bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Role of Microglia in Ethanol’s Apoptotic Action on Hypothalamic Neuronal Cells in Primary Cultures
Authors: Boyadjieva Nadka I. , Sarkar Dipak K.
Published: July 2010

Background:  Microglia are the major inflammatory cells in the central nervous system and play a role in brain injuries as well as brain diseases. In this study, we determined the role of microglia in ethanol’s apoptotic action on neuronal cells obtained from the mediobasal hypothalamus and maintained in primary cultures. We also tested the effect of cAMP, a signaling molecule critically involved in hypothalamic neuronal survival, on microglia‐mediated ethanol’s neurotoxic action.

Methods:  Ethanol’s neurotoxic action was determined on enriched fetal mediobasal hypothalamic neuronal cells with or without microglia cells or ethanol‐activated microglia‐conditioned media. Ethanol’s apoptotic action was determined using nucleosome assay. Microglia activation was determined using OX6 histochemistry and by measuring inflammatory cytokines secretion from microglia in cultures using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). An immunoneutralization study was conducted to identify the role of a cytokine involved in ethanol’s apoptotic action.

Results:  We show here that ethanol at a dose range of 50 and 100 mM induces neuronal death by an apoptotic process. Ethanol’s ability to induce an apoptotic death of neurons is increased by the presence of ethanol‐activated microglia‐conditioned media. In the presence of ethanol, microglia showed elevated secretion of various inflammatory cytokines, of which TNF‐α shows significant apoptotic action on mediobasal hypothalamic neuronal cells. Ethanol’s neurotoxic action was completely prevented by cAMP. The cell‐signaling molecule also prevented ethanol‐activated microglial production of TNF‐α. Immunoneutralization of TNF‐α prevented the microglia‐derived media’s ability to induce neuronal death.

Conclusions:  These results suggest that ethanol’s apoptotic action on hypothalamic neuronal cells might be mediated via microglia, possibly via increased production of TNF‐α. Furthermore, cAMP reduces TNF‐α production from microglia to prevent ethanol’s neurotoxic action.
Efficacy and Safety of Baclofen for Alcohol Dependence: A Randomized, Double‐Blind, Placebo‐Controlled Trial
Authors: Garbutt James C. , Kampov‐Polevoy Alexei B. , Gallop Robert , Kalka‐Juhl Linda , Flannery Barbara A.
Published: July 2010

Background:  Recent clinical trials and case‐reports indicate that baclofen, a GABAB agonist, may have efficacy for alcohol dependence. Baclofen has been shown to enhance abstinence, to reduce drinking quantity, to reduce craving, and to reduce anxiety in alcohol‐dependent individuals in 2 placebo‐controlled trials in Italy. However, the clinical trial data with baclofen is limited. The purpose of the present study was to test the efficacy and tolerability of baclofen in alcohol dependence in the United States.

Methods:  The study was a double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, randomized study comparing 30 mg/d of baclofen to placebo over 12 weeks of treatment and utilizing 8 sessions of BRENDA, a low‐intensity psychosocial intervention. One hundred and twenty‐one subjects were screened to yield 80 randomized subjects (44 men) with randomization balanced for gender. Percent heavy drinking days was the primary outcome measure with other drinking outcomes, anxiety levels, and craving as secondary outcomes. Tolerability was examined.

Results:  Seventy‐six percent of subjects completed the study. No difference by drug condition was seen in percentage of heavy drinking days where on‐average rates were 25.5% (±23.6%) for placebo and 25.9% (±23.2%) for baclofen during treatment (t73 = 0.59, p = 0.56). Similarly, no differences were seen by drug condition in percentage of days abstinent, time to first drink, or time to relapse to heavy drinking. Baclofen was associated with a significant reduction in state anxiety (F1,73 = 5.39, p = 0.02). Baclofen was well tolerated with only 2 individuals stopping baclofen because of adverse events. There were no serious adverse events.

Conclusions:  Baclofen, a GABAB agonist, represents a possible new pharmacotherapeutic approach to alcohol dependence. Despite encouraging preclinical data and prior positive clinical trials with baclofen in Italy, the current trial did not find evidence that baclofen is superior to placebo in the treatment of alcohol dependence. Additional clinical trial work is necessary to establish whether baclofen does or does not have therapeutic efficacy in alcohol dependence and, if it does, what factors are predictive of response.
Disability Associated With Alcohol Abuse and Dependence
Authors: Samokhvalov Andriy V. , Popova Svetlana , Room Robin , Ramonas Milita , Rehm Jürgen
Published: July 2010

Background:  Alcohol use disorders (AUD), i.e., alcohol dependence and abuse, are major contributors to burden of disease. A large part of this burden is because of disability. However, there is still controversy about the best disability weighting for AUD. The objective of this study was to provide an overview of alcohol‐related disabilities.

Methods:  Systematic literature review and expert interviews.

Results:  There is heterogeneity in experts’ descriptions of disabilities related to AUD. The major core attributes of disability related to AUD are changes of emotional state, social relationships, memory and thinking. The most important supplementary attributes are anxiety, impairments of speech and hearing.

