bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High Sodium Intake Increases Blood Pressure and Alters Renal Function in Intrauterine Growth–Retarded Rats
Authors: Sanders Marijke W. , Fazzi Gregorio E. , Janssen Ger M.J. , Blanco Carlos E. , De Mey Jo G.R.
Published: June 2005

A suboptimal fetal environment increases the risk to develop cardiovascular disease in the adult. We reported previously that intrauterine stress in response to reduced uteroplacental blood flow in the pregnant rat limits fetal growth and compromises renal development, leading to an altered renal function in the adult offspring. Here we tested the hypothesis that high dietary sodium intake in rats with impaired renal development attributable to intrauterine stress, results in increased blood pressure, altered renal function, and organ damage. In rats, intrauterine stress was induced by bilateral ligation of the uterine arteries at day 17 of pregnancy. At the age of 12 weeks, the offspring was given high-sodium drinking water (2% sodium chloride). At the age of 16 weeks, rats were instrumented for monitoring of blood pressure and renal function. After intrauterine stress, litter size and birth weight were reduced, whereas hematocrit at birth was increased. Renal blood flow, glomerular filtration rate, and the glomerular filtration fraction were increased significantly after intrauterine stress. High sodium intake did not change renal function and blood pressure in control animals. However, during high sodium intake in intrauterine stress offspring, renal blood flow, glomerular filtration rate, and the filtration fraction were decreased, and blood pressure was increased. In addition, these animals developed severe albuminuria, an important sign of renal dysfunction. Thus, a suboptimal fetal microenvironment, which impairs renal development, results in sodium-dependent hypertension and albuminuria.
Differential Effects of Angiotensin II Type-1 Receptor Antisense Oligonucleotides on Renal Function in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats
Authors: Yoneda Minoru , Sanada Hironobu , Yatabe Junichi , Midorikawa Sanae , Hashimoto Shigeatsu , Sasaki Midori , Katoh Tetsuo , Watanabe Tsuyoshi , Andrews Peter M. , Jose Pedro A. , Felder Robin A.
Published: June 2005

The effect of selectively decreasing renal angiotensin II type 1 (AT
1
) receptor expression on renal function and blood pressure has not been determined. Therefore, we studied the consequences of selective renal inhibition of AT
1
receptor expression in normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) in vivo. Vehicle, AT
1
receptor antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (AS-ODN), or scrambled oligodeoxynucleotides were infused chronically into the cortex of the remaining kidney of conscious, uninephrectomized WKY and SHR on a 4% NaCl intake. Basal renal cortical membrane AT
1
receptor protein was greater in SHR than in WKY. In WKY and SHR, AS-ODN decreased renal but not cardiac AT
1
receptors. AT
1
receptor AS-ODN treatment increased plasma renin activity to a greater extent in WKY than in SHR. However, plasma angiotensin II and aldosterone were increased by AS-ODN to a similar degree in both rat strains. In SHR, sodium excretion was increased and sodium balance was decreased by AS-ODN but had only a transient ameliorating effect on blood pressure. Urinary protein and glomerular sclerosis were markedly reduced by AS-ODN–treated SHR. In WKY, AS-ODN had no effect on sodium excretion, blood pressure, or renal histology but also modestly decreased proteinuria. The major consequence of decreasing renal AT
1
receptor protein in the SHR is a decrease in proteinuria, probably as a result of the amelioration in glomerular pathology but independent of systemic blood pressure and circulating angiotensin II levels.
Outcome of 622 Adults With Asymptomatic, Hemodynamically Significant Aortic Stenosis During Prolonged Follow-Up
Authors: Pellikka Patricia A. , Sarano Maurice E. , Nishimura Rick A. , Malouf Joseph F. , Bailey Kent R. , Scott Christopher G. , Barnes Marion E. , Tajik A. Jamil
Published: June 2005

Background—

This study assessed the long-term outcome of a large, asymptomatic population with hemodynamically significant aortic stenosis (AS).

Methods and Results—

We identified 622 patients with isolated, asymptomatic AS and peak systolic velocity ≥4 m/s by Doppler echocardiography who did not undergo surgery at the initial evaluation and obtained follow-up (5.4±4.0 years) in all. Mean age (±SD) was 72±11 years; there were 384 (62%) men. The probability of remaining free of cardiac symptoms while unoperated was 82%, 67%, and 33% at 1, 2, and 5 years, respectively. Aortic valve area and left ventricular hypertrophy predicted symptom development. During follow-up, 352 (57%) patients were referred for aortic valve surgery and 265 (43%) patients died, including cardiac death in 117 (19%). The 1-, 2-, and 5-year probabilities of remaining free of surgery or cardiac death were 80%, 63%, and 25%, respectively. Multivariate predictors of all-cause mortality were age (hazard ratio [HR], 1.05;
P
<0.0001), chronic renal failure (HR, 2.41;
P
=0.004), inactivity (HR, 2.00;
P
=0.001), and aortic valve velocity (HR, 1.46;
P
=0.03). Sudden death without preceding symptoms occurred in 11 (4.1%) of 270 unoperated patients. Patients with peak velocity ≥4.5 m/s had a higher likelihood of developing symptoms (relative risk, 1.34) or having surgery or cardiac death (relative risk, 1.48).

