bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Role of integrins in angiotensin II-induced proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells
Authors: Bunni Marlene A. , Kramarenko Inga I. , Walker Linda , Raymond John R. , Garnovskaya Maria N.
Published: December 2010

Angiotensin II (AII) binds to G protein-coupled receptor AT1and stimulates extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), leading to vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) proliferation. Proliferation of mammalian cells is tightly regulated by adhesion to the extracellular matrix, which occurs via integrins. To study cross-talk between G protein-coupled receptor- and integrin-induced signaling, we hypothesized that integrins are involved in AII-induced proliferation of VSMC. Using Oligo GEArray and quantitative RT-PCR, we established that messages for α1-, α5-, αV-, and β1-integrins are predominant in VSMC. VSMC were cultured on plastic dishes or on plates coated with either extracellular matrix or poly-d-lysine (which promotes electrostatic cell attachment independent of integrins). AII significantly induced proliferation in VSMC grown on collagen I or fibronectin, and this effect was blocked by the ERK inhibitor PD-98059, suggesting that AII-induced proliferation requires ERK activity. VSMC grown on collagen I or on fibronectin demonstrated approximately three- and approximately sixfold increases in ERK phosphorylation after stimulation with 100 nM AII, respectively, whereas VSMC grown on poly-d-lysine demonstrated no significant ERK activation, supporting the importance of integrin-mediated adhesion. AII-induced ERK activation was reduced by >65% by synthetic peptides containing an RGD (arginine-glycine-aspartic acid) sequence that inhibit α5β1-integrin, and by ∼60% by the KTS (lysine-threonine-serine)-containing peptides specific for integrin-α1β1. Furthermore, neutralizing antibody against β1-integrin and silencing of α1, α5, and β1expression by transfecting VSMC with short interfering RNAs resulted in decreased AII-induced ERK activation. This work demonstrates roles for specific integrins (most likely α5β1and α1β1) in AII-induced proliferation of VSMC.
Intracellular pH gradients in migrating cells
Authors: Martin Christine , Pedersen Stine F. , Schwab Albrecht , Stock Christian
Published: December 2010

Cell polarization along the axis of movement is required for migration. The localization of proteins and regulators of the migratory machinery to either the cell front or its rear results in a spatial asymmetry enabling cells to simultaneously coordinate cell protrusion and retraction. Protons might function as such unevenly distributed regulators as they modulate the interaction of focal adhesion proteins and components of the cytoskeleton in vitro. However, an intracellular pH (pHi) gradient reflecting a spatial asymmetry of protons has not been shown so far. One major regulator of pHi, the Na+/H+ exchanger NHE1, is essential for cell migration and accumulates at the cell front. Here, we test the hypothesis that the uneven distribution of NHE1 activity creates a pHi gradient in migrating cells. Using the pH-sensitive fluorescent dye BCECF, pHi was measured in five cell lines (MV3, B16V, NIH3T3, MDCK-F1, EA.hy926) along the axis of movement. Differences in pHi between the front and the rear end (ΔpHi front-rear) were present in all cell lines, and inhibition of NHE1 either with HOE642 or by absence of extracellular Na+ caused the pHi gradient to flatten or disappear. In conclusion, pHi gradients established by NHE1 activity exist along the axis of movement.
Intestinal fructose transport and malabsorption in humans
Authors: Jones Hilary F. , Butler Ross N. , Brooks Doug A.
Published: December 2010

Fructose is a hexose sugar that is being increasingly consumed in its monosaccharide form. Patients who exhibit fructose malabsorption can present with gastrointestinal symptoms that include chronic diarrhea and abdominal pain. However, with no clearly established gastrointestinal mechanism for fructose malabsorption, patient analysis by the proxy of a breath hydrogen test (BHT) is controversial. The major transporter for fructose in intestinal epithelial cells is thought to be the facilitative transporter GLUT5. Consistent with a facilitative transport system, we show here by analysis of past studies on healthy adults that there is a significant relationship between fructose malabsorption and fructose dose ( r = 0.86, P < 0.001). Thus there is a dose-dependent and limited absorption capacity even in healthy individuals. Changes in fructose malabsorption with age have been observed in human infants, and this may parallel the developmental regulation of GLUT5 expression. Moreover, a GLUT5 knockout mouse has displayed the hallmarks associated with profound fructose malabsorption. Fructose malabsorption appears to be partially modulated by the amount of glucose ingested. Although solvent drag and passive diffusion have been proposed to explain the effect of glucose on fructose malabsorption, this could possibly be a result of the facilitative transporter GLUT2. GLUT5 and GLUT2 mRNA have been shown to be rapidly upregulated by the presence of fructose and GLUT2 mRNA is also upregulated by glucose, but in humans the distribution and role of GLUT2 in the brush border membrane are yet to be definitively decided. Understanding the relative roles of these transporters in humans will be crucial for establishing a mechanistic basis for fructose malabsorption in gastrointestinal patients.
A role for focal adhesion kinase in cardiac mitochondrial biogenesis induced by mechanical stress
Authors: Tornatore Thais F. , Dalla Costa Ana Paula , Clemente Carolina F. M. Z. , Judice Carla , Rocco Silvana A. , Calegari Vivian C. , Cardoso Leandro , Cardoso Alisson C. , Gonçalves Anderson , Franchini Kleber G.
Published: December 2010

