bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Companies' insolvency and ‘the nature of the firm’ in Italy, 1920s–70s1
Authors: DI MARTINO PAOLO , VASTA MICHELANGELO
Published: July 2009

This article analyses the functioning of Italian insolvency laws and practices, in particular their role in the selection and relaunch of viable firms. The article investigates the period between the 1920s and the 1970s, and focuses on joint‐stock companies. Using comparative data on the number of cases, we show that in Italy firms mainly used the procedure calledfallimento(bankruptcy), consisting of the collection and subsequent liquidation of assets. Other procedures, such as deals with creditors or forms of receivership, able to give companies a further chance, were rarely used. On the basis of archival documents we maintain that this result was due to the strictness and complication of Italian procedures, as well as to their inability to select viable companies. The article also investigates the relation between the features of insolvency law and the nature of the Italian industrial system, specifically the peculiar small size and rapid turnover of joint‐stock companies. We suggest that the pro‐liquidation character of the insolvency law might have been one of the causes of the peculiarity of Italian industrial capitalism, even if the opposite direction of causality cannot be excluded.
Market wage or discrimination? The remuneration of male and female wool spinners in the seventeenth‐century Dutch Republic1
Authors: VAN NEDERVEEN MEERKERK ELISE
Published: July 2009

In the historical debate, the gender wage gap is usually attributed either to productivity differences or to gender discrimination. By analysing a newly constructed series of spinning wages in the seventeenth‐century Dutch Republic, the wages of male and female textile workers for the same work could be investigated. At first sight, the evidence on equal piece rates for spinning men and women seems to rule out wage discrimination. Nevertheless, more deeply rooted gender discrimination resulting from the segmented seventeenth‐century labour market restricted women's access to many professions. Exactly this segmentation determined differences in wage earning capacities between men and women.
Languages as Women: The Feminisation of Linguistic Discourses in Colonial North India
Authors: Sarangi Asha
Published: July 2009

This article locates and analyses the gendered discourses of Hindi and Urdu linguistic identity in late nineteenth‐century colonial north India. Using a new concept of language woman, it characterises the multiple discourses of feminisation through three distinctive terms of linguistic femininity, linguistic morality and linguistic patriarchy. These three modes of representation and articulation of feminised discourses over Hindi and Urdu languages are explored using the concept of heteronormativity as a political, ideological and social–cultural construct. The paper argues that language woman established an intimate bond between nationalisation and feminisation of the dominant Hindi linguistic identity in private and public domains as not mutually opposed but complementary and reproducible of each other.
Colonial Constructions of Masculinity: Transforming Aboriginal Australian Men into ‘Houseboys’
Authors: Martínez Julia , Lowrie Claire
Published: July 2009

In Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia, Aboriginal men made up more than half of the domestic servant population by 1938. They replaced the Chinese and Malay male servants who had worked for British colonists in the early colonial period. Much of the historical work on male domestic servants in colonial situations plots the construction of the ‘houseboy’ as emasculated, feminised and submissive. In contrast, colonial constructions of Aboriginal men as ‘houseboys’ in Darwin emphasise the masculinity of the Aboriginal hunter. Aboriginal men were characterised as requiring constant discipline and training, and this paternalistic discourse led to a corresponding denial of manhood or adulthood for Aboriginal men. While male domestic servants in other colonial settings were allowed some privileges of masculinity in relation to female workers, amongst Aboriginal domestic workers, it was so‐called ‘half‐caste’ women who, in acknowledgment of their ‘white blood’, received nominally higher wages and privileges for domestic work. Aboriginal men were denied what was referred to as a ‘breadwinning’ wage; an Australian wage awarded to white men with families. Despite this, their role as husbands was encouraged by the administration as a method of controlling sexual relations between white men and Aboriginal women. These sometimes contradictory images can be understood as manifestations of the racialised construction of gender in Australia.
Misogyny, Jest‐Books and Male Youth Culture in Seventeenth‐Century England
Authors: Reinke‐Williams Tim
Published: July 2009

Over the past twenty years, patriarchy has become a vitally important analytical concept for historians of women, gender and masculinity. By contrast, misogyny has been under‐explored, despite being an equally prevalent historical phenomenon. This article offers a cultural history of seventeenth‐century masculinity based on an analysis of the humorous jokes and stories found in jest‐books, a genre that appealed in particular to male adolescents and young men in their twenties. It argues that patriarchy and misogyny should be treated as separate analytical concepts and cultural phenomena that appealed to different sorts of men. While patriarchy offered a code of manly behaviour for middling‐sort married males to aspire to, misogynistic humour appealed predominantly to youthful single males, who were as antagonistic towards patriarchs as they were towards women. In articulating such an argument, this article engages with debates about manhood, misogyny and the reception and creation of everyday culture in early modern society.
The Role of Dividends, Debt and Board Structure in the Governance of Family Controlled Firms
Authors: Setia‐Atmaja Lukas , Tanewski George A. , Skully Michael
Published: July 2009

Abstract:  We investigate whether family controlled firms use dividends, debt and board structure to exacerbate or mitigate agency problems between controlling and minority shareholders in a capital market environment with high investor protection and private benefits of control. Results indicate family controlled firms employ higher dividend payout ratios, higher debt levels and lower levels of board independence compared to non‐family firms. This suggests family controlled firms use either dividends or debt as a substitute for independent directors. We also find that dividends and debt are more effective governance mechanisms in mitigating the families’ expropriation of minority shareholders’ wealth. Independent directors are, in contrast, more effective in controlling owner‐manager conflict in non‐family firms.
Vaginal repair with mesh versus colporrhaphy for prolapse: a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Carey M , Higgs P , Goh J , Lim J , Leong A , Krause H , Cornish A
Published: July 2009

Objective  To compare vaginal repair augmented by mesh with traditional colporrhaphy for the treatment of pelvic organ prolapse.

