bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Magnetic resonance renal angiography and venography: an analysis of 111 consecutive scans before donor nephrectomy
Authors: HODGSON DOMINIC J. , JAN WAJANAT , RANKIN SHEILA , KOFFMAN GEOFF , KHAN MOHAMMAD S.
Published: February 2006

OBJECTIVE

To determine the accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) renal angiography in predicting vascular anatomy before donor nephrectomy, to determine the significance of missed vessels and to ascertain whether vessels are missed because of technical limitations or errors in interpretation.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In all, 111 consecutive living donations were assessed; the anatomy on MRI before donation was compared with that at nephrectomy. The significance of additional arteries and veins was recorded at the time of donation, with extra vessels either anastomosed or sacrificed. Finally, the scans in which extra vessels had not been identified were re‐examined to establish whether these could be identified retrospectively.

RESULTS

In all, 93 kidneys had a single renal artery and 18 had two. All lower pole arteries were anastomosed and all upper pole arteries were sacrificed. Nine arteries were identified before surgery (five were to the lower pole), and nine were missed (four to the lower pole). There were 13 kidneys with more than one vein. Four of these were seen on MRI. However, an extra vein was anastomosed in only one case. On review of the imaging, three arteries were missed because of human error and six due to technical limitations. Of the nine missed veins, only three were easily identified retrospectively. Overall, using MRI as a preoperative investigation for the 111 consecutive cases, the surgeon encountered a previously unidentified accessory artery in nine (8%), and this required anastomosis in four (4%).

CONCLUSION

MR angiography has the advantage over computed tomography (CT) of having virtually no side‐effects, and if the small possibility is accepted of missing extra vessels because of technical limitation or interpretation, it is a good investigation. However, in light of the failure to visualize all arteries transplanted, we have started to use multi‐slice (16‐channel) CT to see if its improved spatial resolution alters the results.
Radical prostatectomy with positive surgical margins: how are patients managed?
Authors: THURAIRAJA RAMESH , OSBORN JONATHAN , MCFARLANE JONATHAN , BAHL AMIT , PERSAD RAJENDRA
Published: February 2006

There are four mini‐reviews in this section, with a very strong emphasis on urological oncology; two on prostate cancer and two on renal cancer. The spread of countries from which they came reflects the international authorship of contributors to the Journal: the UK, Canada, USA and Germany respectively.
Is prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) density better than the preoperative PSA level in predicting early biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer after radical prostatectomy?
Authors: JONES TIMOTHY D. , KOCH MICHAEL O. , BUNDE PAULA J. , CHENG LIANG
Published: February 2006

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the relationship of preoperative prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) level and PSA density with several clinical and pathological variables, including biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy (RP), and to compare the preoperative PSA level and PSA density as prognostic factors in prostate cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The study included 348 patients who had a RP at one institution, with whole‐mount specimens of the prostate examined by one pathologist. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to assess the relationship of the preoperative PSA level and PSA density with clinical and pathological variables, and by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis to evaluate the relative usefulness of the two factors as predictors for biochemical recurrence.

RESULTS

The PSA level before RP was significantly correlated (Spearman's rank correlation) with patient age (P = 0.003), prostate weight (P < 0.001), cancer volume (P < 0.001) and Gleason score (P = 0.033), and with surgical margin status and pathological stage (both P < 0.001) in the RP specimen. In the multivariate analysis controlling for tumour stage, surgical margin status, and Gleason score, both PSA level and PSA density were significant predictors of PSA recurrence (P = 0.027 and 0.01, respectively). ROC analysis showed no statistical difference between the PSA level and PSA density in predicting PSA recurrence after RP (P = 0.40).

CONCLUSIONS

These results show a significant correlation of the preoperative PSA level with other established prognostic factors for prostate cancer. In the multivariate analysis, both PSA level and PSA density were independent predictors of PSA recurrence. Because the PSA level is as effective as PSA density in predicting PSA recurrence, the extra effort required to calculate PSA density may not be warranted. We recommend that the PSA level before RP be considered in stratifying patients into different prognostic groups, and in determining the optimum management.
Chemopreventive effects of cyclooxygenase‐2 inhibitor and epidermal growth factor‐receptor kinase inhibitor on rat urinary bladder carcinogenesis
Authors: HATTORI KAZUNORI , IIDA KATSUYUKI , JORAKU AKIRA , TSUKAMOTO SADAMU , AKAZA HIDEYUKI , OYASU RYOICHI
Published: February 2006

OBJECTIVE

To examine the chemopreventive effects of a selective cyclooxygenase (COX)‐2 inhibitor, meloxicam, and a selective epidermal growth factor (EGF)‐receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, gefitinib (as a single agent) on a carcinogen‐induced rodent bladder carcinogenesis model.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study comprised 103 male Fisher‐344 rats (8 weeks old); after initial carcinogen treatment for 8 weeks with 0.05%N‐butyl‐N‐(4‐hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine (BBN) in drinking water, the rats were divided into five groups, i.e. group 1, control (vehicle only); group 2, gefitinib high‐dose (15 mg/kg by gavage once daily); group 3, gefitinib low‐dose (5 mg/kg); group 4, meloxicam high‐dose (1.8 mg/kg by gavage once daily); and group 5, meloxicam low‐dose (0.6 mg/kg). Twelve weeks later the rats were killed; after fixing the bladder in 10% formalin, the number and size of hyperplasia and carcinoma foci were recorded microscopically in sections stained with haematoxylin and eosin, submitted entirely as multiple strips.