We studied the implication of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) in cardiac mitochondrial biogenesis induced by mechanical stress. Prolonged stretching (2–12 h) of neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVM) upregulated the main components of mitochondrial transcription cascade [peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor coactivator-1 (PGC-1α), nuclear respiratory factor (NRF-1), and mitochondrial transcription factor A]. Concomitantly, prolonged stretching enhanced mitochondrial biogenesis [copy number of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), content of the subunit IV of cytochrome oxidase, and mitochondrial staining-green fluorescence intensity of Mitotracker green] and induced the hypertrophic growth (cell size and atrial natriuretic peptide transcripts) of NRVM. Furthermore, the stretching of NRVM enhanced phosphorylation, nuclear localization, and association of FAK with PGC-1α. Recombinant FAK COOH-terminal, but not the NH2-terminal or kinase domain, precipitated PGC-1α from nuclear extracts of NRVM. Depletion of FAK by RNA interference suppressed the upregulation of PGC-1α and NRF-1 and markedly attenuated the enhanced mitochondrial biogenesis and hypertrophic growth of stretched NRVM. In the context of energy metabolism, FAK depletion became manifest by a reduction of ATP levels in stretched NRVM. Complementary studies in adult mice left ventricle demonstrated that pressure overload upregulated PGC-1α, NRF-1, and mtDNA. In vivo FAK silencing transiently attenuated the upregulation of PGC-1α, NRF-1, and mtDNA, as well as the left ventricular hypertrophy induced by pressure overload. In conclusion, activation of FAK signaling seems to be important for conferring enhanced mitochondrial biogenesis coupled to the hypertrophic growth of cardiomyocytes in response to mechanical stress, via control of mitochondrial transcription cascade.
Differential apoptosis-related protein expression, mitochondrial properties, proteolytic enzyme activity, and DNA fragmentation between skeletal muscles
Authors: McMillan Elliott M. , Quadrilatero Joe
Published: December 2010

Increased skeletal muscle apoptosis has been associated with a number of conditions including aging, disuse, and cardiovascular disease. Skeletal muscle is a complex tissue comprised of several fiber types with unique properties. To date, no report has specifically examined apoptotic differences across muscles or fiber types. Therefore, we measured several apoptotic indices in healthy rat red (RG) and white gastrocnemius (WG) muscle, as well as examined the expression of several key proteins across fiber types in a mixed muscle (mixed gastrocnemius). The protein content of apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF), apoptosis repressor with caspase recruitment domain (ARC), Bax, Bcl-2, cytochrome c, heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70), and second mitochondria-derived activator of caspases (Smac) were significantly ( P < 0.05) higher in RG vs. WG muscle. Cytosolic AIF, cytochrome c, and Smac as well as nuclear AIF were also significantly ( P < 0.05) higher in RG compared with WG muscle. In addition, ARC protein expression was related to muscle fiber type and found to be highest ( P < 0.001) in type I fibers. Similarly, AIF protein expression was differentially expressed across fibers; however, AIF was correlated to oxidative potential ( P < 0.001). Caspase-3, -8, and -9 activity, calpain activity, and DNA fragmentation (a hallmark of apoptosis) were also significantly higher ( P < 0.05) in RG compared with WG muscle. Furthermore, total muscle reactive oxygen species generation, as well as Ca2+-induced permeability transition pore opening and loss of membrane potential in isolated mitochondria were greater in RG muscle. Collectively, these data suggest that a number of apoptosis-related indices differ between muscles and fiber types. Given these findings, muscle and fiber-type differences in apoptotic protein expression, signaling, and susceptibility should be considered when studying cell death processes in skeletal muscle.
Neural and humoral control of regional vascular beds via A1adenosine receptors located in the nucleus tractus solitarii
Authors: McClure Joseph M. , O'Leary Donal S. , Scislo Tadeusz J.
Published: December 2010

Our previous studies showed that stimulation of adenosine A1receptors located in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) exerts counteracting effects on the iliac vascular bed: activation of the adrenal medulla and β-adrenergic vasodilation vs. sympathetic and vasopressinergic vasoconstriction. Because NTS A1adenosine receptors inhibit baroreflex transmission in the NTS and contribute to the pressor component of the HDR, we hypothesized that these receptors also contribute to the redistribution of blood from the visceral to the muscle vasculature via prevailing sympathetic and vasopressinergic vasoconstriction in the visceral (renal and mesenteric) vascular beds and prevailing β-adrenergic vasodilation in the somatic (iliac) vasculature. To test this hypothesis, we compared the A1adenosine-receptor-mediated effects of each vasoactive factor triggered by NTS A1adenosine receptor stimulation [ N6-cyclopentyladenosine (CPA), 330 pmol in 50 nl] on the regional vascular responses in urethane/chloralose-anesthetized rats. The single-factor effects were separated using adrenalectomy, β-adrenergic blockade, V1vasopressin receptor blockade, and sinoaortic denervation. In intact animals, initial vasodilation was followed by large, sustained vasoconstriction with smaller responses observed in renal vs. mesenteric and iliac vascular beds. The initial β-adrenergic vasodilation prevailed in the iliac vs. mesenteric and renal vasculature. The large and sustained vasopressinergic vasoconstriction was similar in all vascular beds. Small sympathetic vasoconstriction was observed only in the iliac vasculature in this setting. We conclude that, although A1adenosine-receptor-mediated β-adrenergic vasodilation may contribute to the redistribution of blood from the visceral to the muscle vasculature, this effect is overridden by sympathetic and vasopressinergic vasoconstriction.
Dietary fat sensing via fatty acid oxidation in enterocytes: possible role in the control of eating
Authors: Langhans Wolfgang , Leitner Claudia , Arnold Myrtha
Published: December 2010