Design  Prospective randomised controlled trial.

Setting  Tertiary teaching hospital.

Population  One hundred and thirty‐nine women with stage ≥2 prolapse according to the pelvic organ prolapse quantification (POP‐Q) system requiring both anterior and posterior compartment repair.

Methods  Subjects were randomised to anterior and posterior vaginal repair with mesh augmentation (mesh group, n = 69) or traditional anterior and posterior colporrhaphy (no mesh group, n = 70).

Main outcome measures  The primary outcome was the absence of POP‐Q stage ≥2 prolapse at 12 months. Secondary outcomes were symptoms, quality‐of‐life outcomes and satisfaction with surgery. Complications were also reported.

Results  For subjects attending the 12‐month review, success in the mesh group was 81.0% (51 of 63 subjects) compared with 65.6% (40/61) in the no mesh group and was not significantly different (P‐value = 0.07). A high level of satisfaction with surgery and improvements in symptoms and quality‐of‐life data were observed at 12 months compared to baseline in both groups, but there was no significant difference in these outcomes between the two groups. Vaginal mesh exposure occurred in four women in the mesh group (5.6%). De novo dyspareunia was reported by five of 30 (16.7%) sexually active women in the mesh group and five of 33 (15.2%) in the no mesh group at 12 months.

Conclusion  In this study, vaginal surgery augmented by mesh did not result in significantly less recurrent prolapse than traditional colporrhaphy 12 months following surgery.
Curcumin suppresses expression of low‐density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor, leading to the inhibition of LDL‐induced activation of hepatic stellate cells
Authors: Kang Qiaohua , Chen Anping
Published: July 2009

Background and purpose:  Obesity is often accompanied by hypercholesterolemia characterized by elevated levels of plasma low‐density lipoprotein (LDL) and associated with non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis, which could progress to hepatic fibrosis. Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are the major effectors of hepatic fibrogenesis. This study aims to clarify effects of LDL on activation of HSC, to evaluate roles of curcumin in suppressing these effects and to further elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms.

Experimental approaches:  HSCs were prepared from rats and cell proliferation was measured by cell proliferation assays (MTS assays). Transient transfection assays were performed to evaluate gene promoter activities. Real‐time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting were used to analyse the expression of genes.

Key results:  LDL stimulated HSC activation in vitro, which was attenuated by curcumin. Curcumin reduced the abundance of LDL receptor (LDLR) in activated HSCs, decreasing cellular cholesterol. Curcumin‐dependent activation of peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor‐γ (PPARγ) differentially regulated the expression of the transcription factors, sterol regulatory element‐binding proteins (SREBPs), in activated HSCs, resulting in the suppression of LDLR gene expression.

Conclusions and implications:  Curcumin suppressed LDLR gene expression in activated HSCs in vitro by activating PPARγ and differentially regulating gene expression of SREBPs, reducing cellular cholesterol and attenuating the stimulatory effects of LDL on HSC activation. These results provide novel insights into the roles and mechanisms of curcumin in the inhibition of LDL‐induced HSC activation. This curcumin, a constituent of turmeric, may be useful in preventing hypercholesterolemia‐associated hepatic fibrogenesis.
Central antinociception induced by µ‐opioid receptor agonist morphine, but not δ‐ or κ‐, is mediated by cannabinoid CB1receptor
Authors: da Fonseca Pacheco Daniela , Klein André , Perez Andréa Castro , da Fonseca Pacheco Cinthia Mara , de Francischi Janetti Nogueira , Lopes Reis Gláucia Maria , Duarte Igor Dimitri Gama
Published: July 2009

Background and purpose: It has been demonstrated that cannabinoids evoke the release of endogenous opioids to produce antinociception; however, no information exists regarding the participation of cannabinoids in the antinociceptive mechanisms of opioids. The aim of the present study was to determine whether endocannabinoids are involved in central antinociception induced by activation of µ‐, δ‐ and κ‐opioid receptors.

Experimental approach: Nociceptive threshold to thermal stimulation was measured according to the tail‐flick test in Swiss mice. Morphine (5 µg), SNC80 (4 µg), bremazocine (4 µg), AM251 (2 and 4 µg), AM630 (2 and 4 µg) and MAFP (0.1 and 0.4 µg) were administered by the intracerebroventricular route.

Key results: The CB1‐selective cannabinoid receptor antagonist AM251 completely reversed the central antinociception induced by morphine in a dose‐dependent manner. In contrast, the CB2‐selective cannabinoid receptor antagonist AM630 did not antagonize this effect. Additionally, the administration of the anandamide amidase inhibitor, MAFP, significantly enhanced the antinociception induced by morphine. In contrast, the antinociceptive effects of δ‐ and κ‐opioid receptor agonists were not affected by the cannabinoid antagonists. The antagonists alone caused no hyperalgesic or antinociceptive effects.

