowering time.
Silencing OsHI‐LOX makes rice more susceptible to chewing herbivores, but enhances resistance to a phloem feeder
Authors: Zhou Guoxin , Qi Jinfeng , Ren Nan , Cheng Jiaan , Erb Matthias , Mao Bizeng , Lou Yonggen
Published: July 2009

The jasmonic acid (JA) pathway plays a central role in plant defense responses against insects. Some phloem‐feeding insects also induce the salicylic acid (SA) pathway, thereby suppressing the plant’s JA response. These phenomena have been well studied in dicotyledonous plants, but little is known about them in monocotyledons. We cloned a chloroplast‐localized type 2 13‐lipoxygenase gene of rice, OsHI‐LOX, whose transcripts were up‐regulated in response to feeding by the rice striped stem borer (SSB) Chilo suppressalis and the rice brown planthopper (BPH) Niaparvata lugens, as well as by mechanical wounding and treatment with JA. Antisense expression of OsHI‐LOX (as‐lox) reduced SSB‐ or BPH‐induced JA and trypsin protease inhibitor (TrypPI) levels, improved the larval performance of SBB as well as that of the rice leaf folder (LF) Cnaphalocrocis medinalis, and increased the damage caused by SSB and LF larvae. In contrast, BPH, a phloem‐feeding herbivore, showed a preference for settling and ovipositing on WT plants, on which they consumed more and survived better than on as‐lox plants. The enhanced resistance of as‐lox plants to BPH infestation correlated with higher levels of BPH‐induced H2O2 and SA, as well as with increased hypersensitive response‐like cell death. These results imply that OsHI‐LOX is involved in herbivore‐induced JA biosynthesis, and plays contrasting roles in controlling rice resistance to chewing and phloem‐feeding herbivores. The observation that suppression of JA activity results in increased resistance to an insect indicates that revision of the generalized plant defense models in monocotyledons is required, and may help develop novel strategies to protect rice against insect pests.
Differential fading of inhibitory and excitatory B2bradykinin receptor responses in rat sympathetic neurons: a role for protein kinase C
Authors: Kosenburger Kristina , Schicker Klaus W. , Drobny Helmut , Boehm Stefan
Published: July 2009

Through inhibitory and excitatory effects on sympathetic neurons, B2bradykinin receptors contribute to protective and noxious cardiovascular mechanisms. Presynaptic inhibition of sympathetic transmitter release involves an inhibition of CaV2 channels, neuronal excitation an inhibition of KV7 channels. To investigate which of these mechanisms prevail over time, the respective currents were determined. The inhibition of Ca2+currents by bradykinin reached a maximum of 50%, started to fade within the first minute, and became attenuated significantly after ≥ 4 min. The inhibition of K+currents reached a maximum of 85%, started to fade after > 3 min, and became attenuated significantly after ≥ 7 min. Blocking Ca2+‐independent protein kinase C (PKC) enhanced the inhibition of Ca2+currents by bradykinin and delayed its fading, left the inhibition of K+currents and its fading unaltered, and enhanced the reduction of noradrenaline release and slowed its fading. Conversely, direct activation of PKC abolished the inhibition of noradrenaline release and largely attenuated the inhibition of Ca2+currents. These results show that the inhibitory effects of bradykinin in sympathetic neurons are outweighed over time by its excitatory actions because of more rapid, PKC‐dependent fading of the inhibitory response.
Albumin endocytosis via megalin in astrocytes is caveola‐ and Dab‐1 dependent and is required for the synthesis of the neurotrophic factor oleic acid
Authors: Bento‐Abreu André , Velasco Ana , Polo‐Hernández Erica , Lillo Concepción , Kozyraki Renata , Tabernero Arantxa , Medina José M.
Published: July 2009

