bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cells migrating from the neural crest contribute to the innervation of the venous pole of the heart
Authors: Hildreth Victoria , Webb Sandra , Bradshaw Lucy , Brown Nigel A. , Anderson Robert H. , Henderson Deborah J.
Published: November 2007

Cells migrating from the neural crest are known to septate the outflow tract of the developing heart, and to contribute to the formation of the arterial valves, their supporting sinuses, the coronary arteries and cardiac neural ganglia. Neural crest cells have also been suggested to contribute to development of the venous pole of the heart, but the extent and fate of such cells remains unclear. In this study, in the mouse, it is shown that cells from the neural crest contribute to the parasympathetic and, to a lesser extent, the sympathetic innervation of the venous pole of the heart. Nerves within the venous pole of the heart are shown to be of mixed origin, with some being derived from the neural crest, while others have an alternative origin, presumably placodal. The neurons innervating the nodal tissue, which can exert chronotropic effects on cardiac conduction, are shown not to be derived from the neural crest. In particular, no evidence was found to support previous suggestions that cells from the neural crest make a direct contribution to the myocardial atrioventricular conduction axis, although a small subset of these cells do co‐localize with the developing left bundle branch. We have therefore confirmed that cells from the neural crest migrate to the venous pole of the heart, and that their major role is in the development of the parasympathetic innervation. In addition, in some embryos, a population of cells derived from the neural crest persist in the leaflets of the atrioventricular valves, but their role in subsequent development remains unknown.
Perceptions of how sleep is influenced by rest, activity and health in patients with coronary heart disease: a phenomenographical study
Authors: Johansson Anna , Windahl Maria , Svanborg Eva , Fredrichsen Maria , Swahn Eva , Uhlin Pia Yngman , Edéll‐Gustafsson Ulla
Published: November 2007

Objective:  A framework is needed for identifying internal and external factors essential for the nursing management of psychological supportive health care and education for patients’ self‐care in sleep. In order to generate more knowledge from the patient's perspective, the aim of this study was to describe how patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) perceive that their sleep is influenced by rest, activity and health in outpatient care.

Design:  Qualitative interviews were performed with 33 outpatients.

Method:  The data were analysed using a phenomenographic method.

Findings:  Three descriptive categories of the phenomenon were described: my lifestyle is reflected in my sleep behaviour; handling the practices around tiredness and sleep; and feelings of negative and positive efficacy. Feelings of tiredness, fatigue and sleepiness were different pre‐sleep stages, but were also related to the patient's adaptation and recovery. Creating one's own personal time and feelings of efficacy gave an inner sense of strength which is indicated as being particularly important in managing stress and the demands of everyday life in a satisfactory manner.

Conclusion:  From a contextual, holistic perspective on health, it is important to identify the patient's needs, symptoms and intentional or unintentional self‐care management strategies regarding sleep and lifestyle. To promote a positive health outcome it is essential to identify sleeplessness behaviour and perceived self‐efficacy for self‐care in sleep.
Possible involvement of GABAergic modulation in the protective effect of gabapentin against immobilization stress‐induced behavior alterations and oxidative damage in mice
Authors: Kumar Anil , Goyal Richa
Published: November 2007

Introduction Acute stress may be experienced in response to an immediate physical, emotional or psychological stimulus. Stress has been known to affect several brain activities and promote long‐term changes in multiple neural systems. In the present study, we investigated the possible involvement of GABAergic modulation in the protective effect of gabapentin in acute immobilization‐induced behavioral alterations and oxidative damage in mice.

Materials and methods Mice were immobilized for periods of 6 h. Animals were divided into different groups, consisting of six in each. Various GABAergic modulators were administered either alone or in their combinations, 30 min before subjecting the animals for immobilization stress. Various behavioral tests (mirror chamber, actophotometer) followed by oxidative parameters (malondialdehyde level, glutathione, catalase, nitrite and protein) were assessed in animals.

Results Six hours acute immobilization stress caused significant locomotor impairment, anxiety‐like behavior in mice. Biochemical analyses also revealed an increase malondialdehyde, nitrite level and depletion of glutathione and catalase activity in 6 h stressed brains. Pretreatment with gabapentin (50 and 100 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly improved ambulatory movements, anti‐anxiety effect (decreased time latency to enter in mirror chamber, increased number of entries and duration in mirror chamber) and antioxidative activity in stressed mice (P < 0.05). Further, picrotoxin (1.0 mg/kg) blocked and muscimol (0.05 mg/kg) potentiated the protective action of gabapentin (50 mg/kg). Results of both behavior as well as biochemical alterations in combination studies were significant as compared to their effect per se (P < 0.05).

