bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Initial results from long‐term field studies at three sites on the effects of heavy metal‐amended liquid sludges on soil microbial activity
Authors: Gibbs P. A. , Chambers B. J. , Chaudri A. M. , McGrath S. P. , Carlton‐Smith C. H.
Published: February 2006

In a long‐term study of the effects on soil fertility and microbial activity of heavy metals contained in sewage sludges, metal‐amended liquid sludges each with elevated Zn, Cu or Cd concentrations were applied over a 3‐year period (1995–1997) to three sites in England. The experiments were sited adjacent to experimental plots receiving metal‐rich sludge cakes enabling comparisons to be made between the effects of heavy metal additions in metal‐amended liquid sludges and sludge cakes. The liquid sludge additions were regarded as ‘worst case’ treatments in terms of likely metal availability, akin to a long‐term situation following sewage sludge additions where organic matter levels had declined and stabilised. The aim was to establish individual Zn (50–425 mg kg−1), Cu (15–195 mg kg−1) and Cd (0.3–4.0 mg kg−1) metal dose–response treatments at each site, but with significantly smaller levels of organic matter addition than the corresponding sludge cake experiments. There were no differences (P > 0.05) in soil respiration rates, biomass carbon concentrations or most probable numbers of clover Rhizobium between the treatments at any of the sites at the end of the liquid sludge application programme. Soil heavy metal extractability differed between the metal‐amended liquid sludge and metal‐rich sludge cake treatments; Zn and Cd extractabilities were higher from the liquid sludge additions, whereas Cu extractability was higher from the sludge cake application. These differences in metal extractability in the treated soil samples reflected the contrasting NH4NO3 extractable metal contents of the metal‐amended liquid sludges and sludge cakes that were originally applied.
Soil crusts and deposits as sheet erosion indicators in southern Mali
Authors: Bodnár F. , Hulshof J.
Published: February 2006

Rills are indicators of erosion, easily recognized by farmers and extension workers. However, they are rare on fields in Mali with slopes of 0–3%, even though run‐off and sheet erosion may be a problem. The suitability of three other soil surface features as erosion indicators was therefore investigated: (1) structural crusts formed by rainfall impact without lateral soil movement; (2) in situ depositional crusts, formed by sedimentation leaving the finest particles on top; and (3) run‐off deposits of fine and coarse sand, formed after the removal of finer particles. Feature (1) occurred on the elevated parts and ridges, whereas (2) and (3) occurred in lower parts and in furrows. Soil cover with a run‐off deposit of coarse sand proved to be a suitable indicator and this was well explained by erosion risk: a 2% increase in slope related to a 9% increase in deposit cover. The extent of this deposit also related well to cotton yield from the previous season: a 30% increase in deposit cover was reflected in a 23% decrease in cotton yield. Only a few farmers confirmed that the deposits were produced by erosion. It is recommended that soil and water conservation programmes pay more attention to the presence of crusts and deposits.
Soil aluminium availability in Andisols of southern Chile and its effect on forage production and animal metabolism
Authors: Mora M. L. , Alfaro M. A. , Jarvis S. C. , Demanet R. , Cartes P.
Published: February 2006

Soil acidification limits livestock production in many parts of the world. Two experiments were carried out to investigate the effect of aluminium (Al) on pasture yield and animal production. In experiment 1, the effect of raising soil pH (in water) from 5.1 (acid soil, A) to 5.6 (corrected soil, C) was tested on forage and animal production. In experiment 2, Friesian calves were individually fed either silage with or without the addition of 2000 mg kg−1of Al as aluminium sulphate. Al, P, Ca and Mg concentrations were measured in forage, and in animal blood and faeces. Live weight gain (LWG) was also measured. Soil acidification resulted in a 36% overall reduction in pasture yield in the A treatment (9.4 ± 0.31 and 14.7 ± 0.47 t ha−1 year−1for the A and C treatments respectively) and in 15% reduction of the protein concentration in the herbage. No significant differences were found for the individual daily LWG (P > 0.05). Direct Al intake reduced animals daily LWG by 14% (P ≤ 0.05). The correction of soil acidification increased livestock production by 125% when stocking rate was strictly adjusted to grassland production.
GRACILARIA VERMICULOPHYLLA (RHODOPHYTA, GRACILARIALES) IN HOG ISLAND BAY, VIRGINIA: A CRYPTIC ALIEN AND INVASIVE MACROALGA AND TAXONOMIC CORRECTION1
Authors: Thomsen Mads Solgaard , Gurgel Carlos Frederico Deluqui , Fredericq Suzanne , McGlathery Karen J.
Published: February 2006