Conclusions and implications: The results provide evidence for the involvement of cannabinoid CB1receptors in the central antinociception induced by activation of µ‐opioid receptors by the agonist morphine. The release of endocannabinoids appears not to be involved in central antinociception induced by activation of κ‐ and δ‐opioid receptors.
Salicylate, an aspirin metabolite, specifically inhibits the current mediated by glycine receptors containing α1‐subunits
Authors: Lu Y‐G , Tang Z‐Q , Ye Z‐Y , Wang H‐T , Huang Y‐N , Zhou K‐Q , Zhang M , Xu T‐L , Chen L
Published: July 2009

Background and purpose:  Aspirin or its metabolite sodium salicylate is widely prescribed and has many side effects. Previous studies suggest that targeting neuronal receptors/ion channels is one of the pathways by which salicylate causes side effects in the nervous system. The present study aimed to investigate the functional action of salicylate on glycine receptors at a molecular level.

Experimental approach:  Whole‐cell patch‐clamp and site‐directed mutagenesis were deployed to examine the effects of salicylate on the currents mediated by native glycine receptors in cultured neurones of rat inferior colliculus and by glycine receptors expressed in HEK293T cells.

Key results:  Salicylate effectively inhibited the maximal current mediated by native glycine receptors without altering the EC50 and the Hill coefficient, demonstrating a non‐competitive action of salicylate. Only when applied simultaneously with glycine and extracellularly, could salicylate produce this antagonism. In HEK293T cells transfected with either α1‐, α2‐, α3‐, α1β‐, α2β‐ or α3β‐glycine receptors, salicylate only inhibited the current mediated by those receptors that contained the α1‐subunit. A single site mutation of I240V in the α1‐subunit abolished inhibition by salicylate.

Conclusions and implications:  Salicylate is a non‐competitive antagonist specifically on glycine receptors containing α1‐subunits. This action critically involves the isoleucine‐240 in the first transmembrane segment of the α1‐subunit. Our findings may increase our understanding of the receptors involved in the side effects of salicylate on the central nervous system, such as seizures and tinnitus.
NCX 2057, a novel NO‐releasing derivative of ferulic acid, suppresses inflammatory and nociceptive responses in in vitro and in vivo models
Authors: Ronchetti Daniela , Borghi Valentina , Gaitan Gema , Herrero Juan F. , Impagnatiello Francesco
Published: July 2009

Background and purpose:  We previously reported that NCX 2057, a compound comprising a nitric oxide (NO)‐releasing moiety and the natural antioxidant, ferulic acid (FA), inhibits pro‐inflammatory mediators through NO‐mediated gene regulation. Here, we have assessed the activities of NCX 2057 in models of inflammatory and neuropathic pain, and characterized its effects on cyclooxygenase (COX)‐1 and COX‐2.

Experimental approach:  Anti‐nociceptive and anti‐inflammatory activities of NCX 2057 were measured in vitro and in vivo in models of inflammatory (carrageenan) and neuropathic (chronic constriction injury; CCI) pain. Effects of NCX 2057 were measured on COX‐1 and COX‐2 activities in RAW 264.7 macrophages.

Key results:  NCX 2057 dose‐dependently inhibited single motor unit responses to noxious mechanical stimulation (ID50= 100 µmol·kg−1) and wind‐up responses in rats with paw inflammation induced by carrageenan. Moreover, NCX 2057 inhibited allodynic responses following CCI of the sciatic nerve [ipsilateral Paw Withdrawal Threshold (g): vehicle: 41.4 ± 3.3; NCX 2057: 76.3 ± 4.8 FA: 37.9 ± 15.5 at 175 µmol·kg−1]. NCX 2057 reversed carrageenan‐induced hyperalgesic responses in mice and inhibited prostaglandin E2 formation in paw exudates. Finally, NCX 2057 competitively inhibited COX‐1 and COX‐2 activities in whole RAW macophages (IC50= 14.7 ± 7.4 and 21.6 ± 7.5 µM, respectively). None of these properties were exhibited by equivalent treatments with FA or standard NO donor compounds.

Conclusions and implications:  These studies indicate that NCX 2057 is effective in chronic inflammatory and neuropathic pain models, probably because of its particular combination of anti‐COX, antioxidant and NO‐releasing properties.
Rape Law in 19th‐Century America: Some Thoughts and Reflections on the State of the Field
Authors: Block Mary R.
Published: July 2009

Rape is a serious crime with a long history that has not received much study until very recently. Historians should study the crime of rape in 19th‐century America for many reasons, but mostly because it can tell us much about how the law operated in practice and about 19th‐century notions of manhood, womanhood, sex, and violence. Historians have produced several studies on rape in the American South, while other regions of the nation have received scant attention for the 19th century. Scholars should consider studies of 19th‐century rape at the micro and macro levels and should utilize interdisciplinary approaches in their analyses.
Teucrium poliumin prevention of steatohepatitis in rats
Authors: Amini Rahim , Nosrati Narges , Yazdanparast Razieh , Molaei Mahsa
Published: July 2009

Background:In this study, we tried to evaluate whether the ethyl acetate (EtOAc) extract ofTeucrium polium, with a high antioxidant activity, is able to prevent the incidence of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.