RESULTS

The incidence of carcinoma, confirmed microscopically, was: control 14/20 (70%); high‐dose gefitinib, 7/20 (35%); low‐dose gefitinib, 7/20 (35%); high‐dose meloxicam 7/21 (33%); and low‐dose meloxicam, 12/20 (60%). The mean numbers of carcinomas per bladder in groups 1–5 were 1.2, 0.5, 0.4, 0.5 and 1.1, respectively. The incidence and the mean number of carcinomas per bladder were significantly lower in the treatment groups (P < 0.05) than in the control group, except in the low‐dose meloxicam group. There were no significant adverse effects.

CONCLUSION

Both meloxicam and gefitinib have inhibitory effects on rat bladder carcinogenesis with no significant adverse effects. A combination of these drugs would be worth studying for their synergistic effects.
A comparison of p21 and p27 immunoexpression in benign glands, prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia and prostate adenocarcinoma
Authors: DOGANAVSARGIL BASAK , SIMSIR ADNAN , BOYACIOGLU HAYAL , CAL CAG , HEKIMGIL MINE
Published: February 2006

OBJECTIVE

To assess the immunoexpression of p21 and p27 proteins in consecutive areas of benign glands, prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) and prostate adenocarcinoma.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Tissue from 91 patients who had a radical prostatectomy was assessed by immunohistochemistry to evaluate the expression of p21 and p27 in adjacent areas of benign glands, PIN and prostate adenocarcinoma. The results were correlated with various clinicopathological variables, e.g. age, total prostate‐specific antigen level, tumour stage, Gleason score, surgical margin involvement, extraprostatic extension, seminal vesicle invasion, and perineural invasion.

RESULTS

The p27 score in PIN was lower than that in benign glands (P = 0.04) but there was no significant difference between the scores for PIN and tumour. By contrast, p21 expression was almost undetectable in benign glands, although there was substantially more in PIN and tumour (P < 0.01). Some patients had no expression of p21 in tumour tissue, and had lower p21 scores in benign glands and PIN areas (P < 0.05). Interestingly, these patients had a lower frequency of negative prognostic variables. The tumour p21 score was higher in patients with extraprostatic extension (P = 0.045) and tumour p27 expression was inversely correlated with seminal vesicle invasion (P = 0.028). Tumour and PIN p27 expression appeared to decrease with advancing age (P = 0.008 and 0.012, respectively).

CONCLUSION

Higher p21 and lower p27 expression is correlated with adverse prognostic factors. The decline in p27 with advancing age in tumour and PIN areas may be a possible explanation of the greater frequency of prostate adenocarcinoma in older men. A p21‐negative tumour subgroup with a lower frequency of adverse prognostic factors was identified, which needs to be further explored.
Percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation in the treatment of refractory overactive bladder syndrome: is maintenance treatment necessary?
Authors: VAN DER PAL FLOOR , VAN BALKEN MICHAEL R. , HEESAKKERS JOHN P.F.A. , DEBRUYNE FRANS M.J. , BEMELMANS BART L.H.
Published: February 2006

OBJECTIVE

To determine the effect of a pause in percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS) in successfully treated patients with an overactive bladder (OAB), and the reproducibility of successful treatment when restored.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Eleven patients (mean age 51 years) with refractory OAB (more than seven voids and/or three or more urge incontinence episodes per day) were successfully treated with PTNS, and then discontinued treatment. Patients completed bladder diaries and quality‐of‐life (QoL) questionnaires (Short Form‐36 and I‐QoL) before (T1) and after a 6‐week pause (T2) of maintenance PTNS, and again after re‐treatment (T3). The first objective was defined as a ≥ 50% increase in the incontinence episodes and/or voiding frequency in the bladder diary after T2. The second objective was defined as ≥ 50% fewer incontinence episodes and/or voiding frequency in bladder diary after T3.