Various mechanisms detect the presence of dietary triacylglycerols (TAG) in the digestive tract and link TAG ingestion to the regulation of energy homeostasis. We here propose a novel sensing mechanism with the potential to encode dietary TAG-derived energy by translating enterocyte fatty acid oxidation (FAO) into vagal afferent signals controlling eating. Peripheral FAO has long been implicated in the control of eating ( 141 ). The prevailing view was that mercaptoacetate (MA) and other FAO inhibitors stimulate eating by modulating vagal afferent signaling from the liver. This concept has been challenged because hepatic parenchymal vagal afferent innervation is scarce and because experimentally induced changes in hepatic FAO often fail to affect eating. Nevertheless, intraperitoneally administered MA acts in the abdomen to stimulate eating because this effect was blocked by subdiaphragmatic vagal deafferentation ( 21 ), a surgical technique that eliminates all vagal afferents from the upper gut. These and other data support a role of the small intestine rather than the liver as a FAO sensor that can influence eating. After intrajejunal infusions, MA also stimulated eating in rats through vagal afferent signaling, and after infusion into the superior mesenteric artery, MA increased the activity of celiac vagal afferent fibers originating in the proximal small intestine. Also, pharmacological interference with TAG synthesis targeting the small intestine induced a metabolic profile indicative of increased FAO and inhibited eating in rats on a high-fat diet but not on chow. Finally, cell culture studies indicate that enterocytes oxidize fatty acids, which can be modified pharmacologically. Thus enterocytes may sense dietary TAG-derived fatty acids via FAO and influence eating through changes in intestinal vagal afferent activity. Further studies are necessary to identify the link between enterocyte FAO and vagal afferents and to examine the specificity and potential physiological relevance of such a mechanism.
Left ventricular epicardial admittance measurement for detection of acute LV dilation
Authors: Porterfield John E. , Larson Erik R. , Jenkins James T. , Escobedo Daniel , Valvano Jonathan W. , Pearce John A. , Feldman Marc D.
Published: December 2010

There are two implanted heart failure warning systems incorporated into biventricular pacemakers/automatic implantable cardiac defibrillators and tested in clinical trials: right heart pressures, and lung conductance measurements. However, both warning systems postdate measures of the earliest indicator of impending heart failure: left ventricular (LV) volume. There are currently no proposed implanted technologies that can perform LV blood volume measurements in humans. We propose to solve this problem by incorporating an admittance measurement system onto currently deployed biventricular and automatic implantable cardiac defibrillator leads. This study will demonstrate that an admittance measurement system can detect LV blood conductance from the epicardial position, despite the current generating and sensing electrodes being in constant motion with the heart, and with dynamic removal of the myocardial component of the returning voltage signal. Specifically, in 11 pigs, it will be demonstrated that 1) a physiological LV blood conductance signal can be derived; 2) LV dilation in response to dose-response intravenous neosynephrine can be detected by blood conductance in a similar fashion to the standard of endocardial crystals when admittance is used, but not when only traditional conductance is used; 3) the physiological impact of acute left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion and resultant LV dilation can be detected by blood conductance, before the anticipated secondary rise in right ventricular systolic pressure; and 4) a pleural effusion simulated by placing saline outside the pericardium does not serve as a source of artifact for blood conductance measurements.
In VitroGene Delivery Mediated by Asialofetuin-Appended Cationic Liposomes Associated withγ-Cyclodextrin into Hepatocytes
Authors: Motoyama Keiichi , Nakashima Yoshihiro , Aramaki Yukihiko , Hirayama Fumitoshi , Uekama Kaneto , Arima Hidetoshi
Published: December 2010

The purpose of this study is to evaluatein vitrogene delivery mediated by asialofetuin-appended cationic liposomes (AF-liposomes) associating cyclodextrins (CyD/AF-liposomes) as a hepatocyte-selective nonviral vector. Of various CyDs, AF-liposomes associated with plasmid DNA (pDNA) andγ-cyclodextrin (γ-CyD) (pDNA/γ-CyD/AF-liposomes) showed the highest gene transfer activity in HepG2 cells without any significant cytotoxicity. In addition,γ-CyD enhanced the encapsulation ratio of pDNA with AF-liposomes, and also increased gene transfer activity as the entrapment ratio of pDNA into AF-liposomes was increased.γ-CyD stabilized the liposomal membrane of AF-liposomes and inhibited the release of calcein from AF-liposomes. The stabilizing effect ofγ-CyD may be, at least in part, involved in the enhancing gene transfer activity of pDNA/γ-CyD/AF-liposomes. Therefore, these results suggest the potential use ofγ-CyD for an enhancer of transfection efficiency of AF-liposomes.
RhoJ/TCL Regulates Endothelial Motility and Tube Formation and Modulates Actomyosin Contractility and Focal Adhesion Numbers
Authors: Kaur Sukhbir , Leszczynska Katarzyna , Abraham Sabu , Scarcia Margherita , Hiltbrunner Sabina , Marshall Christopher J. , Mavria Georgia , Bicknell Roy , Heath Victoria L.
Published: December 2010

Objective—

RhoJ/TCL was identified by our group as an endothelial-expressed Rho GTPase. The aim of this study was to determine its tissue distribution, subcellular localization, and function in endothelial migration and tube formation.