Methods:Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis was induced in male N‐Mary rats using a methionine/choline‐deficient (MCD) diet. Rats were given normal diet (A), normal diet+EtOAc extract (B), MCD diet (C) and MCD diet+EtOAc (D).

Results:The MCD diet led to grade 1 liver steatosis, inflammation and ballooning degeneration. In group D, these factors abated to grade 0 in 80% of the rats. In groups receiving the EtOAc extract, lipoprotein profiles had significantly improved relative to those not receiving the extract. Also, a dramatic reduction was observed in the sera alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminoteransferase activities. The activities of the liver superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase enzymes were also enhanced.

Conclusion:The EtOAc extract could reverse the adverse effects of the MCD diet.
Identification of bacterial DNA in neutrocytic and non‐neutrocytic cirrhotic ascites by means of a multiplex polymerase chain reaction
Authors: Bruns Tony , Sachse Svea , Straube Eberhard , Assefa Sentayehu , Herrmann Andreas , Hagel Stefan , Lehmann Marc , Stallmach Andreas
Published: July 2009

Background: Even though bacterial cultures of ascitic fluid are negative in up to 65% of the cases of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP); bacterial DNA (bactDNA) has been frequently detected in episodes of SBP as well as in culture‐negative non‐neutrocytic ascites.

Aims: To evaluate multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for pathogen identification in SBP and to determine the prevalence of ascitic bactDNA and its prognostic relevance in hospitalized patients with liver cirrhosis.

Methods: Ascitic fluid from 68 consecutive patients who underwent diagnostic paracentesis was analysed for polymorphonuclear leucocyte (PMN) count, bacterial culture and bactDNA. BactDNA was identified by gel analysis after multiplex PCR of selectively enriched prokaryotic nucleic acids. Correlations of bactDNA status with PMN count, bacterial culture result and 3‐month mortality were determined for neutrocytic and for non‐neutrocytic ascites.

Results: 11/68 patients presented with an elevated ascitic PMN count. BactDNA was detected in 5/5 culture‐positive neutrocytic samples, in 1/6 culture‐negative neutrocytic samples and in 8/56 culture‐negative non‐neutrocytic samples. Three‐month mortality did not differ with respect to ascitic bactDNA status (7/14 vs. 14/47, P=0.162). 3‐month mortality was increased in the presence of ascitic bactDNA for patients older than 65 years (4/5 vs. 4/14, P=0.046) and for patients with a model for end‐stage liver disease score >15 (7/10 vs. 9/30, P=0.025).

Conclusions: Identification of ascitic bactDNA is an appropriate alternative to bacterial ascite culture for pathogen identification in patients at risk for SBP. Its prognostic relevance as a proposed marker of bacterial translocation for certain risk groups has to be further evaluated.
Microvascular optical assessment confirms the presence of peripheral autonomic dysfunction in primary biliary cirrhosis
Authors: Stevens Sam , Allen John , Murray Alan , Jones David , Newton Julia
Published: July 2009

Background: Autonomic dysfunction (AD) is a significant problem in primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) and is equally present in early disease stages. Currently, AD in PBC is considered to be central in origin. The aim of this study was to examine peripheral mechanisms in the pathogenesis of AD in PBC using novel microvascular optical assessments for this patient group.

Methods: Twenty‐four early stage PBC patients and 24 age‐matched controls attended for two microvascular optical‐based measurement techniques. Firstly, the regulation of microvascular blood volume to the periphery was assessed using multisite photoplethysmography (PPG) by examining the degree of correlation between the right and left sides of the body, with reduced correlation consistent with peripheral AD. Secondly, the peripheral vasomotor reflex response to standing was dynamically tested using laser Doppler flowmetry to quantify the degree of autonomic tone in peripheral vasoconstriction.

Results: PBC patients had a significantly reduced right to left side blood volume multisite PPG correlation compared with controls when corrected for age, body mass index, heart rate and systolic blood pressure [impaired synchronization between pulse wave amplitude between right and left fingers and right and left ears (both P<0.05)]. The veno‐arteriolar reflex on standing in PBC patients was significantly lower than for the controls, consistent with poorer autonomic tone for vasoconstriction in PBC (P<0.01).

Conclusions: This study provides evidence for the presence of peripheral autonomic nervous system involvement in PBC. Prospective studies are now warranted to determine the full clinical potential of microvascular optical assessment in PBC.
Oxidative stress induced lung cancer and COPD: opportunities for epigenetic therapy
Authors: Lawless Matthew W. , O’Byrne Kenneth J. , Gray Steven G.
Published: July 2009

Oxidative stress, epigenetics, NSCLC and COPD

Linking epigenetics and oxidative stress to the development of COPD and NSCLC

Epigenetics, COPD, NSCLC and oxidative stress pathways/genes

Theophylline – a novel agonist of HDACs

Dietary HDAC inhibitors as therapeutic agents to target ‐   COPD or NSCLC?

Sulforaphane

Curcumin

Epigallocatechin 3‐gallate (EGCG)

Can dietary epigenetic inhibitors work in the clinical setting?