Conclusions:  This review identified the main patterns of disability associated with AUD. However, there was considerable variability, and data on less prominent patterns were fragmented. Further and systematic research is required for increasing the knowledge on disability related to AUD and for application of interventions for reducing the associated burden.
Fetal Alcohol Exposure Increases Mammary Tumor Susceptibility and Alters Tumor Phenotype in Rats
Authors: Polanco Tiffany A. , Crismale‐Gann Catina , Reuhl Kenneth R. , Sarkar Dipak K. , Cohick Wendie S.
Published: July 2010

Background:  Altered fetal programming because of a suboptimal in utero environment has been shown to increase susceptibility to many diseases later in life. This study examined the effect of alcohol exposure in utero on N‐nitroso‐N‐methylurea (NMU)‐induced mammary cancer risk during adulthood.

Methods:  Study 1: Pregnant Sprague Dawley rats were fed a liquid diet containing 6.7% ethanol (alcohol‐fed), an isocaloric liquid diet (pair‐fed), or rat chow ad libitum (ad lib‐fed) from day 11 to 21 of gestation. At birth, female pups were cross‐fostered to ad lib‐fed control dams. Adult offspring were given an I.P. injection of NMU at a dose of 50 mg/kg body weight. Mammary glands were palpated for tumors twice a week, and rats were euthanized at 23 weeks postinjection. Study 2: To investigate the role of estradiol (E2), animals were exposed to the same in utero treatments but were not given NMU. Serum was collected during the preovulatory phase of the estrous cycle.

Results:  At 16 weeks postinjection, overall tumor multiplicity was greater in the offspring from the alcohol‐fed group compared to the control groups, indicating a decrease in tumor latency. At study termination, 70% of all animals possessed tumors. Alcohol‐exposed animals developed more malignant tumors and more estrogen receptor‐α–negative tumors relative to the control groups. In addition, IGF‐binding protein‐5 (IGFBP‐5) mRNA and protein were decreased in tumors of alcohol‐exposed animals. Study 2 showed that alcohol‐fed animals had significantly increased circulating E2 when compared to either control group.

Conclusions:  These data indicate that alcohol exposure in utero increases susceptibility to mammary tumorigenesis in adulthood and suggest that alterations in the IGF and E2 systems may play a role in the underlying mechanism.
Platelet activation and residual activation potential during storage of hyperconcentrated platelet products in two different platelet additive solutions
Authors: Vetlesen Annette , Mirlashari Mohammad Reza , Torsheim Inger Anne , Kjeldsen‐Kragh Jens
Published: July 2010

BACKGROUND: To improve platelet (PLT) quality, hyperconcentrated PLT concentrates (hcPCs) were compared to standard PLT concentrates (stdPCs) in two different PLT additive solutions, T‐Sol and PAS‐27a. PAS‐27a differs from T‐Sol by containing glucose, phosphate, potassium, magnesium, and bicarbonate.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: PLTs were harvested by apheresis twice from 14 donors; each unit was divided into two. Four units from each donor were produced: hcPCs, 2000 × 109 per L in T‐Sol or PAS‐27a; and stdPCs, 1400 × 109 per L in 65 percent T‐Sol or PAS‐27a and 35 percent acid citrate dextrose–plasma. On Days 1 through 4, swirling was scored and PLT count, mean PLT volume, pH, blood gas, glucose, and lactate were measured. Expression of CD42a, CD62P, CD63, and PAC‐1 was analyzed by flow cytometry on resting PLTs and PLTs stimulated with thrombin receptor agonist peptide (TRAP).

RESULTS: Glucose consumption and lactate production were significantly higher in hcPCs stored in PAS‐27a than in T‐Sol. Both stdPC and hcPC PLTs in T‐Sol expressed CD62P and PAC‐1 significantly higher than in PAS‐27a. Over time the T‐Sol hcPCs revealed highest expression of CD62P and CD63. A significantly higher capacity for up regulation of CD62P, CD63, and PAC‐1 upon TRAP stimulation was found for stdPCs and hcPCs in PAS‐27a compared to PLTs in T‐Sol. TRAP‐stimulated PLTs in stdPCs and hcPCs suspended in PAS‐27a showed significantly higher potential for down regulation of CD42a than the T‐Sol concentrates.

CONCLUSIONS: PLTs appear better preserved in vitro in PAS‐27a than in T‐Sol, and this suggests that storage of hcPCs in PAS‐27a could be extended beyond 24 hours.
No evidence of a significantly increased risk of transfusion‐transmitted human immunodeficiency virus infection in Australia subsequent to implementing a 12‐month deferral for men who have had sex with men (CME)
Authors: Seed Clive R. , Kiely Philip , Law Mathew , Keller Anthony J.
Published: July 2010

BACKGROUND: Male‐to‐male sex is the predominant route of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission in Australia and since the early 1980s blood services in Australia have deferred donors for this practice for at least 5 years. This retrospective analysis assesses the impact on HIV prevalence of implementing an abridged 12‐month deferral for male‐to‐male sex.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The prevalence of HIV among blood donors for 5‐year periods before (Period 1) and after (Period 2) implementing the revised 12‐month deferral was compared. Using deidentified data from postdonation interviews with HIV‐positive donors the proportion disclosing male‐to‐male sex as a risk factor was compared for the two periods.

