bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Signaling Specificity of Interleukin-6 Action on Glucose and Lipid Metabolism in Skeletal Muscle
Authors: Al-Khalili Lubna , Bouzakri Karim , Glund Stephan , Lönnqvist Fredrik , Koistinen Heikki A. , Krook Anna
Published: September 2006

We identified signaling pathways by which IL-6 regulates skeletal muscle differentiation and metabolism. Primary human skeletal muscle cells were exposed to IL-6 (25 ng/ml either acutely or for several days), and small interfering RNA gene silencing was applied to measure glucose and fat metabolism. Chronic IL-6 exposure increased myotube fusion and formation and the mRNA expression of glucose transporter 4, peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR)α, PPARδ, PPARγ, PPARγ coactivator 1, glycogen synthase, myocyte enhancer factor 2D, uncoupling protein 2, fatty acid transporter 4, and IL-6 (P < 0.05), whereas glucose transporter 1, CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-α, and uncoupling protein 3 were decreased. IL-6 increased glucose incorporation into glycogen, glucose uptake, lactate production, and fatty acid uptake and oxidation, concomitant with increased phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), signal transducer and activator of transcription 3, and ERK1/2. IL-6 also increased phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase activity (450%; P < 0.05), which was blunted by subsequent insulin-stimulation (P < 0.05). IL-6-mediated glucose metabolism was suppressed, but lipid metabolism was unaltered, by inhibition of PI3-kinase with LY294002. The small interfering RNA-directed depletion of AMPK reduced IL-6-mediated fatty acid oxidation and palmitate uptake but did not reduce glycogen synthesis. In summary, IL-6 increases glycogen synthesis via a PI3-kinase-dependent mechanism and enhances lipid oxidation via an AMPK-dependent mechanism in skeletal muscle. Thus, IL-6 directly promotes skeletal muscle differentiation and regulates muscle substrate utilization, promoting glycogen storage and lipid oxidation.
Gonadotropin-Induced Apoptosis in Human Ovarian Surface Epithelial Cells Is Associated with Cyclooxygenase-2 Up-Regulation via the β-Catenin/T-Cell Factor Signaling Pathway
Authors: Pon Yuen Lam , Wong Alice S. T.
Published: September 2006

Gonadotropins play a prominent role in ovarian function and pathology. We have shown that treatment with gonadotropins (FSH and LH/human chorionic gonadotropin) reduces the amount of N-cadherin with a concomitant induction of apoptosis in human ovarian surface epithelial (OSE) cells, but precise molecular mechanisms remain to be elucidated. Here, we demonstrated activation of β-catenin/T-cell factor (TCF) signaling by gonadotropins. We further showed that ectopic expression of N-cadherin was sufficient to recruit β-catenin to the plasma membrane, thereby blocking β-catenin/TCF-mediated transactivation in gonadotropin-treated cells. Transfection with β-catenin small interfering RNA or expression of dominant negative TCF inhibited apoptosis, whereas expression of dominant stable β-catenin (S37A) caused significant apoptosis, thus supporting a proapoptotic role for β-catenin/TCF in human OSE. In addition, we showed that gonadotropins enhanced β-catenin/TCF transcriptional activity through inactivation of glycogen synthase kinase-3β in a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt-dependent manner, indicating cross talk between the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt and β-catenin signaling pathways through glycogen synthase kinase-3β. Furthermore, gonadotropins increased cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression via the β-catenin/TCF pathway. COX-2 also played a role in gonadotropin-induced apoptosis, as treatment with the COX-2-specific inhibitor NS-398 or COX-2 small interfering RNA blocked gonadotropin-dependent apoptotic activity. These findings suggest that the participation of β-catenin in adhesion and signaling may represent a novel mechanism through which gonadotropins may regulate the cellular fate of human OSE.
Metabolite uptake, stoichiometry and chemoautotrophic function of the hydrothermal vent tubeworm Riftia pachyptila: responses to environmental variations in substrate concentrations and temperature
Authors: Girguis Peter R. , Childress James J.
Published: August 2006

The hydrothermal vent tubeworm Riftia pachyptila is a dominant member of many hydrothermal vent communities along the East Pacific rise and is one of the fastest growing metazoans known. Riftia flourish in diffuse hydrothermal fluid flows, an environment with high spatial and temporal heterogeneity in physical and chemical conditions. To date,physiological and biochemical studies of Riftia have focused on Riftia's adaptations to its chemoautotrophic bacterial symbionts. However the relation between in situ physico-chemical heterogeneity and Riftia host and symbiont metabolism, in particular symbiont chemoautotrophic function, remain poorly understood. Accordingly, we conducted experiments using shipboard high-pressure respirometers to ascertain the effect of varying substrate concentrations and temperature on Riftiametabolite uptake and symbiont carbon fixation. Our results show that substrate concentrations can strongly govern Riftia oxygen and sulfide uptake rates, as well as net carbon uptake (which is a proxy for chemoautotrophic primary production). However, after sufficient exposure to sulfide and oxygen, Riftia were capable of sustaining symbiont autotrophic function for several hours in seawater devoid of sulfide or oxygen, enabling the association to support symbiont metabolism through brief periods of substrate deficiency. Overall, temperature had the largest influence on Riftia metabolite uptake and symbiont autotrophic metabolism. In sum, while Riftia requires sufficient availability of substrates to support symbiont chemoautotrophic function, it is extremely well poised to buffer the temporal and spatial heterogeneity in environmental substrate concentrations, alleviating the influence of environmental heterogeneity on symbiont chemoautotrophic function.
Costly Information Acquisition: Experimental Analysis of a Boundedly Rational Model
Authors: Gabaix Xavier , Laibson David , Moloche Guillermo , Weinberg Stephen
Published: September 2006