Caveats

Conclusions

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) form as a natural by‐product of the normal metabolism of oxygen and play important roles within the cell. Under normal circumstances the cell is able to maintain an adequate homeostasis between the formation of ROS and its removal through particular enzymatic pathways or via antioxidants. If however, this balance is disturbed a situation called oxidative stress occurs. Critically, oxidative stress plays important roles in the pathogenesis of many diseases, including cancer. Epigenetics is a process where gene expression is regulated by heritable mechanisms that do not cause any direct changes to the DNA sequence itself, and disruption of epigenetic mechanisms has important implications in disease. Evidence is emerging that histone deacetylases (HDACs) play decisive roles in regulating important cellular oxidative stress pathways including those involved with sensing oxidative stress and those involved with regulating the cellular response to oxidative stress. In particular aberrant regulation of these pathways by HDACs may play critical roles in cancer progression. In this review we discuss the current evidence linking epigenetics and oxidative stress and cancer, using chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and non‐small cell lung cancer to illustrate the importance of epigenetics on these pathways within these disease settings.
Explant‐derived human dental pulp stem cells enhance differentiation and proliferation potentials
Authors: Spath L. , Rotilio V. , Alessandrini M. , Gambara G. , De Angelis L. , Mancini M. , Mitsiadis T. A. , Vivarelli E. , Naro F. , Filippini A. , Papaccio G.
Published: July 2009

Numerous stem cell niches are present in the different tissues and organs of the adult human body. Among these tissues, dental pulp, entrapped within the ‘sealed niche’ of the pulp chamber, is an extremely rich site for collecting stem cells. In this study, we demonstrate that the isolation of human dental pulp stem cells by the explants culture method (hD‐DPSCs) allows the recovery of a population of dental mesenchymal stem cells that exhibit an elevated proliferation potential. Moreover, we highlight that hD‐DPSCs are not only capable of differentiating into osteoblasts and chondrocytes but are also able to switch their genetic programme when co‐cultured with murine myoblasts. High levels of MyoD expression were detected, indicating that muscle‐specific genes in dental pulp cells can be turned on through myogenic fusion, confirming thus their multipotency. A perivascular niche may be the potential source of hD‐DPSCs, as suggested by the consistent Ca2+ release from these cells in response to endothelin‐1 (ET‐1) treatment, which is also able to significantly increase cell proliferation. Moreover, response to ET‐1 has been found to be superior in hD‐DPSCs than in DPSCs, probably due to the isolation method that promotes release of stem/progenitor cells from perivascular structures. The ability to isolate, expand and direct the differentiation of hD‐DPSCs into several lineages, mainly towards myogenesis, offers an opportunity for the study of events associated with cell commitment and differentiation. Therefore, hD‐DPSCs display enhanced differentiation abilities when compared to DPSCs, and this might be of relevance for their use in therapy.
PKR, the double stranded RNA‐dependent protein kinase as a critical target in Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Morel Milena , Couturier Julien , Lafay‐Chebassier Claire , Paccalin Marc , Page Guylène
Published: July 2009

Introduction

Control of translation

Dysfunctions of protein synthesis mediated by PKR‐ and mTOR‐dependent signalling pathways

Crosslink between the up‐regulation of PKR/eIF2α and the down‐regulation of mTOR/RS6K in AD

PKR: a potential biomarker of AD diagnosis

Conclusion and perspectives

Amyloid β‐peptide (Aβ) deposits and neurofibrillary tangles are key hallmarks in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Aβ stimulates many signal transducers involved in the neuronal death. However, many mechanisms remain to be elucidated because no definitive therapy of AD exists. Some studies have focused on the control of translation which involves eIF2 and eIF4E, main eukaryotic factors of initiation. The availability of these factors depends on the activation of the double‐stranded RNA‐dependent protein kinase (PKR) and the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), respectively. mTOR positively regulates the translation while PKR results in a protein synthesis shutdown. Many studies demonstrated that the PKR signalling pathway is up‐regulated in cellular and animal models of AD and in the brain of AD patients. Interestingly, our results showed that phosphorylated PKR and eIF2α levels were significantly increased in lymphocytes of AD patients. These modifications were significantly correlated with cognitive and memory test scores performed in AD patients. On the contrary, the mTOR signalling pathway is down‐regulated in cellular and animal models of AD. Recently, we showed that p53, regulated protein in development and DNA damage response 1 and tuberous sclerosis complex 2 could represent molecular links between PKR and mTOR signalling pathways. PKR could be an early biomarker of the neuronal death and a critical target for a therapeutic programme in AD.
Symplastic glomus tumor – a rare but distinct benign histological variant with analogy to other ‘ancient’ benign skin neoplasms
Authors: Kamarashev Jivko , French Lars E , Dummer Reinhard , Kerl Katrin
Published: July 2009

A 78‐year‐old woman presented with a nail deformity of the index finger of the left hand associated with paroxysmal pain upon cold exposure. Histologically, a well‐circumscribed tumor of 3 mm diameter was found in the dermis. The neoplastic cells in some areas were of pronouncedly variable size and cytomorphology, mostly epithelioid in shape, with eosinophilic cytoplasm and indistinctly defined cell borders. Pronounced nuclear pleomorphism and atypia were striking features, but no mitotic figures were noted. Multinuclear cells were present as were numerous small‐to‐medium vessels throughout the tumor. The tumor stroma showed myxoid areas.