The synthesis and release of the neurotrophic factor oleic acid requires internalization of albumin into the astrocyte, which is mediated by megalin. In this study, we show that the binding and internalization of albumin involve its interaction with megalin, caveolin‐1, caveolin‐2 and cavin, but not with clathrin in astrocytes from primary culture. Electron microscopy analyses revealed albumin‐gold complexes localized in caveolae, but not in clathrin‐coated vesicles. Neither chlorpromazine nor silencing clathrin expression modified albumin uptake. Silencing caveolin‐1 strongly reduced the binding and internalization of albumin and the distribution of megalin in the plasma membrane. However, silencing caveolin‐2 only decreased albumin internalization, suggesting that caveolin‐1 is responsible for megalin recruitment to the caveolae and that caveolin‐2 participates in caveolae internalization. In most tissues, the cytosolic adaptor protein disabled (Dab)‐2 connects megalin to clathrin, astrocytes lack Dab‐2; instead, they express Dab‐1, which interacts with caveolin‐1 and megalin and is required for albumin internalization. The transcytosis of albumin in astrocytes, including the passage through the endoplasmic reticulum, which is a compulsory step for oleic acid synthesis, was confirmed by electron microscopy analyses. Thus, whereas silencing clathrin did not modify the synthesis and release of oleic acid, the knock‐down of caveolin‐1, caveolin‐2 and Dab‐1 strongly reduced the synthesis and release of this neurotrophic factor. In conclusion, caveola‐mediated endocytosis of albumin requires megalin and the adaptor protein Dab‐1 in cultured astrocytes. Albumin endocytosis may be a key step in brain development because it stimulates the synthesis of oleic acid, which in turn promotes neuronal differentiation.
Regulation of major efflux transporters under inflammatory conditions at the blood‐brain barrierin vitro
Authors: Von Wedel‐Parlow Magdalena , Wölte Philipp , Galla Hans‐Joachim
Published: July 2009

ATP‐driven efflux transport proteins at the blood‐brain barrier protect the healthy brain but impede pharmacotherapy of the disordered CNS. To investigate the question how ATP‐binding cassette (ABC)‐transporters are regulated during inflammation or infection we analysed the effects of the cytokines tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) and interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β) on the expression of brain multidrug resistance proteins in primary cultures of porcine brain capillary endothelial cells. We found that TNF‐α and IL‐1β rapidly decreaseAbcg2(BMDP/BCRP) mRNA expression within 6 h. After 24 and 48 h the mRNA level came back to control values. The mRNA reduction at 6 h was counter‐regulated by the anti‐inflammatory glucocorticoid hydrocortisone. Abcg2 protein levels were suppressed at prolonged stimulations but not after 6 h of stimulation which correlates with Abcg2 specific substrate uptake measurements. Abcb1 (p‐glycoprotein) protein expression was transiently increased after TNF‐α addition within 6 h of incubation followed by a reduction after 24 and 48 h whereas theAbcb1mRNA levels were not changed. IL‐1β caused a continuous decrease in protein expression of both ABC‐transporters. Long‐term treatment with an assumed TNF‐α‐downstream agent, the vasoconstrictor endothelin‐1, induced Abcg2 protein expression but suppressed Abcb1. Other efflux pumps like multidrug resistance‐associated proteins/Abcc were rarely affected. The present results imply a complex regulation of the two most abundant ABC‐transporters at the blood‐brain barrier during early inflammation stages suggesting that Abcb1 (p‐glycoprotein) is an early target of TNF‐α‐signalling counterbalanced by Abcg2.
P‐glycoprotein expression in immortalised rat brain endothelial cells: comparisons following exogenously applied hydrogen peroxide and after hypoxia–reoxygenation
Authors: Robertson Samantha J. , Kania Katarzyna D. , Hladky Stephen B. , Barrand Margery A.
Published: July 2009

Levels of multidrug efflux transporter P‐glycoprotein (P‐gp) on endothelial cells lining brain blood vessels are important for limiting access of many compounds to the brain.In vivostudies have indicated that ischaemia–reperfusion that generates reactive oxygen species also increases P‐gp levels in brain endothelial cells. To investigate possible mechanisms,in vitrostudies were performed on immortalised (GPNT) and primary rat brain endothelial cells. Exposure to hydrogen peroxide (200 μM) resulted in intracellular oxidative stress as detected from higher levels of dichlorofluorescein fluorescence and raised levels of P‐gp protein, mdr1a and mdr1b transcripts and, in GPNT cells, increased mdr1a and mdr1b promoter activity. The P‐gp protein increases were abolished by pre‐treatment with polyethylene glycol‐catalase and were curtailed by co‐culture with primary rat astrocytes. Exposure of GPNT cells to 6 h hypoxia followed by 24 h reoxygenation produced less intracellular oxidative stress as judged from smaller increments in dichlorofluorescein fluorescence but still resulted in raised levels of P‐gp protein, an effect partially abolished by pre‐treatment with polyethylene glycol‐catalase. However, transcript levels and promoter activities were not significantly increased. These data suggest that hydrogen peroxide contributes to P‐gp up‐regulation following hypoxia–reoxygenation but the underlying mechanisms of its actions differ from those occurring after direct hydrogen peroxide application.
Modulation of indoleamine‐2,3‐dioxygenase expression and activity by HIV‐1 in human macrophages
Authors: Manéglier Benjamin , Malleret Benoit , Guillemin Gilles J. , Spreux‐Varoquaux Odile , Devillier Philippe , Rogez‐Kreuz Christine , Porcheray Fabrice , Thérond Patrice , Dormont Dominique , Clayette Pascal
Published: July 2009