Conclusion Results of present study suggest GABAergic modulation might be involved in the protective effect of gabapentin against immobilization‐induced behavior alteration and oxidative damage in mice.
Systemic administration of adenosine ameliorates pentylenetetrazol‐induced chemical kindling and secondary behavioural and biochemical changes in mice
Authors: Akula Kiran Kumar , Dhir Ashish , Kulkarni S.K.
Published: November 2007

Adenosine is one of the inhibitory neuromodulators in the brain and is considered to be responsible for seizure arrest and postictal refractoriness. Adenosine, adenosine receptor agonists, and adenosine uptake blockers are known to reduce the severity and duration of amygdala‐kindled seizures. The present study was carried out to elucidate the anticonvulsant and neuromodulatory effect of systemic adenosine on the pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)‐induced chemical kindling in mice. Kindling was induced by chronic administration of a subconvulsive dose of PTZ (40 mg/kg, i.p.) on every other day for a total period of 9 days. Adenosine was administered daily, 30 min before PTZ or vehicle. The kindling score was recorded immediately following PTZ administration according to a prevalidated scoring scale. Various behavioral and biochemical estimations were performed on day 10 (i.e. 24 h after the last dose of PTZ). Chronic PTZ treatment progressively increased the seizure score with the maximum score reached on day 9. Behavioral analysis found hyperlocomotor activity, anxiogenic response, hyperalgesia and amnesia in kindled mice. Biochemical analysis revealed that chronic treatment with PTZ significantly increased lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde levels), nitrite (NO2− levels), adenosine deaminase (ADA) and total RNA levels and decreased catalase, reduced glutathione (GSH) levels in brain homogenates, and a depletion of adrenal ascorbic acid. Daily treatment with adenosine (25 and 50 mg/kg, i.p.) for 9 days led to a significant decrease in PTZ‐induced kindling score and also reversed various behavioral and biochemical alterations produced by PTZ. The results of the present study suggested that systemic adenosine administration reversed the behavioral and biochemical alterations induced by chronic PTZ.
Learning about learning: lessons from public engagement and deliberation on urban river restoration
Authors: PETTS JUDITH
Published: November 2007

This paper provides a new discussion of how people learn through deliberative processes, drawing upon empirical analysis of a novel public engagement process for urban river restoration. Such critical evaluation is rare and yet will be crucial to both theoretical development and learning about engagement practice, not least in a policy area subject to strong regulatory drivers for public participation. The analysis supports two important learning mechanisms – the use of ‘gatekeepers’ of knowledge, interests and values, and the privileging of narrative. It provides new evidence of instrumental and communicative learning about shared priorities and criteria for effective river restoration that evolved through the deliberative process and directly informed the restoration scheme. It is important to question whether and how such site or context‐specific learning might inform other restoration schemes. Finally, the paper questions the often ignored issue of expert learning, not least the issue of the link between individual and organizational learning.
Scales and power in river basin management: the Chao Phraya River in Thailand1
Authors: MOLLE FRANCOIS
Published: November 2007

Interventions on hydro/ecological systems by different categories of stakeholders characterised by different political, decision‐making and discursive power, and varied access to resources, tend to generate costs, benefits and risks that are distributed unevenly across spatial and temporal scales and across social groups. This is due to the interconnectedness of users through the hydrologic cycle entailed by their dependence upon the same resource. As pressure over resources increases and basins ‘close’, this interdependence becomes more critical, increasing the frequency and seriousness of water shortages and conflicts. A political ecology approach seeks to identify and understand the mechanisms that underpin the transformations of aquatic socio‐environmental systems. Basin interconnectedness, with its hydrological, ecological and social dimensions, and three instances of the concept of scale are shown to be relevant to the understanding of these transformations. The paper analyses the case of the Chao Phraya river basin, in Thailand, and shows how land and water resources have been appropriated and identifies the different interest groups and their related discourses and power; it examines how they have adapted to socio‐environmental changes, and highlights how risks, costs and benefits have been distributed.
Natural and imposed injustices: the challenges in implementing ‘fair’ flood risk management policy in England
Authors: JOHNSON CLARE , PENNING‐ROWSELL EDMUND , PARKER DENNIS
Published: November 2007

This paper examines the challenges facing English flood risk management (FRM) policy and practice when considering fair decision‐making processes and outcomes at a range of spatial scales. It is recognised that flooding is not fair per se: the inherent natural spatial inequality of flood frequency and extent, plus the legacy of differential system interventions, being the cause. But, drawing on the three social justice models – procedural equality, Rawls’ maximin rule and maximum utility – the authors examine the fairness principles currently employed in FRM decision‐making. This is achieved, firstly, in relation to the distribution of taxpayer's money for FRM at the national, regional and local levels and, secondly, for non‐structural strategies – most notably those of insurance, flood warnings and awareness raising, land use control, home owner adaptation and emergency management. A case study of the Lower Thames catchment illustrates the challenges facing decision‐makers in ‘real life’: how those strategies which appear to be most technically and economically effective fall far short of being fair from either a vulnerability or equality perspective. The paper concludes that if we are to manage flood risk somewhat more fairly then a move in the direction of government funding of nationally consistent non‐structural strategies, in conjunction with lower investment decision thresholds for other local‐level FRM options, appears to offer a greater contribution to equality and vulnerability‐based social justice principles than the status quo.
Spatial planning, water and the Water Framework Directive: insights from theory and practice
Authors: CARTER JEREMY G
Published: November 2007

