bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rural pathology under the microscope
Authors: Cameron Helen , Dupal Philip
Published: July 2009

There is little discussion about the crisis in the pathology and medical science workforce despite the implications it has for the whole health system. The crisis has greater implications for rural and remote locations because of the range of skills and multidisciplinary approach required in these areas. Recognition of the clinical significance and organisational importance of the sector is required as is recognition of the unique characteristics of rural and remote pathology and greater support for rural and remote pathology practitioners.
Effect of continuous infusion of asialoerythropoietin on short‐term changes in infarct volume, penumbra apoptosis and behaviour following middle cerebral artery occlusion in rats
Authors: Price Chrystal D , Yang Zhongjin , Karlnoski Rachel , Kumar Dipak , Chaparro Raphael , Camporesi Enrico M
Published: July 2009

1. Asialoerythropoietin (aEPO), a derivative of cytokine erythropoietin, has been shown to have neuroprotective effects without haematological complications when administered in single or repeated doses. The present study examines our hypothesis that aEPO may provide neuroprotection against programmed apoptotic cell death when administered in a continuous low dose.

2. Focal cerebral ischaemia was introduced by occlusion of the middle cerebral artery using a surgically placed intraluminal filament in young male Sprague Dawley rats (9 weeks old). After 90 min ischaemia, reperfusion was established by filament removal. Both study and control groups had implanted osmotic minipumps through which they received either aEPO (1 μL/h; 20 μg/kg per 24 h) or normal saline (1 μL/h) for 4 days. On Day 4, infarct volume, the number of apoptotic cells and concentrations of activated caspase 3 and 9 were evaluated in the penumbra region.

3. Asialoerythropoietin was detected in the cerebrospinal fluid of the study group, whereas none was detected in the control group. Although there were no significant changes in haematocrit levels or behaviour scores (on Days 1 and 4) between the study and control groups, aEPO administration significantly reduced infarct volume in the study group compared with the control group (168 ± 19 vs 249 ± 28 mm3, respectively; P < 0.05).

4. The number of terminal deoxyribonucleotidyl transferase‐mediated dUTP–digoxigenin nick end‐labelling (TUNEL)‐positive cells and the concentration of activated caspase 3 and 9 in the penumbra region were significantly lower in the study group compared with the control group.

5. In conclusion, our data suggest that aEPO provides a short‐term, possibly histological, protection in young adult male rats when administered immediately after reperfusion.
Turner syndrome phalangeal screening based on a two‐stage linear regression concept
Authors: Tiu Chui‐Mei , Liu Tzu‐Chiang , Hsieh Chi‐Wen , Niu Dau‐Ming , Chen Jen‐Dar , Jong Tai‐Lang
Published: July 2009

Background:  Turner syndrome (TS) is a congenital chromosomal abnormality, resulting in short stature, short fourth metacarpal, and retarded skeletal maturation in children. The existing methods of diagnosis, which include carpal angle, metacarpal sign, and body mass index (BMI), cannot accurately diagnose TS. The authors propose a novel procedure for examining the hand skeleton to distinguish between normal individuals and patients with TS.

Methods:  This investigation was divided into two parts. In the first part, existing methods (evaluation of the metacarpal sign, measurement of the carpal angle, and determination of BMI) were used. Examination in the second part was based on the two‐stage screening method (TSSM). In the first stage in TSSM, the ratio of the lengths of the distal–middle phalanges of the fifth digit was determined in normal subjects with average range of satisfactory body height and TS patients. A suitable cut‐off was found on linear regression and used to divide the plot into TS patients and normal subjects. In the second stage, the normal section was transferred to another group based on bone and chronological ages. A greater number of patients were diagnosed with TS using this method. Finally, four cut‐off parameters were determined on linear regression analysis. Results with optimal sensitivity and specificity were automatically obtained.

Results:  The combination of TSSM with optimal programming (sensitivity = 0.81 and specificity = 0.91) was satisfactory for diagnosing TS patients.

Conclusion:  TSSM can suitably evaluate growth of the hand skeleton to distinguish between normal individuals and patients with TS.
From small hosts come big viruses: the complete genome of a second Ostreococcus tauri virus, OtV‐1
Authors: Weynberg Karen D. , Allen Michael J. , Ashelford Kevin , Scanlan David J. , Wilson William H.
Published: July 2009

Ostreococcus tauri virus (OtV‐1) is a large double‐stranded DNA virus and a prospective member of the family Phycodnaviridae, genus Prasinovirus. OtV‐1 infects the unicellular marine green alga O. tauri, the smallest known free‐living eukaryote. Here we present the 191 761 base pair genome sequence of OtV‐1, which has 232 putative protein‐encoding and 4 tRNA‐encoding genes. Approximately 31% of the viral gene products exhibit a similarity to proteins of known functions in public databases. These include a variety of unexpected genes, for example, a PhoH‐like protein, a N‐myristoyltransferase, a 3‐dehydroquinate synthase, a number of glycosyltransferases and methyltransferases, a prolyl 4‐hydroxylase, 6‐phosphofructokinase and a total of 8 capsid proteins. A total of 11 predicted genes share homology with genes found in the Ostreococcus host genome. In addition, an intein was identified in the DNA polymerase gene of OtV‐1. This is the first report of an intein in the genome of a virus that infects O. tauri. Fifteen core genes common to nuclear‐cytoplasmic large dsDNA virus (NCLDV) genomes were identified in the OtV‐1 genome. This new sequence data may help to redefine the classification of the core genes of these viruses and shed new light on their evolutionary history.
ORDINARY LEAST SQUARES LEARNING AND NONLINEARITIES IN MACROECONOMICS
Authors: Gomes Orlando
Published: July 2009