Methods and Results—

Using in situ hybridization, RhoJ was localized to endothelial cells in a set of normal and cancerous tissues and in the vasculature of mouse embryos; endogenous RhoJ was localized to focal adhesions by immunofluorescence. The proangiogenic factor vascular endothelial growth factor activated RhoJ in endothelial cells. Using either small interfering (si)RNA-mediated knockdown of RhoJ expression or overexpression of constitutively active RhoJ (daRhoJ), RhoJ was found to positively regulate endothelial motility and tubule formation. Downregulating RhoJ expression increased focal adhesions and stress fibers in migrating cells, whereas daRhoJ overexpression resulted in the converse. RhoJ downregulation resulted in increased contraction of a collagen gel and increased phospho–myosin light chain, indicative of increased actomyosin contractility. Pharmacological inhibition of Rho-kinase (which phosphorylates myosin light chain) or nonmuscle myosin II reversed the defective tube formation and migration of RhoJ knockdown cells.

Conclusion—

RhoJ is endothelial-expressed in vivo, activated by vascular endothelial growth factor, localizes to focal adhesions, regulates endothelial cell migration and tube formation, and modulates actomyosin contractility and focal adhesion numbers.
Impaired Splicing of Fibronectin Is Associated With Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm Formation in Patients With Bicuspid Aortic Valve
Authors: Paloschi Valentina , Kurtovic Sanela , Folkersen Lasse , Gomez Delphine , Wågsäter Dick , Roy Joy , Petrini Johan , Eriksson Maria J. , Caidahl Kenneth , Hamsten Anders , Liska Jan , Michel Jean-Baptiste , Franco-Cereceda Anders , Eriksson Per
Published: December 2010

Objective—

Thoracic aortic aneurysm is a common complication in patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV). Alternatively spliced extra domain A (EDA) of fibronectin (FN) has an essential role in tissue repair. Here we analyze the expression of FN spliceforms in dilated and nondilated ascending aorta of tricuspid aortic valve (TAV) and BAV patients.

Methods and Results—

The mRNA expression was analyzed in the ascending aorta by Affymetrix Exon arrays in patients with TAV (n=40) and BAV (n=69). EDA and extra domain B (EDB) expression was increased in dilated aorta from TAV patients compared with nondilated aorta (
P
<0.001 and
P
<0.05, respectively). In contrast, EDA expression was not increased in dilated aorta from BAV patients (
P
=0.25), whereas EDB expression was upregulated (
P
<0.01). The expression of EDA correlated with maximum aortic diameter in TAV (ρ=0.58) but not in BAV (ρ=0.15) patients. Protein analyses of EDA-FN showed concordant results. Transforming growth factor-β treatment influenced the splicing of FN and enhanced the formation of EDA-containing FN in cultured medial cells from TAV patients but not in cells derived from BAV patients. Gene set enrichment analysis together with multivariate and univariate data analyses of mRNA expression suggested that differences in the transforming growth factor-β signaling pathway may explain the impaired EDA inclusion in BAV patients.

Conclusion—

Decreased EDA expression may contribute to increased aneurysm susceptibility of BAV patients.
Thrombospondin-1 Is a Plasmatic Marker of Peripheral Arterial Disease That Modulates Endothelial Progenitor Cell Angiogenic Properties
Authors: Smadja David M. , d'Audigier Clément , Bièche Ivan , Evrard Solène , Mauge Laetitia , Dias Juliana-Vieira , Labreuche Julien , Laurendeau Ingrid , Marsac Bérengère , Dizier Blandine , Wagner-Ballon Orianne , Boisson-Vidal Catherine , Morandi Verônica , Duong-Van-Huyen Jean-Paul , Bruneval Patrick , Dignat-George Françoise , Emmerich Joseph , Gaussem Pascale
Published: December 2010

Objective—

We examined whether plasma levels of angiogenic factors are altered in plasma of patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and whether these factors affect endothelial progenitor cell–induced angiogenesis.

Methods and Results—

Plasma was collected from 184 patients with PAD and 330 age-matched healthy controls. Vascular endothelial growth factor and placental growth factor concentrations did not differ between the groups, whereas we found a linear correlation between PAD disease and thrombospondin (TSP)-1 plasma level. TSP-1 was expressed in newly formed vessels in PAD patients having received local injections of bone marrow mononuclear cells. To analyze the functional role of TSP-1 during neoangiogenesis, we used a Matrigel-plug assay and showed that vascularization of implanted Matrigel-plugs was increased in
TSP-1
−/−
mice. Moreover, injections of TSP-1 in C57Bl6/J mice after hindlimb ischemia induced a significant decrease of blood flow recovery. To investigate the effects of TSP-1 on human endothelial colony-forming cell (ECFC) angiogenic potential, recombinant human TSP-1 and a small interfering RNA were used. In vitro, TSP-1 N-terminal part significantly enhanced ECFC adhesion, whereas recombinant human TSP-1 had a negative effect on ECFC angiogenic potential. This effect, mediated by CD47 binding, modulated stromal cell–derived factor 1/CXC chemokine receptor 4 pathway.