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is often complicated by the development of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) dementia complex (ADC). Implications of kynurenine pathway (KP) are suggested in ADC and other inflammatories brain diseases. The first and regulatory enzyme of the KP is the indoleamine‐2,3‐dioxygenase (IDO). IDO activation is known to contribute to the modulation of the immune response during various infectious diseases particularly in AIDS. HIV and viral proteins can activate IDO in immune cells leading to an increase catabolism of tryptophan through the KP; the consequence being the production of immuno‐modulative and neuroactive metabolites. This mechanism is likely to favour HIV persistence. The present study analysed concomitantly several parameters involved in IDO regulation and activity associated with HIV‐1‐infection. We investigated relevant intracellular and extracellular mechanisms involved in the regulation of IDO expression and activity during the HIV infection and replication in human monocyte‐derived macrophages (MdM). Using a complementary set of in vitro experiments, we found that HIV‐1/Ba‐L infection induces IDO expression and increases its activity in MdM. We also showed that IDO activation by HIV‐1 is likely to be a direct effect of the infection and seems to be independent of IFN‐γ production.
Recurrent Miscarriage, Congenital Heart Block and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Authors: Julkunen Heikki , Kaaja Risto , Siren Marja‐Kaisa
Published: July 2009

Summary: We report the obstetric history of a woman, who between 15 spontaneous abortions, gave birth to a child with congenital heart block. She later developed systemic lupus erythematosus, had antibodies to SS‐A/Ro and SS‐B/La but was repeatedly negative for antiphospholipid antibodies.
Anaemia and Perinatal Outcome in Port Moresby
Authors: Mola G. , Permezel M. , Amoa A.B. , Klufio C.A.
Published: July 2009

Summary: In 1987, a computerized obstetric database was set up at the Port Moresby General Hospital. Between 1987 and 1992, 27,117 births took place. The mean haemoglobin value amongst the 83% of women in whom a haemoglobin value was tested was 10.0 ± 1.7 g/dL. High stillbirth rates (94 per 1,000) were associated with a haemoglobin value < 6 g/dL. The stillbirth rate was slightly lower (14 per 1,000) in woman whose lowest haemoglobin value was in the range 10.0–10.9 g/dL than in those with a haemoglobin value ≤11 g/dL (18 per 1,000). The stillbirth rate was increased in women with haemoglobin values ≤ 14.0 g/dL. With respect to low birth‐weight (< 2,500 g), the rates were also higher when the haemoglobin value was above 14.0 g/dL. The reason for these findings is not apparent and may be due to the impact of an uncharacterized confounding variable rather than the haemoglobin value.
Transvaginal Ultrasound Appearances of the Ovary in Normal Women and Hirsute Women with Oligomenorrhoea
Authors: Fox Robert
Published: July 2009

Summary: The transvaginal ultrasound appearances of the ovary were determined in women with clinical and endocrine features of polycystic ovarian disease (PCOD) and apparently normal women. At scan the number of small follicles were counted and ovarian volume was calculated. The maximum width of the ovarian cortex was also measured. Blood was sent for measurement of LH, FSH and testosterone. The women with oligomenorrhoea were scanned at random and the normal women were seen within the first 5 days of the start of menstruation. There were significant differences between median values for the 2 groups in terms of number of small follicles, ovarian volume and stromal width; the ovaries of the hirsute women had more follicles, were of larger volume, and had greater stromal width. The 2 ranges for number of follicles did overlap, however. Four hirsute oligomenorrhoeic women had a normal number of follicles; all 4 had the several clinical and endocrine features indicative of PCOD. These data suggest that the classical ultrasound features of PCOD are not consistently present and that the absence of increased follicularity at scan should not necessarily deter clinicians from making the functional diagnosis of PCOD.
Radical Surgery for Endometriosis
Authors: Nicklin James L , Perrin Lewis , Phillips Gael
Published: July 2009