Abstract The paper reviews the literature on adaptive learning in macroeconomic settings where the formation of expectations is particularly relevant. Special attention will be given to simple two‐period overlapping generations models with a unique fixed point perfect foresight equilibrium; in this kind of scenario, eventual long‐term periodic and a‐periodic cycles are exclusively the result of the process of learning. The outcome that high rates of money growth have a potentially destabilizing effect generating periodic fluctuations and chaos is emphasized. The persistence of systematic forecast errors in a scenario where agents are supposed to act rationally is relevant in this context and it will be thoroughly discussed resorting to the notions of self‐fulfilling mistakes, consistent expectations equilibria and beliefs equilibria.
HIGH‐FREQUENCY ANALYSIS OF FOREIGN EXCHANGE INTERVENTIONS: WHAT DO WE LEARN?
Authors: Menkhoff Lukas
Published: July 2009

AbstractThe high‐frequency analysis of foreign exchange dynamics is helpful in order to better identify the impact of central bank interventions. Evidence robustly shows that interventions do indeed move the exchange rate level in the desired direction. Interventions increase volatility in the short run as they are regarded as information; but they can reduce volatility overall. Ways of transmission may reach beyond the signalling channel and also include the portfolio balance and a damping channel. Finally, interventions are more successful if they obey certain conditions, such as being coordinated among central banks and going with the market and fundamentals.
Health Expenditures and Health Outcomes in Africa*
Authors: Anyanwu John C. , Erhijakpor Andrew E.O.
Published: July 2009

Abstract:  This paper provides econometric evidence linking African countries’ per capita total as well as government health expenditures and per capita income to two health outcomes: infant mortality and under‐five mortality. This relationship is examined using data from 47 African countries between 1999 and 2004. Health expenditures have a statistically significant negative effect on infant and under‐five mortality rates. The magnitude of our elasticity estimates are in consonance to those reported in the literature. For African countries, our results imply that total health expenditures (as well as the public component) are certainly important contributors to health outcomes. In addition, we find that both infant and under‐five mortality are positively and significantly associated with sub‐Saharan Africa. The reverse is true for North Africa. While ethnolinguistic fractionalization and HIV prevalence positively and significantly affect the health outcomes, higher numbers of physicians and female literacy significantly reduce these health outcomes. These results have important implications for attaining the targets envisioned by the Millennium Development Goals. The data implications are also discussed.
National Symbols as Agents of Psychological and Social Change
Authors: Butz David A.
Published: July 2009

National symbols pervade most contemporary societies, and public policies encourage the displays of these symbols, yet little research has considered the psychological and social effects of exposure to national symbols. The current review integrates theorizing across social science disciplines and proposes that national symbols are not passive fixtures of people's environment, but instead may yield significant psychological and social effects. Empirically supported intraindividual consequences include enhanced national identification and the promotion of group unity at an unconscious level. National symbols may also have important implications for intergroup relations due to their relation to heightened national identification and potential to automatically activate concepts associated with nationhood. The factors that contribute to differential responses to national symbols and profitable avenues of future research are discussed.
DETERRENCE: CREDIBILITY AND PROPORTIONALITY
Authors: ARCE DANIEL G. , SANDLER TODD
Published: July 2009

This paper extends the analysis of deterrence to examine terrorism, nuclear proliferation, and rogue nations. Such situations are characterized by differential pre‐emptive and response capacity, in contrast to the traditional deterrence literature on nuclear superpowers, where such factors are absent. We focus on the credibility of deterrence responses to pre‐emption and show that credible (subgame‐perfect) responses are rarely proportional. The analysis is also extended to asymmetric deterrence scenarios whereby credibility and proportionality depend on the potential aggressor's access to conflict technology and the responder's preferences for indirect conflict vs. the status quo.
The ubiquitin ligase E6‐AP promotes degradation of α‐synuclein
Authors: Mulherkar Shalaka A. , Sharma Jaiprakash , Jana Nihar Ranjan
Published: July 2009

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder caused mainly because of the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. Protein inclusions called Lewy bodies are the most common pathological hallmark of PD and other synucleinopathies. Because the main component of these inclusions is α‐synuclein, aggregation of this protein is thought to be a key pathogenic event in this disease. In the present investigation we report that E6 associated protein (E6‐AP), a HECT (homologous to E6‐AP C‐terminus) domain ubiquitin ligase is a component of Lewy bodies in post‐mortem PD brain. In the cell culture model, we demonstrate that endogenous E6‐AP colocalizes with α‐synuclein in juxtanuclear aggregates. E6‐AP is also recruited to the centrosome upon inhibition of the proteasome function suggesting its involvement in the degradation of misfolded proteins. Over‐expression of E6‐AP enhances the degradation of wild type as well as the mutant forms of α‐synuclein in a proteasome‐dependent manner. E6‐AP also promotes the degradation of the more toxic oligomeric forms of α‐synuclein. Our data suggests that E6‐AP is involved in the clearance of α‐synuclein.
Creating the semi‐living: on politics, aesthetics and the more‐than‐human
Authors: Dixon Deborah P
Published: July 2009