Water is fundamental to the health of the biosphere, strong economic growth and human social well‐being. Despite its relative scarcity and absolute importance to life on earth, fresh water resources are often used inefficiently or polluted unnecessarily. Policymakers must work towards developing approaches to balance human demands for water with the water requirements of ecosystems. The European Water Framework Directive, which aims to encourage the sustainable management and protection of freshwater resources, brings this agenda into sharp focus in Europe. Land use change and environmental quality are closely related, and the nature and location of development can significantly influence both the generation and resolution of environmental problems. This places spatial planning, which provides a framework for regulating the development and use of land, in a strong position to affect water quantity and quality issues and thus to aid the achievement of the Directive's goals. In particular, spatial planning has an important function in integrating the use and management of land and water more closely than is presently the case. This paper explores the potential and actual role of spatial planning in addressing challenges associated with the water environment. This enables an assessment to be made of the extent to which spatial planning can help to meet the goals of the Water Framework Directive.
Integrated water resource management and institutional integration: realising the potential of spatial planning in England
Authors: KIDD SUE , SHAW DAVE
Published: November 2007

This paper explores the various dimensions of integration that need consideration in developing appropriate institutional arrangements for integrated water resource management (IWRM), drawing upon both IWRM and spatial planning sources. As a result, a framework of integration in IWRM is set out. This is then used to consider the strengths and weaknesses of the new spatial planning system in England, and its potential to contribute to IWRM activities that are being developed, partly in response to the European Union Water Framework Directive. From this analysis it is argued that, taken overall, spatial planning is well placed to meet these challenges and it could in fact play a much more central role than is currently envisaged. An alternative model for IWRM in England is set out which sees the new river basin management plans as integral, rather than parallel, to the spatial planning system.
Transference of attachment patterns: How important relationships influence feelings toward novel people
Authors: BRUMBAUGH CLAUDIA CHLOE , FRALEY R. C.
Published: November 2007

This study was designed to examine how working models of attachment are transferred to novel relationships. Two targets were created that resembled either participants’ romantic partner or their parent. A third control target did not share overlapping features with participants’ significant others. Both global and specific working models of attachment influenced how participants perceived new people. The target manipulation also had a main effect on feelings toward the targets: Priming the representation of one’s partner evoked fears of rejection (attachment‐related anxiety) and reduced defensiveness (attachment‐related avoidance). Furthermore, relative to the control target, participants had a more positive overall attitude toward targets that resembled a partner but did not feel more positively toward targets that resembled a parent.
Enhancing relationship perceptions by reducing felt inferiority: The role of attachment style
Authors: DERRICK JAYE L. , MURRAY SANDRA L.
Published: November 2007

To trust in a romantic partner’s acceptance and love, people need to believe they are just as good a person as their partner (and that their partner shares this perception). Yet, people low in attachment security may have difficulty sustaining these beliefs. Two experiments examined the consequences of reducing felt inferiority to the partner. Participants high in attachment anxiety (Experiment 1) and attachment avoidance (Experiment 2) reported greater confidence in their partner’s acceptance and love and attached greater value to their partner when led to feel (or to believe their partner saw them as) superior to their partner. Thus, reducing felt inferiority may effectively enhance relationship perceptions for people relatively low in attachment security.
You are my best friend: Commitment and stability in adolescents’ same‐sex friendships
Authors: BRANJE SUSAN J. T. , FRIJNS TOM , FINKENAUER CATRIN , ENGELS RUTGER , MEEUS WIM
Published: November 2007

A 2‐wave longitudinal study among 678 early and 317 middle adolescents investigated the applicability of Rusbult’s investment model to adolescent best friendships and tested its usefulness in predicting friendship stability. Results showed that satisfaction, quality of alternatives, and investments predict commitment in friendships, both concurrently and over time. Furthermore, investment model variables predicted friendship stability and, among stable friendships, predicted the tendency to switch best friends. Commitment mediated the effects of satisfaction, investment, and alternatives on tendency to switch. As expected, gender and age differences were found in that alternatives were more important for older adolescents and associations among model variables were stronger for girls. Overall, the investment model proved useful in predicting commitment and stability in adolescents’ best friendships.
The experience of worry in parent–adult child relationships
Authors: HAY ELIZABETH L. , FINGERMAN KAREN L. , LEFKOWITZ EVA S.
Published: November 2007

This study examined the experience of worry in the parent–adult child relationship. A mother, father, and adult son or daughter from 213 families participated (N= 639). Parents and adult children commonly worried about one another and their worry reflected individual characteristics (e.g., neuroticism) and relationship characteristics (e.g., importance of the relationship and ambivalence). In addition, how much adults and their parents worried about one another influenced the other party’s perceptions of relationship quality. Specifically, adults and parents rated their relationships more positively and more negatively when the other party reported worrying about them more and communicating their worries to them more frequently. Findings underscore the importance of including experiences such as worry in research on emotional complexities in the parent–adult child relationship.
Do advertised preferences predict the behavior of speed daters?
Authors: KURZBAN ROBERT , WEEDEN JASON
Published: November 2007