Conclusions—

Most patients with asymptomatic, hemodynamically significant AS will develop symptoms within 5 years. Sudden death occurs in ≈1%/y. Age, chronic renal failure, inactivity, and aortic valve velocity are independently predictive of all-cause mortality.
External Beam Radiation to Prevent Restenosis After Superficial Femoral Artery Balloon Angioplasty
Authors: Therasse Eric , Donath David , Lespérance Jacques , Tardif Jean-Claude , Guertin Marie-Claude , Oliva Vincent L. , Soulez Gilles
Published: June 2005

Background—

Femoropopliteal percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) remains limited by restenosis. Although vascular brachytherapy may be effective in reducing restenosis, external beam radiation would be more practical to administer after PTA.

Methods and Results—

After femoropopliteal PTA without stent placement, 99 patients were randomly assigned to 0 Gy (placebo; n=24), 7 Gy (n=24), 10.5 Gy (n=26), or 14 Gy (n=25) of external beam radiation of the PTA site (with a 3-cm margin at both extremities) in 1 session 24 hours after PTA. The primary end point was minimum lumen diameter on quantitative angiography 1 year after PTA. One year after PTA, the mean minimum lumen diameter was 1.92, 1.64, 1.92, and 2.91 mm, respectively, for the 0-, 7-, 10.5-, and 14-Gy groups (
P
=0.0072 for 0 versus 14 Gy). Mean luminal loss was 1.14, 1.27, 1.08, and 0.14 mm, respectively, for the 4 groups (
P
=0.0072 for 0 versus 14 Gy). Restenosis >50% was present in 50%, 65%, 48%, and 25% of patients, respectively, for the 0-, 7-, 10.5-, and 14-Gy groups (
P
=0.072). At 18 months, repeated revascularizations were required in 25% of patients in the 0-Gy group versus 12% of patients in the 14-Gy group (
P
=0.24).

Conclusions—

A single session of external beam radiation of 14 Gy of the femoropopliteal angioplasty site significantly reduces restenosis at 1 year.
Short- and Long-Term Success of Substrate-Based Mapping and Ablation of Ventricular Tachycardia in Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia
Authors: Verma Atul , Kilicaslan Fethi , Schweikert Robert A. , Tomassoni Gery , Rossillo Antonio , Marrouche Nassir F. , Ozduran Volkan , Wazni Oussama M. , Elayi Samy C. , Saenz Luis C. , Minor Stephen , Cummings Jennifer E. , Burkhardt J. David , Hao Steven , Beheiry Salwa , Tchou Patrick J. , Natale Andrea
Published: June 2005

Background—

Multiple morphologies, hemodynamic instability, or noninducibility may limit ventricular tachycardia (VT) ablation in patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD). Substrate-based mapping and ablation may overcome these limitations. We report the results and success of substrate-based VT ablation in ARVD.

Methods and Results—

Twenty-two patients with ARVD were studied. Traditional mapping for VT was limited because of multiple/changing VT morphologies (n=14), nonsustained VT (n=10), or hemodynamic intolerance (n=5). Sinus rhythm CARTO mapping was performed to define areas of “scar” (<0.5 mV) and “abnormal” myocardium (0.5 to 1.5 mV). Ablation was performed in “abnormal” regions, targeting sites with good pace maps compared with the induced VT(s). Linear lesions were created in these areas to (1) connect the scar/abnormal region to a valve continuity or other scar or (2) encircle the scar/abnormal region. Eighteen patients had implanted cardioverter defibrillators, 15 had implanted cardioverter defibrillator therapies, and 7 had sustained VT (6 with syncope). VTs (3±2 per patient) were induced (cycle length, 339±94 ms), and scar was identified in all patients. Scar areas were related to the tricuspid annulus, proximal right ventricular outflow tract, and anterior/inferior-apical walls. Lesions connected abnormal regions to the annulus (n=12) or other scars (n=4) and/or encircled abnormal regions (n=13). Per patient, a mean of 38±22 radiofrequency lesions was applied. Short-term success was achieved in 18 patients (82%). VT recurred in 23%, 27%, and 47% of patients after 1, 2, and 3 years’ follow-up, respectively.