Conclusion—

TSP-1 is a potential biomarker of PAD and ECFC-induced angiogenesis, suggesting that TSP-1 modulation might improve local tissue ischemia in this setting. (Clinical trial registration: NCT00377897.)
Cost Efficiency of Anticoagulation With Warfarin to Prevent Stroke in Medicare Beneficiaries With Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: Mercaldi Catherine J. , Ciarametaro Mike , Hahn Beth , Chalissery George , Reynolds Matthew W. , Sander Stephen D. , Samsa Gregory P. , Matchar David B.
Published: December 2010

Background and Purpose—

In controlled trials, anticoagulation with warfarin reduces stroke risk by nearly two thirds, but the benefit has been less pronounced in clinical practice. This report describes the extent of warfarin use, its effectiveness, and its impact on medical costs among Medicare patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation.

Methods—

Using claims from >2 million beneficiaries in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 5% Sample Standard Analytic Files, we identified patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation from 2004 to 2005. Warfarin use was inferred from 3 or more tests of the international normalized ratio within 1 year. Incidence of ischemic/hemorrhagic stroke and major bleeding was evaluated. Adjusted risk was calculated by Cox proportional-hazards regression. Medical costs (reimbursed amounts in 2006 US dollars) were estimated by multivariate linear regression.

Results—

Of patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (N=119 764, mean age=79.3 years), 58.5% were categorized as warfarin users based on the study definition. During an average of 2.1 years' follow-up, the rate of ischemic stroke was 3.9 per 100 patient-years. After multivariate adjustment, ischemic stroke incidence was 27% lower in patients taking warfarin than in patients not taking warfarin (
P
<0.0001), with no increase in hemorrhagic stroke and a slightly elevated risk of a major bleed. Use of warfarin was independently associated with lower total medical costs, averaging $9836 per patient per year.

Conclusions—

These results indicate that 41.5% of Medicare patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation are not anticoagulated with warfarin. The incidence of stroke and overall medical costs were significantly lower in patients treated with warfarin.
Genetic Variant on Chromosome 12p13 Does Not Show Association to Ischemic Stroke in 3 Swedish Case-Control Studies
Authors: Olsson Sandra , Melander Olle , Jood Katarina , Smith J. Gustav , Lövkvist Håkan , Sjögren Marketa , Engström Gunnar , Norrving Bo , Lindgren Arne , Jern Christina
Published: December 2010

Background and Purpose—

In a genome-wide association study and subsequent case-control studies, the single-nucleotide polymorphism rs12425791 on chromosome 12p13 was reported to be associated with ischemic stroke, but this could not be validated in a recent well-powered study. We therefore investigated whether an association between ischemic stroke and rs12425791 could be detected in 3 different case-control studies from the southwest of Sweden.

Methods—

We examined 3606 patients with ischemic stroke and 2528 controls from 3 independent case-controls studies.

Results—

No significant association between ischemic stroke and the single-nucleotide polymorphism rs12425791 was detected in any of the 3 case-control samples or in the samples combined. The odds ratio for ischemic stroke for the minor allele in the combined sample was 1.02 (95% CI, 0.93 to 1.13).

Conclusions—

The single-nucleotide polymorphism rs12425791 does not confer a substantial risk for ischemic stroke in our population. Our results support a recent large study including other European populations.
Brain Atrophy and Cerebral Small Vessel Disease
Authors: Nitkunan Arani , Lanfranconi Silvia , Charlton Rebecca A. , Barrick Thomas R. , Markus Hugh S.
Published: December 2010

Background and Purpose—

Cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) is the most common cause of vascular dementia. Interest in the use of surrogate markers is increasing. The aims of this study were to determine if brain volume was different between patients with SVD and control subjects, whether it correlated with cognition in SVD, and whether changes in brain volume could be detected during prospective follow-up.

Methods—

Thirty-five patients (mean age, 68.8 years) who had a lacunar stroke and radiological evidence of confluent leukoaraiosis and 70 age- and gender-matched control subjects were recruited. Whole-brain T1-weighted imaging and neuropsychological testing were performed after 1 year on all patients and after 2 years for the control subjects. Fully automated software was used to determine brain volume and percentage brain volume change. An executive function score was derived.

Results—

There was a significant difference in brain volume between the patients with SVD and control subjects (mean±SD [mL] 1529±84 versus 1573±69,
P
=0.019). In the patients with SVD, there was a significant association between brain volume and executive function (
r
=0.501,
P
<0.05). The mean±SD yearly brain atrophy rate for patients with SVD and control subjects was significantly different (−0.914%±0.8% versus −0.498%±0.4%, respectively,
P
=0.017). No change in executive function score was detected over this period.

Conclusions—

Brain volume is reduced in SVD and a decline is detectable prospectively. The correlation with executive function at a cross-sectional level and the change in brain volume with time are both promising for the use of brain atrophy as a surrogate marker of SVD progression.
Very Early Mobilization After Stroke Fast-Tracks Return to Walking
Authors: Cumming Toby B. , Thrift Amanda G. , Collier Janice M. , Churilov Leonid , Dewey Helen M. , Donnan Geoffrey A. , Bernhardt Julie
Published: December 2010

Background and Purpose—

Regaining functional independence is an important goal for people who have experienced stroke. We hypothesized that introducing earlier and more intensive out-of-bed activity after stroke would reduce time to unassisted walking and improve independence in activities of daily living.

