bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reliability of the International Knee Documentation Committee Radiographic Grading System
Authors: Mehta Vishal M. , Paxton Liz W. , Fornalski Stefan X. , Csintalan Rick P. , Fithian Donald C.
Published: March 2007

Background

The International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) forms are commonly used to measure outcomes after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. The knee examination portion of the IKDC forms includes a radiographic grading system to grade degenerative changes. The interrater and intrarater reliability of this radiographic grading system remain unknown.

Hypothesis

We hypothesize that the IKDC radiographic grading system will have acceptable interrater and intrarater reliability.

Study Design

Case series (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 4.

Methods

Radiographs of 205 ACL-reconstructed knees were obtained at 5-year follow-up. Specifically, weightbearing posteroanterior radiographs of the operative knee in 35° to 45° of flexion and a lateral radiograph in 30° of flexion were used. The radiographs were independently graded by 2 sports medicine fellowship—trained orthopaedic surgeons using the IKDC 2000 standard instructions. One surgeon graded the same radiographs 6 months apart, blinded to patient and prior IKDC grades. The percentage agreement was calculated for each of the 5 knee compartments as defined by the IKDC. Interrater reliability was evaluated using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) 2-way mixed effect model with absolute agreement. The Spearman rank-order correlation coefficient (rs) was applied to evaluate intrarater reliability.

Results

The interrater agreement between the 2 surgeons was 59% for the medial joint space (ICC = 0.46; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.35-0.56), 54% for the lateral joint space (ICC = 0.45; 95% CI = 0.27-0.58), 49% for the patellofemoral joint (ICC = 0.40; 95% CI = 0.26-0.52), 63% for the anterior joint space (ICC = 0.20; 95% CI = 0.05-0.34), and 44% for the posterior joint space (ICC = 0.28; 95% CI = 0.15-0.40). The intrarater agreement was 83% for the medial joint space (rs = .77, P < .001), 86% for the lateral joint space (rs = .76, P < .001), 81% for the patellofemoral joint (rs = .79, P < .001), 91% for the anterior joint space (rs = .48, P < .001), and 69% for the posterior joint space (rs = .64, P < .001).

Conclusions

While intrarater reliability was acceptable, interrater reliability was poor. These findings suggest that multiple raters may score the same radiographs differently using the IKDC radiographic grading system. The use of a single rater to grade all radiographs when using the IKDC radiographic grading system maximizes reliability.
Intercondylar Notch Width Measurement Differences between African American and White Men and Women with Intact Anterior Cruciate Ligament Knees
Authors: Shelbourne K. Donald , Gray Tinker , Benner Rodney W.
Published: March 2007

Background

A recent report of professional women's basketball found that white European American female players were 6.5 times more likely to tear their anterior cruciate ligament than their nonwhite European American counterparts. African Americans accounted for 95% of the nonwhite European American group.

Hypothesis

African American men and women have wider intercondylar notches than white men and women.

Study Design

Cohort study (prevalence); Level of evidence, 2.

Methods

We obtained 45° flexed weightbearing posteroanterior radiographs on 517 patients who had knee problems other than an anterior cruciate ligament injury or arthrosis. One experienced observer measured the intercondylar notch width with no knowledge of race or gender, and the measurements were analyzed based on race and gender.

Results

The mean intercondylar notch width was 15.5 mm (SD = 2.8; range, 9-22) for African American women and 14.1 mm (SD = 2.5; range, 8-21) for white women; this difference was statistically significant (P = .009). Similarly, the mean intercondylar notch width was 18.0 mm (SD = 3.6; range, 10-27) for African American men and 16.9 mm (SD = 3.1; range, 9-27) for white men; these values were statistically significantly different (P = .003).

Conclusion

We conclude that African Americans have statistically significantly wider intercondylar notch widths on 45° flexed weightbearing posteroanterior radiographs than whites of the same gender. This relationship may offer an explanation for the difference between races with regard to risk of anterior cruciate ligament tears.
Urban Governance and the Control of Infrastructure
Authors: Adams Carolyn
Published: March 2007

Many cities have used special-purpose authorities, commissions, and quasi-public corporations to build and manage infrastructure projects. This article uses the Philadelphia region to illustrate an important reason why government officials resort to quasi-independent bodies to manage infrastructure investments—namely, because powerful economic and political interests outside the city increasingly seek to control the development of urban centers. As metropolitan regions become the economic units competing at the global scale, interest groups beyond the city’s boundaries act to ensure that the city’s future development serves regional interests. One important way to do this is to exert influence over the infrastructure investments that make capital productive. This case study shows how quasi-governmental forms of organization have served as the vehicles for outsiders to influence the development of greater Philadelphia’s core city.
The Philadelphia Water Department and the Burden of History
Authors: Holst Arthur
Published: March 2007

This article uses the conceptual framework of path dependence to analyze the challenges Philadelphia faces in maintaining its $25 billion investment in water infrastructure. Much of Philadelphia’s water infrastructure was developed in the context of rapid population growth. Yet the system now serves an area that for the past half century has been depopulating and decreasing in density. This change has required a substantial shift in investment away from the traditional focus on increasing capacity, toward maintenance and monitoring, in an attempt to keep down replacement costs.
Frame-Up
Authors: Shaffer Gwen
Published: March 2007

Dozens of North American cities have announced plans to build and manage wireless broadband networks. This textual analysis is a side-by-side comparison of documents used to build up and break down the case for municipal Wi-Fi (shorthand for wireless fidelity). It examines how officials in Philadelphia—and in Atlanta and Minneapolis—use “public good” principles to frame their arguments for a potentially massive taxpayer investment in wireless technology, whereas the telecommunications industry frames city-run networks as risky and unnecessary. The industry and municipal documents frequently contradict and challenge each other—a reality that highlights the manner in which information is manipulated to “prove” even clashing arguments and influence the public debate over Wi-Fi policy.
Risk Management: the Talking Cure
Authors: Holt Robin
Published: March 2007