Summary: Infiltrative endometriosis is an uncommon condition that may involve all pelvic organs and is associated with considerable morbidity. A small percentage of patients will have disease that is unresponsive to hormonal therapy and is unsuitable for conservative surgery. Presented is a review of 5 case reports of patients who required radical surgery for control of symptoms caused by endometriosis. Radical surgery was associated with minimal morbidity and a high rate of resolution of symptoms. Radical surgery should be considered as part of the treatment strategy particularly when there is evidence of endometriosis invading into the adjacent gastrointestinal tract or urinary tract.
Partial Perforation of Bladder by Multiload
Authors: Kriplani Alka , Banerjee Neelam , Hemal Ashok K. , Takkar Deep
Published: July 2009

Summary: A rare case of partial perforation of the wall of the bladder by an intrauterine contraceptive device (IUCD) in a puerperal woman and its subsequent laparoscopic removal is described. Cystoscopy revealed an intact bladder mucosa with the IUCD lying submucosally. This case demonstrates that an IUCD embedded in the wall of the bladder, whose mucosa is intact, can be safely removed through a laparoscope without resorting to laparotomy.
Genomic survey of prepulse inhibition in mouse chromosome substitution strains
Authors: Leussis M. P. , Frayne M. L. , Saito M. , Berry E. M. , Aldinger K. A. , Rockwell G. N. , Hammer Jr R. P. , Baskin‐Hill A. E. , Singer J. B. , Nadeau J. H. , Sklar P. , Petryshen T. L.
Published: July 2009

Prepulse inhibition (PPI) is a measure of sensorimotor gating, a pre‐attentional inhibitory brain mechanism that filters extraneous stimuli. Prepulse inhibition is correlated with measures of cognition and executive functioning, and is considered an endophenotype of schizophrenia and other psychiatric illnesses in which patients show PPI impairments. As a first step toward identifying genes that regulate PPI, we performed a quantitative trait locus (QTL) screen of PPI phenotypes in a panel of mouse chromosome substitution strains (CSSs). We identified five CSSs with altered PPI compared with the host C57BL/6J strain: CSS‐4 exhibited decreased PPI, whereas CSS‐10, ‐11, ‐16 and ‐Y exhibited higher PPI compared with C57BL/6J. These data indicate that A/J chromosomes 4, 10, 11, 16 and Y harbor at least one QTL region that modulates PPI in these CSSs. Quantitative trait loci for the acoustic startle response were identified on seven chromosomes. Like PPI, habituation of the startle response is also disrupted in schizophrenia, and in the present study CSS‐7 and ‐8 exhibited deficits in startle habituation. Linkage analysis of an F2 intercross identified a highly significant QTL for PPI on chromosome 11 between positions 101.5 and 114.4 Mb (peak LOD = 4.54). Future studies will map the specific genes contributing to these QTLs using congenic strains and other genomic approaches. Identification of genes that modulate PPI will provide insight into the neural mechanisms underlying sensorimotor gating, as well as the psychopathology of disorders characterized by gating deficits.
Identifying emotional adaptation: behavioural habituation to novelty and immediate early gene expression in two inbred mouse strains
Authors: Salomons A. R. , Van Luijk J. A. K. R. , Reinders N. R. , Kirchhoff S. , Arndt S. S. , Ohl F.
Published: July 2009

Normal anxiety is an adaptive emotional response. However, when anxiety appears to lack adaptive value, it might be defined as pathological. Adaptation in animals can be assessed for example by changes in behavioural responses over time, i.e. habituation. We hypothesize that non‐adaptive anxiety might be reflected by impaired habituation. To test our hypothesis, we repeatedly exposed male mice from two inbred strains to a novel environment, the modified hole board. BALB/cJ mice were found to be initially highly anxious, but subsequently habituated to the test environment. In contrast, 129P3/J mice initially showed less anxiety‐related behaviour compared with the BALB/cJ mice but no habituation in anxiety‐related behaviour was observed. Notably, anxiety‐related behaviour even increased during the experimental period. Complementary, 129P3/J mice did not show habituation in other parameters such as locomotor and exploratory activity, whereas significant changes appeared in these behaviours in BALB/c mice. Finally, the expression of the immediate early gene c‐fos differed between the two strains in distinct brain areas, known to regulate the integration of emotional and cognitive processes. These results suggest that 129P3/J mice might be a promising (neuro)‐behavioural animal model for non‐adaptive, i.e. pathological anxiety.