RESULTS: Twenty‐four HIV‐positive donations were identified among 4,025,571 donations in Period 1 compared with 24 among 4,964,628 donations in Period 2 (p = 0.468). The proportion of HIV‐positive donors with male‐to‐male sex as a risk factor in Period 1 was 2 in 15 (13.3%), which was not significantly different from the proportion in Period 2, 5 in 16 (31.25%; p = 0.22). All five men who have sex with men risk HIV infections during Period 2 were from donors whose risk was within the 12‐month criterion for acceptability, who would have been deferred had they provided a complete history.

CONCLUSIONS: We found no evidence that the implementation of the 12‐month deferral for male‐to‐male sex resulted in an increased recipient risk for HIV in Australia. The risk of noncompliance to the revised deferral rather than its duration appears to be the most important modifier of overall risk.
Application of a New Method for Radiative Heat Transfer to Flat Glass Tempering
Authors: Siedow Norbert , Grosan Teodor , Lochegnies Dominique , Romero Eric
Published: July 2010

Temperature distributions within semi‐transparent materials like glass strongly determine their behavior. It is fundamental to take radiation into account to determine exact temperature distributions. The Rosseland Approximation for radiation is usually an appropriate method, but is only valid with an optically thick glass. In the present paper, we propose an improved approximation that is both efficient and sufficiently accurate even for the semi‐transparent region. This new radiation model is used to determine the temperature along the flat glass thickness during tempering. The impact of temperature evaluation on residual stresses is discussed.
Induction of matrix metalloproteinase‐1 by small interfering RNA targeting connective tissue growth factor in dermal fibroblasts from patients with systemic sclerosis
Authors: Ishibuchi Hirohisa , Abe Masatoshi , Yokoyama Yoko , Ishikawa Osamu
Published: July 2010

Please cite this paper as: Induction of matrix metalloproteinase‐1 by small interfering RNA targeting connective tissue growth factor in dermal fibroblasts from patients with systemic sclerosis. Experimental Dermatology 2010; 19: e111–e116.

Abstract:  We aimed to evaluate the effect of small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting CTGF on extracellular matrices (ECMs) metabolism in normal and SSc fibroblasts. Normal and SSc fibroblasts were transfected with CTGF‐specific siRNAs to silence CTGF synthesis. After silencing CTGF, production of type I collagen and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)‐1 by fibroblasts stimulated with TGF‐β was examined. Then quantitative analyses of protein production or mRNA expression of type I collagen, MMP‐1,‐2,‐9 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)‐1 with TGF‐β stimulation were carried out. Furthermore, after silencing CTGF, proliferations of normal and SSc fibroblasts were investigated. CTGF‐specific siRNA significantly reduced CTGF production. The production of type I collagen was significantly reduced by CTGF silencing in normal fibroblasts. The CTGF silencing significantly increased the production of MMP‐1 and decreased the production of TIMP‐1 in SSc fibroblasts. The mRNA expression of MMP‐1 was increased in CTGF‐silenced SSc fibroblasts, but not in normal fibroblasts. There were no significant changes in the production or mRNA expression of other ECM‐related genes in normal and SSc fibroblasts. Fibroblast proliferations were suppressed by CTGF silencing in normal and SSc fibroblasts. Our data showed that MMP‐1 was increased by CTGF‐specific siRNA transfection only in SSc fibroblasts. RNAi targeting CTGF could be a novel therapeutic strategy for SSc.
Novel CDKN2A mutation detected in Spanish melanoma pedigree
Authors: De Torre Carlos , Martínez‐Escribano Jorge
Published: July 2010

Please cite this paper as: Novel CDKN2A mutation detected in Spanish melanoma pedigree. Experimental Dermatology 2010; 19: e333–e335.

Abstract:  We have examined alterations in the cyclin‐dependent kinase inhibitor 2A (CDKN2A) and cyclin‐dependent kinase 4 (CDK4), major melanoma predisposing genes, in a Spanish melanoma‐prone population comprising 61 patients from 45 families. Using an extensive genetic analysis of these genes, including sequence analysis and multiplex ligation‐dependent probe amplification, we have found four different CDKN2A alterations in cases from seven melanoma kindred. Three of them are CDKN2A mutations previously described in the Mediterranean population (p.G101W, p.V59G and c.358delG) in addition to an undescribed deletion (p. M54del) which has been detected in a melanoma kindred. This codon deletion affects an essential residue in the interaction of p16INK4A with cdk6 and has not been reported in melanoma patients and other cancers.
Does Liebig's law of the minimum scale up from species to communities?
Authors: Danger Michael , Daufresne Tanguy , Lucas Françoise , Pissard Serge , Lacroix Gérard
Published: July 2010

Liebig's law of the minimum, which states that only one element limits the growth of organisms at any given time, is widely used in ecology. This principle is routinely applied to organisms, populations and communities, but can it really be applied indistinguishably across these different scales? Here we show, by prediction of a resource ratio conceptual model and with an experimental test carried out in microcosms with bacteria that, unlike single species, communities are likely to adjust their stoichiometry to that of their resources. This adjustment results from competitive exclusion and coexistence mechanisms, and is sensitive to the overall diversity of species in the community. It guaranties co‐limitation, i.e. simultaneous limitation by multiple resources, at the community scale and optimal use of resources and maximization of community biomass for wide ranges of resource ratios. These results question the applicability of the Liebig's law of the minimum at the community level, and the relevance of ecosystem models relying on this principle.
Pre‐competitive confidence, coping, and subjective performance in sport
Authors: Levy A. R. , Nicholls A. R. , Polman R. C. J.
Published: July 2010