The use of risk management as a response to ‘strategic’ organizational uncertainties is investigated. The deconstruction of uncertainties to rationalized probabilities is argued to be symptomatic of a specific conceptualization of problems as ‘tame’, a narrow epistemology that fails to account fully for organizational experience. By introducing ‘messes’ and ‘wicked problems’, a new mode of rhetorical, allegorical risk management is argued for. Insights from Machiavelli and psychoanalysis provide frameworks by which this can be achieved.
Acknowledging Adult Bias
Authors: Lieberman Alexis , Harris Diana
Published: March 2007

To assess the feasibility of using beauticians as health literacy agents and beauty salons as health-education portals for adolescent, inner-city, African American girls, the authors conducted focus groups with 25 women: salon clients, salon owners, and medical students. Facilitators to program development included (a) beautician-client relationships, (b) teens' access to health information, and (c) beauticians as information resources. Barriers included (a) adult opinions of teen behaviors, (b) teen mistrust of adults, and (c) low health literacy of beauticians. In developing a health-education program for this population, beauticians and salons may be excellent health information agents and portals if barriers including beautician poor health literacy, adolescent mistrust in adults, and adults' anti-adolescent bias are improved. Program implementation must not solely focus on teens but should also include adult salon users, with the goal of reaching the teens first through these adults and, with time and trust, reaching the teens directly.
A Guide for Developing Intervention Tools Addressing Environmental Factors to Improve Diet and Physical Activity
Authors: Jilcott Stephanie B. , Laraia Barbara A. , Evenson Kelly R. , Lowenstein Lisa M. , Ammerman Alice S.
Published: March 2007

Low-income populations have an elevated risk of obesity and associated chronic diseases. Environmental factors influence health behaviors that contribute to obesity. Although low-income neighborhoods may pose barriers to healthy behaviors, they may also have health-promoting environmental features (e.g., produce stands, walking trails). Thus, a potentially effective intervention strategy is to help individuals identify and overcome neighborhood barriers by making use of community resources that support a healthy diet and physical activity. The authors describe the formative research process undertaken to develop two community-focused intervention tools to complement a clinic-based cardiovascular disease risk-reduction program for underserved women. Literature review, community exploration, and examination of Internet and print resources contributed to development of a neighborhood assessment with tip sheets and a community resource guide. These tools were finalized using community members' feedback. This formative process can serve as a guide for other health promotion programs to create and use similar tools.
Social Validation of Goals, Procedures, and Effects in Public Health
Authors: Francisco Vincent T. , Butterfoss Frances D.
Published: March 2007

By relying solely on tests of statistical significance as the measure of success for interventions in public health, and in community-based participatory research, we can miss important social dimensions of the project. These dimensions include how our interventions might affect the lives of participants (social validity) and the lives of people more broadly (clinical or public health significance). Social validation procedures were originally developed to assess the acceptability of procedures and effects of behavioral interventions among clients and consumers. This article describes the methods used to obtain social validity data for goals, procedures, and effects of interventions in health settings. The challenges in using these procedures are also discussed, and suggestions are offered for future research and practice in this area.
Rituximab plus CHOP (R-CHOP) overcomes PRDM1-associated resistance to chemotherapy in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
Authors: Liu Yan-Yan , Leboeuf Christophe , Shi Jing-Yi , Li Jun-Min , Wang Li , Shen Yang , Garcia José-Francisco , Shen Zhi-Xiang , Chen Zhu , Janin Anne , Chen Sai-Juan , Zhao Wei-Li
Published: March 2007

The positive regulatory domain I (PRDM1) is a master regulator in the differentiation of mature B lymphocytes to plasma cells. It has 2 isoforms, PRDM1α and PRDM1β, and is regulated by the transcriptional regulator nuclear factor kappa (NF)–κB. PRDM1 protein expression was recently demonstrated in a subset of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) with aggressive behavior, a type of lymphoma for which rituximab associated with chemotherapy (R-CHOP) is now widely indicated. Using laser microdissection combined with reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) amplification, PRDM1 gene expression was assessed in 82 DLBCL patients. The results showed that both PRDM1α and PRDM1β transcripts were expressed in microdissected lymphoma cells only in the non–germinal center B-cell–like (non-GCB) subtype of DLBCL. PRDM1β gene expression was correlated with short survival time in the non-GCB patients treated with CHOP but not with R-CHOP. In vitro, B-lymphoma cells resistant to chemotherapy expressed PRDM1β. Rituximab suppressed PRDM1β expression, which was concomitant with NF-κB inactivation. The value of PRDM1β expression as a prognostic marker in non-GCB DLBCL might thus be considered. This study confirms the efficiency of rituximab on DLBCL and allows a better understanding of one of its biologic actions.
Clinical profile of homozygous JAK2 617V>F mutation in patients with polycythemia vera or essential thrombocythemia
Authors: Vannucchi Alessandro M. , Antonioli Elisabetta , Guglielmelli Paola , Rambaldi Alessandro , Barosi Giovanni , Marchioli Roberto , Marfisi Rosa Maria , Finazzi Guido , Guerini Vittoria , Fabris Fabrizio , Randi Maria Luigia , De Stefano Valerio , Caberlon Sabrina , Tafuri Agostino , Ruggeri Marco , Specchia Giorgina , Liso Vincenzo , Rossi Edoardo , Pogliani Enrico , Gugliotta Luigi , Bosi Alberto , Barbui Tiziano
Published: March 2007