Conclusions—

Substrate-based ablation of VT in ARVD can achieve a good short-term success rate. However, recurrences become increasingly common during long-term follow-up.
Retrospective Cultural Consecration in Popular Music
Authors: Schmutz Vaughn
Published: June 2005

Acts of cultural consecration set sacred cultural producers and products apart from their profane counterparts. Some acts of consecration occur retrospectively, such as Allen and Lincoln’s examination of the retrospective cultural consecration of American films. In this article, the author extends Allen and Lincoln’s findings to the field of popular music by considering the effects of popular, professional, and critical reception on the likelihood that a popular music album was retrospectively consecrated by Rolling Stone magazine.
Rock ’n’ Roll Experiences in Middle Age
Authors: Kotarba Joseph A.
Published: June 2005

Although many observers still assume that rock ’n’roll is essentially a feature of youth culture, the author argues that it is a key feature of adult culture and a primary source of everyday meanings for the first generation raised on it. The concept of the existential self, which focuses on the situational and evolving aspects of individuality in a rapidly changing social world, informs several qualitative studies to produce the following ways to characterize personal rock ’n’ roll experiences: the e-self, the self as lover, the self as parent, the self as believer, and the self as political actor.
Systems of Educational Specialization and Labor Market Outcomes in Norway, Australia, and The Netherlands
Authors: van de Werfhorst Herman G.
Published: June 2005

To account for differences between systems of education in highly educated societies, I argue that the impact of academic discipline (field of study) on labor market outcomes should be central. Three modifications of earlier typologies are needed to account for cross-national differences in the transparency of skills provided by educational specialization. We should observe: (1) the system of tertiary vocational programs; (2) whether a system has a bachelor’s-master’s structure; and (3) whether students choose minor and major subjects in college. Our analysis of Norway, Australia, and the Netherlands shows that these modifications seem useful. In the Netherlands, the impact of fields of study on wages and occupational status is much higher than in the other countries. The relatively high value of Australian qualifications compared to the Norwegian may be explained by the welfare state regulations of both countries, but this explanation is a tentative one. In Australia, eligibility to social benefits depends much more on previous work experience than in Norway, making fields of study a better indicator of labor market commitment.
The International Institute of Administrative Sciences: main stages of its history
Authors: Moschopoulos Denis
Published: June 2005

The article reviews the major moments in the history of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences from the year of its establishment (1930) to the present. Additionally, it provides information on the 1910-30 period during which the Permanent Commission for International Congresses in Administrative Sciences operated. More specifically, the article presents the main themes addressed by the international congresses, round tables and conferences organized by the previously mentioned Commission in the beginning, and by the Institute after 1930. Attention is given to the Institutés ‘internationalization’ during the post Second World War period. The Institutés international vocation was demonstrated by the participation of member states and national sections from all over the world, as well as by the development of cooperation with international and supranational organizations. Finally, the Institutés scientific methods and techniques during the 20th century are presented.
Public law: a tool for modern management, not an impediment to reform
Authors: Ziller Jacques
Published: June 2005

In order to appreciate that public law is capable of operating as a tool for modern public management rather than an impediment to reform, it is necessary to overcome a series of confusions, clichés and misunderstandings relating to the very notions of law, public management and public law. A series of confusions and misunderstandings results as much from the multiplicity of meanings attached to the terms used, as from ignorance of the complexities of both practice and science. Misconceptions as to concepts assumed to be different on either side of the Channel or either side of the Atlantic must be identified and dismantled. If lawyers take the trouble to delve into what law is — and public law in particular — and if the permanent temptation on the part of conservative thinking of every kind to instrumentalize law, as a supposed obstacle to change, is countered, it is possible to demonstrate that, far from being an obstacle to the reform of the state, law — and public law in particular — is capable of providing a considerable incentive to modernization, of which it is an indispensable tool.
Law and public administration: convergence and symbiosis
Authors: Harlow Carol
Published: June 2005

In the light of historical tensions, this article considers some classical administrative law responses to changing techniques of public administration. Rejecting the customary reproach that law is unresponsive to the needs of public administrators, the article nonetheless identifies a widespread conviction that control and accountability are the primary objectives of administrative law. The response of administrators overwhelmed by procedural requirements is to fall back on ‘soft law’ techniques. The article notes the growing use of ‘soft law’ and recourse to ‘soft’ techniques of governance in the European Union, together with a possible convergence of legal and administrative values, as standards of ‘good governance’ and ‘principles of good administration’ acceptable to both sides are promulgated and enforced by courts. As ‘good governance’ standards are disseminated by international and transnational institutions, the article predicts a similar pattern of tension and evasion, as procedurally oriented administrative law systems enforced by transnational adjudicative organs develop to occupy the global administrative space.
The contribution of CAFRAD to public administration in Africa
Authors: Michael Lizette
Published: June 2005

This article attempts to provide an analysis of the mission of the African Training and Research Centre in Administration for Development (CAFRAD). It presents an overview of the Centre’s activities in training, research, consultancy, information and publication, assesses its achievements and highlights the constraints which CAFRAD faced in the implementation of its work. The article concludes with the way forward and prospects for a better and stronger CAFRAD in the 21st century, one which will contribute effectively to the improvement of African public administration.
Continuity amidst Restructuring: The U.S. Gender Division of Labor in Geographic Perspective, 1970 and 1990
Authors: Brown Lawrence A. , Lee Sang-Il , Lobao Linda , Chung Su-Yeul
Published: June 2005

