bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of response conflict on pain‐evoked medial prefrontal cortex activity
Authors: Dowman Robert , Glebus Geoffery , Shinners Lindsay
Published: September 2010

Experimental studies of pain may introduce a response conflict, where the subject must inhibit an escape response and make a pain‐rating response. Several lines of evidence have shown that the medial prefrontal cortex is activated by painful stimuli and by response conflict. It is not clear, however, to what extent pain‐evoked medial prefrontal cortex activation reflects response conflict. We examined this question using the Simon task. The participants identified pain threshold and moderately painful target stimuli presented to the left or right sural nerves using their left or right hands. Response conflict occurred when the response was made with the hand contralateral to the target stimulus. The results suggest that pain‐evoked medial prefrontal cortex activity occurring 70 to 190 ms poststimulus, as estimated from the sural nerve somatosensory evoked potential, is not involved in response conflict.
How competent are consumers? The case of the energy sector in France
Authors: Bonnemaizon Audrey , Batat Wided
Published: September 2010

This paper discussed the notion of value co‐creation and the concept of customer competence as suggested by this notion. This led us to consider the competent customer as a social construction related to managerial representations. In order to examine this issue, a longitudinal exploratory research based on participant observation and in‐depth interviews with employees of a French energy supplier was conducted to explore whether customers are perceived as competent or incompetent market actors. The data analysis revealed four categories illustrating customers' profiles coping with the new situation of the ‘Utility X’ group in the energy sector. ‘Utility X’ employees define their customers according to four profiles: myopic, ignorant, uncreative and organizer of company resources. Even if the marketing studies that share the Service‐Dominant Logic point‐of‐view suggest that the customer would be competent at all times, our findings showed that customer competencies are in fact socially constructed and emerge partially from managerial representations. Therefore, the adoption by companies of a marketing philosophy (‘market with’ philosophy), in which the customer and supply chain partners are collaborators in the entire marketing process, seems only possible if they recognize customers' competencies and identify situations when customers do not activate their competencies or do not have the resources that enable them to develop their competencies.
Non‐linear relationship between 5‐HT transporter gene expression and frequency sensitivity of 5‐HT signals
Authors: Jennings Katie Ann , Lesch Klaus‐Peter , Sharp Trevor , Cragg Stephanie Jane
Published: September 2010

J. Neurochem. (2010) 115, 965–973.

Much evidence suggests that variation in expression of the 5‐hydroxytryptamine (5‐HT) transporter (5‐HTT) is linked to risk of psychiatric illness, but the neurobiological basis of this association is uncertain. In this study, we investigated the impact of variation in 5‐HTT expression on subsecond fluctuations in extracellular 5‐HT concentrations ([5‐HT]o). Stimulus‐evoked [5‐HT]o was detected using fast‐scan cyclic voltammetry at carbon‐fibre microelectrodes in the substantia nigra in brain slices from 5‐HTT knockout (KO) and 5‐HTT over‐expressing (OE) mice. Compared with wild‐type (WT) controls, evoked [5‐HT]o was greater in KO and less in OE mice. In WT controls, evoked [5‐HT]o was frequency‐sensitive; however, in both KO and OE mice, evoked [5‐HT]o showed a striking loss of frequency sensitivity. The latter was observed in WT mice after application of a 5‐HTT blocker. These data show that while variation in 5‐HTT expression modified the peak magnitude of [5‐HT]o evoked by any given stimulus in a gene dose dependent manner, there was a non‐linear relationship between 5‐HTT expression and frequency sensitivity. Overall, the findings suggest that variation in 5‐HTT expression has a marked effect on frequency sensitivity which is a fundamental property of normal 5‐HT transmission.
Strain Measures for Rigid Crushable Foam in Uniaxial Compression
Authors: Li Q. M. , Mines R. A. W.
Published: September 2010

Abstract: Progressive collapse deformation mechanisms in Rohacell‐51WF foam during uniaxial compression has been studied. Measures of a macroscopic engineering strain are identified. The elastic and plastic parts of a macroscopic engineering strain can be predicted by using the compression failure strain, lock‐up strain, and time dependent elastic and plastic parts of lock‐up strain, which are material parameters. Identification of strain measures in a uniaxial compression test is essential to get material parameters for an elastoplastic model. The viscoelastic recovery property of Rohacell‐51WF foam is also described.
Determination of Residual Stresses by Thermal Relaxation and Speckle Correlation Interferometry
Authors: Pechersky M. J.
Published: September 2010

ABSTRACT:  A new technique for the measurement of residual stresses is presented. The technique is based on strain measurements following thermal stress relaxation. The heat input is supplied by a low power infrared laser and the strain is measured with speckle pattern correlation interferometry. This paper presents a comprehensive overview of the technique and an example of how it has been applied in a practical situation.
Experimental Mechanics at the Nanometric Level
Authors: Sciammarella C. A.
Published: September 2010