The primary aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between confidence and subjective performance in addition to exploring whether coping mediated this relationship. A sample of 414 athletes completed a measure of confidence before performance. Athletes also completed a measure of coping and subjective performance after competing. Correlational findings revealed that confidence was positively and significantly associated with subjective performance. Furthermore, mediational analysis found that coping partly mediated this relationship. In particular, task‐oriented coping (i.e., mental imagery) and disengagement‐oriented coping (i.e., resignation) had positive and negative mediational effects, respectively. Additionally, athletes who employed mental imagery generally coped more effectively than those using resignation. These findings imply mental imagery has the potential not only to improve confidence, but also subsequent performance, while resignation coping may have the opposite effect. Overall, these results lend some credence to Vealey's integrated sports confidence model.
Objective melanoma progression
Authors: Rubegni Pietro , Burroni Marco , Nami Niccolò , Cevenini Gabriele , Bono Riccardo , Sbano Paolo , Fimiani Michele
Published: July 2010

Background/purpose: Many aspects of the natural history of malignant melanoma (MM) are still unclear, specifically its appearance at onset and particularly how it changes in time. The purpose of our study was to retrospectively determine objective changes in melanoma over a 3–24‐month observation period.

Materials and methods: Our study was carried out in two Italian dermatology centers. Digital dermoscopy analyzers (DB‐Mips System) were used to retrospectively evaluate dermoscopic images of 59 MM (with no initial clinical aspects suggesting melanoma) under observation for 3–24 months. The analyzer evaluates 49 parameters grouped into four categories: geometries, colors, textures and islands of color. Multivariate analysis of variance for repeated measures was used to evaluate the statistical significance of the changes in the digital dermoscopy variables of melanomas.

Results: Within‐lesion analysis indicated that melanomas increased in dimension (Area, Minimum, and Maximum Diameter), manifested greater disorganization of the internal components (Red, Green and Blue Multicomponent, Contrast, and Entropy) and increased in clusters of milky pink color (Light Red Area).

Conclusion: Analysis of the parameters of our model and statistical analysis enabled us to interpret/identify the most significant factors of melanoma modification, providing quantitative insights into the natural history of this cutaneous malignancy.
Actions of cathepsins on troponin T during postmortem aging of porcine muscle
Authors: KITAMURA Shin‐ichi , KUDO Kazuyuki , CHIKUNI Koichi , WATANABE Itaru , NISHIMURA Toshihide
Published: July 2010

In this study, we examined the contribution of the cathepsins (cathepsin D and crude cathepsins containing cathepsins B and L) to troponin T degradation during postmortem aging. The action of cathepsin D on troponin T was examined at various pHs (pH 4.0–6.5). The degradation of intact troponin T was observed at pH 4.0, but not observed at pH 5.5 and 6.5. As a result of the degradation of troponin T, the 30 kDa fragment was not generated in any pH condition. The action of the crude cathepsins on troponin T was also examined at various pHs (pH 4.0–6.5). The intact troponin T was degraded at pH 4.0 and the 30 kDa fragments were observed. These 30 kDa fragments disappeared during further incubation. On the other hand, at pH 5.5 and 6.5, the intact troponin T was degraded and the 30 kDa fragment was accumulated. These results suggested that the cathepsin D scarcely contributed to the degradation of troponin T during postmortem aging, but crude cathepsins containing cathepsins B and L were partially involved in the degradation of troponin T and the generation of 30 kDa fragments.
Analysis of some factors affecting fertility levels in a high‐producing dairy herd in south‐western Japan
Authors: YUSUF Muhammad , NAKAO Toshihiko , LONG Su T. , GAUTAM Gokarna
Published: July 2010

The present study aimed to know whether all cows have been showing declining fertility or only a proportion of cows are attributed to the declining fertility, and to describe factors affecting the level of fertility. A total of 131 cows calved from February 2005 to December 2007 in a dairy herd were examined. Fourteen cows were excluded from the study because of early culling. Of the remaining 117 cows, 47 (40%) conceived within 115 days postpartum after 1–3 artificial insemination (AI) (normal fertility cows), 42 (36%) conceived after 115 days postpartum following 1–3 AI or were culled after 1–2 (sub‐fertility cows/culled), and 28 (24%) were inseminated more than three times without detectable genital tract abnormalities (repeat breeders). Calving to conception interval in the normal fertility group was 72 + 3 days, while in the sub‐fertility/culled and repeat breeding groups the intervals were 170 + 8 and 259 + 16 days, respectively. Endometritis was the risk factor for sub‐fertility/culled (odds ratio (OR) = 3.76). Prolonged luteal phase (OR = 4.08), delayed first ovulation (OR = 6.02), and delayed corpus luteum formation after AI (OR = 8.55) were the risk factors for repeat breeding. In conclusion, 60% cows showed reduced fertility in a herd, while the other 40% had normal fertility. Uterine infection and some ovarian disorders contributed to reduced fertility.
Development of novel SNP system for individual and pedigree control in a Japanese Black cattle population using whole‐genome genotyping assay
Authors: HARA Kazuhiro , KON Yukari , SASAZAKI Shinji , MUKAI Fumio , MANNEN Hideyuki
Published: July 2010