JAK2 617V>F mutation occurs in a homozygous state in 25% to 30% of patients with polycythemia vera (PV) and 2% to 4% with essential thrombocythemia (ET). Whether homozygosity associates with distinct clinical phenotypes is still under debate. This retrospective multicenter study considered 118 JAK2 617V>F homozygous patients (104 PV, 14 ET) whose clinical characteristics were compared with those of 587 heterozygous and 257 wild-type patients. Irrespective of their clinical diagnosis, homozygous patients were older, displayed a higher leukocyte count and hematocrit value at diagnosis, and presented larger spleen volume. Aquagenic pruritus was significantly more common among homozygous PV patients. JAK2 617V>F homozygosity associated with more frequent evolution into secondary myelofibrosis in both PV and ET. After adjustment for sex, age, leukocyte count, and previous thrombosis in a multivariate analysis, homozygous ET patients displayed a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular events (hazard ratio [HR] 3.97, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.34–11.7; P = .013) than wild-type (HR = 1.0) or heterozygous patients (HR = 1.49). No significant association of JAK2 617V>F homozygosity with thrombosis risk was observed in PV. Finally, JAK2 617V>F homozygous patients were more likely to receive chemotherapy for control of disease. We conclude that JAK2 617V>F homozygosity identifies PV or ET patients with a more symptomatic myeloproliferative disorder and is associated with a higher risk of major cardiovascular events in patients with ET.
Selective Resistance of Tetraploid Cancer Cells against DNA Damage‐Induced Apoptosis
Authors: CASTEDO MARIA , COQUELLE ARNAUD , VITALE ILIO , VIVET SONIA , MOUHAMAD SHAHUL , VIAUD SOPHIE , ZITVOGEL LAURENCE , KROEMER GUIDO
Published: March 2007

Abstract:  Aneuploidy and chromosomal instability, which are frequent in cancer, can result from the asymmetric division of tetraploid precursors. Genomic instability may favor the generation of more aggressive tumor cells with a reduced propensity for undergoing apoptosis. To assess the impact of tetraploidization on apoptosis regulation, we generated a series of stable tetraploid HCT116 and RKO colon carcinoma cell lines. When comparing diploid parental cells with tetraploid clones, we found that such cells were equally sensitive to a series of cytotoxic agents (staurosporine [STS], hydroxyurea, etoposide), as well as to the lysis by natural killer cells. In strict contrast, tetraploid cells were found to be relatively resistant against a series of DNA‐damaging agents, namely cisplatin, oxaliplatin, camptothecin, and γ‐ and UVC‐irradiation. This increased resistance correlated with a reduced manifestation of apoptotic parameters (such as the dissipation of the mitochondrial transmembrane potential and the degradation of nuclear DNA) in tetraploid as compared to diploid cells subjected to DNA damage. Moreover, tetraploid cells manifested an enhanced baseline level of p53 activation. Inhibition of p53 abolished the difference in the susceptibility of diploid and tetraploid cancer cells to DNA damage‐induced apoptosis. These data point to an intrinsic resistance of tetraploid cells against radiotherapy and DNA‐targeted chemotherapy that may be linked to the status of the p53 system.
Caspase‐3 Activation, Bcl‐2 Contents, and Soluble FAS‐Ligand Are Not Related to the Inflammatory Marker Profile in Patients with Sepsis and Septic Shock
Authors: KRIEBEL FABIAN , WITTEMANN SILKE , HSU HSIN‐YUN , JOOS THOMAS , WEISS MANFRED , SCHNEIDER E. MARION
Published: March 2007

Abstract:  The current comparative investigation analyses markers of inflammation and apoptosis in peripheral blood of intensive care unit (ICU) patients with postoperative/posttraumatic SIRS (systemic inflammatory response syndrome), sepsis, severe sepsis, or septic shock. Inflammatory markers (C‐reactive protein [CRP], cytokines, metalloproteinases [MMPs]) and soluble FAS‐Ligand (sCD178) were determined in plasma, and apoptosis‐relevant antigens such as active caspase‐3, Bcl‐2, and sCD178 were quantified in whole‐blood cell lysates. These parameters were analyzed daily in 20 postoperative/posttraumatic patients: 2 patients had SIRS, 5 suffered from sepsis (2 died), and 13 had septic shock (5 died). Active caspase‐3, Bcl‐2, and sCD178 were determined by ELISA and by fluorescence‐activated cell sorting (FACS)‐array kits using bead‐assisted flow cytometry. Cytokines and MMPs were quantified by Luminex‐assisted Beadlyte assays. Active caspase‐3 was identified in defined samples of whole‐blood lysates covering, for example, 5/7, 8/18, and 6/11 consecutive days during the patients' stay on the ICU. Also, sCD178 was detected on successive days. Peaks of active caspase‐3 antigen contents in whole blood occurred independently of CRP and inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α and IL‐6. In addition, high MMPs 1–3, 7–10, and 13 concentrations were detected. Interestingly, active caspase‐3 and cell‐associated sCD178 were either elevated simultaneously or in a close time window. The same was true for Bcl‐2. In conclusion, activation of apoptosis can be determined in whole blood of postoperative/posttraumatic patients by active caspase‐3 and by Bcl‐2. Pro‐ and antiapoptotic effects during sepsis may occur independently of peaks in inflammatory markers. Apoptosis could explain modeling and remodeling of leukocyte subpopulations.
Jpk, a Novel Cell Death Inducer, Regulates the Expression of Hoxa7 in F9 Teratocarcinoma Cells, but not during Apoptosis
Authors: LEE EUN YOUNG , KIM MYOUNG HEE
Published: March 2007