Because researchers are making increasing use of data gleaned from Internet dating sites, it is important to know if the preferences people specify in Internet advertisements predict the choices that they actually make. HurryDate, a commercial speed‐dating firm, collected data from over 10,000 people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s who participated in speed‐dating events in cities across the United States. The present analysis compared these speed daters’ advertised preferences with their decisions to attend particular events and their choices of potential partners at the events they attended. Findings indicated that speed daters’ advertisements reflect frequently replicated sex differences and assortative patterns and that these advertised mate preferences predicted their decisions to attend particular events. Advertised preferences did not, in contrast, substantially predict decisions within events. These results support the conclusion that advertised preferences predict behavior in the mating domain in some contexts but not others.
Phenytoin Monotherapy for Epilepsy: A Long‐Term Prospective Study, Assisted by Serum Level Monitoring, in Previously Untreated Patients
Authors: Reynolds E. H. , Shorvon S. D. , Galbraith A. W. , Chadwick D. , Dellaportas C. I. , Vydelingum L.
Published: November 2007

Summary: Of 31 previously untreated patients with grand mal and/or partial seizures referred to a neurological clinic and treated with phenytoin monotherapy, assisted by serum level monitoring, 26 have been followed up for a mean of 42 months. Seizures were completely controlled in 80%. Failure of optimum phenytoin monotherapy occurred in 12%. The degree of seizure control was significantly related to phenytoin serum levels. The success of monotherapy was probably related to availability of serum level monitoring and to the study of a previously untreated population with a relatively short history of epilepsy. The main reasons for failure of monotherapy were poor compliance and the presence of additional neuropsychiatric handicaps, which commonly occur together. The place for polytherapy in the event of failure of monotherapy has still to be defined.
Rasmussen encephalitis associated with SCN1A mutation
Authors: Ohmori Iori , Ouchida Mamoru , Kobayashi Katsuhiro , Jitsumori Yoshimi , Inoue Takushi , Shimizu Kenji , Matsui Hideki , Ohtsuka Yoko , Maegaki Yoshihiro
Published: November 2007

Summary

Mutations in the SCN1A gene, encoding the neuronal voltage‐gated sodium channel α1 subunit, cause SMEI, GEFS+, and related epileptic syndromes. We herein report the R1575C‐SCN1A mutation identified in a patient with Rasmussen encephalitis. R1575C were constructed in a recombinant human SCN1A and then heterologously expressed in HEK293 cells along with the human β1 and β2 sodium channel accessory subunits. Whole‐cell patch‐clamp recording was used to define biophysical properties. The R1575C channels exhibited increased channel availability and an increased persistent sodium current in comparison to the wild‐type. These defects of electrophysiological properties can result in neuronal hyperexitability. The seizure susceptibility allele may influence the pathogenesis of Rasmussen encephalitis in this case.
Scn2a sodium channel mutation results in hyperexcitability in the hippocampus in vitro
Authors: Kile Kara Buehrer , Tian Nan , Durand Dominique M.
Published: November 2007

Summary

Purpose: To investigate in vitro, the cellular network activity of the hippocampus in Q54 mice that display spontaneous seizures because of a gain‐of‐function mutation of the Scn2a sodium channel gene.

Methods: Extacellular recordings were obtained from CA1 and CA3 pyramidal neurons in hippocampal slices prepared from Q54 transgenic and nontransgenic littermates (WT) under physiologic conditions as well as during periods of orthodromic stimulation of the Schaffer collaterals. Cerebral spinal fluid samples were analyzed and cresyl violet histology of the hippocampus was conducted.

Results: Increased spontaneous extracellular activity was found in both CA1 and CA3 regions of Q54 hippocampal slices. Q54 slices also demonstrated significantly greater spontaneous and afterdischarge activity as well as population spike amplitude and duration following tetanic stimulus in comparison to WT slices. Frequency analysis of tetanically stimulated recordings indicated high‐frequency components (100 and 200 Hz) unique to Q45 slices. Analysis of cresyl violet histology supports healthy Q54 slices up to 10 weeks, while Q54 cerebral spinal fluid shows elevated osmolarity.

Conclusion: Evidence for hyperexcitability and increased synaptic efficacy in Q54 mice was found by observing spontaneous activity as well as evoked activity. Response to tetanic stimulation included unique high‐frequency oscillations, and resulted in an increased population spike amplitude and duration. Histological assessment shows equivalent neuronal development in both experimental groups. The data support the hypothesis that modified Scn2a channels in Q54 mice result in network hyperexcitability of the hippocampus necessary for the development and maintenance of temporal lobe seizures.
Growing old with epilepsy: the neglected issue of cognitive and brain health in aging and elder persons with chronic epilepsy
Authors: Hermann Bruce , Seidenberg Michael , Sager Mark , Carlsson Cynthia , Gidal Barry , Sheth Raj , Rutecki Paul , Asthana Sanjay
Published: November 2007

Summary

The purpose of this review is to examine what is known about cognitive and brain aging in elders with chronic epilepsy. We contend that much remains to be learned about the ultimate course of cognition and brain structure in persons with chronic epilepsy and concern appears warranted. Individuals with chronic epilepsy are exposed to many risk factors demonstrated to be associated with abnormal cognitive and brain aging in the general population, with many of these risk factors present in persons with chronic epilepsy as early as midlife. We suggest that a research agenda be developed to systematically identify and treat known modifiable risk factors in order to protect and promote cognitive and brain health in aging and elder persons with chronic epilepsy.
A Haplotype Analysis ofCYP2E1Polymorphisms in Relation to Alcoholic Phenotypes in Mexican Americans
Authors: Yang Min , Tsuang John , Yvonne Wan Yu‐Jui
Published: November 2007

Background: Studies regarding the association between the 4 polymorphisms ofCYP2E1(CYP2E1*1D,*5B,*6, and*1B) and alcoholism are inconsistent and inconclusive. The purpose of the present study was to clarify previously discordant studies by haplotype analysis in the Mexican American population.