Methods—

A Very Early Rehabilitation Trial (AVERT) was a phase II randomized controlled trial. Patients with confirmed stroke (infarct or hemorrhage) admitted <24 hours after stroke and who met physiological safety criteria were eligible. Patients randomized to the very early and intensive mobilization group were mobilized within 24 hours of stroke and at regular intervals thereafter. Control patients received standard stroke unit care. The primary outcome for this analysis was the number of days required to return to walking 50 m unassisted. Secondary outcomes were the Barthel Index and Rivermead Motor Assessment at 3 and 12 months after stroke.

Results—

Seventy-one stroke patients with a mean age of 74.7 years were recruited from 2 hospitals. Adjusted Cox regression indicated that very early and intensive mobilization group patients returned to walking significantly faster than did standard stroke unit care controls (
P
=0.032; median 3.5 vs 7.0 days). Multivariable regression revealed that exposure to very early and intensive mobilization was independently associated with good functional outcome on the Barthel Index at 3 months (
P
=0.008) and on the Rivermead Motor Assessment at 3 (
P
=0.050) and 12 (
P
=0.024) months.

Conclusions—

Earlier and more intensive mobilization after stroke may fast-track return to unassisted walking and improve functional recovery.

Clinical Trial Registration—

This trial was not registered because enrollment began before July 2005.
You Show Your Smith and I’ll Show Mine: Selection, Exegesis, and the Politics of Citation
Authors: Parrish John W.
Published: December 2010

This essay reflects on the politics and poetics of citation, and offers a constructive reading of Jonathan Z. Smith’s work. This is accomplished by a careful, critical reading of Hugh Urban’s trenchant critiques of Smith. I argue that the referential techniques through which Urban constructs his argument are highly selective and often manipulate the relevant texts. The final pages of the essay consider how, based on the techniques of citation employed, one can always produce a different reading. The essay thus serves as an “e.g.” of how our methods and theories drive our use of data and create our object of study; or, as Smith puts it, scholars have no privileged “place on which to stand.”
Ritual Theory and Attitudes to Agency in Brazilian Spirit Possession
Authors: Engler Steven
Published: December 2010

This article works with theory of ritual in order to begin addressing a series of questions raised by Brazilian spirit possession rituals (in Kardecism and Umbanda). Four contributions to theory of ritual highlight relevant conceptual issues: Humphrey and Laidlaw on non-intentionality; Bloch on deference; Houseman and Severi on social relations; and Kapferer on virtuality. Strawson’s philosophical distinction between objective and reactive attitudes toward intentionality is used to make a case (i) that certain formal aspects of ritual (indexicals) serve to (ii) mark culturally-variable attitudes to agency within rituals, which are related to, but fundamentally distinct from, non-ritual attitudes to agency.
On the Antiquity of Shamanism and its Role in Human Religiosity
Authors: Sidky Homayun
Published: December 2010

Drawing upon ethnographic data on the thriving and dynamic shamanistic tradition in Nepal (gathered between 1999 and 2008), this paper addresses the problematic nature of many of the central assumptions concerning shamanism and its place in the development of human religiosity. These include beliefs that shamanism was the universal religion of Paleolithic hunter-gatherers and that it represents a neurotheology, the expressions of which have been preserved in ancient cave art and in the magico-religious beliefs and practices of extant or recently extant hunting-gathering cultures on the peripheries of the “civilized world.” The paucity of any concrete testable and falsifiable evidence for any of these assumptions raises the compelling question of why so many anthropologists, archaeologists, and scholars in other fields subscribe to these views. The answer does not lead to some ancient grotto or an undisputable assemblage of Paleolithic shamanic paraphernalia, but to the imagination of Mircea Eliade, whose vision of shamanism is rooted in the musings of nineteenth century anthropologists.
Temporal-spatial population density of Heterodera glycines in soybean roots during the early growth stage
Authors: Wang Zhenhua , Wu Haiyan , Liu Jing , Li Xiuxia
Published: December 2010

Previous research found that the population density of Heterodera glycines in soybean fields fluctuated during the growth of soybeans. However, the population density in soybean root was unclear. In this study, the dynamics of soybean cyst nematode (SCN; Heterodera glycines, race 4) in soybean roots were investigated over a period of 2 years. Soybean plant roots were sampled during a period of 7-37 days after seedling emergence, and SCN in taproots and lateral root were counted. The results indicated that the total population density of nematodes increased with the growth of soybean roots, showing a sigmoid curve. A comparison of nematode density between taproots and lateral roots showed a decrease in the numbers of nematodes in taproots and an increase in the numbers in lateral roots with increasing age of the plants. There was an overall decrease in nematode numbers with increasing soil depth. Our results show that most of the nematodes were found in roots from 5-15 cm soil depths (2006, 81.3-91.4%; 2007, 86.6-97.6%) during the soybean seedling growth stage, which may provide some useful information for integrated management of soybean cyst nematode.
Description of Caenorhabditis angaria n. sp. (Nematoda: Rhabditidae), an associate of sugarcane and palm weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)
Authors: Sudhaus Walter , Giblin-Davis Robin , Kiontke Karin
Published: December 2010