RESULTS

At T2, seven of the 11 patients had a ≥ 50% increase in incontinence episodes and/or voiding frequency in the bladder diary. The mean voided volume, nocturia, number of incontinence episodes and incontinence severity deteriorated significantly (P < 0.05). At T3, nine patients had ≥ 50% fewer incontinence episodes and/or voiding frequency in the bladder diary. Nocturia, the number of incontinence episodes, incontinence severity, mean voided volume and quality of life improved significantly (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Continuous therapy is necessary in patients with OAB treated successfully by PTNS. The efficacy of PTNS can be reproduced in patients formerly treated successfully.
CORRECT DELINEATIONS AND PROMISCUOUS OUTLINES: ENVISIONING INDIA AT THE TRIAL OF WARREN HASTINGS
Authors: FLOOD FINBARR BARRY
Published: February 2006

This essay explores the representation of India to a British metropolitan audience in the last decades of the eighteenth century, a time of burgeoning orientalist scholarship. Texts and images produced during the period reveal many of the ambiguities and ambivalences in the evolving relationship between Parliament, the East India Company and native Indian rulers. Between 1788 and 1795 these were highlighted dramatically in the impeachment proceedings against Warren Hastings, the Governor‐General of the East India Company's possessions. The proceedings coincided with the exhibition and publication in London of a corpus of Indian landscape paintings executed by William Hodges, who had enjoyed Hastings's patronage during and after his travels in India. The article focuses on a number of satirical political prints relating to the impeachment, arguing that they draw upon the sudden influx of graphic information on India as a vehicle for satire while invoking a contemporary penchant for optical devices of various sorts. In doing so, they highlight a contemporary tension between the aesthetic and documentary value of the image, which is often framed in terms of a dialectical opposition between artistic translation and transcription. It is suggested that these images reflect a hermeneutic common to other modes of orientalist production, which effected a domestic inscription of the Orient by finding correspondences between the foreign and the familiar.
RAINING, DROWNING AND SWIMMING: FU BAOSHI AND WATER
Authors: CLARKE DAVID
Published: February 2006

Water is a prominent element in the media of Chinese ink painting and, in the form of clouds, rivers, floods and mist, it is a major subject of Chinese painting. In the culturally distinctive modernist practice of Fu Baoshi (1904–1965), these two identities of water self‐consciously encounter one another. The artist's attention to watery themes in his work is unprecedented, and he is one of the first painters to focus on the direct depiction of falling rain. The essay considers Fu's representations of rain, the theme of water in his images of the poet‐statesman Qu Yuan and (after the founding of the People's Republic in 1949) in paintings illustrating the poems of Chinese leader Mao Zedong. Fu's water‐themed works are examined here with reference to the inherited stock of Chinese cultural meanings as well as to recent artistic practice in the People's Republic and to the Maoist state ideology which informed it. The potential meanings of these water‐themed works are considered, and politically subversive connotations are discovered. The essay concludes by reflecting on the theme of water in contemporary practice, particularly in Song Dong's performance art work of 1996, Printing on Water.
Effects of intergroup upward comparison, trait self‐esteem, and identity shift on state self‐esteem and affect in upward comparison with in‐group members
Authors: Isobe Chikae , Ura Mitsuhiro
Published: February 2006

The present study investigated factors that protect people low in trait self‐esteem (Low‐SEs), who may be less skilled at constructing information in self‐enhancing manners, from threats after interpersonal upward comparison with in‐group members. We hypothesized that even Low‐SEs can maintain their state self‐esteem under intergroup upward comparison. Furthermore, this study explored the possibility that individuals used identity‐shift, a strategy to maintain their personal identity, even in an intergroup upward comparison condition. The results of a quasi‐experiment supported these hypotheses. We further explored the possibility that individuals might use a twofold strategy to protect/enhance their self‐esteem based on an interplay of personal and social identity.
Stability in Cognition Across Early Childhood
Authors: Bornstein Marc H. , Hahn Chun-Shin , Bell Clare , Haynes O. Maurice , Slater Alan , Golding Jean , Wolke Dieter ,   the ALSPAC Study Team
Published: February 2006

Children confront the formidable task of assimilating information in the environment and accommodating their cognitive structures to that information. Developmental science is concerned equally with two distinctive features of these processes: children's group mean level of performance through time and the standing of individual children through time. Prevailing opinion since the inception of the mental-measurement movement has been that individual development is unstable—that individual children change unpredictably in their abilities. We report results of a large-scale controlled, multivariate, prospective, microgenetic, 4-year longitudinal study that reveals a statistically significant cascade of species-typical cognitive abilities from infancy to childhood. Infancy is a recognizable starting point of life; we find that to a small but significant degree, infancy also represents a setting point in the life of the individual.
The Impact of Cognitive Deficits on Conflict Monitoring
Authors: Yeung Nick , Cohen Jonathan D.
Published: February 2006

Monitoring of ongoing processing plays a critical role in regulating cognitive function. Two event-related potential components, the error-related negativity (ERN) and N2, have been proposed to reflect this monitoring function. Specifically, it has been suggested that both components reflect the role of anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in monitoring for the occurrence of response conflict. This view appears to be challenged by findings that alcohol consumption and lesions in ACC have dissociable effects on the ERN and N2. Using a computational model, the present research demonstrates that the conflict-monitoring theory can account for these dissociations in terms of the dissociable effects of alcohol and ACC lesions on processing of relevant stimulus information (which determines ERN amplitude) and processing of irrelevant, distracting information (which determines N2 amplitude). The simulation results suggest new interpretations of the cognitive deficits caused by alcohol consumption (impaired stimulus processing) and ACC lesions (impaired attentional control).
Multilayer Perceptron with Functional Inputs: an Inverse Regression Approach
Authors: FERRÉ LOUIS , VILLA NATHALIE
Published: February 2006