Though geographers have remarked on the aesthetic and political character of a technoscientific biology, there has been an accompanying tendency, following disciplinary trends and social theory more broadly, to read these as being separate issues at the analytic as well as substantive level. Whereas the former becomes read as a matter of artistic practice and appreciation, or visual appraisal, the latter is considered to be the exercise of power through discipline and regulation. Here, I draw upon Rancière’s The Politics of Aesthetics (2007, Continuum, London) to make a stronger claim for the role of the aesthetic, wherein a political regime is understood to be comprised of a ‘distribution of the sensible’ that orders what can be seen and what can be said about it, that determines who has the ability to see and to speak, that organises the properties of spaces and the possibilities of time, and that locates the identity of the quick and the dead within a grid of intelligibility. Political struggle is necessarily aesthetic insofar as it is an attempt to reconfigure the place not only of particular groups, but also the social order within which they are embedded. For Rancière, artistic practices are but particular ways of making and doing; they can have a distinctly political function, however, in the way that they reorder the relations among spaces and times, subjects and objects. To animate this discussion I draw on examples from critical BioArt that address the more‐than‐human world of Semi‐Living Objects. From overt manifesto to ironic commentary, the practices, understandings and artefacts that comprise BioArt work to challenge the political, economic, cultural and ethical contexts within which a modern‐day technoscientific biology operates.
Scales and networks of neoliberal climate governance: the regulatory and territorial logics of European Union emissions trading
Authors: Bailey Ian , Maresh Sam
Published: July 2009

The growing influence of neoliberal approaches to environmental governance has significantly increased the involvement of industry non‐state actors in international and national climate governance. However, the implications of this neoliberalisation and hybridisation of climate governance, and particularly state–industry relations during these processes, remain under‐integrated with wider geographical debates on the scalar and network politics of environmental governance. In this paper, we probe these issues by examining the regulatory and territorial logics underpinning the negotiation and implementation of the European Union emissions trading scheme (EU ETS). We argue that overlapping interpretations of theregulatory logicof emissions trading (as a cost‐effective means of meeting climate objectives) by EU, state and industry actors provided the driving force for the creation of a Europeanised climate governance space and the consolidation of the EU’s governing authority in respect of the formal rule‐making elements of the EU ETS. However, alliances between state and industry actors, based around intersecting interpretations of theirterritorial interestsin relation to emissions trading, strongly influenced the scheme’s design. Moreover, speculative behaviour within the EU ETS market indicates the continued ability of market networks to disrupt territorially‐based climate governance regimes. We argue that critical exploration of the territorial logics and practices of EU emissions trading from regime creation to operation provides new insights into the emerging spatial politics of neoliberal environmental governance and its implications for climate protection.
Assembling Histories: J. G. A. Pocock, Aotearoa/New Zealand and the British World
Authors: Austrin Terry , Farnsworth John
Published: July 2009

J. G. A. Pocock’s work has made major contributions to the two fields of history and political science. In this article, we investigate the significance of his contributions to a wider field of social science and, in particular, to the discipline of sociology. Pocock’s attention to the question of sovereignty and its constant reconfiguration throughout the British world is brought together with the concerns of authors writing in an actor network tradition. Pocock’s British world, a world that moves between and connects different archipelagos, is an assemblage, one composed of political arrangements that travel but also have to be stabilised. This process is only ever provisional but is played out, Pocock claims, in a unique way in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Arguing against the claimed certainties of postcolonial historiography he suggests that the Aotearoa/New Zealand case is composed of a range of different futures involving the securing of and/or loss of sovereignty. These are currently being renarrated by its historians. This process of renarration necessarily involves a public role for the historian and has led Pocock, as commentator from a distance, into making critical interventions in what he refers to as the debate over sovereignty in Aotearoa/New Zealand.
Special Article: The Normal Hematocrit Cardiac Trial Revisited
Authors: Goodkin David A.
Published: July 2009