Abstract:  This article describes research carried out in the field of optical super‐resolution. The main goal of this study was to go beyond the Rayleigh limit in conventional optics and observe phenomena at the nano‐range, because in certain circumstances methods such as X‐ray and electron microscopy cannot be applied because of their influence on the observed specimens. In summary, the presence of a small polystyrene sphere on the optical field of a conventional optical microscope seems to have converted the microscope into a device capable of functioning beyond the classical limit of resolution. This means that the near‐field generated by evanescent illumination can be sensed by a microscope. Detection of particles in the range of a few tens of nanometres was achieved.
On the Characterisation of Foam and Micro‐lattice Materials used in Sandwich Construction1
Authors: Mines R. A. W.
Published: September 2010

Abstract: The paper gives an overview of issues relating to the characterisation of the progressive collapse of core cellular materials used in sandwich construction. The specific structural application addressed is foreign object impact, and in this case the core cellular material is subject to multi‐axial stresses, progressive collapse and possible rupture. The paper gives an overview of various theoretical and modelling issues, which are then related to experimental materials and structural tests for model development, calibration and validation. Most discussion concerns polymeric crushable foam, metal foam and metallic lattice structures.
The disciplinary effects of communicative planning in Soufriere, St Lucia: governmentality, hegemony and space‐time‐politics
Authors: Pugh Jonathan
Published: September 2010

Communicative planning initiatives are being increasingly implemented across both the North and South of the globe. Influenced by Habermas’ theory of communicative rationality, this form of planning concentrates upon consensus building between different signified interest groups. The paper explores how communicative planning in the eastern Caribbean country of St Lucia disciplines people's conduct from the perspectives of Foucault's concept of governmentality and Laclau and Mouffe's theorization of hegemony. Linking the latter to an analysis of Massey's non‐bounded conceptualization of the local, it is argued that, as geographers, we may do better to concentrate less upon the deterministic effects of common styles of government and more upon the moments which bring their themes temporarily and spatially into being. In doing so, some initial steps are made toward proposing the concept of space‐time‐politics, drawing upon Wittgenstein's work on ‘aspect‐seeing’. In concluding, I argue that we should not see terms such as ‘consensus’, ‘empowerment’ and ‘the local’ as pre‐existing moral justifications for political action, but instead as the product of relations of space‐time‐politics.
Russian geopolitical culture and public opinion: the masks of Proteus revisited
Authors: O'Loughlin John , Tuathail (Gerard Toal) Gearóid Ó , Kolossov Vladimir
Published: September 2010

In this paper, we build on the work of Graham Smith, who was developing a critical geopolitics of Russia in his posthumous paper of 1999, published in this journal. Like Smith, we link the evolving geopolitical orientations of Russia to the search for a post‐Soviet identity amongst its citizens and its political leadership. While Smith saw a core concept in Russian geopolitics having Protean masks, it is the leadership of the Russian state, specifically President Putin, who has successfully adopted a Protean strategy to appeal to the disparate elements of the Russian geopolitical spectrum. Based on a nationwide survey in spring 2002, we identify six clusters in Russian public opinion by socio‐demographic characteristics and we connect each cluster to the main geopolitical orientations competing in contemporary Russia, including democratic statism and the increasingly marginalized Eurasianism that formed the core subject of Smith's paper.
‘Respect the life of the countryside’: the Country Code, government and the conduct of visitors to the countryside in post‐war England and Wales
Authors: Merriman Peter
Published: September 2010

Geographers examining the spaces of government and governance, and in particular those drawing upon the writings of Michel Foucault on government and governmentality, have tended to overlook the importance of different media, technical devices and practices of self‐government to specific rationalities and programmes of government. In this paper I argue that the materialities and immaterialities of many mundane media technologies, the way they articulate and translate particular programmes of government, and the way they instil practices of self‐government in citizens, are important but frequently overlooked dimensions of the geographies of government. I focus on the codes of countryside conduct – The Country Code/Countryside Code – that have been published in England and Wales since 1951. I examine how the National Parks Commission, and subsequently the Countryside Commission and Countryside Agency, identified the potential strengths and limitations of using the Country Code booklet to govern the conduct of visitors to the countryside. The paper shows how the material form of the booklet and methods of distributing and promoting it were seen to matter, and examines how civil servants attempted to extend the ‘reach’ of the Code and articulate its message through a diverse range of media which entailed different kinds of performative encounters in different spaces.
Effect of Methadone Dose on Cocaine Abuse in a Methadone Program
Authors: Stine Susan M. , Freeman Michael , Burns Beatrice , Charney Dennis S. , Kosten Thomas R.
Published: September 2010

The effect of methadone dose on cocaine abuse in methadone‐maintained patients was examined in two protocols at separate treatment sites in the Yale Department of Psychiatry. In one protocol, methadone dose was lowered in response to each cocaine‐positive urine and raised to a maximum of 70 mg in response to abstinence (negative urine toxicology screen for 2 weeks). Of 22 patients treated under this protocol, 33% stopped cocaine use for a minimum of 2 weeks. In a second protocol, methadone dose was raised in response to each cocaine‐positive urine to a maximum dose of 120 mg qd. Ten patients have entered this protocol to date, and 8 responded to this treatment by stopping cocaine abuse for a minimum of 2 weeks. Thus, the increasing methadone dose contingency treatment was more effective (80% vs. 33%, P = 0.02, Fisher's Exact Test).
Naltrexone Maintenance
Authors: Cornish James W. , Henson David , Levine Sanford , Volpicelli Joseph , Inturrisi Charles E. , Yoburn Byron C. , O'Brien Charles P.
Published: September 2010