Research on economic restructuring generally emphasizes change, rather than continuity, in the socioeconomic landscape. That expectation is addressed here by comparing 1970 and 1990 in terms of the gender division of labor for U.S. counties. These years represent poles of the Fordist/post-Fordist transition, an era of cataclysmic change. A subset of counties comprising the Ohio River Valley also is considered. This represents an old industrial region, the type most affected by the Fordist/post-Fordist transition. Analyses include cartographic comparisons using various spatial analysis techniques and regression analyses using variables related to the gender division of labor. Contrary to the usual expectation, the authors find that the lack of change is far more dominant than its presence, that is, continuity or continuity amidst change. This highlights the important, and generally overlooked, role of inertia effects on socioeconomic landscapes.
Governmentality versus choice in contemporary special education
Authors: Morgan Angela
Published: June 2005

This article provides an understanding of childhood welfare from a radical perspective, showing how power within the special education system affects the discourse of ‘choice’ for parents. The analysis unmasks the disciplinary power operating within the special education system and explores the manner in which such power affects choice for parents. In turn, the analysis suggests that although disciplinary power offers little sites for resistance, the actions of some parents in the exercise of choice are seen as a growing challenge to that power. It remains to be seen just how resistant the system will become in the face of such opposition.
From paternalism to ethnocentrism: images of Africa in Gorbachev’s Russia
Authors: Quist-Adade Charles
Published: June 2005

An analysis of the content of three publications, Pravda, Izvestiya and Novoe Vremya, from 1985-1992 shows how news coverage of Africa was increasingly marginalised as Gorbachev’s ‘glasnost’ reforms took hold. The stance adopted towards Africa changed from communist paternalism to outright negativity as the continent was used by politicians and journalists as a metaphor for poverty and backwardness. The result was rising racism against Africans living in Russia.
A new aesthetics of black equality: on Tony Medina
Authors: Scott Jonathan
Published: June 2005

In the US today, a new generation of poets and writers of colour is taking up and moving on from the 1960s Black Arts Movement. According to Amiri Baraka, a co-founder of that movement, one of its pitfalls was an inadequate critique of ‘race’ at the expense of a class understanding of oppression. Subsequent critical discussion has done little to correct this, despite the crucial links between class and race made by Malcolm X shortly before his death. But the paths indicated by Malcolm are now being challengingly developed by one of the most exciting of this new generation of poets, the Afro-Puerto Rican writer Tony Medina. Combining a visceral political sensibility with a dynamic, improvisatory aesthetic, Medina’s work speaks with urgency of the realities of life in the ghetto and the barrio and the need for radical, activist struggle.
Trade Union Perspectives on Diversity Management: A Comparison of the UK and Denmark
Authors: Greene Anne-marie , Kirton Gill , Wrench John
Published: June 2005

This article compares the viewpoints of trade union activists in the UK and Denmark on diversity management. While this concept is spreading rapidly across Europe, very different attitudes are revealed among equality activists and officials in the two countries. The article distinguishes between understandings of diversity management as a descriptor, theoretical approach, and policy approach. The main differences between the countries emerge with regard to diversity management as a policy approach, which is regarded with great scepticism in the UK and with great enthusiasm in Denmark. Explanations for these differences are offered, involving prior experiences of anti-discrimination activities, industrial relations approaches, and the wider political context.
Prostitution in Vancouver: Violence and the Colonization of First Nations Women
Authors: Farley Melissa , Lynne Jacqueline , Cotton Ann J.
Published: June 2005

We interviewed 100 women prostituting in Vancouver, Canada. We found an extremely high prevalence of lifetime violence and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Fifty-two percent of our interviewees were women from Canada’s First Nations, a significant overrepresentation in prostitution compared with their representation in Vancouver generally(1.7-7%). Eighty-two percent reported a history of childhood sexual abuse, by an average of four perpetrators. Seventy-two percent reported childhood physical abuse, 90% had been physically assaulted in prostitution, 78% had been raped in prostitution. Seventy-two percent met DSM-IV criteria for PTSD. Ninety-five percent said that they wanted to leave prostitution. Eighty-six percent reported current or past homelessness with housing as one of their most urgent needs. Eighty-two percent expressed a need for treatment for drug or alcohol addictions. Findings are discussed in terms of the legacy of colonialism, the intrinsically traumatizing nature of prostitution and prostitution’s violations of basic human rights.
Treatment Satisfaction and Recovery in Saami and Norwegian Patients Following Psychiatric Hospital Treatment: A Comparative Study
Authors: Sørlie Tore , NergÅrd Jens-Ivar
Published: June 2005

Treatment, treatment satisfaction and recovery in Saami and Norwegian patients treated in a psychiatric hospital were compared. Although half of the Saami patients preferred to speak Saami with their therapists, only one patient did. The extensive use of traditional helpers was only partly recognized. Despite no differences in type and amount of treatment or symptom-change during the hospital stay, the Saami patients showed less satisfaction with all investigated treatment parameters including contact with staff, treatment alliance, information and global treatment satisfaction. There was less agreement between the ratings of the therapists and the Saami patients. Suggestions for improvements are made.
Globalization and hybridization in cultural products
Authors: Wang Georgette , Yeh Emilie Yueh-yu
Published: June 2005