Individual identification and parentage analysis using DNA markers are essential for assuring food identity and managing livestock population. The objective of this study was to develop a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) panel system for individual effective identification and parentage testing in a Japanese Black cattle population using BovineSNP50 BeadChip. On the basis of SNP frequencies, 60 unlinked informative SNPs were finally selected as candidate markers. The allelic frequencies for each SNP were estimated using additional individuals by PCR‐RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism). A total of 87 SNP markers added in conjunction with previously developed 27 SNPs were evaluated to assess the utility of the test. The estimated identity power was 2.01 × 10−34. Parentage exclusion probabilities, when both suspected parents' genotypes were known and when only one suspected parent was genotyped, were estimated as 0.99999997 and 0.99998010, respectively. This developed SNP panel was quite powerful and could successfully exclude false sires with a probability of >0.9999 even if the dam's genotype information was not obtained. The SNP system would contribute to management of the beef industry in Japan.
Characterization of 18 polymorphic microsatellite loci in the red‐crowned crane (Grus japonensis), an endangered bird
Authors: ZOU Hongfei , DONG Haiyan , KONG Weiyao , MA Jianhua , LIU Jihong
Published: July 2010

Red‐crowned cranes (Grus japonensis) were classified as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, but recently, their population has decreased dramatically. For the purpose of conserving this endangered species, 18 microsatellite markers were developed, including 12 newly isolated ones from a genomic library and 6 modified from another crane species. The markers were characterized in 26 red‐crowned cranes. As a result, these markers displayed 3–13 alleles, and the observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.462 to 1.000 and from 0.483 to 0.884, respectively. The marker suite averaged 6.390 alleles per locus with an average polymorphic information content of 0.631. The combined exclusion probability (PE‐1) was 0.9985, and the combined exclusion probability (PE‐2) was 0.9999. Three of the 18 microsatellite loci presented significant deviations from Hardy–Weinberg Equilibrium (P < 0.05), likely due to sampling bias and unknown founder relatedness in a semi‐free population. Our results show that microsatellite loci can provide a standard protocol for genetic information in red‐crowned crane populations upon which strategies for effective conservation and management may be based.
Poverty and the American Family: A Decade in Review
Authors: Edin Kathryn , Kissane Rebecca Joyce
Published: July 2010

Because of dramatic levels of economic volatility and massive changes in welfare policies, scholars in this decade worried anew about whether our official poverty measure, adopted in the 1960s, is adequate. Poverty's causes continued to be debated, with demographic factors often pitted against policy and maternal employment changes. Some scholars focused on events that trigger spirals into poverty or poverty exits. The literature on consequences of poverty featured new techniques for identifying underlying processes and mechanisms. Researchers also explored “neighborhood effects” and focused on poverty deconcentration efforts. Finally, scholars produced a voluminous literature on the efforts to reform welfare and their subsequent effects.
“Families” in International Context: Comparing Institutional Effects Across Western Societies
Authors: Prince Cooke Lynn , Baxter Janeen
Published: July 2010

We review comparative evidence of institutional effects on families in Western societies. We focus on 2 key aspects of family life: gendered divisions of labor and people's transitions into, within, and out of relationships. Many individual‐level models assume the effects are robust across countries. The international evidence over the past decade suggests instead that the socioeconomic and policy contexts strongly influence the significance and even direction of individual effects. A growing body of evidence also highlights important differences across social groups and family forms within countries. The pattern of relative gender, class, and other group equality varies across countries, as do related family experiences and outcomes. We conclude with suggestions for future comparative family research.
Family Risk and Resilience in the Context of War and Terrorism
Authors: MacDermid Wadsworth Shelley M.
Published: July 2010

War and terrorism are exerting increasing force on world affairs, with growing implications for families and the scholars who study them. In this review, I consider the implications of mass violence for families, with particular emphasis on families with members serving in the U.S. military and families around the world who live where mass violence occurs. Mass violence poses significant threats to mental health and family functioning, but individuals and families also display striking levels of resilience.
Partnering Across the Life Course: Sex, Relationships, and Mate Selection
Authors: Sassler Sharon
Published: July 2010

Marital delay, relationship dissolution and churning, and high divorce rates have extended the amount of time individuals in search of romantic relationships spend outside of marital unions. The scope of research on intimate partnering now includes studies of “hooking up,” Internet dating, visiting relationships, cohabitation, marriage following childbirth, and serial partnering, as well as more traditional research on transitions into marriage. Collectively, we know much more about relationship formation and development, but research often remains balkanized among scholars employing different theoretical approaches, methodologies, or disciplinary perspectives. The study of relationship behavior is also segmented into particular life stages, with little attention given to linkages between stages over the life course. Recommendations for future research are offered.
Marriage in the New Millennium: A Decade in Review
Authors: Fincham Frank D. , Beach Steven R. H.
Published: July 2010

This review focuses on broad themes characterizing marital research in the past decade. In addition to continuing themes, such as a focus on conflict, violence, and impact on physical and mental health outcomes, we also address the impact of the Healthy Marriage Initiative on marital research and recent advances in methodology. We highlight an overarching theme that characterizes much of the literature: the importance of context in understanding marital outcomes and the impact of positive marital transactions and marital strengths. Given the increasing diversity of married couples, the attention given to context over the past decade has been timely and appropriate, providing an increasingly solid foundation for future research.
Remarriage and Stepfamilies: Strategic Sites for Family Scholarship in the 21st Century
Authors: Sweeney Megan M.
Published: July 2010