Abstract: Hox proteins play critical role in animal pattern formation during embryogenesis. During the study on the regulation ofHoxgene expression, a novel gene,Jpk, has been isolated as a putative regulatory factor associating with the upstream regulatory sequence of murineHoxa7. Since overexpression ofJpkcaused cell death in bacteria as well as in eukaryotic cells and Hox has been reported to participate in apoptosis, we tried to analyze the relationship betweenJpkandHoxa7during apoptosis after confirming the regulatory effect ofJpkon the expression ofHoxa7in F9 teratocarcinoma cells. For that purpose, an effector (pEGFP‐Jpk) and reporter (pGL2‐NM307) plasmid containing a luciferase gene under the 307 bp (NM307) ofHoxa7upstream regulatory sequence was constructed. In the presence of Jpk (effector), luciferase activity was increased and this enhancement was decreased by siRNA againstJpk, suggesting thatJpkis a regulatory factor ofHoxa7. In order to see whetherJpkstill regulates the expression ofHoxa7during apoptosis, F9 cells were transiently transfected with pcDNA‐Jpk, and the expression ofJpk,Hoxa7, andCHOP‐10was analyzed using RT‐PCR. Hoxa7 and CHOP‐10 were not upregulated in the presence of Jpk although Jpk seemed to cause apoptosis, indicating that the regulatory mechanism ofJpkon the expression ofHoxa7might be different depending on the cell status, that is, an apoptotic or proliferative condition.
HGF/SF Regulates Expression of Apoptotic Genes in MCF‐10A Human Mammary Epithelial Cells
Authors: LEROY CATHERINE , DEHEUNINCK JULIEN , REVENEAU SYLVIE , FOVEAU BÉNÉDICTE , JI ZONGLING , VILLENET CÉLINE , QUIEF SABINE , TULASNE DAVID , KERCKAERT JEAN‐PIERRE , FAFEUR VÉRONIQUE
Published: March 2007

Abstract:  Hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor (HGF/SF) induces scattering, morphogenesis, and survival of epithelial cells through activation of the MET tyrosine kinase receptor. HGF/SF and MET are involved in normal development and tumor progression of many tissues and organs, including the mammary gland. In order to find target genes of HGF/SF involved in its survival function, we used an oligonucleotide microarray representing 1,920 genes known to be involved in apoptosis, transcriptional regulation, and signal transduction. MCF‐10A human mammary epithelial cells were grown in the absence of serum and treated or not with HGF/SF for 2 h. Total RNA was reverse‐transcribed to cDNA in the presence of fluorescent Cy3‐dUTP or Cy5‐dUTP to generate fluorescently labeled cDNA probes. Microarrays were performed and the ratios of Cy5/Cy3 fluorescence were determined. The expression of three apoptotic genes was modified by HGF/SF, with A20 being upregulated, and DAXX and SMAC being downregulated. These changes of expression were confirmed by real‐time quantitative PCR. According to current‐knowledge, A20 is antiapoptotic and SMAC is proapoptotic, while a pro‐ or antiapoptotic function of DAXX is controversial. The fact that HGF/SF upregulates an antiapoptotic gene (A20) and downregulates a proapoptotic gene (SMAC) is in agreement with its survival effect in MCF‐10A cells. This study identified novel apoptotic genes regulated by HGF/SF, which can contribute to its survival effect.
Arsenic Trioxide Represses NF‐κB Activation and Increases Apoptosis in ATRA‐Treated APL Cells
Authors: MATHIEU JULIE , BESANÇON FRANÇOISE
Published: March 2007

Abstract:  Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is characterized by an arrest of granulopoiesis at the promyelocytic stage. The sensitivity of APL cells to all‐trans retinoic acid (ATRA)‐induced differentiation has been successfully exploited for treatment of the disease. We previously reported that ATRA‐induced NF‐κB activation in APL cells is not essential for granulocytic differentiation, but prolongs the life span of mature cells. This prosurvival effect of NF‐κB results from its ability to repress c‐jun N terminal kinase (JNK) activation. We here report that arsenic trioxide (As2O3) can overcome the antiapoptotic effect of ATRA‐induced NF‐κB activity. As2O3 antagonizes ATRA‐induced degradation of the NF‐κB inhibitor IκB and consequently decreases NF‐κB activation. Also, cotreatment of NB4 cells with ATRA and As2O3 results in a higher JNK activation than treatment with ATRA alone. Our results demonstrate a proapoptotic effect of As2O3 in ATRA‐treated APL cells and suggest that As2O3 may be helpful in reducing incidence of side effects linked to accumulation of mature cells, like the ATRA syndrome.
Hyperpolarization of Plasma Membrane of Tumor Cells Sensitive to Antiapoptotic Effects of Magnetic Fields
Authors: NUCCITELLI S. , CERELLA C. , CORDISCO S. , ALBERTINI M.C. , ACCORSI A. , DE NICOLA M. , D'ALESSIO M. , RADOGNA F. , MAGRINI A. , BERGAMASCHI A. , GHIBELLI L.
Published: March 2007

Abstract:  Chemical/physical agents able to prevent apoptosis are receiving much attention for their potential health hazard as tumor promoters. Magnetic fields (MFs), which have been shown to increase the occurrence of some tumors, reduce damage‐induced apoptosis by a mechanism involving Ca2+ entry into cells. In order to discover the mechanism of such effect of MFs, we investigated the interference of MFs on cell metabolism and analyzed cell parameters that are involved in apoptotic signaling and regulation of Ca2+ fluxes. Here we show that different types (static and extremely low‐frequency, ELF pulsating) of MFs of different intensities alter plasma membrane potential. Interestingly, MFs induce plasma membrane hyperpolarization in cells sensitive to the antiapoptotic effect of MFs, whereas cells that are insensitive showed a plasma membrane depolarization. These opposite effects suggest that protection against apoptosis and membrane potential modulation are correlated, plasma membrane hyperpolarization possibly being part of the signal transduction chain determining MFs' antiapoptotic effect.
Melatonin as an Apoptosis Antagonist
Authors: RADOGNA FLAVIA , PATERNOSTER LAURA , ALBERTINI MARIA CRISTINA , ACCORSI AUGUSTO , CERELLA CLAUDIA , D'ALESSIO MARIA , DE NICOLA MILENA , NUCCITELLI SILVIA , MAGRINI ANDREA , BERGAMASCHI ANTONIO , GHIBELLI LINA
Published: March 2007