The directed cognition model assumes that agents use partially myopic option-value calculations to select their next cognitive operation. The current paper tests this model by studying information acquisition in two experiments. In the first experiment, information acquisition has an explicit financial cost. In the second experiment, information acquisition is costly because time is scarce. The directed cognition model successfully predicts aggregate information acquisition patterns in these experiments. When the directed cognition model and the fully rational model make demonstrably different predictions, the directed cognition model better matches the laboratory evidence.
Individual Preferences, Monetary Gambles, and Stock Market Participation: A Case for Narrow Framing
Authors: Barberis Nicholas , Huang Ming , Thaler Richard H
Published: September 2006

We argue that “narrow framing,” whereby an agent who is offered a new gamble evaluates that gamble in isolation, may be a more important feature of decision-making than previously realized. Our starting point is the evidence that people are often averse to a small, independent gamble, even when the gamble is actuarially favorable. We find that a surprisingly wide range of utility functions, including many nonexpected utility specifications, have trouble explaining this evidence, but that this difficulty can be overcome by allowing for narrow framing. Our analysis makes predictions as to what kinds of preferences can most easily address the stock market participation puzzle.
A Model of Forum Shopping
Authors: Lerner Josh , Tirole Jean
Published: September 2006

Owners of intellectual property or mere sponsors of an idea (e.g., authors, security issuers, sponsors of standards) resort to more or less independent certifiers to persuade potential users (buyers or adopters) of the worth of their property or idea. We analyze the sponsor's choices of certifier and design, social preferences regarding these choices, and the impacts thereon of multiple categories of users, of a downstream presence of the sponsor, and of certifier market power. Finally, we study strategic forum shopping by sponsors of competing ideas.
Cardinality versus Ordinality: A Suggested Compromise
Authors: Mandler Michael
Published: September 2006

By taking sets of utility functions as primitive, we define an ordering over assumptions on utility functions that gauges their measurement requirements. Cardinal and ordinal assumptions constitute two levels of measurability, but other assumptions lie between these extremes. We apply the ordering to explanations of why preferences should be convex. The assumption that utility is concave qualifies as a compromise between cardinality and ordinality, while the Arrow-Koopmans explanation, supposedly an ordinal theory, relies on utilities in the cardinal measurement class. In social choice theory, a concavity compromise between ordinality and cardinality is also possible and rationalizes the core utilitarian policies.
Self-Enforcing Voting in International Organizations
Authors: Maggi Giovanni , Morelli Massimo
Published: September 2006

Some international organizations are governed by unanimity rule, others by (simple or qualified) majority rules. Standard voting models, which assume that the decisions made by voting are perfectly enforceable, have a hard time explaining the observed variation in governance mode, and in particular the widespread occurrence of the unanimity system. We present a model whose main departure from standard voting models is that the organization cannot rely on external enforcement mechanisms: each country is sovereign and cannot be forced to comply with the collective decision or, in other words, the voting system must be self-enforcing. The model identifies conditions under which the organization adopts the unanimity rule, and yields rich comparative-statics predictions on the determinants of the mode of governance.
Traditional Institutions Meet the Modern World: Caste, Gender, and Schooling Choice in a Globalizing Economy
Authors: Munshi Kaivan , Rosenzweig Mark
Published: September 2006

This paper addresses the question of how traditional institutions interact with the forces of globalization to shape the economic mobility and welfare of particular groups of individuals in the new economy. We explore the role of one such traditional institution—the caste system—in shaping career choices by gender in Bombay using new survey data on school enrollment and income over the past 20 years. We find that male working-class—lower-caste—networks continue to channel boys into local language schools that lead to the traditional occupation, despite the fact that returns to nontraditional white-collar occupations rose substantially in the 1990s, suggesting the possibility of a dynamic inefficiency. In contrast, lower-caste girls, who historically had low labor market participation rates and so did not benefit from the network, are taking full advantage of the opportunities that became available in the new economy by switching rapidly to English schools.
$1,000 Cash Back: The Pass-Through of Auto Manufacturer Promotions
Authors: Busse Meghan , Silva-Risso Jorge , Zettelmeyer Florian
Published: September 2006