The Normal Hematocrit Cardiac Trial (NHCT) was the first large, randomized study of patients receiving hemodialysis to examine the outcomes of treating anemia to a target hematocrit range of 42 ± 3% versus maintaining partial correction in a range of 30 ± 3%. The results of the NHCT and a meta‐analysis adding eight subsequent trials of normalization of hematocrit/hemoglobin in chronic kidney disease (CKD) have demonstrated increased thrombovascular events and mortality associated with the higher targets. This article expands and clarifies the results of the NHCT, including data that were edited from the original publication, and highlights findings from more recent studies in the field. Paradoxically, none of the randomized trials has reported an association between higher attained hemoglobin concentration and mortality within randomized groups. Mean platelet count did not increase among the patients in the normal‐hematocrit group in the NHCT or in two other large trials, CREATE and CHOIR. Exposure to high doses of erythropoietic stimulating agents and/or intravenous iron could be mediating complications in the CKD anemia‐normalization studies, but post‐hoc analyses to probe such potential associations have yielded conflicting results and are clearly hindered by the risk of confounding by indication. The mechanisms underlying the deleterious outcomes associated with efforts to correct renal anemia fully remain unproven.
Biodiversity of Belowground Invertebrates as an Indicator of Wet Meadow Restoration Success (Platte River, Nebraska)
Authors: Riggins John J. , Davis Craig A. , Hoback W. Wyatt
Published: July 2009

Soil invertebrate communities are fundamental components of wet meadow ecosystems. We compared soil invertebrate biodiversity between restored and native wet meadows to assess the effectiveness of restoration practices. Biodiversity and biomass were measured in 2002 and 2003 from four native and three restored sites located along a 100‐km stretch of the Platte River in south‐central Nebraska. The sites ranged in age from 3 to 6 years since restoration. Samples were collected during May, July, and September each year. Soil temperature, soil moisture, percent litter cover, and root mass were measured at each site. Twelve 20 × 20 × 25–cm soil blocks were extracted at each site; soil was washed through a 1‐mm sieve; and invertebrates were identified, counted, and weighed. Native sites had higher Shannon and Simpson diversity values and contained greater invertebrate biomass than restored sites. Five invertebrate taxa (isopods, scarab beetles, click beetles, earthworms, and ants) were collected with enough frequency to assess restoration effects on their occurrence. Of these, only ants occurred more frequently in restored sites. Restored sites generally had less litter cover, lower root mass, lower soil moisture, and higher soil temperature than native sites. Current restoration practices may not be completely effective at returning sites to native conditions. Physical reconstruction of wet meadow topography and high‐diversity reseeding may not be adequate to fully restore soil invertebrate communities, even over extended periods of time.
Impaired Terminal Differentiation of Pulmonary Macrophages in a Guinea Pig Model of Chronic Ethanol Ingestion
Authors: Brown Sheena D. , Gauthier Theresa W. , Brown Lou Ann S.
Published: July 2009

Background:  Alcoholic patients have an increased risk of respiratory infections, which is partially due to an impaired immune response of alveolar macrophages. The mechanisms by which alcohol impairs alveolar macrophage function are poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrated in a guinea pig model that chronic ethanol ingestion significantly impaired alveolar macrophage differentiation and function.

Methods:  Isolated alveolar macrophages were separated into 4 different subpopulations with varying densities and levels of maturation.

Results:  Compared to control values, chronic ethanol ingestion decreased the percentage of alveolar macrophages in the mature fractions by ∼60%. Alveolar macrophage function in each subpopulation was determined by measuring phagocytosis of fluorescein isothiocyanate‐labeled Staphylococcus aureus. Alveolar macrophages from ethanol‐fed animals had ∼80% decrease in the phagocytic index. Western blot and immunohistochemical analysis of the differential markers granulocyte/macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (GM‐CSF) receptor α (GM‐CSFR‐α), PU.1, CD11c, and CD11b verified that alcoholic macrophages displayed impaired terminal differentiation. While oral supplementation with the glutathione precursor S‐adenosyl‐methionine (SAM) did not alter the maturational status of control animals, SAM supplementation shifted the distribution of macrophages to more mature fractions, normalized the phagocytic index; as well as normalized expression of CD11c, CD11b, PU.1, and GM‐CSFR‐α. Chronic ethanol ingestion also impaired the differentiation status of interstitial macrophages which was normalized by SAM supplementation.

Conclusion:  This improvement in the maturational status suggested that ethanol‐induced oxidant stress is a central feature in impaired terminal differentiation of macrophages in the interstitial and alveolar space. Therefore, strategies targeting pulmonary oxidant stress may restore macrophage differentiation and function even after chronic ethanol ingestion.
Bayesian Modeling of Measurement Errors and Pesticide Concentration in Dietary Risk Assessments
Authors: Kennedy Marc , Hart Andy
Published: July 2009

We propose new models for dealing with various sources of variability and uncertainty that influence risk assessments for dietary exposure. The uncertain or random variables involved can interact in complex ways, and the focus is on methodology for integrating their effects and on assessing the relative importance of including different uncertainty model components in the calculation of dietary exposures to contaminants, such as pesticide residues. The combined effect is reflected in the final inferences about the population of residues and subsequent exposure assessments. In particular, we show how measurement uncertainty can have a significant impact on results and discuss novel statistical options for modeling this uncertainty. The effect of measurement error is often ignored, perhaps due to the laboratory process conforming to the relevant international standards, for example, or is treated in an ad hoc way. These issues are common to many dietary risk analysis problems, and the methods could be applied to any food and chemical of interest. An example is presented using data on carbendazim in apples and consumption surveys of toddlers.
Robotic Pets in Human Lives: Implications for the Human–Animal Bond and for Human Relationships with Personified Technologies
Authors: Melson Gail F. , Kahn, Jr. Peter H. , Beck Alan , Friedman Batya
Published: July 2009