Hybridization has become part of an ongoing trend in cultural production, with both the globalization and localization of the culture industry. Hybridization, however, is not merely the mixing, blending and synthesizing of different elements that ultimately forms a culturally faceless whole. In the course of hybridization, cultures often generate new forms and make new connections with one another. This study looks at two globally popular films that were adapted from Chinese works, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Mulan, as examples to illustrate the complexity involved in hybridization and the implications that it has for the debate on the globalization of culture. It was found that ‘deculturalization’, ‘acculturalization’ and ‘reculturalization’ can be used to characterize the hybridization of cultural products and that often the producer, with his/her background, aspirations and work style, has a key role to play in deciding how these features are organized and manifested.
The mobile phone as media
Authors: May Harvey , Hearn Greg
Published: June 2005

This article focuses on the mobile phone’s permeation into ‘everyday life’ through products, knowledge and cultural processes. The convergence and blurring of industry boundaries increasingly see entertainment, information and communication technologies (ICTs) and lifestyle products and services combine. The possibilities that digital economies (via products and services) provide in shaping our experiences - and how others experience us - lend support to Featherstone’s comment that the ‘aestheticisation of everyday life’ has arrived. The resulting consumption is an experience economy, where a broad range of mobile phone users, with or without technical savvy, expendable income and aesthetic ambitions, can harvest from the ever-increasing palette of the digital domain. Throughout the 20th century, visions of utopia and dystopia have often run alongside such major developments in technology, especially those that have the capacity or likelihood to transform and disturb conceptions of the everyday. Outlining a number of current states of play and future scenarios for the mobile phone in the everyday, we suggest that mobile phone analytics will shift from the utopian and dystopian towards analyses by more conventional theoretical and methodological tools and approaches found in media, cultural and policy studies, as well as in the social sciences and other disciplines.
‘By endurance we conquer’
Authors: Farley Rebecca
Published: June 2005

The British polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Endurance voyage (1914-16) was one of the last great feats of the ‘heroic age’ of exploration. In the 1990s, the story was suddenly rediscovered in a blaze of publicity. This article investigates why Shackleton suddenly seemed ‘a hero for our time’. It treats ‘the explorer’ as a subject position, as articulating discourses of whiteness and masculinity within the discourse of adventure and shows how Shackleton’s public persona exemplified these hegemonic traits. Recent re-enactments of his famous boat journey embody this subject position, confirming and enriching the ideal of the heroic explorer. Finally, the article examines how ‘Shackleton’ has been taken up by the adventure travel industry and by business management consultants strongly invested in ideals of white men’s leadership.
Vocation, vocation
Authors: Spark Ceridwen , Harris Anita
Published: June 2005

This article addresses the education of women in prison in relation to an emerging area of research and policy concern: vocational training. Using interviews with women prisoners in Victoria, it investigates why inmate women participate in education programmes, what education programmes the women would like to see implemented and what barriers exist in terms of women’s participation in education. Demonstrating the disparity between stated government aims for inmate women’s education and training and the motivations of the women themselves, the authors argue that prisoner education for women ought to be conceptualized in relation to a range of factors and not merely conceived of as a path to employment.
Marriage breakdown in Australia
Authors: Hewitt Belinda , Baxter Janeen , Western Mark
Published: June 2005

Marriage breakdown through separation and divorce is a pervasive feature of Australian society. But little research investigates the social factors associated with marital breakdown in Australia. This study builds on and extends Australian research by using survival analysis models to examine patterns of association among temporal, life-course, attitudinal and economic factors associated with marital breakdown. Using data from the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey, we find marital breakdown in Australia is socially patterned in similar ways to other Western countries. But our findings point to several directions for future research into marriage breakdown in Australia, and we identify certain unique features of Australian marriage breakdown that warrant a more detailed investigation, such as the relationship between ethnic origin and the risk of marital breakdown.
What are we scared of?
Authors: Zajdow Grazyna
Published: June 2005

The official public policy related to recreational drug use and abuse in Australia is harm minimization or harm reduction. Definitions of harm minimization vary but a general statement is that harm minimization is a policy or programme intended to decrease adverse health, social and economic consequences of drug use, even though the user may continue to use psychoactive drugs. This type of definition is most often compared to a zero-tolerance policy that aims to eliminate all recreational drug abuse by legal and other means. Sociologists have historically scoffed at this latter policy. Unfortunately, what this has meant is that harm minimization in all its forms has not been the object of analytical work on the part of sociologists.
The Production and Consumption of ‘Japanese Culture’ in the Global Cultural Market
Authors: Goldstein-Gidoni Ofra
Published: June 2005

This article presents an unusual angle for the study of consumer culture in a case study of an explicit process of the production and consumption of ‘culture’, or more specifically, of a product, which carries the label: ‘Japanese culture’, and which crosses national borders. The general context is that of cross-cultural consumption and cultural globalization. Globalization cannot be easily described anymore as having ‘a distinctly American face’. There is more and more evidence for competing centers or multiple globalizations. Japan has no doubt become one of these centers. The case at hand is that of the re-production and consumption of ‘Japanese culture’ in Israel. The article emphasizes the significance of looking at local cultural discourses or discourses about culture both at the ‘exporting’ and ‘importing’ destinations in trying to have a deeper understating of the processes of cultural globalization. I show how the Japanese cultural discourse - largely through the extremely popular genre of writing detailing the essential qualities of what it means to be Japanese known as Nihonjinron!- yielded a global cultural product known as ‘Japanese culture’, which is delivered to the world through contemporary ‘global cosmopolitans’.
The influence of culture upon consumers’ desired value perceptions: A research agenda
Authors: Overby Jeffrey W. , Woodruff Robert B. , Gardial Sarah Fisher
Published: June 2005