This article reviews areas of advancement over the past decade in our understanding of remarriage and stepfamilies and suggests promising new directions for future work. Profound shifts in the demographic context of family life motivate central themes in recent scholarship on remarriage and stepfamilies, including the diversity and complexity of stepfamily structures and processes, the consequences of multiple partnerships for adults and children, and potential selectivity in the characteristics of individuals entering remarried families and stepfamilies. Despite challenges to further progress, I argue that remarriage and stepfamilies offer strategic opportunities to investigate many core concerns of family scholars.
Biosocial Influences on the Family: A Decade Review
Authors: D'Onofrio Brian M. , Lahey Benjamin B.
Published: July 2010

The past decade brought a remarkable increase in the number and quality of biosocial studies of family processes. The current review summarizes recent advances in biosocial family research by providing key exemplars of emerging research paradigms. Research in the past decade has substantiated the claim in the previous Decade Review (Booth, Carver, & Granger, 2000) that bidirectional influences between all levels of analysis are paramount. There is an emerging consensus that integrating factors at multiple biological and social levels is highly informative. Because ignoring biological factors often will underestimate mediating or moderating mechanisms, the review provides recommendations for biosocial family research. We also highlight the need for researchers who understand complex family environments to lend their expertise to biosocial studies.
HISTORY, MEASUREMENT, AND APPLICABILITY OF PERIODIC CHANGES IN THE ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD IN HEALTH AND DISEASE
Authors: Ravitz Leonard J.
Published: July 2010

“Nature is neither so poverty‐stricken in her resources, nor so demoralized and ruffled in her spirit as to be driven to the undignified level of the irritated washerwoman impatiently shaking her finger at the playful children of the neighborhood, in order to get order into her community. The organization and stability of living things has its foundations too widely extended in the depths of inorganic nature to permit one to rest his biological philosophy on irreducible biological or psychological categories.”1

“Indeed every field of human interest in which significant variables (variables of state) have not been discovered is for that very reason complex and intractable, and to say that it defies causal analysis is merely to admit that it has thus far not been penetrated by the usual methods of science. What the causal pessimist meant to be a statement of fact is to the working biologist a challenge.”2
Role of Epidermal Cell‐Derived α‐Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone in Ultraviolet Light Mediated Local Immunosuppression
Authors: LUGER T. A. , SCHWARZ T. , KALDEN H. , SCHOLZEN T. , SCHWARZ A. , BRZOSKA T.
Published: July 2010

ABSTRACT: Irradiation of the skin with ultraviolet light (UV) results in profound alterations of both local and systemic immune responses. These effects are largely mediated by soluble mediators released from epidermal cells in response to UV. It is well known that keratinocytes release increased amounts of cytokines upon UV‐irradiation. UV‐light also induces the release of the proopiomelanocortin (POMC)‐derived peptide, α‐melanocyte‐stimulating hormone (αMSH), from keratinocytes, and upregulates the expression of POMC mRNA. αMSH exerts a variety of immunomodulating and antiinflammatory effects, mainly by virtue of its capacity to alter the function of antigen presenting cells and vascular endothelial cells. Within an in vivo mouse‐model, both intravenous and topical application of αMSH resulted in inhibiting the induction, eliciting a contact hypersensitivity reaction, and inducing hapten‐specific tolerance. These findings indicate that αMSH, released in the epidermis after UV irradiation, may contribute to UV‐mediated immunosuppression. The therapeutic application of αMSH or αMSH‐derived peptides may prove to be a useful approach for treating inflammatory skin diseases.
What and How Do We Communicate?
Authors: HUGH‐JONES MARTIN
Published: July 2010

Abstract: The rapid, inexpensive transmission of words and data, brought about by the internet and cheap computers, is changing the world faster than anything mankind has ever experienced, reaching into nearly every aspect of our lives, public and private, commercial and governmental. We are in an Information Age with an essentially instantaneous availability of large volumes of information and data. Technological pressures have their own momentum. The changes and improvements in data handling and information sharing will take place, however much or little we do in veterinary medicine, whether at the international or national levels. In addition, there are new superpowers emerging in the world. These are the small and medium third world countries that are gradually gaining democracy through political restructuring and involving the civil society in decision making. There are also the marginal pressure groups, once too small and insignificant to be noticed. These are changing the rules by which the way the world is governed and they are doing it now by the internet and banding together to serve their common interests. The rapid provision of accurate information on animal diseases is desirable goal from a public health as well as an economic viewpoint.
Secretory Lipophilins: A Tale of Two Species
Authors: LEHRER ROBERT I. , NGUYEN TUNG , ZHAO CHENGQUAN , HA CHEN XIAN , GLASGOW BEN J.
Published: July 2010