Automobile manufacturers frequently use promotions involving cash incentives. While payments are nominally directed to either customers or dealers, the ultimate beneficiary of the promotion depends on the outcome of price negotiation. We use program evaluation methods to compare the incidence of these two types of promotions. Customers obtain 70 to 90 percent of a customer rebate, but only 30 to 40 percent of a dealer discount promotion, a $500 difference for a typical promotion. Our leading hypothesis is that pass-through rates differ because of information asymmetries: customer rebates are well-publicized to customers, while dealer discount promotions are not.
A Theory of Participation in Elections
Authors: Feddersen Timothy , Sandroni Alvaro
Published: September 2006

We analyze a model of participation in elections in which voting is costly and no vote is pivotal. Ethical agents are motivated to participate when they determine that agents of their type are obligated to do so. Unlike previous duty-based models of participation, in our model an ethical agent's obligation to vote is determined endogenously as a function of the behavior of other agents. Our model predicts high turnout and comparative statics that are consistent with strategic behavior.
What Is Discrimination? Gender in the American Economic Association, 1935–2004
Authors: Donald Stephen G , Hamermesh Daniel S
Published: September 2006

We illustrate problems of measuring discrimination using elections to AEA offices. With a new econometric technique, we find female candidates have a much better than random chance of victory. This advantage is either reverse discrimination or reflects beliefs that women are more productive. The former interpretation could be explained by an unchanging median voter whose preferences were not satisfied by suppliers of candidates; but there was a structural change in voting behavior in the mid-1970s. The results suggest it is generally impossible to claim differences in rewards, for different groups measure the extent of discrimination or even its direction.
Life-Cycle Variation in the Association between Current and Lifetime Earnings
Authors: Haider Steven , Solon Gary
Published: September 2006

Researchers in a variety of important economic literatures have assumed that current income variables as proxies for lifetime income variables follow the textbook errors-in-variables model. In our analysis of Social Security records containing nearly career-long earnings histories for the Health and Retirement Study sample, we find that the relationship between current and lifetime earnings departs substantially from the textbook model in ways that vary systematically over the life cycle. Our results can enable more appropriate analysis of, and correction for, errors-in-variables bias in any research that uses current earnings to proxy for lifetime earnings.
Choice Shifts in Groups: A Decision-Theoretic Basis
Authors: Eliaz Kfir , Ray Debraj , Razin Ronny
Published: September 2006

The phenomenon of choice shifts in group decision-making has received attention in the social psychology literature. Faced with a risky group decision, individuals appear to support more extreme choices relative to those they would make on their own. This paper demonstrates that from a decision-theoretic perspective, choice shifts are intimately connected to failures of expected utility theory. In the model studied here, the Allais paradox is equivalent to a well-studied configuration of choice shifts. Thus, our results marry two well-known behavioral regularities, one in individual decision theory and another in the social psychology of groups.
Multiple Dimensions of Private Information: Evidence from the Long-Term Care Insurance Market
Authors: Finkelstein Amy , McGarry Kathleen
Published: September 2006

We demonstrate the existence of multiple dimensions of private information in the long-term care insurance market. Two types of people purchase insurance: individuals with private information that they are high risk and individuals with private information that they have strong taste for insurance. Ex post, the former are higher risk than insurance companies expect, while the latter are lower risk. In aggregate, those with more insurance are not higher risk. Our results demonstrate that insurance markets may suffer from asymmetric information even absent a positive correlation between insurance coverage and risk occurrence. The results also suggest a general test for asymmetric information.
Higher-Education Policies and the College Wage Premium: Cross-State Evidence from the 1990s
Authors: Fortin Nicole M
Published: September 2006

Exploiting differences across U.S. states, this paper demonstrates that there is a tight link between higher education policies, past enrollment rates, and recent changes in the college wage premium among labor market entrants. The analysis reveals, however, that this relationship is much weaker in states with high private enrollment rates, high levels of interstate mobility, or interstate trade. The within-state estimates of the own-cohort relative supply effect shed some light on the extent to which the U.S. labor market can be characterized as a single national market or a collection of state-specific labor markets.
Entrepreneurial Risk and Market Entry
Authors: Wu Brian , Knott Anne Marie
Published: September 2006

This paper attempts to reconcile the risk-bearing characterization of entrepreneurs with the stylized fact that entrepreneurs exhibit conventional risk-aversion profiles. We propose that the disparity arises from confounding two distinct dimensions of uncertainty: demand uncertainty and ability uncertainty. We further propose that entrepreneurs will be risk averse with respect to demand uncertainty, yet “apparent risk seeking” (or overconfident) with respect to ability uncertainty. To examine this view, we construct a reduced-form model of the entrepreneur’s entry decision, which we aggregate to the market level, then test empirically. We find that entrepreneurs in aggregate behave as we predict. Accordingly, risk-averse entrepreneurs are willing to bear market risk when the degree of ability uncertainty is comparable to the degree of demand uncertainty. Potential market failures exist in instances where there is a high demand uncertainty but low performance dispersion (insufficient entry), or low demand uncertainty but high performance dispersion (excess entry).
Risk Assessment for Banking Systems
Authors: Elsinger Helmut , Lehar Alfred , Summer Martin
Published: September 2006