Methods: The 4 polymorphisms ofCYP2E1were studied in 334 alcoholics and 365 controls. Genotype, allele, and haplotype frequency comparisons between alcoholics and controls were assessed. Patterns of linkage disequilibrium (LD) atCYP2E1were determined. Reconstructed haplotypes were tested for associations with clinical phenotypes (age onset of drinking, Maxdrinks, and smoking status).

Results: No significant associations between the 4 polymorphisms ofCYP2E1and alcoholism were revealed by single allele tests. High LD was found between theCYP2E1 c2andCalleles in Mexican Americans. Eleven haplotypes were present in the 699 participants. The 6 main haplotypes with frequencies higher than 1% made up 97% of the total halpotypes. The frequency of subjects carrying H6 (1C‐c2‐C‐A2) was significantly higher in alcoholics than in controls (p = 0.0001). In contrast, the frequencies of H7 (1C‐c2‐C‐A1) and H10 (1C‐c2‐D‐A1) were significantly lower in alcoholics than in controls (p = 0.0072 for H7 andp = 0.0407 for H10). The frequency of H6 was significantly higher in alcoholics who had late onset of drinking than in nonalcoholic controls. Furthermore, the frequencies of H6 haplotype were also consistently higher in groups who had high number of maximum drinks (9 to 32 drinks) than in controls. When smokers are excluded, the frequencies of H6, H7, and H9 (1C‐c2‐D‐A2) showed statistically significant differences between alcoholics and controls (p < 0.05). Moreover, the association between H6 and alcoholism become more robust when smokers are excluded. Furthermore, the frequency of H1 (1C‐c1‐D‐A2) in alcoholic‐smokers was much higher than in alcoholic‐nonsmokers (p = 0.0028). In contrast, alcoholic‐smokers carried less H2 (1C‐c1‐D‐A1) in comparison with alcoholic‐nonsmokers (p = 0.0417). The H3 (1D‐c2‐C‐A2) frequency in alcoholic‐smokers was much lower than in alcoholic‐nonsmokers (p = 0.0042) and control‐smokers (p = 0.0363).

Conclusions: Our data demonstrate that carrying haplotype H6 might enhance susceptibility to developing alcoholism, but possessing the H7 or H10 haplotype appears to decrease this susceptibility. The H6, H7, and H9 haplotypes may play certain roles in different clinical phenotypes in Mexican American alcoholics. In addition, our data suggest that the H1, H2, and H3 haplotypes are associated with alcohol drinking and smoking. These results support that haplotype analysis is much more informative than single allele analysis. Our findings clearly indicate the importance of H6 haplotype in alcohol drinking in Mexican Americans.
Alcohol Consumption Before Sleep Is Associated With Severity of Sleep‐Disordered Breathing Among Professional Japanese Truck Drivers
Authors: Sakurai Susumu , Cui Renzhe , Tanigawa Takeshi , Yamagishi Kazumasa , Iso Hiroyasu
Published: November 2007

Background:  Alcohol consumption as well as overweight is known to aggravate the severity of sleep‐disordered breathing (SDB), but little is known about alcohol consumption in truck drivers. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between alcohol consumption and SDB among truck drivers.

Methods:  We conducted a cross‐sectional study of 1,465 men aged 20–69 years who were registered with the Japanese Trucking Association. The 3% oxygen desaturation index (3%ODI) was selected as an indicator of SDB, representing the number of desaturation events per hour of recording time in which blood oxygen fell by ≥3% based on overnight pulse‐oximetry. Participants completed a self‐administered questionnaire including alcohol consumption on the same night for SDB assessment.

Results:  The prevalence of 3%ODI ≥5, ≥10, and ≥15/h was 25.4%, 11.1%, and 6.6% respectively. The multivariable odds ratios (OR) of 3%ODI ≥ 10/h were 1.5(0.9–2.5) for 0.5 to <1.0 g of alcohol intake/kg and 3.4(1.8–6.6) for ≥1.0 g of alcohol intake/kg compared with non‐drinkers. Similar associations with alcohol consumption were observed for 3%ODI ≥5 and ≥15/h. The relation between alcohol consumption (≥1.0 g of alcohol intake/kg) and 3%ODI ≥ 10/h tended to be more evident among men with body mass index (BMI) <23.4 kg/m2 than those with BMI ≥ 23.4 kg/m2 [11.4 (3.2–41) vs. 1.2 (0.6–2.7), p = 0.18 for interaction]. A similar trend was observed for 3%ODI ≥ 5/h.

Conclusions:  The prevalence of undiagnosed SDB and the significant association of alcohol consumption with SDB severity emphasize the need for SDB screening and alcohol modification as well as weight control to prevent and control SDB among truck drivers.
Acute Ethanol Potentiates the Clock‐Speed Enhancing Effects of Nicotine on Timing and Temporal Memory
Authors: Meck Warren H.
Published: November 2007

Background: Acute ethanol administration potentiates some of the behavioral effects of nicotine, although the extent of this effect is unknown. The present investigation assessed the ability of ethanol to potentiate nicotine’s effect on the overestimation of multisecond durations as a result of an increase in the speed of an internal clock.