Although consumer consumption occurs globally, the value that consumers perceive from buying and using a product or service likely differs across cultures. We show that consumer perceptions of product/service value are determined not only by intrinsic dispositions, but also by internalized cultural values and norms, and external contextual factors. This article conceptually examines how and where culture influences consumer value. Following a review of the literature on consumer value and culture, we offer an integrative model that conceptualizes culture as a metaphorical lens influencing the meaning and relative importance of the content and structure of a consumer’s means-end value hierarchy. We discuss the implications for a future research program.
Human peptidoglycan recognition protein S is an effector of neutrophil-mediated innate immunity
Authors: Cho Ju Hyun , Fraser Iain P. , Fukase Koichi , Kusumoto Shoichi , Fujimoto Yukari , Stahl Gregory L. , Ezekowitz R. Alan B.
Published: June 2005

Innate immune responses to bacteria require cooperative interactions between host recognition molecules and phagocytes. The peptidoglycan recognition proteins (PGRPs) are a large group of proteins found in insects and mammals that bind to bacterial peptidoglycan (PGN). PGRP-S is located with other antimicrobial proteins, such as lysozyme, in the granules of human neutrophils. Whereas both PGRP-S and lysozyme recognize PGN, the exact binding specificity of human PGRP-S, its functional activity, and its potential synergy with other neutrophil-derived bactericidal proteins such as lysozyme have not been determined. Here we show that human PGRP-S binds to and inhibits the growth of Staphylococcus aureus (containing lysine-type PGN) and Escherichia coli (containing mesodiaminopimelic acid-type PGN). The binding affinity and thus antimicrobial activity of PGRP-S is determined by the third amino acid in the PGN stem peptide. Furthermore, the antimicrobial effect of PGRP-S against E coli is synergistic with lysozyme, and lysozyme and PGRP-S colocalize in neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), suggesting that these granule-derived proteins act together to kill bacteria trapped in the NETs. Taken together, these results indicate that human PGRP-S plays a role in innate immunity in the context of neutrophils by contributing to the killing of intracellular and extracellular bacteria. (Blood. 2005;106:2551-2558)
Tumor necrosis factor-α as trigger of platelet activation in patients with heart failure
Authors: Pignatelli Pasquale , De Biase Luciano , Lenti Luisa , Tocci Giuliano , Brunelli Alessandra , Cangemi Roberto , Riondino Silvia , Grego Susanna , Volpe Massimo , Violi Francesco
Published: June 2005

The clinical history of patients with heart failure (HF) is complicated by arterial thromboembolism. Platelet activation is reported in this population, but the underlying mechanism has not been clarified. Forty-two patients with HF scored according to New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification had higher levels of collagen-induced platelet aggregation, platelet tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) receptor expression, and serum thromboxane B2 and higher circulating levels of TNF-α than 20 healthy subjects. Coincubation of platelets from HF patients with an inhibitor of TNF-α receptors significantly reduced collagen-induced platelet aggregation. In vitro study demonstrated that TNF-α amplified the platelet response to collagen; this effect was inhibited by TNF-α receptor antagonist and inhibitors of arachidonic acid metabolism. This study showed that TNF-α behaves as a trigger of platelet activation through stimulation of the arachidonic acid pathway.
Does treating obesity stabilize chronic kidney disease?
Authors: Agnani Sujata , Vachharajani Vidula T , Gupta Rohit , Atray Naveen K , Vachharajani Tushar J
Published: June 2005

Background

Obesity is a growing health issue in the Western world. Obesity, as part of the metabolic syndrome adds to the morbidity and mortality. The incidence of diabetes and hypertension, two primary etiological factors for chronic renal failure, is significantly higher with obesity. We report a case with morbid obesity whose renal function was stabilized with aggressive management of his obesity.

Case report

A 43-year old morbidly obese Caucasian male was referred for evaluation of his chronic renal failure. He had been hypertensive with well controlled blood pressure with a body mass index of 46 and a baseline serum creatinine of 4.3 mg/dl (estimated glomerular filtration rate of 16 ml/min). He had failed all conservative attempts at weight reduction and hence was referred for a gastric by-pass surgery. Following the bariatric surgery he had approximately 90 lbs. weight loss over 8-months and his serum creatinine stabilized to 4.0 mg/dl.

Conclusion

Obesity appears to be an independent risk factor for renal failure. Targeting obesity is beneficial not only for better control of hypertension and diabetes, but also possibly helps stabilization of chronic kidney failure.
Dynamic in vitro measurement of patellar movement after total knee arthroplasty: an in vitro study
Authors: Ostermeier Sven , Buhrmester Olaf , Hurschler Christof , Stukenborg-Colsman Christina
Published: June 2005

Background

Changing the kinematic behaviour of patellar movement could be one of the reasons for anterior knee pain after implantation of a total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The aim of the current study was to measure the potential influence on patellar kinematics of patellar resurfacing during TKA.