Caenorhabditis angaria n. sp., an ectophoretic associate of the West Indian sugarcane weevil, Metamasius hemipterus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is described and illustrated. Data on biology (longevity, fecundity) and ecology are presented. Caenorhabditis angaria n. sp. is gonochoristic and can be differentiated from other species of Caenorhabditis by its comparatively short stoma in combination with six semicircular overlapping flaps on the lips, lack of a pharyngeal sleeve, one pair of teeth on each sector of the metastegostom, and a proximally open bursa with nine pairs of genital papillae (GP) and papilliform phasmids (ph) in a 2/2 + 2 + 3 + ph arrangement with GP4 and 7 opening dorsally. Caenorhabditis angaria n. sp. was isolated and cultured from M. hemipterus from Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties, FL, USA, and from Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, and from the American palm weevil, Rhynchophorus palmarum, from Trinidad. The nematode is phoretically associated with weevils as dauer juveniles without causing obvious deleterious effects. Caenorhabditis angaria n. sp. does not require the association with a weevil and can be cultured continuously on bacteria.
Nematicidal activity of plant essential oils and components from Gaultheria fragrantissima and Zanthoxylum alatum against the pine wood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus
Authors: Park Il-Kwon , Seo Seon-Mi , Kim Junheon
Published: December 2010

Commercial essential oils from 29 plant species were tested for their nematicidal activity against the pine wood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus. Good nematicidal activity against B. xylophilus was achieved with essential oils of Gaultheria fragrantissima and Zanthoxylum alatum. GC-MS analysis of the corresponding oils led to the identification of two and ten major compounds, respectively. Four compounds, methyl salicylate, ethyl salicylate, methyl trans-cinnamate and ethyl trans-cinnamate, were tested individually for their nematicidal activities against the pine wood nematode. Methyl and ethyl salicylates showed strong nematicidal activity at concentration of 2.0 mg ml–1. Concentrations of 1.0 mg ml–1, as well as lower concentrations showed only minor effects. Another compound, methyl trans-cinnamate, showed 100% activity at concentrations of 0.0625-2.0 mg ml–1. With ethyl trans-cinnamate, 100% mortality was observed at concentrations of 0.25-2.0 mg ml–1. The essential oils and their components described herein merit further study as potential nematicides against the pine wood nematode.
Description of Uliginotylenchus changlingensis n. sp. (Tylenchida: Belonolaimidae) from potato in China
Authors: Xie Hui , Zeng Yongsan , Xu Chunling , Chen Chun , Zhou Chunna
Published: December 2010

Uliginotylenchus changlingensis n. sp. is described from the rhizosphere of potato roots in Changling county, Jilin province, China. The species is characterised by a long body (female: 846-952 μm, male: 785-934 μm), completely areolated lateral field with three incisures, high and rounded offset lip region bearing five or six annuli, long stylet (female: 24.0-26.0 μm, male: 23-28 μm), presence of vulval flaps, female tail subconoid with 28-39 annuli and terminus bluntly conoid without striations, distinct phasmids and gubernaculum distally crescent-shaped. It is closely related to U. cylindricaudatus and U. bifasciatus. It differs from U. cylindricaudatus mainly by the different number of labial annuli (5-6 vs 7-8), different tail shape (subconoid vs subcylindrical) and by vulval flaps present vs absent. It differs from U. bifasciatus mainly by different female stylet length (24-26 vs 19-20 μm), tail shape and annuli (subconoid with 28-39 annuli with smooth terminus vs subcylindrical with 42-48 annuli with annulated terminus). It further differs from other species of Uliginotylenchus by the offset vs continuous labial region.
Redescription of Placodira lobata Thorne, 1937 (Rhabditida: Cephalobidae) with a discussion of the systematic position of the genus
Authors: Ley Irma Tandingan De , Nadler Steven , Boström Sven , Robinson Cymphonee , Holovachov Oleksandr
Published: December 2010

A population of Placodira lobata from the USA is described using both light and scanning electron microscopy and compared with the descriptions of the type specimens of the same species. The phylogenetic relationships of the species are inferred from molecular data and places P. lobata in a clade that unites genera with mostly simple morphology of the labial region, like Cephalobus, Acrobeloides, Heterocephalobellus and Metacrobeles, but also includes species of Zeldia and Chiloplacus.
Historical Perspectives on Contemporary Xinjiang
Authors: Millward James A.
Published: December 2010

This paper reflects on historical precedents to some of the issues raised by other papers in this symposium. Particular problems discussed include the population and demographic distribution of Han, Uyghur and other groups in Xinjiang; fiscal subventions from Beijing to Xinjiang; Qing dynasty agricultural reclamation as precursor of the bingtuan; Xinjiang’s environment; and ethnic relations.
Ethnicity and Economic Development in Xinjiang
Authors: Dreyer June Teufel
Published: December 2010

Although Xinjiang, comprising one-sixth the land area of the People’s Republic of China, is rich in oil and other natural resources and produces high-quality cotton, fruit, wool, and mutton, it has failed to meet central government expectations for economic development. During the 1990s, a drop in world market prices for the autonomous area’s major exports, oil and cotton, combined with the Asian currency crisis and ethnic unrest in both Xinjiang and its major Central Asian trading partners to inhibit growth. Ambitious plans to improve the infrastructure, irrigate deserts, and restructure money-losing state enterprises are likely to produce improvements in certain sectors. However, they will also work against the central government’s desire for social control. Faced with a choice between economic growth and social control, party and government are likely to opt for the latter.
Consuming Identities: Food and Resistance among the Uyghur in Contemporary Xinjiang
Authors: Cesaro M. Cristina
Published: December 2010