Abstract: Secretory lipophilins are “lipid‐loving” proteins that are major constituents of several mammalian secretions, including the prostatic fluid of rats and the tears of humans and rabbits. These proteins form covalent heterodimers that are stabilized by three intramolecular cystine disulfide bonds. The heterodimers, some of which are glycosylated, may undergo additional noncovalent assembly to form tetramers. The peptide components found in secretory lipophilins are from two subfamilies: lipophilins A/B and lipophilin C. The C subfamily members described in this report are three rabbit and one human lipophilin, plus human mammaglobin and the C3 subunit of rat prostatein. Human A/B and C lipophilins are expressed by many tissues and are especially prominent in endocrine‐responsive organs. The gene for human lipophilin B resides at chromosome 10q22–23. This region harbors the PTEN/MMAC1 gene and is believed to contain additional tumor suppressor genes. Although the functions of secretory lipophilins are imperfectly understood, their abundance in glandular secretions and in hormone‐responsive tissues suggests that they deserve considerably more attention than they have received to date.
Mammaglobin, a Breast‐Specific Gene, and Its Utility as a Marker for Breast Cancer
Authors: FLEMING TIMOTHY P. , WATSON MARK A.
Published: July 2010

Abstract: The mammaglobin gene encodes a 10‐kDa glycoprotein that is distantly related to a family of proteins that includes rat estramustine binding protein (EMBP)/prostatein and human Clara cell 10‐kDa protein (CC10)/uteroglobin. Among normal adult tissues, mammaglobin mRNA expression has been detected only in the mammary gland. As an initial step to determine mammaglobin's clinical utility as a breast tumor marker, we evaluated the frequency and specificity with which mammaglobin expression could be detected in primary breast tumors, metastatic breast tumors, and breast tumor cells present in the peripheral circulation. Approximately 80% of all primary and metastatic breast tumors examined were strongly immunopositive for mammaglobin protein, and staining was independent of tumor grade. Among peripheral stem cell collections from breast cancer patients, mammaglobin mRNA could be detected in 60% of cases. Recent work has identified the secreted mammaglobin protein in the sera of some breast cancer patients using both Western blot and ELISA. This study demonstrates that the detection of mammaglobin protein and mRNA in clinical samples may be a useful marker for primary, metastatic, and occult breast cancer.
Therapeutic Applications of Antiflammin Peptides in Experimental Ocular Inflammation
Authors: CHAN CHI‐CHAO , TUAILLON NADINE , LI QIAN , DE SHEN FEN
Published: July 2010

Abstract: Antiflammins are synthetic peptides derived from the region of highest local similarity between uteroglobulin and lipocortin. These peptides have shown anti‐inflammatory activity on carrageenan‐induced rat footpad edema. They are potent inhibitors for phospholipase A2 activation both in vitro and in vivo. Previously, we have demonstrated the effectiveness of topical antiflammins in suppressing acute ocular inflammation and allergic response in rodent endotoxin‐induced uveitis and murine allergic conjunctivitis. The mechanisms by which antiflammins protect against inflammation and allergy in these ocular models may involve inhibition of phospholipase A2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) as well as the production of proinflammatory cytokine, interleukin‐6.
Ethical Dilemmas: What's New, What's Not
Authors: SILVERMAN SYDEL
Published: July 2010

Abstract: The ethical issues and conflicts facing anthropology have precedents in the past because they are intrinsic to anthropological practice. What is different about them now is that they are played out in new sites, with added complexities, and without changed relations of anthropologists to those with stakes in their research, especially is “the people” they study. A review of the unintended consequences of the American Anthropological Association's efforts to define a code of ethics in the 1960s offers lessons that are applicable today.
Radioprotection by Antioxidantsa
Authors: WEISS JOSEPH F. , LANDAUER MICHAEL R.
Published: July 2010

Abstract: The role of reactive oxygen species in ionizing radiation injury and the potential of antioxidants to reduce these deleterious effects have been studied in animal models for more than 50 years. This review focuses on the radioprotective efficacy and the toxicity in mice of phosphorothioates such as WR‐2721 and WR‐151327, other thiols, and examples of radioprotective antioxidants from other classes of agents. Naturally occurring antioxidants, such as vitamin E and selenium, are less effective radioprotectors than synthetic thiols but may provide a longer window of protection against lethality and other effects of low dose, low‐dose rate exposures. Many natural antioxidants have antimutagenic properties that need further examination with respect to long‐term radiation effects. Modulation of endogenous antioxidants, such as superoxide dismutase, may be useful in specific radiotherapy protocols. Other drugs, such as nimodipine, propranolol, and methylxanthines, have antioxidant properties in addition to their primary pharmacological activity and may have utility as radioprotectors when administered alone or in combination with phosphorothioates.
Opening Up Closure: Semiotics Across Scales
Authors: LEMKE JAY L.
Published: July 2010

Abstract: The dynamic emergence of new levels of organization in complex systems is related to the semiotic reorganization of discrete/continuous variety at the level below as continuous/discrete meaning for the level above. In this view both the semiotic and the dynamic closure of system levels is reopened to allow the development and evolution of greater complexity.
Sex, Sex Differences, and Social Behavior
Authors: RABINOWITZ VITA CARULLI , VALIAN VIRGINIA
Published: July 2010