Naltrexone has been tested in numerous clinical trials for both safety and efficacy in the treatment of relapse to opioid dependence. In the doses used for this purpose, it has been found to be safe and pharmacologically effective. Recently it has been found that chronic treatment with naloxone or naltrexone produces supersensitivity to opioid agonists in rodents. Seven normal human volunteers were tested for opiate sensitivity, using morphine 8 mg iv before and after 2 weeks of naltrexone treatment at 50 mg po qd. There were no significant differences in morphine‐induced respiratory depression before or after naltrexone treatment. These results indicate that at the dose of morphine used in this study, it is unlikely that naltrexone maintenance would increase the risk of opiate toxicity.
Alcoholic Subjects With Anxiety Disorder
Authors: Moak Darlene H. , Anton Raymond F. , Malcolm Robert , Randall Carrie L. , Brady Kathleen
Published: September 2010

Data from a 6‐month placebo‐controlled, double‐blind study of buspirone in alcohol‐dependent subjects with generalized anxiety disorder were examined to determine if study completers and noncompleters differed on any identifiable characteristics. Twenty (29.9%) of 67 male veterans completed the 26‐week protocol. An equal number (n = 10) of the completers were from each treatment condition. The completers had significantly fewer prior treatments and detoxifications and less heavy drinking in the month before the study than the noncompleters. Characteristics related to the severity of alcoholism may influence retention and medication compliance of alcohol‐dependent subjects in pharmacologic treatment studies.
Pharmacologic Interventions for Alcohol‐ and Cocaine‐Abusing Individuals
Authors: Carroll Kathleen , Ziedonis Douglas , O'Malley Stephanie , McCance‐Katz Elinore , Gordon Lynn , Rounsaville Bruce
Published: September 2010

Eighteen outpatients dependent on both cocaine and alcohol were randomly assigned to disulfiram or naltrexone in an open pilot study. Disulfiram treatment resulted in significantly fewer days of alcohol and cocaine use, with longer sustained periods of abstinence from both substances.
Comorbid Anxiety Disorder Among Patients With Substance Abuse Disorders
Authors: Westermeyer Joseph , Tucker Phebe , Nugent Sean
Published: September 2010

The authors sought to determine whether early assessment of newly abstinent alcoholic/addicted patients can help identify those patients at risk for later anxiety disorder (AD). Diagnoses of AD were made after 3 weeks. From a sample of 642 consecutive outpatients and inpatients, 294 were assessed as having only substance‐related disorders (SRD) and 36 had both an SRD and an AD. The remaining 312 patients had other comorbid conditions with SRD. After 3 weeks of abstinence (Time 2), a psychiatrist made a current DSM‐III‐R diagnosis based on all available data. This study revealed that the following characteristics at Time 1 (intake) were associated with diagnosis of an AD at Time 2: female sex, history of panic attacks or suicidal ideation, previous outpatient care, previous antidepressant or neuroleptic medication, and higher scores on most of the self‐rated scales and all of the psychiatric scales.
Psychosocial Risk and Protective Factors, Multiple and Specific Drug Use, and Needle‐Sharing in Male Injection‐Drug Users
Authors: Brook David William , Brook Judith Suzanne , Wynn Pe Shein , Masci Joseph Robert , Roberto Josephine , Amundsen Frances , De Catalogne Jacques
Published: September 2010

The authors studied the influences of multiple and specific drug use on needle‐sharing in a cohort of male injection drug users (IDUs). Subjects were 294 male IDUs, 41% of whom were HIV‐positive. Subjects were given individually administered interviews using questionnaires. The authors used logistic regression analysis and found a relationship between more frequent cocaine and heroin use and needle‐sharing behavior. As the total number of drugs used increased, the risk of needle‐sharing with both familiar people and strangers increased. This effect of the number of drugs used was modified by family protective factors. Heroin and cocaine use, and multiple‐drug use, were identified as risk factors for needle‐sharing behavior among male IDUs.
Court‐Ordered Alcohol Treatment for Patients With Medical Problems
Authors: Steiner Claudia , Lezotte Dennis , Gabow Patricia
Published: September 2010

The authors performed a retrospective analysis of medical records and death certificates for 99 consecutive patients who had an alcohol‐related medical problem that prompted a petition for court‐ordered alcohol treatment. Ninety percent voluntarily participated in initial evaluation. Two appeared to be alcoholfree 6 months after treatment. The number of alcohol‐related hospital visits was not different before and after intervention. Death certificates revealed that at least 12% of the patients had died within 2 years of the petition. Court‐ordered alcohol treatment for patients for serious medical sequelae of alcoholism does not appear to be successful.
Hypertension Associated With Rhabdomyolysis
Authors: Petidis Konstantinos , Douma Stella , Aslanidis Spyros , Papaefthimiou Panagiota , Kartali Niki , Zamboulis Chrysanthos
Published: September 2010