We propose a new approach to assess systemic financial stability of a banking system using standard tools from modern risk management in combination with a network model of interbank loans. We apply our model to a unique data set of all Austrian banks. We find that correlation in banks' asset portfolios dominates contagion as the main source of systemic risk. Contagion is rare but can nonetheless wipe out a major part of the banking system. Low bankruptcy costs and an efficient crisis resolution policy are crucial to limit the systemwide impact of contagious default events. We compute the “value at risk” for a lender of last resort and find that the funds necessary to prevent contagion are surprisingly small.
Airlines as Baseball Players: Another Approach for Evaluating an Equal-Safety Hypothesis
Authors: Czerwinski David , Barnett Arnold
Published: September 2006

Within the First World, observed differences across air carriers in passenger death risk are almost never statistically significant. But given the rarity of fatal crashes, even a lopsided split of crashes across airlines is unlikely to achieve significance. For greater perspective about relative airline safety performance, we supplemented an analysis of overall mortality data with a two-part statistical procedure. The first part—which was inspired by the way the Oakland Athletics Major League baseball team evaluates individual baseball players—allows for a sharp test of a key aspect of an equal-safety hypothesis, related to the frequency with which individual airlines suffer life-threatening events. The second test considers a further aspect of safety, namely the ability to recover from emergencies given that they have occurred. When applied to U.S. domestic jet services over 1983–2002, the test procedures indicate that long-established airlines have been about equally (and hugely) successful in protecting their passengers from accidental death and that established airlines are not demonstrably safer than the “new-entrant” jet carriers formed after U.S. airline deregulation.
Sequential Observation and Selection with Rank-Dependent Payoffs: An Experimental Study
Authors: Bearden J. Neil , Rapoport Amnon , Murphy Ryan O.
Published: September 2006

We consider a class of sequential observation and selection decision problems in which applicants are interviewed one at a time, decision makers only learn the applicant's quality relative to the applicants that have been interviewed and rejected, only a single applicant is selected, and payoffs increase in the absolute quality of the selected applicant. Compared to the optimal decision policy, which we compute numerically, results from two experiments show that subjects terminated their search too early. We competitively test three behavioral decision rules and find that a multithreshold rule, which has the same form as the optimal decision policy but is parameterized differently, best accounts for the data. Results from a probability estimation task show that subjects tend to overestimate the absolute quality of early applicants and give insufficient consideration to the yet-to-be-seen applicants.
Enhancing a Branch-and-Bound Algorithm for Two-Stage Stochastic Integer Network Design-Based Models
Authors: Andrade Rafael , Lisser Abdel , Maculan Nelson , Plateau Gérard
Published: September 2006

In this paper we present branch-and-bound (B&B) strategies for two-stage stochastic integer network design-based models with integrality constraints in the first-stage variables. These strategies are used within L-shaped decomposition-based B&B framework. We propose a valid inequality in order to improve B&B performance. We use this inequality to implement a multirooted B&B tree. A selective use of optimality cuts is explored in the B&B approach and we also propose a subgradient-based technique for branching on 0-1 feasible solutions. Finally, we present computational results for a fixed-charge network design problem with random demands.
Stochastic Dominance and Cumulative Prospect Theory
Authors: Baucells Manel , Heukamp Franz H.
Published: September 2006

We generalize and extend the second-order stochastic dominance condition for expected utility to cumulative prospect theory. The new definitions include preferences represented by S-shaped value functions, inverse S-shaped probability weighting functions, and loss aversion. The stochastic dominance conditions supply a framework to test different features of cumulative prospect theory. In the experimental part of the paper, we offer a test of several joint hypotheses on the value function and the probability weighting function. Assuming empirically relevant weighting functions, we can reject the inverse S-shaped value function recently advocated by Levy and Levy (2002) in favor of the S-shaped form. In addition, we find generally supporting evidence for loss aversion. Violations of loss aversion can be explained by subjects using the overall probability of winning as a heuristic.
Opportunity Recognition as the Detection of Meaningful Patterns: Evidence from Comparisons of Novice and Experienced Entrepreneurs
Authors: Baron Robert A. , Ensley Michael D.
Published: September 2006

It is suggested that the recognition of new business opportunities often involves pattern recognition—the cognitive process through which individuals identify meaningful patterns in complex arrays of events or trends. Basic research on pattern recognition indicates that cognitive frameworks acquired through experience (e.g., prototypes) play a central role in this process. Such frameworks provide individuals with a basis for noticing connections between seemingly independent events or trends (e.g., advances in technology, shifts in markets, changes in government policies, etc.), and for detecting meaningful patterns in these connections. We propose that ideas for new products or services often emerge from the perception of such patterns. New business opportunities are identified when entrepreneurs, using relevant cognitive frameworks, “connect the dots” between seemingly unrelated events or trends and then detect patterns in these connections suggestive of new products or services. To obtain evidence on these proposals, we compared the “business opportunity” prototypes of novice (first-time) and repeat (experienced) entrepreneurs—their cognitive representations of the essential nature of opportunities. As predicted, the prototypes of experienced entrepreneurs were more clearly defined, richer in content, and more concerned with factors and conditions related to actually starting and running a new venture (e.g., generation of positive cash flow) than the prototypes of novice entrepreneurs. These findings offer support for the view that pattern recognition is a key component of opportunity recognition.
Market Valuation and Employee Stock Options
Authors: Zhang Ge
Published: September 2006