Abstract. Functional data analysis is a growing research field as more and more practical applications involve functional data. In this paper, we focus on the problem of regression and classification with functional predictors: the model suggested combines an efficient dimension reduction procedure [functional sliced inverse regression, first introduced byFerré & Yao (Statistics, 37, 2003, 475)], for which we give a regularized version, with the accuracy of a neural network. Some consistency results are given and the method is successfully confronted to real‐life data.
Parametric Estimation for Subordinators and Induced OU Processes
Authors: JONGBLOED GEURT , VAN DER MEULEN FRANK H.
Published: February 2006

Abstract. Consider a stationary sequence of random variables with infinitely divisible marginal law, characterized by its Lévy density. We analyse the behaviour of a so‐called cumulant M‐estimator, in case this Lévy density is characterized by a Euclidean (finite dimensional) parameter. Under mild conditions, we prove consistency and asymptotic normality of the estimator. The estimator is considered in the situation where the data are increments of a subordinator as well as the situation where the data consist of a discretely sampled Ornstein–Uhlenbeck (OU) process induced by the subordinator. We illustrate our results for the Gamma‐process and the Inverse‐Gaussian OU process. For these processes we also explain how the estimator can be computed numerically.
Can Community Colleges Protect Both access and Standards? The Problem of Remediation
Authors: Perin Dolores
Published: February 2006

A large number of community college students have difficulty with postsecondary-level reading, writing, and math demands, necessitating remedial education. A qualitative case study was conducted to investigate state and institutional practices for remediation in 15 community colleges selected for region, size, and urbanicity. The six states in which the colleges were located varied on the level of regulation of institutional remedial policy and were placed on a spectrum ranging from laissez-faire to micromanagement. Most of the states and all the institutions in the study required the assessment of students’ academic skills, and the institutions mandated assessment even when the states did not require it. The types of assessment instruments varied, and subjective measures such as institutional tests, course grades, and student self-report played an important role in placement decisions. The colleges tended to require that low-scoring students attend remedial courses even in the absence of a state mandate. A wide variety of practices were used to determine student readiness to advance in or exit from remediation. Many of the institutions had procedures designed to require remediation early in the student's program, but both assessment and placement mandates appeared to be softened either at the state or institutional level, with the effect of reducing the number of students who were required to enroll in remedial courses. This trend is discussed as a struggle between the access mission of the traditionally open-door community college, and the drive to protect educational standards.
Student Planning and Information Problems in Different College Structures
Authors: Person Ann E. , Rosenbaum James E. , Deil-Amen Regina
Published: February 2006

Over the past three decades, colleges have experienced revolutionary changes, and the enrollment revolution has had a particularly profound impact on 2-year colleges. We describe the new kinds of students who are entering college today and the ways that colleges have begun to adapt. Then, analyzing interviews with students and administrators and a survey of nearly 4,400 students in 14 two-year colleges, we examine four questions: (1) Do students have serious information problems, and are college procedures ever responsible? (2) How can college structures improve students’ information and planning? (3) Do colleges with alternative structures affect student information and confidence? (4) Do alternative college structures matter, net of student attributes ? The results suggest new approaches to addressing the information needs of college students, which may have important implications for their confidence and success. The evidence in this study suggests that structured programs, structured advising, and structured peer supports should be added to the menu of college policy alternatives that deserve further consideration.
To Teach or Not to Teach “Social” Skills: Comparing Community Colleges and Private Occupational Colleges
Authors: Deil-Amen Regina
Published: February 2006

This article examines the approach to teaching social skills in two kinds of colleges: community colleges, and private for-profit and nonprofit “occupational” colleges, with a focus on college credit programs that lead to applied associate's degrees in a variety of business, health, computer, and technical occupational programs. Nearly all occupational faculty at both types of colleges believe that employers in these fields require certain social skills relevant to professional support occupations. Community college staff—with the exception of health programs—provide three reasons that they neither demand nor teach these social skills. In contrast, the ways in which private occupational colleges make these skills an explicit part of their curriculum is discussed. This study suggests that schools differ in whether they teach and cultivate social skills, which suggests a potentially important way that schools may shape students’ opportunities in the labor market and their social mobility. Contrary to Bowles and Gintis, these findings raise the disturbing possibility that community colleges may be actively contributing to the social reproduction of inequality by avoiding instruction in the cultural competencies and social skills required in today's workplace.
Autoradiographical distribution of imidazoline binding sites in monoamine oxidase A deficient mice
Authors: Anderson Neil J. , Seif Isabelle , Nutt David J. , Hudson Alan L. , Robinson Emma S. J.
Published: February 2006