Immunohistochemistry showed cytoplasmic and membranous expression of smooth muscle actin and vimentin. The histological features and immunoprofile were consistent with the diagnosis of symplastic glomus tumor, a rare histological variant, which has been defined as a glomus tumor exhibiting marked nuclear atypia, in the absence of any other criteria for malignancy. The biological behavior of the tumor is benign. It is essential to differentiate this entity from malignant glomus tumor, which has metastatic potential. Even prominent cellular atypia and nuclear pleomorphism in a glomus tumor as in our case is not a marker of malignancy in the absence of additional criteria.
Co‐existing basal cell carcinoma and blue nevus in an African‐American woman
Authors: Litak Jason , Behroozan Daniel , Binder Scott
Published: July 2009

A 67‐year‐old African‐American woman presented with an enlarging darkly pigmented plaque on her scalp. Histopathologic examination revealed a basal cell carcinoma juxtaposed to a blue nevus. Interestingly, the most common types of cutaneous collision tumors include melanocytic nevus and basal cell carcinoma. Whether these combinations are simply because of chance or may have a pathophysiologic mechanism is contentious. This is the first documented case of a basal cell carcinoma co‐existing alone with a blue nevus.
Histiocyte‐rich pleomorphic mastocytoma: an uncommon variant mimicking juvenile xanthogranuloma and Langerhans cell histiocytosis
Authors: Tran Don T. , Jokinen Chris H. , Argenyi Zsolt B.
Published: July 2009

An 11‐year old Caucasian female with a remote history of urticaria pigmentosa presented with a neck mass. A biopsy demonstrated a large intradermal nodule composed of unusually large epithelioid mast cells, including a prominent subset with bi‐lobed and multi‐lobed nuclei. By immunohistochemistry, the cells expressed CD117 (C‐Kit), mast cell tryptase, CD68, and CD25, and were negative for CD163, CD1a, and S‐100, confirming the diagnosis of mastocytoma. Equally prominent was an admixed infiltrate of CD68 and CD163‐positive xanthomatous histiocytes that included Touton‐type giant cells. Eosinophils were abundant. At 7 months follow‐up, there was no recurrence of the lesion following complete excision. However, given the unusual cytologic features, close clinical observation is warranted, as the long‐term biologic potential of mastocytoma with this degree of cytologic atypia is uncertain. Awareness of this unusual morphologic variant is also important as the histologic features may mimic such childhood neoplasms as juvenile xanthogranuloma and Langerhans cell histiocytosis.
D2‐40 highlights lymphatic vessel proliferation of angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia
Authors: Miteva M. , Galimberti M. L. , Ricotti C. , Breza T. , Kirsner R. , Romanelli P.
Published: July 2009

Angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia (ALHE) is a benign, uncommon idiopathic condition, characterized by cutaneous papules or nodules, whose etiopathogenesis is still unclear. It has been considered an angioproliferating lesion (epithelioid hemangioma) since histologically it is marked by a proliferation of blood vessels, accompanied by an inflammatory infiltrate, consisting mainly of lymphocytes and eosinophils.

We present a case of ALHE assessed immunohistochemically for D2‐40—a new marker for lymphatic endothelial cells. A biopsy specimen obtained from the same anatomical area of a healthy individual served as a normal control. The ALHE specimen showed increased number of lymphatic vessels when stained for D2‐40, whereas the endothelial cells lining blood vessels were negative. The specificity of D2‐40 for lymphatic vessels was further substantiated by studying Factor VIII‐related antigen expression in consecutive sections of both ALHE and the control specimen. A reverse pattern was appreciated—blood vessels showed Factor VIII positive labeling, whereas lymphatic endothelial cells remained unlabeled.

We therefore assume that apart from the lymphocytic infiltrate in the lesion, the recognized lymphoid component in ALHE is due to lymphatic vessel proliferation as well. Hence, this condition may be considered as possibly derived from lymphatic endothelium.
Diagnosis of mycosis fungoides with different algorithmic approaches
Authors: Furmanczyk Paul S , Wolgamot Gregory M , Kussick Steve J , Sabath Dan E , Olerud John E , Argenyi Zsolt B
Published: July 2009

Background: Algorithmic scoring approaches for evaluating early cases of mycosis fungoides (MF) provide a degree of diagnostic standardization. At the UWMC, biopsies from clinically concerning cases for MF are individually reviewed by a panel of pathologists and an average score is assigned to each biopsy reflecting the degree of suspicion for a diagnosis of MF; however, such an approach may not be practical outside of an academic center.

Methods: 78 cases characterized in our institution, with the diagnosis confirmed by clinicopathologic correlation/clinical follow‐up were evaluated with two different algorithms, based entirely on histologic evaluation (Guitart algorithm) and partial implementation of the ISCL algorithm evaluating histology, immunohistochemistry and T‐cell clonality.

Results: A receiver operating characteristic curve comparing the results of the two approaches in early MF cases showed no statistical difference between the areas under the two curves. Increased stages of MF showed variable loss of T‐cell antigens by immunohistochemistry and higher rates of detectable clonality.