This paper investigates a market-valuation-based hypothesis for employee stock options (ESOs). Given that stock prices do not track fundamental values perfectly, I show that ESOs can be used to sell overvalued stocks and to increase long-term shareholder value. The key cross-sectional prediction of the valuation rationale is that the conditional probability of granting options to employees and the amount of options granted to them are positively correlated with market valuation and volatility. Moreover, for extremely overvalued firms, the correlation between option grant and market valuation is weaker. Firms that use ESOs can save their regular employee compensation costs. I find strong empirical evidence supporting these predictions.
Value Implications of Investments in Information Technology
Authors: Anderson Mark C. , Banker Rajiv D. , Ravindran Sury
Published: September 2006

The year 2000 (Y2K) countdown provided a uniquely visible instance of spending on information technology (IT) by U.S. companies. With public attention riveted on potential Y2K malfunctions, managers were forced to evaluate their IT and make decisions about whether to modify or replace existing systems. In the aftermath of Y2K, critics charged that the problem was overblown and that companies overspent on IT. In contrast, we posit in this paper that efforts companies made to renew and upgrade their IT may have positioned them to take advantage of new e-business applications. As Y2K approached, managers could invest opportunistically in IT, which would enable them to connect with customers and suppliers in new ways. Contrary to the alleged overspending, we find that firm value increased, on average, with Y2K spending by Fortune 1000 companies. In particular, higher firm value and subsequent earnings were associated with Y2K spending for firms in industries where IT was considered to have a transforming influence—altering traditional ways of doing business by redefining business processes and relationships. We also test whether the positive association between firm value and Y2K spending diminished with Y2K spending by industry peer firms, but we do not find support for this relative investment hypothesis.
Treatment of papilloma of the larynx in children
Authors: Boyle William F. , McCoy E. Gordon
Published: September 2006

Few problems are more challenging than papilloma of the larynx. In a sense, there exists a great deal of information on the subject, and there certainly exists a vast array of treatment modalities. This paper is not only a brief review of the subject but also a report on recent experiences of the authors in the surgical treatment of this disease. Our experience indicates that repeated endoscopic excision of papillomas at four to six‐week intervals offers the greatest opportunity for eradication of the disease.
Blow‐out fractures of the orbit
Authors: Saviano Michael F. , Alonsoy William A.
Published: September 2006

Swift, blunt, convex non‐penetrating orbital trauma displaces eye tissues backward. Ocular compression transmits intraorbital hydraulic pressure to the bony orbital pyramid walls. Abrupt ocular decompression occurs by means of a pyramid wall fracturing and allowing orbital tissues to herniate into adjacent sinuses: decompression valve. This mechanism of orbital kinetic energy de‐acceleration has been clinically,1,2 and experimentally1 described and classified23 as a pure blow‐out fracture (Table I).
Traumatic carotid jugular fistula
Authors: Loré John M. , Grisanti Anthony , Kane Arden
Published: September 2006

A case of a traumatic arteriovenous fistula involving the internal carotid artery and internal jugular vein near the base of the skull, together with a traumatic aneurysm formation and the coexistence of an ipsilateral congenital cerebral A‐V formation is presented.

A review of the literature and present surgical management is discussed.
Frontal sinus barotrauma
Authors: Wbissman Bruce , Green Ronald S. , Roberts Perry T.
Published: September 2006

Fourteen Air Force pilots and one Scuba diver exhibiting a severe form of aerosinusitis — frontal sinus hematoma — were evaluated and treated. The physiology of the sinuses during flight is presented as a basis for clinical staging of sinus barotrauma. Despite prompt and intensive medical therapy, 13 pilots with Grade III sinus barotrauma required trephination of the frontal sinus.
A new immunoglobulin in allergic rhinitis — (IgE)
Authors: Mogi Goro
Published: September 2006

Allergic rhinitis is among the atopic allergic diseases. Sera from patients with atopic disease possess reaginic antibodies that are positive Prausnitz‐Kiistner reaction substances. Recently, a new immunoglobulin class — IgE — was discovered, in which the reaginic antibodies are present in high concentration. The chemical structure and biologic properties of this new immunoglobulin are described, and further investigative efforts for IgE were proposed to clarify the defense mechanism of IgE.
Von recklinghausen's disease with multiple meningiomas
Authors: Evard Michael , Passy Victor
Published: September 2006