This study has used receptor autoradiography to characterize imidazoline binding sites (I‐BS) in monoamine oxidase (MAO) A knockout and wild‐type mice. A comparison between MAO‐A and MAO‐B, binding of the endogenous β‐carboline [3H]harmane, and I‐BS, has been made using sections from brain and kidney. The loss of binding to MAO‐A in the knockout animals was confirmed using the selective radioligand [3H]Ro41–1049, with labelling reduced to background levels. The binding of [3H]Ro19–6327 to MAO‐B was unaffected, indicating no change in this isoform in response to the loss of MAO‐A. A reduction in binding to the I2‐BS, as labelled by both [3H]idazoxan and [3H]2‐BFI (2‐(2‐benzofuranyl)‐2‐imidazoline), was seen in the MAO‐A knockout animals in both brain and kidney sections, whereas binding to the I1‐BS in kidney sections remained unchanged. The loss of I2 binding was found to be regionally dependent and was positively correlated with the relative expression of MAO‐A in specific regions in the wild‐type animals. Using the MAO‐A knockout mice it was also possible to demonstrate a non‐MAO‐A population of binding sites labelled by the putative I‐BS endogenous ligand, harmane.2
Effects of congenital stationary night blindness type 2 mutations R508Q and L1364H on Cav1.4 L‐type Ca2+ channel function and expression
Authors: Hoda Jean‐Charles , Zaghetto Francesca , Singh Anamika , Koschak Alexandra , Striessnig Jörg
Published: February 2006

At least 48 mutations in the CACNA1F gene encoding retinal Cav1.4 L‐type Ca2+ channels have been linked to X‐linked recessive congenital stationary night blindness type 2 (CSNB2). A large number of these are missense mutations encoding full‐length α1‐subunits that can potentially form functional channels. We have previously shown that such missense mutations can confer their phenotype by different pathological mechanisms, such as complete lack of α1 subunit protein expression or dramatic changes in channel gating. Here we investigated the functional consequences of CSNB2 missense mutations R508Q and L1364H. We found no (R508Q) or only minor (L1364H) changes in the gating properties of both mutants after heterologous expression in Xenopus laevis oocytes (at 20°C). However, both mutants resulted in altered expression density of Cav1.4 currents. When expressed in the mammalian cell line tsA‐201, the current amplitude of L1364H channels was reduced when cells were grown at 30°C and both mutations affected total α1 protein expression. This effect was temperature dependent. Our data provide evidence that, in contrast to previously characterized CSNB2 missense mutations, the clinical phenotype of R508Q and L1364H is unlikely to be explained by changes in channel gating. Instead, these mutations affect the protein expression of Cav1.4 Ca2+ channels.
Feminist Psychology in the Service of Women: Staying Engaged Without Getting Married
Authors: Baker Nancy L.
Published: February 2006

This article, based on the 2005 Society for the Psychology of Women Presidential Address, presents a definition of feminism and evaluates feminist psychology and its current challenges through that lens. The principal theme is the tension between feminist psychology's engagement with the discipline and its ability to critique and alter both the discipline and the world. The article includes an analysis of the original 52 demands presented by women activists to the APA's Council of Representatives in 1970. Those demands are evaluated both in terms of progress and lack of achievement, as well as in terms of the limitations of the professional women's movement reflected in those original demands. The lack of success in achieving demands associated with structural change is highlighted. A framework for future feminist work that might achieve transformational change is offered.
Still Subversive After All These Years: The Relevance of Feminist Therapy in the Age of Evidence-Based Practice
Authors: Brown Laura S.
Published: February 2006

In this article, based on my Carolyn Wood Sherif Memorial Award Address, I address questions of the viability of feminist practice in the current Zeitgeist. Using the framework of responding to questions raised by doctoral students about feminist therapy, I address how feminist practice aligns with the evidence-based practice movement, particularly those aspects focusing on empirically supported therapy relationships. I propose that feminist diagnostic strategies enhance cultural competence for therapists, thus better preparing practitioners for the clients of the twenty-first century. Finally, I discuss the question of who is a feminist therapist, addressing issues of gender that have long challenged the universality of feminist therapy's applications.
The Climate for Women in Academic Science: The Good, the Bad, and the Changeable
Authors: Settles Isis H. , Cortina Lilia M. , Malley Janet , Stewart Abigail J.
Published: February 2006

Deficits theory posits that women scientists have not yet achieved parity with men scientists because of structural aspects of the scientific environment that provide them with fewer opportunities and more obstacles than men. The current study of 208 faculty women scientists tested this theory by examining the effect of personal negative experiences and perceptions of the workplace climate on job satisfaction, felt influence, and productivity. Hierarchical multiple regression results indicated that women scientists experiencing more sexual harassment and gender discrimination reported poorer job outcomes. Additionally, perceptions of a generally positive, nonsexist climate, as well as effective leadership, were related to positive job outcomes after controlling for harassment and discrimination. We discuss implications for the retention and career success of women in academic science.
The Disruptive Effect of Self-Objectification on Performance
Authors: Quinn Diane M. , Kallen Rachel W. , Twenge Jean M. , Fredrickson Barbara L.
Published: February 2006