Conclusion: We could not document a statistically significant advantage of adding ancillary immunohistochemical and molecular testing to careful histologic evaluation in the workup of suspected cases of early MF. A systemic approach to histologic diagnosis by a single pathologist correlated favorably to the MF panel diagnosis.
Effector pathways during eczematous dermatitis: where inflammation meets cell death
Authors: Kerstan Andreas , Leverkus Martin , Trautmann Axel
Published: July 2009

Abstract:  During eczematous skin inflammation, the main constituents of the skin, keratinocytes (KC), play an important role in inducing and shaping the immunological response to environmental stimuli. This review focuses on the epidermal inflammation caused by keratinocyte‐T cell interactions arising from a disturbed barrier function of the skin. In eczematous dermatitis, activated dermis‐ and epidermis‐infiltrating T cells target KC for apoptosis. In turn, damaged KC respond by secreting inflammatory mediators, thus effecting further recruitment of immunocytes to inflamed skin. Further advances will come from identification of the immunoregulatory mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of eczematous dermatitis. Potential therapeutic interventions are discussed.
Stocking of native Mediterranean brown trout (Salmo trutta) into French tributaries of Lake Geneva does not contribute to lake‐migratory spawners
Authors: Caudron A. , Champigneulle A. , Largiadèr C. R. , Launey S. , Guyomard R.
Published: July 2009

Abstract –  We studied the contribution of stocking with Mediterranean autochthonous brown trout (Salmo trutta) to the lake‐migratory spawners in French tributaries of Lake Geneva. This singular lake system is inhabited by both the resident and the migratory life‐history form, and by trout of Atlantic and Mediterranean origins. Using two discriminatory microsatellite loci between the Atlantic and Mediterranean alleles, we compared the genetic composition of the migratory Atlantic populations of the four main tributaries before (1999; N = 113) and after (2004, 2005 and 2006; N = 137) recent introductions of native Mediterranean trout. No significant modification of the genetic composition was detected in all four populations over time and only two individuals were statistically assigned to the Mediterranean strain by the Bayesian method implemented in the structure program. These results suggest a negligible contribution of the stockings with autochthonous Mediterranean trout to the lake‐migratory spawners migrating into the four tributaries.
Different Stimuli Reduce Attraction to Pollinators in Male and Female Figs in the Dioecious Fig Ficus hispida
Authors: Hu Hao‐Yuan , Jiang Zi‐Feng , Niu Li‐Ming , Fu Yue‐Guan , Peng Zheng‐Qiang , Huang Da‐Wei
Published: July 2009

Fig trees (Ficus) and their obligate pollinating wasps (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea, Agaonidae) are a classic example of a coevolved mutualism. Pollinating wasps are attracted to figs only when figs are receptive. It has been shown that figs will lose their attraction to pollinators sooner in monoecious and male dioecious figs when multiple pollinators have entered the enclosed inflorescence. However, little is known about the nature of the stimulus inducing the loss of attraction. By conducting experiments on the functionally dioecious fig, Ficus hispida, we show that (1) different stimuli induce the loss of attraction in each sex, pollination in female figs, and oviposition in male figs; and (2) foundress number affects the loss of attraction in both sexes only when the prerequisites (i.e., pollination in female figs and oviposition in male figs) have been satisfied. In general, the more foundresses that enter, the earlier the fig will lose its receptivity. We argue that the stimuli in male and female figs are adaptations to the fulfillment of its respective reproduction.
Resolving the high redshift Lyα forest in smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulations
Authors: Bolton James S. , Becker George D.
Published: July 2009

We use a large set of cosmological smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) simulations to examine the effect of mass resolution and box size on synthetic Lyα forest spectra at 2 ≤z≤ 5. The mass resolution requirements for the convergence of the mean Lyα flux and flux power spectrum at z= 5 are significantly stricter than at lower redshift. This is because transmission in the high redshift Lyα forest is primarily due to underdense regions in the intergalactic medium (IGM), and these are less well resolved compared to the moderately overdense regions which dominate the Lyα forest opacity at z≃ 2–3. We further find that the gas density distribution in our simulations differs significantly from previous results in the literature at large overdensities (Δ > 10). We conclude that studies of the Lyα forest at z= 5 using SPH simulations require a gas particle mass of Mgas≤ 2 × 105h−1 M⊙, which is ≳8 times the value required at z= 2. A box size of at least 40 h−1 Mpc is preferable at all redshifts.
The Future of Psychology: Connecting Mind to Brain
Authors: Barrett Lisa Feldman
Published: July 2009

Psychological states such as thoughts and feelings are real. Brain states are real. The problem is that the two are not real in the same way, creating the mind—brain correspondence problem. In this article, I present a possible solution to this problem that involves two suggestions. First, complex psychological states such as emotion and cognition can be thought of as constructed events that can be causally reduced to a set of more basic, psychologically primitive ingredients that are more clearly respected by the brain. Second, complex psychological categories like emotion and cognition are the phenomena that require explanation in psychology, and, therefore, they cannot be abandoned by science. Describing the content and structure of these categories is a necessary and valuable scientific activity.
Naive and Obvious Questions
Authors: Funder David C.
Published: July 2009