Robotic “pets” are being marketed as social companions and are used in the emerging field of robot‐assisted activities, including robot‐assisted therapy (RAA). However, the limits to and potential of robotic analogues of living animals as social and therapeutic partners remain unclear. Do children and adults view robotic pets as “animal‐like,”“machine‐like,” or some combination of both? How do social behaviors differ toward a robotic versus living dog? To address these issues, we synthesized data from three studies of the robotic dog AIBO: (1) a content analysis of 6,438 Internet postings by 182 adult AIBO owners; (2) observations and interviews with 80 preschoolers during play periods with AIBO and with a stuffed dog; and (3) observations and interviews with 72 children, aged 7–15 years, who played with AIBO and a living dog. Overall, the studies revealed that “hybrid” cognitions and behaviors about AIBO emerged: the robotic dog was treated as a technological artifact that also embodied attributes of living animals, such as having mental states, being a social other, and having moral standing (although this latter finding remained difficult to interpret). Implications for use of robotic pets as companions and in interventions or therapy are explored.
Bacterial intoxication evokes cellular senescence with persistent DNA damage and cytokine signalling
Authors: Blazkova Hana , Krejcikova Katerina , Moudry Pavel , Frisan Teresa , Hodny Zdenek , Bartek Jiri
Published: July 2009

Cytolethal distending toxins (CDTs) are proteins produced and secreted by facultative pathogenic strains of Gram‐negative bacteria with potentially genotoxic effects. Mammalian cells exposed to CDTs undergo cell type‐dependent cell‐cycle arrest or apoptosis; however, the cell fate responses to such intoxication are mechanistically incompletely understood. Here we show that both normal and cancer cells (BJ, IMR‐90 and WI‐38 fibroblasts, HeLa and U2‐OS cell lines) that survive the acute phase of intoxication by Haemophilus ducreyi CDT possess the hallmarks of cellular senescence. This characteristic phenotype included persistently activated DNA damage signalling (detected as 53BP1/γH2AX+ foci), enhanced senescence‐associated β‐galactosidase activity, expansion of promyelocytic leukaemia nuclear compartments and induced expression of several cytokines (especially interleukins IL‐6, IL‐8 and IL‐24), overall features shared by cells undergoing replicative or premature cellular senescence. We conclude that analogous to oncogenic, oxidative and replicative stresses, bacterial intoxication represents another pathophysiological stimulus that induces premature senescence, an intrinsic cellular response that may mechanistically underlie the ‘distended’ morphology evoked by CDTs. Finally, the activation of the two anticancer barriers, apoptosis and cellular senescence, together with evidence of chromosomal aberrations (micronucleation) reported here, support the emerging genotoxic and potentially oncogenic effects of this group of bacterial toxins, and warrant further investigation of their role(s) in human disease.
Effects of implant surface coatings and composition on bone integration: a systematic review
Authors: Junker Rüdiger , Dimakis Athanasios , Thoneick Maurice , Jansen John A.
Published: July 2009

Objective:The aim of the present review was to evaluate the bone integration efficacy of recently developed and marketed oral implants as well as experimental surface alterations.

Materials and methods:A PubMed search was performed for animal studies, human reports and studies presenting bone‐to‐implant contact percentage or data regarding mechanical testing.

Results:For recently developed and marketed oral implants, 29 publications and for experimental surface alterations 51 publications fulfilled the inclusion criteria for this review.

Conclusions:As demonstrated in the available literature dealing with recently developed and marketed oral implants, surface‐roughening procedures also affect the surface chemical composition of oral implants. There is sufficient proof that surface roughening induces a safe and predictable implant‐to‐bone response, but it is not clear whether this effect is due to the surface roughness or to the related change in the surface composition. The review of the experimental surface alterations revealed that thin calcium phosphate (CaP) coating technology can solve the problems associated with thick CaP coatings, while they still improve implant bone integration compared with non‐coated titanium implants. Nevertheless, there is a lack of human studies in which the success rate of thin CaP‐coated oral implants is compared with just roughened oral implants. No unequivocal evidence is available that suggests a positive effect on the implant bone integration of peptide sequences or growth factors coated on titanium oral implants. In contrast, the available literature suggests that bone morphogenetic protein‐2 coatings might even impede the magnitude of implant‐to‐bone response.
Critical horizontal dimensions of interproximal and buccal bone around implants for optimal aesthetic outcomes: a systematic review
Authors: Teughels Wim , Merheb Joe , Quirynen Marc
Published: July 2009

Objective:This systematic review was initiated to explore the critical horizontal interproximal and buccal bone dimensions around implants for an optimal aesthetic outcome.

Materials and methods:Pubmed, the Cochrane and the ISI web of Science databases were searched to identify eligible human studies that reflect on the aesthetic outcome of implants in relation to the thickness of the buccal bone after osteotomy preparation, and in relation to the tooth‐to‐implant or interimplant distance. Vertical bone dimensions were not considered.