Abstract:  The pineal hormone melatonin (Mel), in addition to having a well‐established role as a regulator of circadian rhythms, modulates nonneural compartments by acting on specific plasma membrane receptors (MT1/MT2) present in many different cell types. Mel plays immunomodulatory roles and is an oncostatic and antiproliferative agent; this led to the widespread belief that Mel may induce or potentiate apoptosis on tumor cells, even though no clear indications have been presented so far. Here we report that Mel is not apoptogenic on U937 human monocytic cells, which are known to possess MT1 receptors at the times (up to 48 h) and doses (up to 1 mM) tested. Mel does not even potentiate apoptosis, but instead, significantly reduces apoptosis induced by both cell‐damaging agents (intrinsic pathway) and physiological means (extrinsic pathway). The doses required for the antiapoptotic effect (≥100 μM) are apparently not compatible with receptor stimulation (receptor affinity <1 nM). However, receptor involvement cannot be ruled out, because we discovered that the actual Mel concentration active on cells was lower than the nominal one because of sequestration by fetal calf serum (FCS). Accordingly, in FCS‐free conditions, Mel doses required for a significant antiapoptotic effect are much lower.
Role of ATP in Trauma‐Associated Cytokine Release and Apoptosis by P2X7 Ion Channel Stimulation
Authors: MARION SCHNEIDER E. , VORLAENDER KATRIN , MA XUELING , DU WEIDONG , WEISS MANFRED
Published: March 2007

Abstract:  Trauma causes immediate cytokine release and the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), often preceding sepsis and septic shock. Mechanisms may involve P2X7 ion channel activation via adenosine 5′‐triphosphate (ATP) released from surrounding tissue and platelets. A number of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) influence the nature and magnitude of P2X7‐stimulated cytokine release and apoptosis. In whole blood and isolated mononuclear blood cells (PBMCs) of donors with wild‐type and heterozygous mutated genotypes, we found downregulated IL‐8 and caspase‐3 activation but no reproducible effect on tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α and IL‐1β release. IL‐8 and caspase‐3 activation were both influenced by paxilline, an inhibitor of calcium‐activated potassium channels. Confocal laser scanning microscopy demonstrated that calcium signaling is affected by paxilline as well. We propose that blockade of potassium channels may be relevant to attenuate ATP‐induced cytokine responses and apoptosis. The presence of functional SNPs in heterozygous genotypes appears to play a role.
Insulin‐Like Growth Factor‐I Receptor Correlates with Connexin 26 and Bcl‐xL Expression in Human Colorectal Cancer
Authors: SULKOWSKI STANISLAW , KANCZUGA‐KODA LUIZA , KODA MARIUSZ , WINCEWICZ ANDRZEJ , SULKOWSKA MARIOLA
Published: March 2007

Abstract:  Insulin‐like growth factor (IGF) and its receptor (IGF‐IR) play an important role in mitogenesis, apoptosis, growth, and proliferation of several types of cancers. Overexpression of IGF‐IR in colorectal cancer is associated with increase of cancer cell proliferation and migration as well as inhibition of apoptosis. In our previous reports we demonstrated correlations between IGF‐IR and apoptosis. Moreover, we observed relationships between connexin26 (Cx26) expression and apoptotic markers in human colorectal cancer. Recently, it has been shown that expression of connexins and gap junction (GJ) functions are also regulated by growth factors, including IGF‐I. Therefore, in this study we have focused on the relationships between IGF‐IR and Cx26 as well as Bcl‐xL expression.
A total number of 115 cases of colorectal cancer were examined by immunohistochemistry, using the avidin‐biotin‐peroxidase method. Associations among the above proteins were assessed in the entire group of colorectal cancer patients and its subgroups, depending on lymph node involvement (N0 and N1), histological grade (G2 and G3), extent of tumor growth (pT1 + pT2 and pT3 + pT4), histopathologic type (adenocarcinoma and mucinous carcinoma), sex, age (≤60 and >60), and tumor site (colon and rectum). The expression of IGF‐IR, Cx26, and Bcl‐xL was noted in 47%, 56.5%, and 75.6% of the tumors, respectively. In the entire group of patients we found a positive correlation between IGF‐IR and Cx26 (

P

< 0.0001,

r

= 0.374) as well as between IGF‐IR and Bcl‐xL (

P

< 0.0001,

r

= 0.344). Our results may suggest that the insulin‐like growth system is involved in regulation of apoptosis and probably connexin expression in colorectal cancer cells.
Role of NADPH Oxidase and Calcium in Cerulein‐Induced Apoptosis
Authors: YU JI HOON , KIM KYUNG HWAN , KIM HYEYOUNG
Published: March 2007