This paper focuses on social and cultural aspects of food, given its centrality in identity processes and boundary setting. Such processes often are ambiguous and problematic. In particular, Uyghurs in Xinjiang draw on Muslim dietary prescriptions in order to reinforce boundaries between them and the Han Chinese, while at the same time an ongoing exchange between the two groups is also displayed in the food domain (food items, vocabulary, meal patterns, etc.).Uyghur attitudes to and beliefs about food need to be analysed within the broader context of ethnic relations in contemporary Xinjiang.
A Brief Biography of Urgunge Onon
Authors: Onon Temujin
Published: December 2010

Urgunge, of the Onon clan of Daur Mongols was born on the eleventh day of the eleventh lunar month 1919 in a village in north-eastern Inner Mongolia. His people hunted and farmed in a remote area near the Manchurian border and had retained some ancient Mongolian customs and a spoken dialect long-since lost by the majority of Mongols. During his youth he enjoyed participating in the traditional Mongolian pursuits of wrestling, horse riding and hunting but also, almost mysteriously, acquired an intuitive understanding of shamanic rituals and practices which were still surviving in his native area at that time. He himself considered that shamanism had a profound influence on the Mongols at the time of Chinggis and was an important factor in their military and political success. It was this shamanism which continued to influence his personal philosophy throughout his adult life. As a young teenager he experienced the suffering caused by war and banditry which were endemic in Manchuria at that time and was himself captured and held hostage by bandits. Following his release his family were able to send him to a Japanese-sponsored boarding school – a rare educational opportunity for ordinary rural people at that time. The school was near Tsitsihar and he was soon introduced to life in an industrialised and commercial environment. Having become proficient in Japanese he did well enough at school to be selected to attend university in Japan where he gained a diploma in political science from Toyo University in Tokyo in 1944. The years spent in Japan during World War II were difficult for all the Mongolian students there but it was in Japan that he first became fascinated by the West, and America in particular, from watching films and newsreels.
The Fate of Empires and Eurasian Federalism: A Discussion between the Eurasianists and their Opponents in the 1920s
Authors: Shnirelman Viktor
Published: December 2010

The discussion of the problem of federalism and multiculturalism was as heated among the Russian in the 1920s as it is today. It was initiated by the Russian Eurasianists who were opposed and criticised by various ethnic Russian and non-Russian intellectuals. Political, social and cultural issues were at the core of this discourse, which was concerned with the relationships between the dominant majority and ethnic minorities. These debates also concerned the future of the Russian State, its administrative structure and the construction of a Eurasian Nation.
Lev Gumilev: His Pretensions as Founder of Ethnology and his Eurasian Theories
Authors: Panarin Sergei , Shnirelman Viktor
Published: December 2010

This paper takes a critical look at the work of the extraordinarily popular historian Lev Gumilev. Writing in late Soviet times, Gumilev has become virtually a cult figure in Russia after his death. He took up the ideas of the Eurasianists of the early twentieth century, according to whom Russia's destiny is to be a Eurasian power, and he reconfigured them as a ‘scientific’ theory of ethnos. The ethnos is supposed to be a ‘biological’ entity determined by its place in the natural environment, but at the same time, inspired by a few innovative leaders, each ‘ethnos’ has its special time of intense flowering (which Gumilev called ‘passionary’). The article examines the contradictions in Gumilev's theories and its methodological flaws. It endswith a discussion of the political implications ofGumilev's popularity in post-Socialist Russia. He is not only admired by semi-educated people but is also legitimised by sections of the academy (a university is named after him in Kazakhstan). It is argued that his work lends a spurious credence to nationalismand anti-semitism.
The Hoshuud Polity in Khökhnuur (Kokonor)
Authors: Borjigidai Uyunbilig
Published: December 2010

Hoshuud Mongols ruled the Khökhnuur (Kokonor) region from 1637 to 1723. This paper, based on the author's History of the Hoshuud published in Mongolian in 1990, uses Chinese, Mongolian, Manchu and Tibetan sources to describe the main features of the history and polity of this time. This Hoshuud polity, known as the rule of the Eight Taijinar of Khökhnuur, encompassed a hereditary feudal system that gradually took its shape with the consolidation of the Hoshuud rule in the Khökhnuur. Furthermore a system of alliances linked feudal lords and connected the Hoshuud court in Lhasa with the Eight Taijinar in the Khökhnuur. The worship of the Khökhnuur Lake represented the ritual expression and concrete enactment of the Khökhnuur assembly where all concerned parties would come together, often including Qing and Tibetan representatives. During this period Mongolian-Tibetan-Manchu relations were shaped by a complex system of alliances and “;priest-patron” relations.
Triste and Carol on the Journey to the Cool Mountains: Culture as Travel
Authors: Jiao Pan
Published: December 2010

This paper discusses Lin Yaohua's ethnography of the Yi people, made in the early 1940s. It points out that, in contrast to what the recent reflexive anthropologists criticise, Lin's writing talked more about his travelling to the Yi society than his dwelling therein and it highlighted the spectrum of the difference between Yi and Chinese peoples rather than metonymically froze the Yi as the inalienable Other. Drawing on the case, I argue that the anti-essentialist reflection on the traditional anthropology should not essentialise the latter: 1) Traditional anthropologists' strategy to localise their object of study doesn't inevitably lead to privileging the relation of dwelling over that of travel. Due to the difficulty and danger in entering the Yi area at that time, Lin localised the Yi by showing how hard to get there instead of how long to be there. 2) Writing ‘against culture’ has different implications in different circumstances. While it is intended to defrost the inferior Other frozen as culture in some places, it was in complicity with the Chinese state's power penetration in the Yi case.