Self-objectification is the act of viewing the self, particularly the body, from a third-person perspective. Objectification theory proposes numerous negative consequences for those who self-objectify, including decreased performance through the disruption of focused attention. In the current study, we examined whether women in a state of self-objectification were slower to respond to a basic Stroop color-naming task. Results showed that regardless of the type of word (color words, body words, or neutral words), participants in a state of self-objectification exhibited decreased performance. This study lends further evidence to objectification theory and highlights the negative performance ramifications of state self-objectification.
Coping with the Experience of Rape
Authors: Littleton Heather , Breitkopf Carmen Radecki
Published: February 2006

The coping strategies that a victim of a rape engages in can have a strong impact on the development and persistence of psychological symptoms. Research provides evidence that victims who rely heavily on avoidance strategies, such as suppression, are less likely to recover successfully than those who rely less heavily on these strategies. The present study utilized structural path analysis to identify predictors of avoidance coping following rape and examined factors in the assault itself (e.g., force, alcohol use), sequelae of the assault (e.g., self-blame, loss of self-worth), and social support as potential direct and indirect predictors of avoidance coping. From a sample of 1,253 university women, the responses of 216 women who endorsed an experience of rape were examined. Results suggested that sequelae of the assault such as feelings of self-blame and negative reactions received from others are potentially important predictors of avoidance coping. Implications of the results for future rape recovery research are discussed.
Interleukin‐10 promoter polymorphisms are associated with the mode and sequel of HBeAg seroconversion in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection
Authors: Peng Xiao Mou , Huang Yang Su , Ma Hui Hui , Gu Lin , Xie Qi Feng , Gao Zhi Liang
Published: February 2006

Abstract: Background: The influence of interleukin‐10 (IL‐10) gene promoter polymorphisms on the mode and sequel of HBeAg seroconversion (a favorable event usually) in patients with chronic Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has not been clarified.

Patients and methods: IL‐10 genotyping and haplotype analyses of 340 HBsAg carriers and 100 volunteers with self‐limiting HBV infection from southern China, a high prevalent area of HBV were performed according to the single nucleotide polymorphisms in its promoter (−1082, −819 and −592) using a competitively differentiated PCR.

Results: High‐producer genotype (GG at −1082) or haplotype (GCC) was rarely found in patients from southern China (<1%). Intermediate‐producer haplotype (ACC) was closely associated with chronic liver disease (P=0.004); compared with this, low‐producer genotype (AA at –592) and haplotype (ATA) were closely associated with asymptomatic carriers (P=0.035 and 0.035). Intermediate‐producer genotype (AC at –592) and haplotype (ACC) were closely associated with covert seroconversion of HBeAg (P=0.0086 and 0.0013) and progressive sequel after HBeAg seroconversion (P=0.013 and 0.0008), while, low‐producer genotype (AA at –592) and haplotype (ATA) were closely associated with overt seroconversion of HBeAg (P=0.0023 and 0.0061) and silent sequel after HBeAg seroconversion (P=0.0009 and 0.001).

Conclusions: IL‐10 gene promoter polymorphisms significantly influence the mode and sequel of HBeAg seroconversion in patients with chronic HBV infection.
Headache Prevalence in Adolescents Aged 12 to 17: A Student‐Based Epidemiological Study in Bursa
Authors: Karlı Necdet , Akış Nalan , Zarifoğlu Mehmet , Akgöz Semra , İrgil Emel , Ayvacıoğlu Utku , Çalışır Nermin , Haran Nazan , Akdoğan Özlem
Published: February 2006

Background and Objectives.—The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence and sociodemographic characteristics of headaches among Turkish adolescents aged 12 to 17 years old in Bursa province of Turkey.

Methods.—A multistep, stratified, cluster sampling method was used for subject selection. The estimated sample size for 12‐ to 14‐year‐old students was 1270 and for 15‐ to 17‐year‐old students was 1117. Our study sample included 6.5% of the secondary schools and 1.8% of the students aged 12 to 17 years old. The study was conducted in two phases; the questionnaire phase and the face‐to‐face interview phase.

Results.—The prevalence of recurrent headache in the study population was 52.2%. Girls (59.8%) had significantly more recurrent headache than boys (45.1%) The prevalence of recurrent headache increased from 42.2% up to 60.7% by age. In multivariate logistic regression analysis age and gender differed significantly between adolescents with and without recurrent headache groups. Frequent episodic tension‐type headache was the most common (25.9%) headache among Turkish adolescents, followed by migraine (14.5%).

Conclusions.—Age and gender appeared to be demographic factors increasing adolescent headache prevalence. Frequent episodic‐tension type headache was the most common headache followed by migraine. Our migraine prevalence was slightly higher than most of the previously reported prevalence rates. This might be due to the new classification criteria of headache released by International Headache Society.
Retinal Vascular Caliber and Migraine: The Blue Mountains Eye Study
Authors: Liew Gerald , Mitchell Paul , Wong Tien Yin , Wang Jie Jin
Published: February 2006

Objective.—To assess whether migraine is associated with retinal microvascular caliber.

Background.—Migraine is believed to be associated with vascular disease, but few studies have investigated the relationship between structural microvascular changes and migraine.

Design.—Population‐based cross‐sectional study.