Abstract:  Apoptosis linked to oxidative stress has been implicated in pancreatitis. NADPH oxidase has been considered as a major source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) during inflammation and apoptosis in pancreatic acinar cells. Recently we demonstrated that NADPH oxidase subunits Nox1, p27phox, p47phox, and p67phox are constitutively expressed in pancreatic acinar cells and may contribute to apoptosis in pancreatic acinar AR42J cells stimulated with cerulein. The present study aims to investigate the apoptotic mechanism of pancreatic acinar cells stimulated with cerulein by determining whether cerulein induces apoptosis‐inducing factor (AIF) expression and whether cerulein‐induced expression of AIF is inhibited by transfection with antisense oligonucleotide (AS ODN) of p47phox or p67phox or treatment with a Ca2+ chelator BAPTA‐AM. As a result, cerulein induced the expression of apoptotic gene AIF. Transfection with AS ODN of p47phox or p67phox or treatment with BAPTA‐AM inhibited cerulein‐induced AIF expression in pancreatic acinar AR42J cells. These results demonstrate that NADPH oxidase and calcium have a role in cerulein‐induced apoptosis in pancreatic acinar AR42J cells by inducing the expression of AIF. In conclusion, the increase in intracellular Ca2+ and NADPH oxidase activity may be the upstream event of apoptotic gene (AIF) expression, which contributes to cerulein‐induced apoptosis in pancreatic acinar AR42 cells.
Microgravity Signal Ensnarls Cell Adhesion, Cytoskeleton, and Matrix Proteins of Rat Osteoblasts
Authors: KUMEI YASUHIRO , MORITA SADAO , KATANO HISAKO , AKIYAMA HIDEO , HIRANO MASAHIKO , OYHA KEI'ICHI , SHIMOKAWA HITOYATA
Published: March 2007

Abstract:  Rat osteoblasts were cultured for 4 or 5 days aboard the Space Shuttle and solubilized during spaceflight. Post‐flight analyses by quantitative reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) determined the relative mRNA levels of matrix proteins, adhesion molecules, and cytoskeletal proteins including osteopontin (OP), osteonectin (ON), CD44, α‐tubulin, actin, vimentin, fibronectin (FN), and β1‐integrin. The mRNA levels of OP and α‐tubulin in the flight cultures were decreased by 30% and 50% on day 4 and day 5 of flight, as compared to the ground controls. In contrast, the CD44 mRNA levels in the flight cultures increased by 280% and 570% of the ground controls on day 4 and day 5. The mRNA levels of ON and FN in the flight cultures were slightly increased as compared to ground controls. The mRNA levels of actin, vimentin, or β1‐integrin did not change in spaceflight conditions. The matrix proteins, adhesion molecules, and cytoskeletal proteins may form dynamic network complexity with signaling molecules as an adaptive response to perturbation of mechanical stress under microgravity.
Reduction of Bcr‐Abl Function Leads to Erythroid Differentiation of K562 Cells via Downregulation of ERK
Authors: BRÓZIK A. , CASEY N.P. , HEGEDŰS Cs. , BORS A. , KOZMA A. , ANDRIKOVICS H. , GEISZT M. , NÉMET K. , MAGÓCSI M.
Published: March 2007

Abstract:  The chimeric bcr‐abl gene encodes a constitutively active tyrosine kinase that leads to abnormal transduction of growth and survival signals leading to chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). According to our previous observations, in vitro differentiation of several erythroid cell lines is accompanied by the downregulation of extracellular signal‐regulated kinases (ERK)1/2 mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) activities. In this work we investigated whether ERKs have a decisive role in either the erythroid differentiation process or apoptosis of bcr‐abl+ K562 cells by means of direct (MEK1/2 inhibitor UO126) and indirect (reduced Bcr‐Abl function) inhibition of their activities. We found that both Gleevec and UO126 induced hemoglobin expression. Gleevec treatment reduced the phosphorylation of Bcr‐Abl, ERK and STAT‐5 for up to 24 h, decreased Bcl‐XL levels, and induced caspase‐3‐dependent apoptosis. In contrast, UO126 treatment resulted in only a transient decrease of ERK activity and did not induce cell death. For studying the effect of reduced Bcr‐Abl function on erythroid differentiation at the level of the bcr‐abl transcript, we applied the siRNA approach. Stable degradation of bcr‐abl mRNA was achieved by using a retroviral vector with enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) reporter. Despite a high (>90%) transduction efficiency we detected only a transient decrease in Bcr‐Abl protein and in phosphorylated ERK1/2 levels. This transient change in Bcr‐Abl signaling was sufficient to induce hemoglobin expression without significant cell death. These results suggest that by transiently reducing Bcr‐Abl function it is possible to overcome the differentiation blockade without evoking apoptosis in CML cells and that reduced ERK activity may have a crucial role in this process.
Role of Mitogen‐Activated Protein Kinases, NF‐κB, and AP‐1 on Cerulein‐Induced IL‐8 Expression in Pancreatic Acinar Cells
Authors: JU KYUNG DON , YU JI HOON , KIM HYEYOUNG , KIM KYUNG HWAN
Published: March 2007

Abstract:  The cholecystokine (CCK) analogue cerulein causes pathophysiological, morphological, and biochemical events similar to various aspects of human pancreatitis. Doses of CCK or cerulein beyond those that cause the maximum pancreatic secretion of amylase and lipase result in pancreatitis, which is characterized by a dysregulation of the digestive enzyme production and cytoplasmic vacuolization and the death of acinar cells, edema formation, and an infiltration of inflammatory cells into the pancreas. This study aims to investigate whether cerulein induces IL‐8 expression in pancreatic acinar cells, and whether cerulein‐induced IL‐8 expression is inhibited in the cells transfected with mutant genes for c‐jun (TAM‐67), or IκBα (MAD‐3) or treated inhibitors of mitogen‐activated protein kinases (MAPKs). As a result, cerulein induced IL‐expression, which was inhibited in the cells transfected with TAM‐67 or MAD‐3 or treated inhibitors of MAPK. In conclusion, activation of MAPK, nuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB), and activator protein‐1 (AP‐1) may be the upstream signaling for cerulein‐induced IL‐8 expression in pancreatic acinar cells.
Superoxide Anions Are Involved in Doxorubicin‐Induced ERK Activation in Hepatocyte Cultures
Authors: NAVARRO ROSAURA , BUSNADIEGO IDOIA , RUIZ‐LARREA M. BEGOÑA , RUIZ‐SANZ JOSÉ IGNACIO
Published: March 2007