Methods: Adult male rats were exposed to the acute effects of ethanol (0.0, 0.5, 1.5, and 3.0 g/kg; IG) which was given 10 minutes prior to the administration of nicotine (0.0, 0.3, 0.6, and 1.0 mg/kg; IP). The effects of these combined treatments on timing and temporal memory were assessed using 18‐ and 36‐second peak‐interval procedures with separate visual/spatial cues for responding.

Results: When administered alone, ethanol had no consistent effect on peak time, but decreased peak rate, and increased peak spread as a function of dose. In contrast, nicotine alone shifted the peak times of the response distributions leftward in a proportional manner as a function of dose. When administered after pretreatment with ethanol, nicotine’s effect on the horizontal placement of the peak functions was potentiated.

Conclusions: The observation that ethanol pretreatment potentiates the clock‐speed enhancing effects of subsequently administered nicotine is discussed in terms of the role of α7‐nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and dopamine–glutamate interactions in cortico‐striatal circuits thought to subserve interval timing.
Formic Acid, a Novel Metabolite of Chronic Ethanol Abuse, Causes Neurotoxicity, Which Is Prevented by Folic Acid
Authors: Kapur Bhushan M. , Vandenbroucke Arthur C. , Adamchik Yana , Lehotay Denis C. , Carlen Peter L.
Published: November 2007

Background: Methanol is endogenously formed in the brain and is present as a congener in most alcoholic beverages. Because ethanol is preferentially metabolized over methanol (MeOH) by alcohol dehydrogenase, it is not surprising that MeOH accumulates in the alcohol‐abusing population. This suggests that the alcohol‐drinking population will have higher levels of MeOH’s neurotoxic metabolite, formic acid (FA). FA elimination is mediated by folic acid. Neurotoxicity is a common result of chronic alcoholism. This study shows for the first time that FA, found in chronic alcoholics, is neurotoxic and this toxicity can be mitigated by folic acid administration.

Objective: To determine if FA levels are higher in the alcohol‐drinking population and to assess its neurotoxicity in organotypic hippocampal rat brain slice cultures.

Methods: Serum and CSF FA was measured in samples from both ethanol abusing and control patients, who presented to a hospital emergency department. FA’s neurotoxicity and its reversibility by folic acid were assessed using organotypic rat brain hippocampal slice cultures using clinically relevant concentrations.

Results: Serum FA levels in the alcoholics (mean ± SE: 0.416 ± 0.093 mmol/l,n = 23) were significantly higher than in controls (mean ± SE: 0.154 ± 0.009 mmol/l,n = 82) (p < 0.0002). FA was not detected in the controls’ CSF (n = 20), whereas it was >0.15 mmol/l in CSF of 3 of the 4 alcoholic cases. Low doses of FA from 1 to 5 mmol/l added for 24, 48 or 72 hours to the rat brain slice cultures caused neuronal death as measured by propidium iodide staining. When folic acid (1 μmol/l) was added with the FA, neuronal death was prevented.

Conclusions: Formic acid may be a significant factor in the neurotoxicity of ethanol abuse. This neurotoxicity can be mitigated by folic acid administration at a clinically relevant dose.
Alcohol Accelerates Loss of Muscle and Impairs Recovery of Muscle Mass Resulting From Disuse Atrophy
Authors: Vargas Roberto , Lang Charles H.
Published: November 2007

Background:  Muscle disuse atrophy is observed in patients recovering from trauma and there is an increased risk and severity of injury in patients abusing alcohol (EtOH). However, the interaction of EtOH and disuse on muscle protein balance has not been examined. Therefore, the present study addressed the hypothesis that EtOH accelerates the disuse atrophy and/or impairs the accretion of muscle protein during muscle recovery.

Methods:  To address this aim, disuse atrophy was induced in rats by 3 days of unilateral hindlimb immobilization (casting), using the contralateral leg as control, with EtOH or saline being orally gavaged twice, each day during this period. In a separate study, EtOH‐treated rats received Velcade to inhibit proteasomal degradation. Finally, in the last study, rats had 1 limb casted for 5 days, the cast removed, and EtOH or saline gavaged twice daily during a 5‐day recovery period. Muscle protein metabolism was assessed using surrogate markers of protein synthesis [i.e., phosphorylation of 4E‐binding protein 1 (BP1) and S6 kinase 1 (S6K1)] and protein degradation (i.e., mRNA content of the ubiquitin E3 ligases atrogin‐1 and MuRF1).

Results:  Ethanol alone did not decrease muscle weight in the uncasted muscle. However, the loss of mass of immobilized muscle from EtOH‐gavaged rats was 80% greater than in the animals not receiving EtOH. This atrophic response was not associated with a change in Akt, 4E‐BP1 or S6K1 phosphorylation among groups. In contrast, immobilization alone increased both atrogin‐1 and MuRF1 mRNA, and EtOH further increased their expression in immobilized muscle. The proteasome inhibitor Velcade attenuated atrophy produced by EtOH + disuse. When administered during the recovery period, EtOH prevented the normal accretion of muscle mass. This EtOH effect was associated with increased atrogin‐1 mRNA, a reduction in 4E‐BP1 and S6 phosphorylation, and an increased AMP‐activated kinase phosphorylation.