Primary aldosteronism accompanied by hypokalemia is a cause of secondary hypertension. Diagnosis of primary aldosteronism has increased dramatically in recent years with the wider availability of aldosterone and plasma renin activity measurements. The authors present the case of a patient with resistant hypertension and severe hypokalemia that evaded diagnosis until complications from hypokalemia occurred.
Adherence
Authors: Foody JoAnne M. , Benner Joshua S. , Frishman William
Published: September 2010

In November 2006, a panel of experts participated in a teleconference to discuss the issue of adherence to antihypertensive therapy. The panel was chaired by JoAnne M. Foody, MD, of the Yale University School of Medicine, Section of Cardiovascular Medicine, New Haven, CT. Also participating were Joshua S. Benner, PharmD, ScD, ValueMedics Research, Falls Church, VA, and William Frishman, MD, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY.
Intracerebral Hemorrhage: A Life‐Threatening Complication of Hypertension During Pregnancy
Authors: Dai Xuming , Diamond Joseph A.
Published: September 2010

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is an infrequent but severe complication in pregnant women with hypertension. The authors describe a patient with chronic hypertension who developed superimposed preeclampsia and spontaneous ICH during the thirty‐fifth week of pregnancy. ICH was diagnosed by computed tomographic scan. She underwent successful emergent cesarean section and neurosurgical decompression of the ICH. Both intraoperative surveillance and postoperative magnetic resonance angiographic examination of the cerebral vessels failed to identify an aneurysm or arteriovenous malformation. The authors discuss the diagnosis and management in this case and review the literature regarding this challenging complication of pregnancy and preeclampsia. Controversies regarding treatment of hypertension during pregnancy are discussed in light of the impact on the management of this patient.
Evolving Treatment Options for Prevention of Cardiovascular Events in High‐Risk Hypertensive Patients
Authors: Deedwania Prakash
Published: September 2010

The identification and treatment of high‐risk patients for cardiovascular disease reduces the risk of morbidity and mortality. Significant risk factors for cardiovascular events in hypertensive patients over and above dyslipidemia, smoking, and obesity include coronary heart disease, peripheral arterial disease, cerebrovascular/carotid artery disease, and diabetes. Treatment options for the reduction of cardiovascular events in hypertensive patients include diuretics, β‐blockers, α‐blockers, calcium channel blockers, angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), and aldosterone antagonists. All of these agents, in various combinations, have been found to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events, even in high‐risk patients. The use of ACE inhibitors or ARBs (usually in combination with a diuretic) has proven especially effective in reducing cardiovascular events in diabetes and, although both classes of drugs target the renin‐angiotensin‐aldosterone system, each has a different mechanism of action. Some investigators believe that combination therapy with an ACE inhibitor and ARB, usually given with other medications, may be more effective than either agent alone with other drugs. The Ongoing Telmisartan Alone and in Combination With Ramipril Global Endpoint Trial (ONTARGET) is evaluating the cardioprotective effect of an ACE inhibitor (ramipril) plus an ARB (telmisartan) in high‐risk patients.
Hypertension Control: Still Not There—How to Select the Right Add‐On Therapy to Reach Goal Blood Pressures
Authors: Neutel Joel M. , Sica Domenic A. , Franklin Stanley S.
Published: September 2010

This expert panel discussion was held on August 17, 2007. The panel was moderated by Joel M. Neutel, MD, Orange County Research Center, Tustin, California. Participants included Domenic A. Sica, MD, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, and Stanley S. Franklin, MD, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California. The discussion was supported by Boehringer Ingelheim, and each author received an honorarium from Boehringer Ingelheim for time and effort spent participating in the discussion and reviewing the transcript for intellectual content before publication. The authors maintained full control of the discussion and the resulting content of this article.
Pathophysiology of Target‐Organ Disease: Does Angiotensin II Remain the Key?
Authors: Victor Ronald G.
Published: September 2010

Basic research provides an increasingly compelling rationale for renin‐angiotensin system (RAS) blockade in hypertension treatment and cardiovascular risk reduction. Clinical trials addressing blood pressure‐independent effects of angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers, however, have yielded mixed results, in part because of incomplete RAS blockade. Animal studies have shed new light on the complexity of RAS pathways involved in the induction of target‐organ damage. New outcomes trials are under way to explore the full potential of more complete RAS blockade with regard to cardiovascular target‐organ protection.
Antihypertensive Combination Therapy: Optimizing Blood Pressure Control and Cardiovascular Risk Reduction
Authors: Nesbitt Shawna D.
Published: September 2010