Abstract:  Doxorubicin (DOX), an antineoplastic agent widely used for the treatment of cancer, belongs to the anthracycline family of antitumor antibiotics. DOX may undergo one‐electron reduction to the corresponding semiquinone free radical by flavin‐containing reductases. Under aerobic conditions, the semiquinone radical reacts rapidly with oxygen to generate superoxide anion, undergoing redox cycling. At moderate concentrations, reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an important role as regulatory mediators in signaling processes. We have shown that DOX increased phosphorylation of enzymes comprising mitogen‐activated protein (MAP) kinase cascades in primary hepatocyte cultures, and that this action was independent of oxidant damage. In particular, extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK) was phosphorylated by the drug treatment. In this work, we have determined the possible involvement of particular free radicals in DOX‐induced ERK phosphorylation in hepatocyte cultures by using specific free radical scavengers. The levels of ERK phosphorylation were measured by Western blot analysis with an anti‐Thr202/Tyr204‐phosphorylated p44/p42 MAPK antibody. Deferoxamine (DFO; iron chelator), catalase (hydrogen peroxide‐removing enzyme), or α‐tocopherol (peroxyl‐radical scavenger) did not affect DOX‐increased ERK phosphorylation levels. However, the cell‐permeable superoxide dismutase mimetic MnTBAP and the flavin‐containing enzyme inhibitor diphenyleneiodonium reverted DOX‐induced effects. These results suggest that superoxide anions, probably generated by DOX metabolism, are involved in the effects of the anthracycline on the MAP kinase cascade activation.
Fasu Solidarity: A Case Study of Kin Networks, Land Tenure, and Oil Extraction in Kutubu, Papua New Guinea
Authors: GILBERTHORPE EMMA
Published: March 2007

In the Fasu region of Papua New Guinea's fringe highlands, the oil extraction industry has imposed development values and the identification of corporate groups as beneficiary landowners. In response, Fasu males have tightened the boundaries of their agnatic descent groups to become exclusive patriunits. Cash royalties are incorporated into sociopolitical exchange, so the formation of exclusive kin groups allows males to expand social networks to other regions, whilst ensuring continuing wealth for future generations. Consequently, males are becoming isolated from pre–oil exchange networks, and females are becoming isolated within villages. In this article, I map the transition of Fasu kin networks from an ideology of descent to a dogma of descent and patrilineal solidarity, locating the transition in the symbolic codes that inform kin categories. I aim to highlight some consequences of “development” and to advance knowledge on the link between kinship and descent in a postcolonial, industry‐dominated Papua New Guinea.
Negotiating Community and Landscape in the Peruvian Andes: A Transconquest View
Authors: WERNKE STEVEN A.
Published: March 2007

This article explores how constructs of “community” and “landscape” mediate power relations between households and colonial states. I analyze archaeological and documentary data in a common spatial framework to reconstruct the local‐scale negotiation of community and land‐use organization during successive colonial occupations by the Inka and Spanish states in the Colca Valley of southern highland Peru. Using GIS‐based analytical tools, I present a detailed reconstruction of the land‐tenure patterns of Andean corporate descent groups (ayllus) registered in colonial visitas from the heartland of the Collagua Province. I then compare these land‐tenure patterns to archaeological settlement patterns from the Inka occupation (C.E. 1450–C.E. 1532) and subsequent early Colonial Period occupation up to the forced resettlement of the local populace into compact, European‐style reducción villages in the 1570s. This analysis reveals how both Inka and Spanish colonialist projects for reordering and rationalizing local community and land‐use organization were met by local understandings and interests that emerged from patterns of land tenure, residence, and the features of the built environment.
Climate, Econiche, and Sexuality: Influences on Sonority in Language
Authors: EMBER CAROL R. , EMBER MELVIN
Published: March 2007

Previous cross‐cultural research by Robert Munroe and colleagues has linked two features of language to warm climates—a higher proportion of consonant‐vowel syllables and a higher proportion of sonorous (more audible) sounds. The underlying theory is that people in warmer climates communicate at a distance more often than people in colder climates, and it is adaptive to use syllables and sounds that are more easily heard and recognized at a distance. However, there is considerable variability in warm as opposed to cold climates, which needs to be explained. In the present research report, we show that additional factors increase the predictability of sonority. We find that more specific features of the environment—such as type of plant cover and degree of mountainous terrain—help to predict sonority. And, consistent with previous research on folk‐song style, measures of sexual restrictiveness also predict low sonority.
Book Reviews
Authors: WILSON JAMES DALE
Published: March 2007

Blues for New Orleans: Mardi Gras and America's Creole Soul (The City in the Twenty‐First Century). Roger D. Abrahams, with Nick Spitzer, John F. Szwed, and Robert Farris Thompson. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2006. 102 pp.
Book Reviews
Authors: GOLDIN LILIANA
Published: March 2007

Labor in Cross‐Cultural Perspective. E. Paul Durrenberger and Judith Marti, eds. New York: AltaMira Press, 2006. 330 pp.
Book Reviews
Authors: CASTANEDA TERRI
Published: March 2007

Museums, Anthropology, and Imperial Exchange. Amiria Henare. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005. 323 pp.
Book Reviews
Authors: BROWN PETE
Published: March 2007