Abstract: Sex differences in social behavior are center stage in recent formulations of evolutionary psychology. Evolutionary psychology, with its emphasis on the long‐term consequences of early adaptations, offers itself as an alternative meta‐theory to mainstream social psychology, which emphasizes the importance of social structures in determining the existence and extent of social and cognitive sex differences. Using a range of examples, we argue that evolutionary psychology is open to criticism on several fronts: It does not (a) include a role for mediating and moderating variables or test predictions rigorously; (b) appreciate the importance of the difference between first‐ and second‐order effects; (c) offer a truly interactionist theory; or (d) seriously consider the social implications of sex‐based inequities. We also argue that social psychology has, in its turn, failed to appreciate the nonintuitive richness of some evolutionary hypotheses or that there is a role for evolutionary psychology in a genuinely interactionist theory This paper restates the need for that perspective, and suggests how it may be achieved.
Different Pathways of Colorectal Carcinogenesis and Their Clinical Pictures
Authors: TOMLINSON IAN
Published: July 2010

Abstract: An entertaining debate in cancer genetics concerns the relative importance of selection for a growth advantage and genomic instability in tumorigenesis. Below, I present evidence that shows that selection is more important, particularly in the early stages of tumorigenesis, but that genomic instability is also an indisputable feature of many cancers. One attractive possibility is that some mutations may have pleiotropic effects both on cell replication or apoptosis and on genomic instability.
Control of β‐Catenin Signaling in Tumor Development
Authors: BEHRENS JÜRGEN
Published: July 2010

Abstract: The wnt signal transduction pathway is involved in various differentiation events during embryonic development and leads to tumor formation when aberrantly activated. The wnt signal is transmitted to the nucleus by the cytoplasmic component β‐catenin: in the absence of wnts, β‐catenin is constitutively degraded in proteasomes, whereas in the presence of wnts β‐catenin is stabilized and can associate with HMG box transcription factors of the LEF/TCF family. The LEF/TCF/β‐catenin complexes activate specific wnt target genes. In tumors, β‐catenin degradation is blocked by mutations of β‐catenin or of the tumor suppressor gene product APC. As a consequence, β‐catenin is stabilized, constitutive complexes with LEF/TCF factors are formed, and oncogenic target genes, such as c‐myc, cyclin D1, and c‐jun, are activated. Thus, control of β‐catenin is a major regulatory event in normal wnt signaling and during tumor formation. It has been found that a multiprotein complex assembled by the cytoplasmic component conductin induces degradation of cytoplasmic β‐catenin. The complex includes APC, the serine/threonine kinase GSK3beta;, and β‐catenin, which bind to conductin at distinct domains. In colon carcinoma cells, forced expression of conductin downregulates β‐catenin, whereas in normal cells mutants of conductin that are deficient in complex formation stabilize β‐catenin. Fragments of APC that contain a conductin‐binding domain also block β‐catenin degradation. In Xenopus embryos, conductin inhibits the wnt pathway. In situ hybridization analysis shows that conductin is expressed in various embryonal tissues known to be regulated by wnts, such as the developing brain, mesenchyme below the epidermis, lung mesenchyme, and kidney. It is suggested that conductin controls wnt signaling by assembling the essential components of the β‐catenin degradation pathway. Alterations of conductin function may lead to tumor formation.
Ga733/EpCAM as a Target for Passive and Active Specific Immunotherapy in Patients with Colorectal Carcinoma
Authors: MELLSTEDT H. , FAGERBERG J. , FRÖDIN J‐E. , HJELM‐SKOG A‐L. , LILJEFORS M. , MARKOVIC K. , MOSOLITS S. , RAGNHAMMAR P.
Published: July 2010

Abstract: GA733/EpCAM is an oncofetal antigen abundantly expressed in colorectal carcinoma. This antigen can spontaneously induce a humoral and cellular antitumor immunity and may therefore be a suitable target structure for immunotherapy. Patients with advanced colorectal carcinoma have been treated with monoclonal antibodies (MAb17‐1A) against this structure. The data indicate that the chimeric variant was not superior to the original mouse MAb. Addition of cytokines and chemotherapeutics may improve the therapeutic effect of the MAb. A particularly interesting regimen is a combination of MAb17‐1A/GM‐CSF/α‐IFN/5‐Fu. The GA733 protein antigen can also be used as a vaccine. Patients with colorectal carcinoma stages B and C were vaccinated with this protein antigen in combination with GM‐CSF as an adjuvant cytokine. A strong type I T cell response was induced that seemed to be MHC class I as well as class II restricted. No systemic side effects were noted.
Development of the Entorhino‐Hippocampal Projection: Guidance by Cajal‐Retzius Cell Axons
Authors: CERANIK KATJA , ZHAO SHANTING , FROTSCHER MICHAEL
Published: July 2010

Abstract: The entorhinal cortex gives rise to a massive projection to the hippocampus and fascia dentata. In the rat, this projection forms early in development with first entorhinal axons reaching the hippocampus around embryonic day (E) 17. From the very beginning, the entorhinal axons recognize their appropriate termination zones in the hippocampus proper and fascia dentata, i.e., stratum lacunosum‐moleculare and the outer molecular layer of the dentate. This is remarkable, because at the time of entorhinal fiber ingrowth, the definitive target cells of entorhinal axons, pyramidal cells and granule cells, are not yet fully developed, and the majority of their distal dendritic tips have not yet reached these layers. This raises the question as to the cellular and molecular signals guiding the entorhinal axons to and keeping them in their target layers. Here we hypothesize that early generated Cajal‐Retzius (CR) cells located in stratum lacunosum‐moleculare and the outer molecular layer of the dentate, and in particular their axons projecting to the entorhinal cortex, provide a template that is used by the entorhinal axons to find their target layers in the hippocampus.