Treating hypertension reduces the rates of myocardial infarction, stroke, and renal disease; however, clinical trial experience suggests that monotherapy is not likely to be successful for achieving goal blood pressure (BP) levels in many hypertensive patients. In multiple recent clinical trials including various subsets of hypertensive patients, the achievement of BP goal has typically required the combination of 2 or more medications, particularly in patients with BP levels >160/100 mm Hg. When initiating combination therapy for hypertension, careful consideration must be given to the choice of medication. Clinical trial evidence has shown the efficacy of various combinations of angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers, calcium channel blockers, and diuretics in reducing BP and cardiovascular risk. Ongoing trials should provide additional guidance on the optimal choice of combination regimens in specific clinical settings.
Angiotensin‐Converting Enzyme Inhibitors in the Treatment of Hypertension: An Update
Authors: White William B.
Published: September 2010

Angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors are an important treatment option for hypertension, especially when elevated blood pressure exists in the presence of diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, or congestive heart failure. This article reviews some of the pathophysiologic mechanisms involved in patients with hypertension and these comorbidities and how they relate to the renin‐angiotensin system (RAS). Inhibition of the RAS when utilized along with other antihypertensive medications has been particularly effective in hypertensive patients with type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and vascular disorders; consensus group guidelines have reflected this in their treatment recommendations. Clinical trial data demonstrate that the effectiveness of RAS blockers is enhanced by maximizing the daily dose and combining these medications with thiazide diuretics.
Combination ACE Inhibitor and Angiotensin Receptor Blocker Therapy—Future Considerations
Authors: Sica Domenic A
Published: September 2010

Angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers are regularly prescribed for the management of hypertension. Each of these drug classes has also been shown to provide survival benefits for patients with heart failure, proteinuric chronic kidney disease, and/or a high cardiac risk profile. The individual gains seen with each of these drug classes have led to speculation that their combination might offer additive if not synergistic outcome benefits. The foundation of this hypothesis, although biologically possible, has thus far not been sufficiently well proven to support the everyday use of these 2 drug classes in combination. Additional outcomes trials, which are currently proceeding to their conclusion, may provide the necessary proof to support an expanded use of these 2 drug classes in combination.
Efficacy and Safety of Treating Stage 2 Systolic Hypertension With Olmesartan and Olmesartan/HCTZ: Results of an Open‐Label Titration Study
Authors: Izzo Joseph L. , Neutel Joel M. , Silfani Tonous , Dubiel Robert , Walker Findlay ,   on behalf of the Study Investigators
Published: September 2010

This study investigated an aggressive treatment program for stage 2 systolic hypertension (pretreatment systolic blood pressure [SBP] ≥160 mm Hg) using the angiotensin receptor blocker olmesartan medoxomil (OM) and hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ). In this open‐label, 16‐week trial, 170 subjects received OM 20 mg/d for 3 weeks. If seated SBP/diastolic BP remained ≥120/80 mm Hg, subjects were advanced to successive 3‐week courses of OM 40 mg/d, OM/HCTZ 40/12.5 mg/d, and OM/HCTZ 40/25 mg/d. OM 20 mg/d reduced mean SBP by 16.9 mm Hg (P<.001), and there were further dose‐dependent decreases in mean SBP to a maximum of 34.5 mm Hg with OM/HCTZ 40/25 mg/d. At study end, 75.1% of subjects achieved SBP goal (<140 mm Hg) and 16.0% achieved SBP normalization (<120 mm Hg). Treatment was well tolerated at all doses. The addition of HCTZ did not change serum potassium levels but resulted in a dose‐independent but not symptomatic increase in serum glucose and uric acid. The authors conclude that an OM‐based regimen, with or without HCTZ in conventional doses, is effective in controlling and normalizing BP in stage 2 systolic hypertension.
Efficacy and Safety Measures for Low Density Lipoprotein Apheresis Treatment Using Dextran Sulfate Cellulose Columns
Authors: Koga Nobuhiko
Published: September 2010

Long‐term low density lipoprotein (LDL) apheresis using dextran sulfate cellulose (DSC) columns is a well tolerated treatment for drug refractory hypercholes terolemia with coronary heart disease (CHD). Hypercholesterolemic patients may benefit from LDL apheresis combined with cholesterol lowering drug therapy in terms of the prevention of the progression of atherosclerosis, stabilization of atheromatous plaque, and reduction of cardiac events. The major adverse reaction of LDL apheresis is temporal hypotension caused by hypovolemia or vasovagal reactions due to extracorporeal circulation. Anaphylactoid reactions in patients administered angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE‐I) are other dextran sulfate cellulose column related adverse reactions, which must be carefully prevented by ceasing the administration of ACE‐I before LDL apheresis treatment. ACE‐I must not be administered to patients undergoing LDL apheresis.
Plasmapheresis in Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibodies‐Associated Systemic Vasculitis
Authors: Gaskin Gill , Pusey Charles D.
Published: September 2010