Von Recklinghausen's disease has been documented by specific findings of “cafe au lait” spots and disseminated neurofibroma skin tumors. This same syndrome has also been ascribed to histological tumors of meningiomas, gliomas, pheochromocytomas, neurilemmomas, and ganglioneuromas, all of which are usually located elsewhere than in the integument. This paper presents an unusual case documented as Von Recklinghausen's. disease with multiple meningiomas involving many organ systems of the body. Questions as to the validity of cases of this nature being classified as Von Recklinghausen's disease are presented.
Mediastinoscopy: 300 cases reported and literature reviewed
Authors: Tucker John A.
Published: September 2006

A total of 300 cases of mediastinoscopy are presented with a detailed analysis of indications and results. A 61 percent positive overall mediastinoscopy rate was achieved. A 43.8 percent positive mediastinoscopy rate was obtained in carcinoma of the lung. Sarcoidosis reached 96 percent success rate which is compatible with other world statistics. The establishment of mediastinoscopy as an important diagnostic procedure in problems of hilar adenopathy is substantiated. It is interesting to note that despite the established skill of the otolaryngologist as an endoscopist, mediastinoscopy in this country has been to date most widely performed by the thoracic surgeons.
The influence of ischemia upon the energy reserves of inner ear tissues
Authors: Thalmann R. , Miyoshi T. , Thalmann I.
Published: September 2006

Ischemic changes in the levels of glucose, glycogen, ATP and P‐creatine are determined under “closed system” conditions in the organ of Corti, stria vascularis, ganglion spirale, cochlear nerve and vestibular sensory epithelia. From the resting levels of these compounds the total energy reserve in terms of equivalents of high energy phosphate, both preformed and potentially available from anaerobic glycolysis, is computed. The energy reserves are highest in the organ of Corti, intermediate in stria vascularis, spiral ganglion and vestibular structures, and lowest in the cochlear nerve. The rate of depletion of these energy reserves in ischemia is used as an indicator of the energy requirements of the respective tissues. The metabolic rate is by far the highest in the stria vascularis, intermediate in ganglion spirale and cochlear nerve and lowest in the organ of Corti and vestibular structures. There is no correlation between the total energy reserve and the initial energy use rates. The obtained data are compared with the dynamic patterns of the corresponding biopotentials and with pertinent results of enzymatic and respirometric studies; in addition, ischemic changes in glucose and lactate levels of perilymph are described.
Temporomandibular arthroplasty for chronic dislocation of the mandible
Authors: Sessions Donald G. , Porubsky Edward S.
Published: September 2006

Five patients with chronic dislocation of the mandible have been treated with temporomandibular joint arthroplasty. Removal of the articular tubercle of the glenoid fossa in these patients has converted symptomatic dislocation into asymptomatic subluxation. Two patients with recurrent painful subluxation have also improved following the procedure.
Transmedian innervation of the human upper lip: An embryological study
Authors: Viers Wayne
Published: September 2006

Anesthesia of the caudal margin of the nose and the upper lip is of considerable importance to otolaryngologists. It follows, therefore, that the sensory innervation is also important. In situations where adequate anesthesia is needed and limited quantity must be used, it is advantageous to know where that limited amount could be best placed to accomplish the greatest anesthesia.

Due to transmedian innervation of the upper lip by the infraorbital nerves, it may be necessary to block both sides when procedures are to be carried out in the vicinity of the midline. The infraorbital nerves of each side cross the area of the frontonasal process and ultimately decussate in the midline. No other nerves were found to participate in sensory innervation of the upper lip.
Vocal cord paralysis following approaches to the anterior cervical spine
Authors: Heeneman Hans
Published: September 2006

The charts of 85 patients who had undergone an approach to the anterior cervical spine between 1966 to 1970 were reviewed. Nine of them (11 percent) showed postoperative voice changes, three of those had permanent vocal cord paralysis. The possible causes of recurrent nerve damage are discussed.
The management of mandibular fractures in edentulous patients by intramedullary pinning
Authors: Bisi Ricardo H.
Published: September 2006

The management of mandibular fractures in edentulous patients poses special problems of reduction and immobilization of the bone fragments. Intramedullary pinning as a means of internal fixation is a direct and simple procedure which permits the free movement of the jaw immediately after the operation.

The present study supports the conclusion that intramedullary pinning may be considered the procedure of choice for the treatment of fractures of the body and most fractures of the angle of the edentulous mandible.
The inner ear fluids in man
Authors: Silverstein Herbert
Published: September 2006

The microchemical analysis of human inner ear fluid has not only advanced our knowledge of inner ear function in normal and pathological states, but also has added another dimension to our diagnostic armamentarium in inner ear disease. The purpose of this thesis is

To review and evaluate all pertinent literature concerning the chemistry of human inner ear fluids.

To determine what percentage of inner ear fluids can be collected without contamination by hemolyzed cells (hemoglobin) or erythrocytes.

To study the glucose concentrations in human inner ear fluid in various pathological states.

To present the data from uncontaminated endolymph samples in Ménière's disease.

To study the correlation between the clinical picture of acoustic neurinoma and the results of inner ear fluid analysis.