Conclusions:  Based on the changes in these surrogate markers, our data suggest that EtOH accelerates disuse atrophy by stimulating ubiquitin‐mediated proteolysis, and blunts repletion of muscle protein during recovery from disuse by increasing proteolysis and decreasing protein synthesis.
Toward Healthy Aging: The Preservation of Health
Authors: Barondess Jeremiah A.
Published: November 2007

Chronic disease has emerged in recent decades as the major cluster of health concerns of the American population. Increasing evidence indicates that, in most instances, these diseases have been present for long periods of time before becoming clinically manifest. In some instances, it is clear that they may begin in childhood and reach clinical expression only decades later. Furthermore, relevant risk factors for a number of these diseases have been identified and the beneficial effects of risk reduction defined. These disease characteristics translate into lengthy opportunities to identify, mitigate, or prevent serious chronic disorders. A useful framework invokes the health quantum, the “dose” of good health with which the individual is born and that is subjected to erosive forces at each stage of life from conception to old age. A coherent orientation toward the preservation of health across the lifespan is proposed, involving coordinated efforts by the individual, the clinical and public health communities, and the policy enterprise.
Ethanol dependence of α1‐antitrypsin C‐terminal Lys truncation mediated by basic carboxypeptidases
Authors: Matthiessen H. Peter , Willemse Johan , Weber Alfred , Turecek Peter L. , Deiteren Kathleen , Hendriks Dirk , Ehrlich Hartmut J. , Schwarz Hans‐Peter
Published: November 2007

BACKGROUND: Patients with hereditary emphysema are treated with α1‐antitrypsin (α1‐proteinase inhibitor [A1PI]) concentrates. High‐resolution isoelectric focusing (IEF) analysis of A1PI shows that commercial A1PI products have different glycoisoform band patterns predominantly caused by varying degrees of C‐terminal Lys truncation at position 394 from the A1PI molecule. Basic carboxypeptidases (CPs) are a group of enzymes that specifically cleave C‐terminal basic amino acids (Arg or Lys) from peptides and proteins.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: In this study, whether A1PI is a substrate for basic CPs was investigated. CPN and CPU, two CPs present in plasma, and CPM, a GPI‐anchored membrane protein highly expressed in lung tissues, were included.

RESULTS: Basic CPs are able to mediate the C‐terminal Lys truncation of A1PI although with a very low efficiency. However, presence of ethanol, for example, during Cohn fractionation, renders A1PI highly susceptible to cleavage by CP with the extent of Lys truncation depending on the ethanol concentration. This ethanol concentration dependence elegantly explains the varying amounts of des‐Lys A1PI present in commercial preparations purified from different Cohn fractions.

CONCLUSIONS: The cause of C‐terminal truncation of A1PI present in products used for augmentation therapy has been identified, and it has been shown that A1PI becomes a substrate for CPs, specifically CPN, because of the presence of ethanol during Cohn fractionation.
Predicting donation among an Irish sample of donors and nondonors: extending the theory of planned behavior
Authors: McMahon Roz , Byrne Molly
Published: November 2007

BACKGROUND: Research has indicated the ability of the Theory of Planned Behavior to predict blood donation. This study tested an extended version of the Theory of Planned Behavior (attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control with the addition of past behavior, moral norm, self‐identity, and anticipated regret) in predicting donation intention and behavior among donors and nondonors and if forming implementation intentions improved attendance at a mobile blood donation clinic.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: This study used a cross‐sectional follow‐up design. A questionnaire was distributed to 600 staff and students at the National University of Ireland, Galway, before the arrival of a mobile clinic to Galway city. Half of these participants were invited to make implementation intentions specifying how, where, and when they planned to donate blood. A second questionnaire measuring reported attendance at the clinic was distributed 2 weeks after the first questionnaire.

RESULTS: A total of 172 eligible donors returned questionnaires (29% response rate). The extended Theory of Planned Behavior accounted for 51 percent of the variance in intention to donate in the future: anticipated regret, attitude, perceived behavioral control, self‐identity, and subjective norm significantly predicted intention. Donors differed from nondonors: they possessed more favorable attitudes toward blood donation, had a greater sense of donor identity, and believed more strongly in a moral obligation to donate blood than nondonors. Those who made implementation intentions were no more likely to donate that those who had not.

CONCLUSION: Owing to the different factors influencing the donation decision for donors and nondonors, separate strategies to promote donation should be designed for these subgroups, targeting the elements most pertinent to each group.
Quality control of blood irradiation with a teletherapy unit: damage to stored red blood cells after cobalt‐60 gamma irradiation
Authors: Góes E.G. , Ottoboni M.A. , Palma P.V.B. , Morais F.R. , Pelá C.A. , Borges J.C. , Covas D.T.
Published: November 2007

BACKGROUND: Previous publications have documented the damage caused to red blood cells (RBCs) irradiated with X‐rays produced by a linear accelerator and with gamma rays derived from a 137Cs source. The biologic effects on RBCs of gamma rays from a 60Co source, however, have not been characterized.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: This study investigated the effect of 3000 and 4000 cGy on the in vitro properties of RBCs preserved with preservative solution and irradiated with a cobalt teletherapy unit. A thermal device equipped with a data acquisition system was used to maintain and monitor the blood temperature during irradiation. The device was rotated at 2 r.p.m. in the irradiation beam by means of an automated system. The spatial distribution of the absorbed dose over the irradiated volume was obtained with phantom and thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs). Levels of Hb, K+, and Cl‐ were assessed by spectrophotometric techniques over a period of 45 days. The change in the topology of the RBC membrane was investigated by flow cytometry.