Abstract: Small vessel vasculitis syndromes associated with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies frequently cause a necrotizing and crescentic glomerulonephritis with the potential to progress rapidly to permanent renal failure. These conditions are conventionally treated with immunosuppressive drugs, but the possibility that humoral factors are important in their pathogenesis has led to the evaluation of plasmapheresis as an adjunctive therapy. Both controlled and uncontrolled studies have suggested that the routine addition of plasmapheresis is unnecessary. However, when renal function is impaired to the point that dialysis is required, the addition of plasma exchange increases the chance of renal recovery. The superiority of this approach over pulses of methylprednisolone remains to be confirmed.
Therapeutic Apheresis for the Renal Complications of Multiple Myeloma and the Dysglobulinemias
Authors: Kaplan Andre A.
Published: September 2010

Abstract: Disordered immunoglobulin synthesis can result in a variety of different types of renal pathology. Multiple myeloma is often associated with the overproduction of light chains which may result in toxicity to the renal tubules and acute renal failure. Patients with mixed cryoglobulinemia will have renal involvement which is most often in the form of a membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis. Renal involvement in macroglobulinemia is relatively uncommon, but IgM thrombi can be so voluminous as to occlude the glomerular capillary lumen. In each of these examples, therapeutic plasma exchange has been found to be a useful adjunct to the eventual chemotherapy required for the definitive treatment of these disorders.
Apheresis Technologies and Clinical Applications: The 2000 International Apheresis Registry
Authors: Malchesky Paul S. , Koo Anna P. , Rybicki Lisa A.
Published: September 2010

Abstract: The developments in apheresis technologies and techniques and their clinical applications worldwide are technologically, sociologically, and economically driven. In the past, apheresis survey statistics have highlighted both the differences by geographical region in clinical practices and in the types of technologies utilized. While a national view of apheresis is critically important, an international view of apheresis may be more representative overall of this therapeutic modality than national results that are highly dependent on the local economics and the available technologies. These regional differences have provided a basis for the scientific and clinical assessments of these apheresis technologies and their clinical outcomes and have impacted the marketing and business developments of new technologies worldwide. The results of the International Apheresis Registry for 2000 reporting on 39 centers on 4 continents are presented. This survey collected data on 1,080 patients for a total of 15,257 treatments. Information gathered included patient demographics, medical history, treatment diagnoses, treatment specifics (type, methodology, access type, anticoagulants, drugs, equipment usage), side effects, clinical response, and payment provider. As in the prior International Apheresis Registry for 1983, the survey results highlighted the regional differences in apheresis usage and treatment specifics, indicating that an international overview of apheresis may be more representative of the impact of this therapeutic modality.
Extracorporeal Plasma Treatment in Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura and Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome: A Review
Authors: Bosch Thomas , Wendler Thorsten
Published: September 2010

Abstract: This review summarizes the state of the art of apheresis in hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and in thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). Both entities are characterized by thrombotic microangiopathy, hemolytic anemia, and thrombocytopenia. While HUS often presents with renal insufficiency, cerebral involvement is more common in TTP. Recently, in TTP, a primary or secondary lack of activity of a von Willebrand factor (vWF) degrading enzyme was made responsible for the presence of unusually large vWF multimers causing platelet aggregation and thrombus formation in the microvasculature. In contrast, in familial HUS, a factor H deficiency with uninhibited complement activation seems to play a role. Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) using fresh frozen plasma or cryosupernatant as the substitution fluid is indicated in acute TTP and atypical HUS without antecedent diarrhea. As a rule, it will show good effectiveness, especially in the former entity. HUS in pregnancy should be treated by instant delivery whereas postpartum HUS may resolve using protracted courses of TPE. In contrast, in thrombotic microangiopathy after bone marrow transplantation as well as in HUS due to cancer, mitomycin C, or after renal transplantation, TPE is of questionable value and indicated only as a last resort treatment.
Basic Science (32)
Authors: Oprée A. , Kress M.
Published: September 2010

Involvement of the proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor‐alpha, IL‐1 beta, and IL‐6 but not IL‐8 in the development of heat hyperalgesia: effects on heat‐evoked calcitonin gene‐related peptide release from rat. (Friedrich‐Alexander‐Universität Erlangen‐Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany) J Neurosci 2000;20:6289–6293.

In this study, the rat skin model was used to investigate the effects of proinflammatory cytokines on the basal and heat‐evoked release of calcitonin gene‐related peptide (CCRP) from nociceptors in vivo. In contrast to the excitatory effects of cytokines observed in vivo, none of the cytokines tested evoked any CCRP release at normal skin temperature of 32°C. However, the cytokines IL‐1β, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α, and IL‐6 but not IL‐8 induced a pronounced and transient sensitization of the heat‐evoked CGRP release from nociceptors in vitro. This heat sensitization was dose dependent, with EC50 for IL‐1β of 2.7 ng/mL and for TNF‐α of 3.1 ng/mL. The maximum IL‐1β effect reached almost 600% of the heat‐evoked release, and the maximum TNF‐α effect induced a rise in CGRP release of 350%. In contrast to IL‐1β and TNF‐α, IL‐6 did not induce heat sensitization when applied alone, but was only effective in the presence of soluble IL‐6 receptor. This suggests a constitutive expression of signaling receptors for TNF and IL‐1β and the signal transduction molecule gp 130, but not IL‐6 receptor or IL‐8 receptor. Furthermore, the acute cytokine signaling observed was independent of transcriptional pathways because sensitization occurred on short latency in vitro and under conditions that excluded chemotactic accumulation of immune cells from blood vessels. Conclude that interleukins may play an important role in the initiation of heat hyperalgesia in inflammation and neuropathy.