Methods.—Participants in the Blue Mountains Eye Study follow‐up (1997 to 1999, n = 2335, aged 54+) had retinal photographs taken. A computer‐assisted method was used to measure average retinal arteriolar and venular diameters and calculate the arteriole‐to‐venule ratio. History of migraine was recorded by interview using International Headache Society criteria (1988).

Results.—Subjects giving a history of migraine without aura (n = 128) had narrower retinal arterioles than subjects giving a history of migraine with aura (n = 182) or subjects with no migraine history (n = 1619). After multivariate adjustment, mean retinal arteriolar diameter was 4.3 μm (95% confidence interval 0.5, 8.1) narrower in subjects reporting migraine without aura as compared to subjects with no migraine.

Conclusions.—Individuals with a history of migraine without aura were more likely to have slightly narrower retinal arteriolar caliber than individuals without migraine. This relationship was not present for migraine with aura. These data support the hypothesis that microvascular disease may be associated with certain types of migraine.
Cortical Bone Graft and Endoprosthesis in the Distal Radius of Dogs: A Biomechanical Comparison of Two Different Limb‐Sparing Techniques
Authors: LIPTAK JULIUS M. , EHRHART NICOLE , SANTONI BRANDON G. , WHEELER DONNA L.
Published: February 2006

Objective—To compare the biomechanical properties of cortical bone and surgical steel endoprosthesis for limb‐sparing surgery of the distal radius in dogs and evaluate the role of the ulna in providing stability to the reconstructed limb.

Study Design—Cadaveric biomechanical study.

Animals—Twelve pairs of normal canine thoracic limbs.

Methods—Paired limbs were divided into 4 groups: endoprosthesis and cortical bone graft, with and without preservation of the ulna. In each limb pair, the distal segment of the radius resected from the limb to be reconstructed with an endoprosthesis was used as the cortical bone graft in the contralateral limb. The ulna was resected en bloc with the radius and at the same level as the radial osteotomy in limbs where the ulna was not preserved. Limbs were tested in axial loading until failure. The load–deformation curve was used to acquire the biomechanical properties of each construct, which were compared using 2‐way ANOVA. Failure modes were compared descriptively.

Results—Limbs reconstructed with the endoprosthesis had significantly greater yield load, energy at yield, and ultimate load compared with limbs reconstructed with a cortical bone graft. There were no significant differences in either energy to failure or stiffness between the 2 constructs. Preservation of the ulna did not significantly improve any of the biomechanical properties tested with either endoprosthesis or cortical bone graft constructs. The modes of failure in all 4 groups were variable and inconsistent.

Conclusions—Limbs reconstructed with an endoprosthesis were biomechanically superior to limbs reconstructed with a cortical bone graft in axial loading to failure. Preservation of the ulna is not required to improve the stability in axial compression after limb‐sparing surgery of the distal radius.

Clinical Relevance—The endoprosthesis may provide another option for limb‐sparing surgery of the distal radius in dogs. It has potential advantages when compared with cortical bone grafts, including better biomechanical performance and resistance to implant failure in axial compression, immediate availability, and no requirement for bone banking facilities. The ulna can be resected en bloc with the radius without having a negative impact on construct stability. En bloc resection of the ulna and radius may decrease the risk of local tumor recurrence after limb‐sparing surgery.
Femoral Neuropathy in a Dog with Iliopsoas Muscle Injury
Authors: STEPNIK MATTHEW W. , OLBY NATASHA , THOMPSON R. RANDALL , MARCELLIN‐LITTLE DENIS J.
Published: February 2006

Objective—To report femoral nerve dysfunction caused by focal iliopsoas muscle injury and treated by performing tenectomy of the muscle insertion.

Study Design—Case report.

Animals—A 4‐year‐old, castrated male, English Mastiff.

Results—Iliopsoas muscle injury caused femoral nerve deficits and severe pain. Focal injury was not detected by ultrasonography or computed tomography but was visible on magnetic resonance (MRI) images. Tenectomy of the insertion of the iliopsoas muscle relieved signs of pain.

Conclusions—Femoral nerve dysfunction may occur with iliopsoas muscle injury.

Clinical Relevance—Iliopsoas muscle injury should be considered in patients with hip pain and MRI is a useful test for diagnosis. Tenectomy may be indicated for relief of chronic iliopsoas muscle pain.
Evaluation of Laser Doppler Flowmetry for Measurement of Capillary Blood Flow in the Stomach Wall of Dogs During Gastric Dilatation‐Volvulus
Authors: MONNET ERIC , PELSUE DAVYD , MACPHAIL CATRIONA
Published: February 2006

Objectives—To validate laser doppler flowmetry (LDF) for measurement of blood flow in the stomach wall of dogs with gastric dilatation‐volvulus (GDV).

Animals—Six purpose‐bred dogs and 24 dogs with naturally occurring GDV.

Study Design—Experimental and clinical.

Methods—Capillary blood flow in the body of the stomach and pyloric antrum was measured with LDF (tissue perfusion unit (TPU) before and after induction of portal hypertension (PH) and after PH plus gastric ischemia (GI; PH+GI) and compared with flow measured by colored microsphere technique. Capillary flow was measured by LDF in the stomach wall of dogs with GDV.