Results and discussion:Articles relating horizontal buccal bone dimensions to aesthetic outcome could not be retrieved. The relation between horizontal buccal bone dimensions and vertical bone resorption could also not be confirmed. In relation to horizontal interproximal bone dimensions, some uniformity was detected among the limited number of articles.

Conclusions:Interproximally, a 3 mm interelement distance seems to result more frequently in an adequate papillary fill. In the bucco‐oral direction, there is insufficient evidence to set a threshold for minimal buccal bone thickness to ensure an optimal aesthetic outcome. Many additional factors appear to be of importance and interact with each other.
Verrucous porokeratosis of the gluteal cleft (porokeratosis ptychotropica): a rare disorder easily misdiagnosed
Authors: Takiguchi Rodd H. , White Kevin P. , White Clifton R. , Simpson Eric L.
Published: July 2009

Porokeratosis represents a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized clinically by a distinctive ridge‐like border and histologically by cornoid lamellae. A verrucous variant of porokeratosis involving the gluteal cleft has been recently described. We present 5 new cases and review the current literature to highlight the clinical and histopathologic features of this disorder. Descriptive terms including hyperkeratotic porokeratosis, genitogluteal porokeratosis, porokeratoma, follicular porokeratosis, and porokeratosis ptychotropica have all been used to describe this verrucous variant of porokeratosis involving the gluteal cleft. To avoid further confusion, we propose a consolidation of terminologies and suggest verrucous porokeratosis be added to the commonly described variants of porokeratosis.

Takiguchi RH, White KP, White CR, Jr, Simpson EL. Verrucous porokeratosis of the gluteal cleft (porokeratosis ptychotropica): A rare disorder easily misdiagnosed.
Anaplastic Kaposi's sarcoma: an uncommon histologic phenotype with an aggressive clinical course
Authors: Yu Yue , Demierre Marie‐France , Mahalingam Meera
Published: July 2009

Anaplastic Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is an uncommon histologic phenotype of Kaposi's and one that is typically associated with a locally aggressive clinical course. We report a case of a 53‐year‐old human immunodeficiency virus‐positive male, on highly active antiretroviral therapy 1 month prior to admission, who presented with fever, cough, respiratory distress, multiple skin lesions and cervical and inguinal lymphadenopathy not responding to multiple antibiotics. Microscopic examination of punch biopsies from the forehead and chest revealed a spindled cell neoplasm with marked cytologic atypia and scattered mitoses, features consistent with a diagnosis of anaplastic KS and confirmed by immunohistochemistry with HHV‐8. Biopsy of an involved lymph node also revealed involvement by KS. Despite aggressive clinical treatment, the patient rapidly deteriorated and expired 1 week after the diagnosis of anaplastic KS was rendered. Our case underscores the aggressive clinical course of this uncommon histologic variant of KS and its recalcitrant clinical behavior.

Yu Y, Demierre M‐F, Mahalingam M. Anaplastic Kaposi's sarcoma: an uncommon histologic phenotype with an aggressive clinical course.
Developmental care in the UK: a developing initiative
Authors: Hamilton K E StC , Redshaw M E
Published: July 2009

Aim:  To review developmental care over time in the UK.

Methods:  Longitudinal study comprising two prospective observational studies of unit organization and developmental care activity collected in 2005 and 2008 in all UK neonatal units. Indices related to developmental care and an aggregated score are reported corresponding to year and level of care.

Results:  In 2008, over 90% units had open visiting for parents and modified lighting and 80% modified noise, showing no change since 2005. Incubator cover usage increased from 75% to 95%. Rates of parental tube feeding dropped from 76% to 64% and kangaroo care increased from 50% to 80%. Proportions of units with developmental care personnel and staff trained in developmental care have almost doubled to 64% and 57%. Aggregated scores, reflecting eight basic indices of developmental care, were unchanged: the 2005 mean was 5.7 (SD = 1.5) and 6.2 (SD = 1.5) in 2008. Scores were significantly higher in larger units and in those with developmental care personnel or developmentally trained staff.

Conclusion:  Despite a significant increase in developmental care skills and infrastructure, variable approaches persist, with limited improvements over time. These findings reflect a UK culture that is ambivalent towards developmental care, and enable comparison with other countries where developmental care is more fully supported.
Beyond ‘someone else's agenda’: An example of indigenous/academic research collaboration
Authors: Tipa Gail , Panelli Ruth ,   Moeraki Stream Team
Published: July 2009

In recent years, Māori and wider indigenous geographies have flourished. These include works by scholars identifying specific Māori or indigenous issues but less attention has been paid to the way such research is conducted. This paper engages with these developments and presents the practices and lessons learnt from one particular research collaboration. Relationship building, multiple methods, flexibility, communication choices and wider support are all noted as key elements in establishing a supportive and fruitful collaboration.
Singing the Nation into Being: Teaching Identity and Culture at the Turn of the Twentieth Century
Authors: Sargeant Lynn M.
Published: July 2009