RESULTS: Irradiation caused significant changes in the extracellular levels of K+ and Hb and in the organizational structure of the phospholipid bilayer of the RBC membrane. Blood temperature ranged from 2 to 4°C during irradiation. Rotation at 2 r.p.m. distributed the dose homogeneously (92%‐104%) and did not damage the RBCs.

CONCLUSIONS: The method used to store the blood bags during irradiation guaranteed that all damage caused to the cells was exclusively due to the action of radiation at the doses applied. It was demonstrated that prolonged storage of 60Co‐irradiated RBCs results in loss of membrane phospholipids asymmetry, exposing phosphatidylserine (PS) on the cells' surface with a time and dose dependence, which can reduce the in vivo recovery of these cells. A time‐ and dose‐dependence effect on the extracellular K+ and plasma‐free Hb levels was also observed. The magnitude of all these effects, however, seems not to be clinically important and can support the storage of irradiated RBC units for at last 28 days.
Incest indices from microsatellite genotypes of mother‐child pairs
Authors: Wenk Robert E.
Published: November 2007

BACKGROUND: Suspected incestuous paternity is encountered infrequently and investigation may be complicated by absence of the suspected father. Incest indices (IIs) can be calculated from microsatellite (STR) types of only a mother and child, but could be misleading. Therefore, the method was evaluated.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Combined incest indices (CIIs) of 50 randomly mated (RM) mothers and their children were compared with those of 50 simulated incestuous (SI) mothers and their children. Each CII was calculated from 18 individual locus IIs. Combined indices were categorized as “diagnostic” (<0.010 and >100 for RM and SI cases, respectively), “indicative” (CII was directionally correct but not erroneously diagnostic), and “misleading” (>1.0 in RM and <0.01 in SI). The relative importance was determined of each of the three variables contributing to the CII.

RESULTS: In 41 cases (41%), CIIs attained diagnostic values. Fifty‐two CIIs were indicative. CIIs were misleading in 3 RM cases and 4 SI cases. The number of mother‐child (M‐C) STR genotype similarities was the most important determinant of CIIs. Infrequent alleles in M‐C similarities were important in raising CIIs in SI. The kind of M‐C genotype similarity was the least important variable.

CONCLUSIONS: Study of 18 STR loci produces diagnostic CIIs in only two of five suspected incest cases. Study of approximately 33 independent STRs would assure that greater than 97.5 percent of cases will have diagnostic CIIs if incest occurred. Study of loci that are more informative than typical STRs would be advantageous.
Changes in the Federal Reserve's Inflation Target: Causes and Consequences
Authors: IRELAND PETER N.
Published: November 2007

This paper estimates a New Keynesian model to draw inferences about the behavior of the Federal Reserve's unobserved inflation target. The results indicate that the target rose from 1 1/4% in 1959 to over 8% in the mid to late 1970s before falling back below 2 1/2% in 2004. The results also provide some support for the hypothesis that over the entire post‐war period, Federal Reserve policy has systematically translated short‐run price pressures set off by supply‐side shocks into more persistent movements in inflation itself, although considerable uncertainty remains about the true source of shifts in the inflation target.
Credit Reporting, Relationship Banking, and Loan Repayment
Authors: BROWN MARTIN , ZEHNDER CHRISTIAN
Published: November 2007

How does information sharing between lenders affect borrowers repayment behavior? We show—in a laboratory credit market—that information sharing increases repayment rates, as borrowers anticipate that a good credit record improves their access to credit. This incentive effect of information sharing is substantial when repayment is not third‐party enforceable and lending is dominated by one‐shot transactions. If, however, repeat interaction between borrowers and lenders is feasible, the incentive effect of credit reporting is negligible, as bilateral banking relationships discipline borrowers. Information sharing nevertheless affects market outcome by weakening lenders' ability to extract rents from relationships.
A Test of the Law of One Price in Retail Banking
Authors: MARTÍN‐OLIVER ALFREDO , SALAS‐FUMÁS VICENTE , SAURINA JESÚS
Published: November 2007

This paper investigates the level and the determinants of retail banking interest rate differences among Spanish banks in the period 1989–2003. We find that the interest rates of twenty five different bank loan and deposit products adjust rather rapidly to their long‐term values in response to external shocks, as the relative version of the Law of One Price predicts, but the evidence runs contrary to the absolute version of the Law. Credit risk premium, part of the marginal cost of the loans granted by a particular bank, is an important source of interest rate dispersion across banks and loan products, both before and after Spain joined the Euro zone. Therefore, differences in credit risk policies across banks must be taken into account when forming expectations about European retail banking integration.