To evaluate the present status of diagnostic labyrinthotomy (labyrinthine tap).
Introduction to the scanning electron microscope for the clinician‐researcher
Authors: Lucente Frank E. , Finke Edward H. , Kaufman Arenberg I.
Published: September 2006

The scanning electron microscope is an exciting instrument which is easily adapted by the clinician‐researcher to the study of tissues of otolaryngologic interest. The SEM is based on the television raster principle of scanning a surface with a thin beam of electrons. As a result of the interaction of the electron beam with the surface, a number of physical phenomena are elicited including the emission of secondary electrons. The latter are collected and used to produce a synchronous visual representation of the specimen's surface. The photomicrograph obtained more closely resembles a three‐dimensional view than those obtained with light or phase microscopy. With recent refinements in the techniques of specimen preparation the spectrum of applications of the SEM continues to broaden.
Cystic hygroma of the neck
Authors: Brooks Jack E.
Published: September 2006

The literature of cystic hygroma of the neck has been presented. The important aspects of the embryology, clinical picture and treatment have been discussed. Because of the very low incidence of this tumor, most surgeons are unable to gain much personal experience with this intriguing lesion. Consideration of the reports of others and a retrospective review of his own cases has led the author to establish and suggest certain guidelines in dealing with this tumor.
Nasal venous drainage and the foramen caecum
Authors: Kaplan Harry A. , Browder Ann , Browder Jefferson
Published: September 2006

There has been a general acceptance that veins of the upper nasal region join a vein or veins that pass through the foramen caecum of the frontal bone and establish the most rostral lumen of the superior sagittal sinus. This anastomosis between the extracranial and intracranial venous systems has been presumed to be one avenue of escape for intracranial venous blood following occlusion of the superior sagittal sinus; also, this venous channel has been considered a potential portal of entry for inflammatory disease of the nose into the intracranial cavity. A vein or veins passing through the foramen caecum have not been demonstrable macroscopically in any of 201 specimens of cerebral dural sinuses examined by us.
Fascial sling suspension of the chin following resection of the anterior mandible
Authors: Norante John D. , Mccabe Brian F.
Published: September 2006

One of the most vexing problems in oncologic surgery of the head and neck is the morbidity imposed by resection of the anterior portion of the mandible. Reconstruction of this area most commonly involves the use of autogenous bone grafts. This technique is not universally applicable and is sometimes met with failure. This is especially true where the patient has received prior radiation therapy and where resection of bone and soft tissue has been extensive.

The authors have found that a continuous sling of fascia lata suspended from the zygomatic arches and threaded subcutaneously through the lower lip provides adequate support for the chin in cases where osseous reconstruction is not feasible. This technique has been used successfully in three patients.
Foreign body in the airway: A review of 202 cases
Authors: Kim In Guk , Brummitt W. M. , Humphry A. , Siomra S. W. , Wallace W. B.
Published: September 2006

Foreign body in the tracheobronchial tree is serious and, on occasion, fatal. The symptoms and signs can be confused with asthma and pneumonia, leaving the true condition unsuspected. Children one to three years old with a triad of cough, wheezing and decreased air entry should be suspected. A child with protracted pneumonia should be reconsidered. Chest films in the expiratory phase should be taken. In no other operative procedure is it more important to have teamwork and good communication between endoscopist and anesthesiologist, when the diagnosis is made.
Suppression of rabbit ear skin homograft rejections with sheep anti‐thymus globulins. A preliminary report
Authors: David Lyle A. , Davidenas Joseph A. , Ogura Joseph H.
Published: September 2006

Two electrophorectically distinct “7s” γ1, and γ2 globulins were isolated from sheep anti‐rabbit thymus serum. The γ1 fraction was effective in prolonging skin homograft retention in rabbits but did not suppress humoral antibody formation. The γ2 fraction appears to contain other antibodies which react with rabbit tissue to cause anaphylactic‐like reactions.
Laryngopyocele
Authors: Thawley Stanley E. , Bone Robert C.
Published: September 2006

Two cases of laryngopyocele are reported: one presented with hoarseness and fever, the other with airway obstruction. Both lesions were resected by removing part of the thyroid cartilage. These two cases bring the total reported to 22. The management of this problem is discussed, and a brief review of laryngopyoceles is presented.
Canine fossa puncture
Authors: Petersen Robert J.
Published: September 2006

Historically otolaryngologists have penetrated the maxillary sinus through the inferior meatus for purposes of irrigating the sinus. Van Alyea introduced the natural ostium canula, but my impression has been that most otolaryngologists continue the inferior meatus route.

There are sufficient side effects of the inferior meatus technique, bleeding, pain, syncope, to name the most common, that an alternate route with reduced side effects might be of interest. I have tried the canine fossa approach on about 25 patients with good success and consistently fewer side effects. The technique is simple enough, and patients that have had inferior meatus puncture and canine fossa puncture prefer the latter procedure.