Although music has long had a place in the school, its position has often been precarious, relegated to odd hours and odd locations, and starved of both funds and attention. While at times music and the arts have enjoyed considerable support, these subjects are often the last ones added and the first ones cut from the curriculum. Yet, the arts have passionate advocates as well, including parents and pedagogues who support a holistic model of education that emphasizes humanistic values and aesthetics as well as utilitarian training. Still, music educators have struggled to justify their subject, often relying on extrinsic arguments to support its inclusion in the curriculum. Music, one is told, helps students raise their reading and math scores, improves their self-discipline, and builds community. Such arguments are rarely persuasive to voters concerned with eliminating expensive “frills” or to officials trying to balance tight budgets and raise test scores. Local newspapers bear witness to this struggle, as music and art programs fight to stay alive in American schools. This story, so potent today, has a long history. It dates back to the nineteenth century and the very birth of school music programs. It crosses continents, having as much currency in Europe as it does in North America. Debates over music in the schools are nothing less than debates over the meaning and purpose of education. Music is not one of the “three ‘R's.” Yet, precisely because of music's peripheral
A patient with dry mouth
Authors: Glore R.J. , Spiteri‐Staines K. , Paleri V.
Published: July 2009

Introduction:  Xerostomia is a common symptom among patients referred to ENT clinics. We present an evidence‐based approach in a patient complaining of xerostomia who has not been exposed to radiotherapy.

Method (search strategy):  This review was based on a literature search last performed on 1 July 2008. MEDLINE and EMBASE databases and the Cochrane Library were searched using the subject headings dry mouth, hyposalivation and xerostomia in combination with diagnosis, therapy and surgery. Results were limited to English language articles including clinical trials, randomised controlled trials, meta‐analyses, systematic reviews, review articles and human studies. Relevant references from selected articles were reviewed.

Results:  Xerostomia is not synonymous with hyposalivation. Effective management covers symptomatic relief with selected saliva substitutes, sialogogic agents, addressing underlying dental complications and oral infections, and review of prescribed medication.

Conclusion:  Xerostomia is a common symptom for a wide range of triggering factors, but the treatment is largely palliative and preventative in nature.
Effects of Asymmetric Cultural Experiences on the Auditory Pathway
Authors: Wong Patrick C. M. , Perrachione Tyler K. , Margulis Elizabeth Hellmuth
Published: July 2009

Cultural experiences come in many different forms, such as immersion in a particular linguistic community, exposure to faces of people with different racial backgrounds, or repeated encounters with music of a particular tradition. In most circumstances, these cultural experiences are asymmetric, meaning one type of experience occurs more frequently than other types (e.g., a person raised in India will likely encounter the Indian todi scale more so than a Westerner). In this paper, we will discuss recent findings from our laboratories that reveal the impact of short‐ and long‐term asymmetric musical experiences on how the nervous system responds to complex sounds. We will discuss experiments examining how musical experience may facilitate the learning of a tone language, how musicians develop neural circuitries that are sensitive to musical melodies played on their instrument of expertise, and how even everyday listeners who have little formal training are particularly sensitive to music of their own culture(s). An understanding of these cultural asymmetries is useful in formulating a more comprehensive model of auditory perceptual expertise that considers how experiences shape auditory skill levels. Such a model has the potential to aid in the development of rehabilitation programs for the efficacious treatment of neurologic impairments.
Pulse and Meter as Neural Resonance
Authors: Large Edward W. , Snyder Joel S.
Published: July 2009

The experience of musical rhythm is a remarkable psychophysical phenomenon, in part because the perception of periodicities, namely pulse and meter, arise from stimuli that are not periodic. One possible function of such a transformation is to enable synchronization between individuals through perception of a common abstract temporal structure (e.g., during music performance). Thus, understanding the brain processes that underlie rhythm perception is fundamental to explaining musical behavior. Here, we propose that neural resonance provides an excellent account of many aspects of human rhythm perception. Our framework is consistent with recent brain‐imaging studies showing neural correlates of rhythm perception in high‐frequency oscillatory activity, and leads to the hypothesis that perception of pulse and meter result from rhythmic bursts of high‐frequency neural activity in response to musical rhythms. High‐frequency bursts of activity may enable communication between neural areas, such as auditory and motor cortices, during rhythm perception and production.
A Neuroscientific Perspective on Music Therapy
Authors: Koelsch Stefan
Published: July 2009

During the last years, a number of studies demonstrated that music listening (and even more so music production) activates a multitude of brain structures involved in cognitive, sensorimotor, and emotional processing. For example, music engages sensory processes, attention, memory‐related processes, perception‐action mediation (“mirror neuron system” activity), multisensory integration, activity changes in core areas of emotional processing, processing of musical syntax and musical meaning, and social cognition. It is likely that the engagement of these processes by music can have beneficial effects on the psychological and physiological health of individuals, although the mechanisms underlying such effects are currently not well understood. This article gives a brief overview of factors contributing to the effects of music‐therapeutic work. Then, neuroscientific studies using music to investigate emotion, perception‐action mediation (“mirror function”), and social cognition are reviewed, including illustrations of the relevance of these domains for music therapy.
The Pitch of Vibrato Tones
Authors: Mesz Bruno A. , Eguia Manuel C.
Published: July 2009