Methods

Patellar movement before and after TKA with and without patellar resurfacing was measured under dynamic conditions in anin vitrocadaver simulation. Physiologic Musculus quadriceps forces were applied to five physiologic human knee specimens undergoing simulated isokinetic extension motions, patellar movement was measured using an ultrasonic measurement system. Thereafter, the Interax®I.S.A.-prosthesis system was implanted without and with resurfacing the patella, and patellar movement was again measured.

Results

The physiologic patella center moved on a semilunar path up to 6.4 mm (SD 6.4 mm) medially during extension. After TKA, the unresurfaced patella showed significantly less medial translation (p = 0.04) than the resurfaced patella. Subsequent resurfacing of the patella then resulted in a return to mediolateral positioning of the patella similar to the physiological case, whereas the resurfaced patella tilted up to twice as much as physiologic.

Conclusion

The results of this study suggest that resurfacing of the patella during TKA can result in a restoration of the physiologic mediolateral shift of the patellofemoral joint while angulation of the patella remains unphysiologic.
Transdermal fentanyl for the treatment of pain caused by osteoarthritis of the knee or hip: an open, multicentre study
Authors: Le Loët Xavier , Pavelka Karel , Richarz Ute
Published: June 2005

Background

This study was designed to evaluate the utility of transdermal fentanyl (TDF, Durogesic®) for the treatment of pain due to osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee or hip, which was not adequately controlled by non-opioid analgesics or weak opioids. The second part of the trial, investigating TDF in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is reported separately.

Methods

Current analgesia was optimised during a 1-week run-in. Patients then received 28 days treatment with TDF starting at 25 μg/hr, with the option to increase the dose until adequate pain control was achieved. Metoclopramide was taken during the first week and then as needed.

Results

Of the 159 patients recruited, 75 with OA knee and 44 with OA hip completed the treatment phase, 30 knee and 18 hip patients entered the one-week taper-off phase. The most frequently used maximum dose of TDF was 25 μg/hr. The number of patients with adequate pain control increased during the run-in period from 4% to 27%, and further increased during TDF treatment to 88% on day 28. From baseline to endpoint, there were significant reductions in pain (p < 0.001) and improvements in functioning (p < 0.001) and physical (p < 0.001) and mental (p < 0.05) health. Scores for 'pain right now' decreased significantly within 24 hours of starting TDF treatment. TDF was assessed favourably and 84% of patients would recommend it for OA-related pain. Nausea and vomiting were the most common adverse events (reported by 32% and 26% of patients respectively), despite prophylaxis with metoclopramide, which showed limited efficacy in this setting.

Conclusion

TDF significantly increased pain control, and improved functioning and quality of life. Metoclopramide appeared to be of limited value in preventing nausea and vomiting; more effective anti-emetic treatment may enable more people to benefit from strong opioids such as TDF. This study suggests that four weeks is a reasonable period to test the benefit of adding TDF to improve pain control in OA patients and that discontinuing therapy in cases of limited benefit creates no major obstacles.
A survey of training and practice patterns of massage therapists in two US states
Authors: Sherman Karen J , Cherkin Daniel C , Kahn Janet , Erro Janet , Hrbek Andrea , Deyo Richard A , Eisenberg David M
Published: June 2005

Background

Despite the growing popularity of therapeutic massage in the US, little is known about the training or practice characteristics of massage therapists. The objective of this study was to describe these characteristics.

Methods

As part of a study of random samples of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practitioners, we interviewed 226 massage therapists licensed in Connecticut and Washington state by telephone in 1998 and 1999 (85% of those contacted) and then asked a sample of them to record information on 20 consecutive visits to their practices (total of 2005 consecutive visits).

Results

Most massage therapists were women (85%), white (95%), and had completed some continuing education training (79% in Connecticut and 52% in Washington). They treated a limited number of conditions, most commonly musculoskeletal (59% and 63%) (especially back, neck, and shoulder problems), wellness care (20% and 19%), and psychological complaints (9% and 6%) (especially anxiety and depression). Practitioners commonly used one or more assessment techniques (67% and 74%) and gave a massage emphasizing Swedish (81% and 77%), deep tissue (63% and 65%), and trigger/pressure point techniques (52% and 46%). Self-care recommendations, including increasing water intake, body awareness, and specific forms of movement, were made as part of more than 80% of visits. Although most patients self-referred to massage, more than one-quarter were receiving concomitant care for the same problem from a physician. Massage therapists rarely communicated with these physicians.

Conclusion

This study provides new information about licensed massage therapists that should be useful to physicians and other healthcare providers interested in learning about massage therapy in order to advise their patients about this popular CAM therapy.
Response shift and glycemic control in children with diabetes
Authors: Wagner Julie A
Published: June 2005

Background

The purpose of this study was to investigate the scale recalibration construct of response shift and its relationship to glycemic control in children with diabetes.