The purpose of the article is not to present a controlled study but to bring to the attention of otolaryngologists an alternate route of maxillary sinus puncture which might be of interest. Additional controlled study would be necessary to confirm the impressions outlined.
Cricoarytenoid arthritis due to mumps
Authors: Bryer D. , Rounthwaite F. J.
Published: September 2006

A well documented case of cricoarytenoid arthritis due to mumps has been reported and has shown steroids to be of help. This paper has briefly reviewed the pathogenesis of cricoarytenoid arthritis. The confusion between this disease and other upper respiratory infections especially asthma has been emphasized.
Experimental evaluation of in situ oncocide for primary tumor therapy: Comparison of tumor‐specific immunity after complete excision, cryonecrosis and ligation
Authors: Neel H. Bryan , Ketcham Alfred S. , Hammond W. G.
Published: September 2006

One of the most important recent advances in cancer biology is the demonstration that tumor‐specific transplantation immunity (TSTI) to experimental tumors can be induced by a variety of means. Basic to this achievement has been readily available syngeneic tumor‐host systems which permit assessment of tumor‐specific immunity rather than allograft immunity. While the existence of tumor‐specific transplantation antigens (TSTA) in rodents and humans has been clearly demonstrated, little is known about the relationship between the nature and duration of exposure to tumor antigen and the subsequent effectiveness of the host immune response. The studies reported here were designed to test the hypothesis that in situ tumor‐cell necrosis (“oncocide”), in addition to being a feasible means of curing primary tumors, increases host response against tumor by immunologic mechanisms. Accordingly, TSTI was assessed: a. after complete excision; b. after regression following cryosurgery or ligation; c. in the presence of large recurrent tumors after cryosurgery; and d. in the presence of large untreated primary tumors. Quantity of primary tumor, transplantation procedures, tumor transplant generation, and animal age were the same in each experiment. TSTI was consistently greater after in situ oncocide by cryosurgery or ligation‐release infarction than after complete excision. Animals bearing primary or recurrent tumor were similarly immune. Since in situ oncocide produces greater immunity to subsequent challenge with syngeneic tumor than does excision, an experimental basis in immunology is provided for the clinical results reported after cryosurgical destruction or electrocoagulation of various carcinomas.
Labyrinthine compensatory eye position of the guinea pig
Authors: Kusakari Jun , Kaneko Yutaka , Kakizaki Ichiro
Published: September 2006

Labyrinthine compensatory eye position (LCEP) was studied in guinea pigs after unilateral destruction of the otolith organ. Both components of LCEP (rotation and vertical deviation) are present in lateral tilt and fore and aft tilt; however, vertical deviation is predominant in the former and rotation in the latter. Reduction of LCEP, with regard to component, is greatest in upward deviation and less pronounced in forward and backward rotation, in that order; there is no reduction in downward deviation. Regarding tilt position, reduction of LCEP is most pronounced in the operated side down position with little or no reduction in the operated side up position. These results are discussed in the context of analogous studies in the rabbit by Magnus.
The management of otogenic lateral sinus disease at groote schuur hospital
Authors: Seid Allan B. , Sellars Sean L.
Published: September 2006

A series of 13 cases of lateral sinus disease is presented.

The pathophysiology is outlined and the management discussed.

A rationale for the use of internal jugular vein ligation is proposed.
A clinical study of delayed reconstruction in ossicular fractures
Authors: Spector Gershon J. , Pratt Lindsay L. , Randall George
Published: September 2006

Twenty‐eight patients, who underwent ossicular reconstruction one or more years after the incident trauma, were studied.

The overall short‐term (one year or less) improvements were as follows:1. 66 percent were within 10 db of closure of the air bone gap, and 82 percent were within 20 db;2.85 percent had a 10 db improvement in the SRT; and3.60 percent had a 10 percent improvement in the discrimination scores.

On long‐term (two years or more) follow‐up, the results demonstrated that:1.43 percent maintained a 20 db air bone gap;2.50 percent had a 10 db improvement in the SRT; and3.35 percent had a 10 percent improvement in the discrimination score.

These patients are subdivided into four classes of injuries:1.incudostapedial complex;2.incus dislocation or trauma;3.epitympanic trauma; and4.middle ear fibrosis. Patients who sustained isolated incudal injuries or incudo‐stapedial injuries had the best prognosis for maintaining the hearing after reconstruction, while in the latter two classes, this was not the case.

Lysis of adhesions, incus interposition and reposition methods gave un‐predictable postoperative hearing improvement. Incus replacement prosthesis and conversion to Type III tympanoplasty gave more stable audiologic results.

Selected case histories are presented to demonstrate the variability of the results in each of the four classes of injury.

Two concepts are stressed:1.ossicles which have been severely traumatized, interposed, repositioned or transposed behave as autogenous grafts, and2.the post traumatic ear is not in a static state and that surgery alters the ongoing process of healing only to a certain extent.
Luetic deafness
Authors: Hendershot Edward L.
Published: September 2006

Luetic deafness is an otologic tragedy, not only because it can cause a total sensori‐neural deafness, but also it is a treatable condition if recognized.

The most prominent feature of luetic deafness is discrimination loss out of proportion to the pure tone threshold. It is usually caused by congenital or late lues.

The FTA‐ABS test should be used as the diagnostic test because of its sensitivity and low number of false positive reactions.

Treatment should be with high doses of penicillin and prednisone.