We study vibrato as the more ubiquitous manifestation of a nonstationary tone that can evoke a single overall pitch. Some recent results using nonsymmetrical vibrato tones suggest that the perceived pitch could be governed by some stability‐sensitive mechanism. For nonstationary sounds the adequate tools are time–frequency representations (TFRs). We show that a recently proposed TFR could be the simplest framework to explain this hypothetical stability‐sensitive mechanism. We propose a one‐parameter model within this framework that is able to predict previously reported results and we present new results obtained from psychophysical experiments performed in our laboratory.
Emotional Recognition from Face, Voice, and Music in Dementia of the Alzheimer Type
Authors: Drapeau Joanie , Gosselin Nathalie , Gagnon Lise , Peretz Isabelle , Lorrain Dominique
Published: July 2009

Persons with dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT) are impaired in recognizing emotions from face and voice. Yet clinical practitioners use these mediums to communicate with DAT patients. Music is also used in clinical practice, but little is known about emotional processing from music in DAT. This study aims to assess emotional recognition in mild DAT. Seven patients with DAT and 16 healthy elderly adults were given three tasks of emotional recognition for face, prosody, and music. DAT participants were only impaired in the emotional recognition from the face. These preliminary results suggest that dynamic auditory emotions are preserved in DAT.
Automatic Brain Responses to Pitch Changes in Congenital Amusia
Authors: Moreau Patricia , Jolicœur Pierre , Peretz Isabelle
Published: July 2009

Congenital amusia is a lifelong disorder affecting the processing of pitch. This pitch deficit can be traced down to abnormal brain responses elicited by pitch changes smaller than a semitone in conditions requiring attention. Here, we use the mismatch negativity (MMN) to investigate pre‐attentive pitch change detection in 10 amusics and eight matched controls. Results indicate similar MMN in amusics and controls, even for an eighth of a tone change, revealing that the amusic brain can process small pitch changes at a pre‐attentive level. Thus, the pitch deficit in congenital amusia may be related to a problem of perceptual awareness.
Effects of Early Musical Training on Musical and Linguistic Syntactic Abilities
Authors: Marin Manuela M.
Published: July 2009

Music and language are distinct auditory domains serving different communicative uses. These differences may be less apparent in infants, and similar learning mechanisms may be applied in the syntactic development of both domains. By using a harmonic priming paradigm, this study revealed that 4‐ to 5‐year‐old children have implicit knowledge of Western harmony. Musical training affected response times and accuracy in a timbre identification task, but not the magnitude of the harmonic priming effect. Children with musical training showed enhanced language abilities, particularly in morphologic rule formation and memory for words.
Investigating Musical Disorders with Diffusion Tensor Imaging
Authors: Loui Psyche , Schlaug Gottfried
Published: July 2009

The arcuate fasciculus (AF) is a bundle of white matter traditionally thought to be responsible for language function. However, its role in music is not known. Here we investigate the connectivity of the AF using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and show that musically tone‐deaf individuals, who show impairments in pitch discrimination, have reduced connectivity in the AF relative to musically normal‐functioning control subjects. Results were robust to variations in imaging parameters and emphasize the importance of brain connectivity in para‐linguistic processes, such as music.
Social Feedback Influences Musically Induced Emotions
Authors: Egermann Hauke , Grewe Oliver , Kopiez Reinhard , Altenmüller Eckart
Published: July 2009

Numerous studies have shown that music is a powerful means to induce emotions. The present study investigates whether these emotional effects can be manipulated by social feedback. In an Internet‐based study, 3315 participants were randomly assigned to two groups and they listened to different music excerpts. After each excerpt, participants rated emotions according to arousal and valence dimensions. Additionally, those in group 2 received feedback allegedly based on the emotional ratings of preceding participants. Results show that feedback significantly influenced participants’ ratings of group 2 in the manipulated direction compared to the group without feedback.
Tonal Language Processing in Congenital Amusia
Authors: Nguyen Sébastien , Tillmann Barbara , Gosselin Nathalie , Peretz Isabelle
Published: July 2009

Twenty amusic and 20 control speakers of French were presented with pairs of Mandarin lexical tones to discriminate as same or different. Results revealed that even if the amusic group performed significantly below the control group, the scores of the two groups largely overlapped, with only 15% of the amusic group performing outside the normal variations. Thus, the findings suggest a modest transfer of deficit between music and speech, which in turn calls for further work in order to identify the nature of the mediating factors.
Strong‐Meter and Weak‐Meter Rhythm Identification in Spina Bifida Meningomyelocele and Volumetric Parcellation of Rhythm‐Relevant Cerebellar Regions
Authors: Dennis Maureen , Hopyan Talar , Juranek Jenifer , Cirino Paul T. , Hasan Khader M. , Fletcher Jack
Published: July 2009

Children with spina bifida meningomyelocele (SBM) are impaired relative to controls in terms of discriminating strong‐meter and weak‐meter rhythms, so congenital cerebellar dysmorphologies that affect rhythmic movements also disrupt rhythm perception. Cerebellar parcellations in children with SBM showed an abnormal configuration of volume fractions in cerebellar regions important for rhythm function: a smaller inferior‐posterior lobe, and larger anterior and superior‐posterior lobes.