Psychology is the luckiest of the sciences because it owns the most interesting questions, the foremost being, “Why do people do what they do?” Naively, one might expect that research addressing this question would focus on the most important behaviors, but instead most studies choose behavioral dependent variables on the basis of their procedural feasibility and suitability for theory testing. The cumulative result is an uneven and unrepresentative map of the behavioral terrain. Situational variables are chosen in a similar manner with a parallel result. (Personality variables, in contrast, typically are designed to capture intrinsically important individual differences.) In this article, I proposes a simple research agenda that measures situational and behavioral variables selected on the basis of their intrinsic interest and consequentiality. This agenda promotes descriptive empirical research that is more likely to address the obvious (and good) questions that are the foundation of the widespread interest in psychology and to aid the development of theories that are interesting and widely relevant.
The Nature (and Nurture?) of Plasticity in Early Human Development
Authors: Belsky Jay , Pluess Michael
Published: July 2009

The effect of early experience is a long-standing concern in developmental psychology. Gaining further insight into the nature of human plasticity is central to efforts to prevent problems in development from arising and promote positive functioning. Evolutionary reasoning suggests that children should vary in their susceptibility to environmental influences, including parenting. Evidence indicates that rather than some children, such as those with negatively emotional temperaments or certain genotypes, being simply more vulnerable to the adverse effects of negative experiences, as commonly assumed, they may actually be more susceptible to both positive and negative experiences. In addition to raising questions about the nature of plasticity in human development, this article highlights unknowns regarding the role of nature and nurture in shaping individual differences in plasticity, including whether recent research linking maternal stress during pregnancy with child behavior problems illuminates a process whereby fetal programming shapes the child's susceptibility to postnatal environmental influences. Throughout this article, we raise concern about the potentially distorting influence that psychology's disproportionate focus on the adverse effect of negative experiences on developmental problems has on our understanding of human plasticity, and we propose that researchers should pay more attention to the positive side of the plasticity equation.
How Can Evolutionary Psychology Successfully Explain Personality and Individual Differences?
Authors: Buss David M.
Published: July 2009

Although evolutionary psychology has been successful in explaining some species-typical and sex-differentiated adaptations, a large question that has largely eluded the field is this: How can the field successfully explain personality and individual differences? This article highlights some promising theoretical directions for tackling this question. These include life-history theory, costly signaling theory, environmental variability in fitness optima, frequency-dependent selection, mutation load, and flexibly contingent shifts in strategy according to environmental conditions. Tackling the explanatory question also requires progress on three fronts: (a) reframing some personality traits as forms of strategic individual differences; (b) providing a nonarbitrary, evolutionary-based formulation of environments as distributions and salience profiles of adaptive problems; and (c) identifying which strategies thrive and which falter in these differing problem-defined environments.
How to Tell If a Particular Memory Is True or False
Authors: Bernstein Daniel M. , Loftus Elizabeth F.
Published: July 2009

How can you tell if a particular memory belonging to you or someone else is true or false? Cognitive scientists use a variety of techniques to measure groups of memories, whereas police, lawyers, and other researchers use procedures to determine whether an individual can be believed or not. We discuss evidence from behavioral and neuroimaging studies and research on lying that have attempted to distinguish true from false memories.
Know Thyself
Authors: Wilson Timothy D.
Published: July 2009

Self-knowledge has never been a central topic; in empirical psychology. There are pockets of research on self-knowledge in different subdisciplines of the field, but until now there has been little communication between them. I believe that these areas will converge in the next few years into a cohesive study of how people form judgments about their past, current, and future selves and about the accuracy of these judgments. I discuss theoretical developments in this area, the costs of poor self-knowledge, how people can know themselves better, and some of the obstacles to the study of self-knowledge.
Mechanisms of Gene-Environment Interaction Effects in the Development of Conduct Disorder
Authors: Dodge Kenneth A.
Published: July 2009

The gene—environment interaction effect in the development of conduct disorder is one of the most important discoveries of the past decade, but the mechanisms through which this effect operates remain elusive. I propose a model of these processes that focuses on the individual's response to a threatening stimulus in ongoing social interaction. The individual's response coordinates three interrelated systems: neural, autonomic, and information-processing. In each system, adaptive, evolutionarily selected response patterns characterize normal responding, but in psychopathology these patterns have gone awry. Antecedents of individual differences in these response patterns arise from genetic polymorphisms, adverse environmental experiences early in life, and their interaction. Programs of research are proposed to test hypotheses in the model through longitudinal, experimental, and clinical intervention methods. This model can serve as a template for inquiry in other forms of developmental psychopathology.
Human—Android Interaction in the Near and Distant Future
Authors: Roese Neal J. , Amir Eyal
Published: July 2009

In this article, a psychologist and an artificial-intelligence (AI) researcher speculate on the future of social interaction between humans and androids (robots designed to look and act exactly like people). We review the trajectory of currently developing robotics technologies and assess the level of android sophistication likely to be achieved in 50 years time. On the basis of psychological research, we consider obstacles to creating an android indistinguishable from humans. Finally, we discuss the implications of human-android social interaction from the standpoint of current psychological and AI research and speculate on the novel psychological issues likely to arise from such interaction. The science of psychology will face a remarkable new set of challenges in grappling with human—android interaction.