Comment by Marshall Devor, PhD.

Impulses in nociceptive afferents signal pain to a conscious brain, but in addition, they have an efferent, effector role in peripheral tissue. Specifically, impulses arriving at a sensory ending may cause the release of various peptides and other potential inflammatory mediators, affecting local tissue circulation and the trophic state of the tissue. Oprée and Kress show that specific cytokines can facilitate this release by lowering the temperature required to evoke release of the calcitonin gene‐related peptide. If the temperature required were lowered to basal tissue temperature, a real possibility, then the peptides would be released on a tonic basis at normal body temperature. This could be a mechanism for the disruption of normal tissue integrity in chronic inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Treatment of Chronic Pain by Long‐Acting Opioids and the Effects on Sleep
Authors: Mystakidou Kyriaki , Clark A. John , Fischer Jürgen , Lam Annette , Pappert Karin , Richarz Ute
Published: September 2010

Chronic pain affects a substantial part of the population, and conveys a huge economic cost to society. Owing to its prevalence and adverse impact, it is of particular interest to clinicians, patients, and the pharmaceutical industry. Conversely, the effects of pain on sleep, sleep on pain, and opioid analgesics on sleep represent a large gap in our understanding, even though pain and sleep are closely linked, inter‐related conditions. Chronic pain is often treated by opioid analgesics, which are often thought to promote restful sleep. Indeed it may be assumed that by relieving pain, sleep quality will improve concomitantly. In fact, the reality is much more complicated. The effects of opioids vary according to their formulation and duration of action, and have diverse effects on sleep processes. Despite the prevalence of this problem, there is a surprising paucity of data on the effects of opioids on sleep. This review attempts to summarize the links between pain and sleep, and to look at the studies with opioid analgesics, particularly those with extended‐release formulations, that have investigated the effects of opioid analgesics on sleep.
How Smart Is Smart Money? A Two‐Sided Matching Model of Venture Capital
Authors: SØRENSEN MORTEN
Published: September 2010

I find that companies funded by more experienced VCs are more likely to go public. This follows both from the direct influence of more experienced VCs and from sorting in the market, which leads experienced VCs to invest in better companies. Sorting creates an endogeneity problem, but a structural model based on a two‐sided matching model is able to exploit the characteristics of the other agents in the market to separately identify and estimate influence and sorting. Both effects are found to be significant, with sorting almost twice as important as influence for the difference in IPO rates.
U.S. Banking Deregulation, Small Businesses, and Interstate Insurance of Personal Income
Authors: DEMYANYK YULIYA , OSTERGAARD CHARLOTTE , SØRENSEN BENT E.
Published: September 2010

We estimate the effects of deregulation of U.S. banking restrictions on interstate personal income insurance for the period 1970 to 2001. Interstate income insurance occurs when personal income reacts less than one‐to‐one to state‐specific output shocks. We find that insurance improved after banking deregulation, with a larger effect in states where small businesses are more important and on proprietors' income than on other components of personal income. Our explanation centers on the role of banks as a prime source of small business finance and on the close intertwining of the personal and business finances of small business owners.
Adaptive Traders and the Design of Financial Markets
Authors: POUGET SEBASTIEN
Published: September 2010

This paper studies a financial market populated by adaptive traders. Learning is modeled followingCamerer and Ho (1999). A call market and a Walrasian tatonnement are compared in an environment in which both institutions have the same Nash and competitive equilibrium outcomes. When traders learn via a belief‐based model, equilibrium is discovered in both types of markets. In contrast, when traders learn via a reinforcement‐based model, convergence to equilibrium is achieved in the Walrasian tatonnement but not in the call market. This paper suggests that market mechanisms can be designed to foster traders' learning of equilibrium strategies.
Heterogeneous Beliefs, Speculation, and the Equity Premium
Authors: DAVID ALEXANDER
Published: September 2010

Agents with heterogeneous beliefs about fundamental growth do not share risks perfectly but instead speculate with each other on the relative accuracy of their models' predictions. They face the risk that market prices move more in line with the trading models of competing agents than with their own. Less risk‐averse agents speculate more aggressively and demand higher risk premiums. My calibrated model generates countercyclical consumption volatility, earnings forecast dispersion, and cross‐sectional consumption dispersion. With a risk aversion coefficient less than one, agents' speculation causes half the observed equity premium and lowers the riskless rate by about 1%.
Which Money Is Smart? Mutual Fund Buys and Sells of Individual and Institutional Investors
Authors: KESWANI ANEEL , STOLIN DAVID
Published: September 2010