Results—PH and PH+GI induced a significant reduction in blood flow in the body of the stomach (P=.019). A significant positive correlation was present between percent changes in capillary blood flow measured by LDF and colored microspheres after induction of PH+GI in the body of the stomach (r=0.94,P=.014) and in the pyloric antrum (r=0.95,P=.049). Capillary blood flow measured in the body of the stomach of 6 dogs that required partial gastrectomy (5.00±3.30 TPU) was significantly lower than in dogs that did not (28.00±14.40 TPU,P=.013).

Conclusions—LDF can detect variations in blood flow in the stomach wall of dogs.

Clinical Relevance—LDF may have application for evaluation of stomach wall viability during surgery in dogs with GDV.
Napoleon and Hitler
Authors: Englund Steven
Published: February 2006

This essay discusses the question: is Napoleon Bonaparte in any significant sense the predecessor of Adolf Hitler? Is this simile a good heuristic device for bringing out hidden qualities or dimensions which we would not otherwise perceive in Napoleon? Or, at the end of the day, was Hannah Arendt right in explicitly repudiating the notion that Napoleon was comparable to Hitler? And the essay concludes that for a host of reasons—structure, politics, ideology, personality, posterity—she is correct. It argues that the simile should be withdrawn from serious conversation.
Chronotropic Incompetence and Abnormal Autonomic Modulation in Ambulatory Chagas Disease Patients
Authors: Rocha Ana Luiza Lunardi , Lombardi Federico , Da Costa Rocha Manoel Otávio , Barros Márcio Vinícius Lins , Val Barros Vladimir da Costa , Reis Adelina Martha , Ribeiro Antonio Luiz Pinho
Published: February 2006

Background: Chagas disease (ChD) patients might present chronotropic incompetence during exercise, although its physiopathology remains uncertain. We evaluated the heart rate (HR) response to exercise testing in ChD patients in order to determine the role of autonomic modulation and left ventricular dysfunction in the physiopathology of chronotropic incompetence.

Methods: ChD ambulatory patients (n = 170) and healthy controls (n = 24) underwent a standardized protocol including Doppler echocardiography, Holter monitoring, HR variability analysis, brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) measurement, and maximal exercise testing. The chronotropic response was calculated as the percentage of predicted HR achieved and the HR increment (ΔHR) during exercise. ChD patients were divided according to the absence or presence of cardiopathy and chronotropic incompetence (<85% predicted HR).

Results: Chronotropic incompetence was present in 34 (20%) of all ChD patients. The group with cardiopathy displayed reduced ΔHR (91 ± 19 bpm) during exercise in comparison with ChD patients without cardiopathy (100 ± 19 bpm). Both the values observed in ChD groups were significantly different from those of controls (112 ± 13 bpm). Exercise duration, maximal oxygen consumption, and systolic blood pressure increment were significantly reduced in patients with abnormal chronotropic response. ΔHR during the exercise was significantly correlated with markers of autonomic control of sinus node, such as rest HR (r =−0.498, P ≤ 0.001), peak HR during exercise (r = 0.775, P ≤ 0.001), minimal HR during Holter recording (r =−0.231, P = 0.003), and high‐ and low‐frequency components of short‐term HR variability (r = 0.188, P = 0.042 and r = 0.203, P = 0.027). Neither left ventricular function nor BNP levels were independently related to the presence of chronotropic incompetence.

Conclusions: Chronotropic incompetence may be considered an early sign of autonomic dysfunction in ChD patients.
Impact of the Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial on Clinical Practice
Authors: Ho Ivan C.K. , Passeri Jonathan J. , Guy Mary L. , Ruskin Jeremy N. , Ellinor Patrick T.
Published: February 2006

Background: The first multicenter automatic defibrillator implantation trial (MADIT‐I) was a landmark study that identified a significant reduction in mortality among high‐risk patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy treated prophylactically with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), yet the direct and indirect impact of this trial on clinical practice is unknown.

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of the 679 patients who underwent primary ICD implantation between 1994 and 2000 at a single academic center. The baseline characteristics of each patient were determined at the time of ICD implantation, and the vital status of all patients was determined as of January 1, 2004.

Results: The number of patients who received an ICD based on the MADIT‐I criteria increased from 1.4% in 1994 to 6.1% in 2000. An additional 60 patients were identified that met many but not all of the trial criteria and consisted of patients with a history of a recent revascularization or myocardial infarction, syncope, or an ejection fraction ≥35%. The number of patients who received ICDs in this expanded MADIT‐I subset also grew from 5.6% in 1994 to 14.6% in 2000. Mortality during a mean follow‐up of 4.7 years was significantly higher in the MADIT‐I group than in the expanded MADIT‐I, or the remaining primary prevention and secondary prevention subsets.

Conclusion: The MADIT‐I has not only led to an increase in the number of patients undergoing prophylactic ICD implantation, but in clinical practice it has also been extrapolated to a broader population that has a different degree of risk than originally studied.