Culture, Society, and Economy: Bringing Production Back In. Don Robotham. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2005. 189 pp.
Book Reviews
Authors: JOHNSON PATRICIA L.
Published: March 2007

Empowering the Past, Confronting the Future: The Duna People of Papua New Guinea. Andrew Strathern and Pamela J. Stewart. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005. 190 pp.
Book Reviews
Authors: DARLINGTON SUSAN M.
Published: March 2007

Spirited Politics: Religion and Public Life in Contemporary Southeast Asia. Andrew C. Willford and Kenneth M. George, eds. Ithaca, NY: Cornell Southeast Asia Program, 2005. 210 pp.
Landscapes of Settlement in Northern Iceland: Historical Ecology of Human Impact and Climate Fluctuation on the Millennial Scale
Authors: McGOVERN THOMAS H. , VÉSTEINSSON ORRI , FRIĐRIKSSON ADOLF , CHURCH MIKE , LAWSON IAN , SIMPSON IAN A. , EINARSSON ARNI , DUGMORE ANDY , COOK GORDON , PERDIKARIS SOPHIA , EDWARDS KEVIN J. , THOMSON AMANDA M. , ADDERLEY W. PAUL , NEWTON ANTHONY , LUCAS GAVIN , EDVARDSSON RAGNAR , ALDRED OSCAR , DUNBAR ELAINE
Published: March 2007

Early settlement in the North Atlantic produced complex interactions of culture and nature. The sustained program of interdisciplinary collaboration is intended to focus on ninth‐ to 13th‐century sites and landscapes in the highland interior lake basin of Mývatn in Iceland and to contribute a long‐term perspective to larger issues of sustainable resource use, soil erosion, and the historical ecology of global change.
Hawaii as a Model System for Human Ecodynamics
Authors: KIRCH PATRICK V.
Published: March 2007

The human ecodynamics approach in archaeology privileges landscape as a core concept, asserting that there can be no environment or ecosystem detached from humans and their behavior. Drawing on recent research of a multidisciplinary biocomplexity project, I explore in this article the Hawaiian archipelago as a model system for studying human ecodynamics. Natural patterns of biogeochemical and climate gradients constrained the development of intensive agroecosystems over 1,000 years. An early phase of exponential population growth was linked with agricultural intensification of terraced irrigation systems, primarily on the older islands. After C.E. 1400, expansion of population onto the leeward slopes of the young islands of Maui and Hawai'i was accompanied by intensification of dryland agricultural field systems. These changes were in turn linked to significant transformations of social and political formations, including restructuring of the system of land tenure and descent group organization, and the imposition of a system of surplus extraction organized around a ritual hierarchy of temples.
Naturalizing Modernity: Urban Parks, Public Gardens and Drainage Projects in Porfirian Mexico City
Authors: Wakild Emily
Published: March 2007

This article argues that governmental modernization strategies in Mexico during the Porfiriato relied on calculated manipulations of nature. Using examples of urban gardens, public parks, and drainage works, this article explains how Porfirian scientists José Yves Limantour and Miguel Ángel de Quevedo tried to reformulate Mexican nature and its citizens. Rather than expelling all vestiges of nature from Mexico City, these scientists reordered and reformulated the natural world to fit their ideas about modernity. The control and display of nature marked an important strategy for a regime dedicated to order and progress.
Articulating Distress on Multiple Levels: Illness, History, and Culture Among the Kumiai of Baja California, Mexico
Authors: Fleuriet K. Jill
Published: March 2007

Illness among disenfranchised indigenous communities in Mexico reflects not only disease but also structural relations of power based on ethnicity, gender, and economic status. As such, physiological explanations of illness alone are not sufficient to understand and address suffering caused by common illnesses. Among the Kumiai Indians of one rural community in Baja California, one of the most commonly reported health problems is presión baja (low blood pressure), and the overlapping condition of alternating high and low blood pressure. Low/variable blood pressure is most likely to affect women from one of two clans and who are relatively poorer than other community members. For these women, low/variable blood pressure embodies the lived experience of and response to high rates of diabetes, local gender relations, and a changing kinship structure. As a local idiom of distress that carries national cultural currency as a reflection of the experiences of indigenous Mexican women living in rural poverty, low/variable blood pressure requires interventions that directly target diabetes but also gender-sensitive economic development programs to promote community health.
On Sacred Ground: The Church and Burial Rites in Nineteenth-Century Yucatán, Mexico
Authors: McCrea Heather L.
Published: March 2007

Throughout mid-nineteenth century epidemics of cholera, smallpox, and yellow fever, state and Church officials vied for control over the sacred terrain of cemetery management and burial regulations. Amidst sweeping national attacks on Church privilege, state officials crafted policies to contain contagion and undermine Church authority over the sacred realm of death. Between 1847 and 1855, mortality skyrocketed in Yucatán from the dual calamities of disease and the civil war known as the Caste War. As the war unfolded and epidemics persisted, residents were drawn into a power struggle between emergent public health policies and long-practiced Catholic and Maya burial customs.
Portraits of a Lady: Visions of Modernity in Porfirian Oaxaca City
Authors: Overmyer-Velázquez Mark
Published: March 2007

This article explores the relationship between the photographic regimentation of sex workers and ideas of modernity in Porfirian Oaxaca City, Mexico. In particular, it examines the development of the commercial sex trade and how it played an integral role in the construction of the mutually defining discourses and practices of tradition and modernity. Following an examination of the era's reigning medical-legal notions of crime, deviance, and race and the city government's attempts to define and regulate the trade, the article focuses on different ways in which city officials and female sex workers utilized photographs in registries of prostitution among other elements of the capital's regulatory apparatus to harness dominant notions of modernity for their own separate ends.