Gruber (1996) and Zheng (1999) report that investors channel money toward mutual funds that subsequently perform well. Sapp and Tiwari (2004) find that this “smart money” effect no longer holds after controlling for stock return momentum. While prior work uses quarterly U.S. data, we employ a British data set of monthly fund inflows and outflows differentiated between individual and institutional investors. We document a robust smart money effect in the United Kingdom. The effect is caused by buying (but not selling) decisions of both individuals and institutions. Using monthly data available post‐1991 we show that money is comparably smart in the United States.
Price Volatility and Investor Behavior in an Overlapping Generations Model with Information Asymmetry
Authors: WATANABE MASAHIRO
Published: September 2010

This paper studies an overlapping generations model with multiple securities and heterogeneously informed agents. The model produces multiple equilibria, including highly volatile equilibria that can exhibit strong or weak correlations between asset returns—even when asset supplies and future dividends are uncorrelated across assets. Less informed agents rationally behave like trend‐followers, while better informed agents follow contrarian strategies. Trading volume has a hump‐shaped relation with information precision and is positively correlated with absolute price changes. Finally, accurate information increases the volatility and correlation of stock returns in the highly volatile, strongly correlated equilibrium.
The Demise of Investment Banking Partnerships: Theory and Evidence
Authors: MORRISON ALAN D. , WILHELM WILLIAM J.
Published: September 2010

In 1970 the New York Stock Exchange relaxed rules that prohibited the public incorporation of member firms. Investment banking concerns went public in waves, with Goldman Sachs the last of the bulge bracket banks to float. We explain the pattern of investment bank flotations. We argue that partnerships foster the formation of human capital and we use technological advances that undermine the role of human capital to explain the partnership's going‐public decision. We support our theory using a new data set of investment bank partnership statistics.
INNOVATION IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE, 1969‐1981: AN OVERVIEW
Authors: Cannon Mork W.
Published: September 2010

Innovation in judicial administration has proceeded slowly for many reasons. The attitudes of judges not‐inclined by training toward management, the tradition of Judicial independence, and the separation of powers are examined as contributing factors inhibiting judicial modernization. Federal Judicial reform has defended historically upon the leadership of a Chief Justine of the United State? willing to use the office to dramatize and promote the issues. The most recent period of dramatic change in judicial administration, from 1969‐1981, is reviewed with a focus upon the strategies for change employed by Chief Justice Warren E, Burger.
ALTERNATIVE MODELS FOR ORGANIZATION OF STATE COURT SYSTEMS*
Authors: Baar Carl , Henderson Thomna A.
Published: September 2010

The dominant theme in court reorganization has been to state judiciaries by consolidating trial courts and centralizing their administration in a state level office. This article suggests that the debate over the relative merits of a centralized vs. a decentralized (or fragmented) court system ignores the rich variety of organizational structures used in other fields. The potential judicial implications of three models‐franchise, corporate, and federal‐are examined in detail. Their underlying assumptions are compared with those of the centralization approach. The argument is made that none of the models is appropriate for all circumstances. Each approach to court organization emphasizes a particular set of objectives at the expense of another set. An effort is made to identify what each approach has to offer.
Negotiated Environmental Governance in The Netherlands: Logic and Illustration
Authors: Arentsen Maarten J.
Published: September 2010

The Dutch consensus oriented model of negotiated environmental governance enjoys increasing popularity within the European Union because of its seemingly effective way of dealing with environmental problems. A closer look at the model does not reveal any better performance than European average. The article theoretically explains the strengths and weaknesses of the Dutch model as an iterative policy model in which three different modes of governance—competitive, cooperative, and authoritative—interact and compete to achieve effective efficient and legitimate policy results. The argument is empirically illustrated with findings of energy saving policies in the Netherlands.
Race, Gender, and Communications in Natural Disasters
Authors: West Darrell M. , Orr Marion
Published: September 2010

We examine public attitudes toward vulnerability and evacuation in hurricane natural disasters. Using the results of an opinion survey in a coastal, New England state, we find important differences in how men and women, and Whites and minorities perceive natural disasters. Race, gender, and geographic proximity to the coast affect how vulnerable people believe their residence is to a major hurricane, while government officials and media reporting telling people to evacuate influence evacuation decisions. In order to avoid future breakdowns, governments need to understand the different information processing approaches of various groups of people.
Navigating the Social Safety Net: A State‐Level Analysis of the Relationship between Medicaid and Consumer Bankruptcy
Authors: Yarbrough Amy K. , Landry Robert J.
Published: September 2010

The social safety net in the United States consists of a variety of programs administered by both federal and state governments. Although the populations served by social programs such as Medicaid and consumer bankruptcy likely overlap, policymakers tend to look at individual programs unilaterally and often fail to communicate appropriately with legislators and political leaders at differing levels of government. The result of such an incremental approach to policy reform is a fragmented social safety net system in the United States. In this study, the relationship between two social programs belonging to the larger social safety net is examined, and recommendations for policymakers are offered.