Methods

At year 1, thirty-eight children with type 1 diabetes attending a diabetes summer camp participated. At baseline and post-camp they completed the Problem Areas in Diabetes (PAID) questionnaire. Post-camp, the PAID was also completed using the 'thentest' method, which requires a retrospective judgment about their baseline functioning. At year 2, fifteen of the original participants reported their HbA1c.

Results

PAID scores significantly decreased from baseline to post-camp. An even larger difference was found between thentest and post-camp scores, suggesting scale recalibration. There was a significant positive correlation between year 1 HbA1c and thentest scores. Partial correlation analysis between PAID thentest scores and year 2 HbA1c, controlling for year 1 HbA1c, showed that higher PAID thentest scores were associated with higher year 2 HbA1c.

Conclusion

Results from this small sample suggest that children with diabetes do show scale recalibration, and that it may be related to glycemic control.
Contribution of anaerobic energy expenditure to whole body thermogenesis
Authors: Scott Christopher B
Published: June 2005

Heat production serves as the standard measurement for the determination of energy expenditure and efficiency in animals. Estimations of metabolic heat production have traditionally focused on gas exchange (oxygen uptake and carbon dioxide production) although direct heat measurements may include an anaerobic component particularly when carbohydrate is oxidized. Stoichiometric interpretations of the ratio of carbon dioxide production to oxygen uptake suggest that both anaerobic and aerobic heat production and, by inference, all energy expenditure – can be accounted for with a measurement of oxygen uptake as 21.1 kJ per liter of oxygen. This manuscript incorporates contemporary bioenergetic interpretations of anaerobic and aerobic ATP turnover to promote the independence of these disparate types of metabolic energy transfer: each has different reactants and products, uses dissimilar enzymes, involves different types of biochemical reactions, takes place in separate cellular compartments, exploits different types of gradients and ultimately each operates with distinct efficiency. The 21.1 kJ per liter of oxygen for carbohydrate oxidation includes a small anaerobic heat component as part of anaerobic energy transfer. Faster rates of ATP turnover that exceed mitochondrial respiration and that are supported by rapid glycolytic phosphorylation with lactate production result in heat production that is independent of oxygen uptake. Simultaneous direct and indirect calorimetry has revealed that this anaerobic heat does not disappear when lactate is later oxidized and so oxygen uptake does not adequately measure anaerobic efficiency or energy expenditure (as was suggested by the "oxygen debt" hypothesis). An estimate of anaerobic energy transfer supplements the measurement of oxygen uptake and may improve the interpretation of whole-body energy expenditure.
‘Real’ and apparent optionality in second language grammars: finiteness and pronouns in null operator structures
Authors: Parodi Teresa , Tsimpli Ianthi-Maria
Published: June 2005

The existence of optionality in acquisitional data presents a problem to the view that developing grammars do not include more than one grammatical system at any stage. In this article data from Greek and Spanish, on the one hand, and English, on the other, constitute the background for the discussion of the existence of ‘true’ optionality in second language (L2) grammars and its potential persistence at advanced proficiency levels. We also discuss the relation between optionality and finiteness features in L2 grammars as well as how morphology interacts with the development of null operator structures (NOS). Specifically the article deals with the use of pronouns or empty categories in NOS and their relation to finiteness. We discuss the role of clitics in adult second language acquisition when the first language (L1) and the L2 differ in the choices of the pronominal system and in their choice for a gap or clitic pronoun in NOS. The subjects studied are speakers of Greek and of Spanish, languages with clitics, learning English, a language without clitics, as well as speakers of English learning Greek or Spanish. The data collected support the claim that optionality is found in developing grammars but not randomly. First, there is a difference in the degree and nature of optionality found developmentally in advanced as opposed to intermediate learners; secondly, the degree of optionality depends on the morphological richness characterizing L1 and L2 in relation to the phenomena studied. Thus, English learners of Spanish or Greek show more optionality in the use of clitic pronouns and less evidence for a correlation between finiteness and clitics in NOS. On the other hand, Spanish/Greek learners of English show constrained optionality in the use of empty categories or pronouns in NOS.
Identification of Binding Sites with Differing Affinity and Potency for Relaxin Analogues on LGR7 and LGR8 Receptors
Authors: HALLS MICHELLE L. , BATHGATE ROSS A. , SUDO SATOKO , KUMAGAI JIN , BOND COURTNEY P. , SUMMERS ROGER J.
Published: June 2005

Abstract: This study defines the pharmacologic characteristics of LGR7 and LGR8, the receptors for H2 relaxin and INSL3 respectively, and determines the relative activity of relaxin‐related peptides. We show, for the first time, the availability of two binding sites at LGR8 and confirm the presence of two sites at LGR7. Relaxin‐related peptides had differing rank orders of affinity and potency at LGR7 and LGR8, but chimeric receptors were highly similar to their ectodomain‐origin native receptors. The high‐affinity site on the ectodomain coupled efficiently to cAMP production, whereas the low‐affinity site in the transmembrane region coupled with decreased efficiency.