Gracilaria in Virginia, USA, is abundant and composed of thalli either having relatively flat or cylindrical branches. These two morphologies were referred to previously as G. foliifera (Forsskål) Bøgesen and G. verrucosa (Hudson) Papenfuss. However, G. verrucosa is regarded an invalid name, and the flat specimens are now referred to as G. tikvahiae McLachlan. This has created confusion about the nomenclature of Gracilaria from this region. Here we document that the cylindrical form that dominates Hog Island Bay, Virginia, is G. vermiculophylla (Ohmi) Papenfuss, an alien macroalga from the West Pacific. Most of the ecological studies performed at the Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) site in Hog Island Bay used this cylindrical species. The present study clarifies the taxonomical status of this species, and we identify attributes that make this alien successful in turbid coastal lagoons.
PURIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A LECTIN, BRYOHEALIN, INVOLVED IN THE PROTOPLAST FORMATION OF A MARINE GREEN ALGA BRYOPSIS PLUMOSA (CHLOROPHYTA) 1
Authors: Kim Gwang Hoon , Klochkova Tatyana A. , Yoon Kang‐Sup , Song Yoon‐Sup , Lee Key Pyoung
Published: February 2006

When the coenocytic green alga Bryopsis plumosa (Huds.) Ag. was cut open and the cell contents were expelled, the cell organelles agglutinated rapidly in seawater to form protoplasts. Aggregation of cell organelles in seawater was mediated by a lectin–carbohydrate complementary system. Two sugars, N‐acetyl‐d‐glucosamine and N‐acetyl‐d‐galactosamine inhibited aggregation of cell organelles. The presence of these sugars on the surface of chloroplasts was verified with their complementary fluorescein isothiacyanate‐labeled lectins. An agglutination assay using human erythrocytes showed the presence of lectins specific for N‐acetyl‐d‐galactosamine and N‐acetyl‐d‐glucosamine in the crude extract. One‐step column purification using N‐acetyl‐d‐glucosamine‐agarose affinity chromatography yielded a homogeneous protein. The protein agglutinated the cell organelles of B. plumosa, and its agglutinating activity was inhibited by the above sugars. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis results showed that this protein might be composed of two identical subunits cross‐linked by two disulfide bridges. Enzyme and chemical deglycosylation experiments showed that this protein is deficient in glycosylation. The molecular weight was determined as 53.8 kDa by matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry. The N‐terminal 15 amino acid sequence of the lectin was Ser–Asp–Leu–Pro–Thr–X–Asp–Phe–Phe–His–Ile–Pro–Glu–Arg–Tyr, and showed no sequence homology to those of other reported proteins. These results suggest that this lectin belongs to a new class of lectins. We named this novel lectin from B. plumosa“bryohealin.”
ONTOGENETIC CHANGES IN BUOYANCY, BREAKING STRENGTH, EXTENSIBILITY, AND REPRODUCTIVE INVESTMENT IN A DRIFTING MACROALGA TURBINARIA ORNATA (PHAEOPHYTA)1
Authors: Stewart Hannah Louise
Published: February 2006

Turbinaria ornata (Turner) J. Agardh is a tropical alga that disperses by detached, reproductively mature floating fronds. Material properties (breaking stress, breaking extension), buoyancy, and the proportion of reproductive tissue per frond were measured for juvenile, adult, and old fronds of T. ornata. Correlations between these factors indicate that as fronds age and become more reproductively mature, the tissue in their stipes (where they break) becomes weaker, more brittle, and the overall buoyancy of the frond increases. Measurement of drag force experienced by fronds from each ontogenetic stage allowed calculation of the environmental stress factor (ESF), which indicates the likelihood of detachment of a frond in the flow environment of its habitat. The ESF for fronds of each ontogenetic stage predicted that reproductively mature fronds (adult and old) break more readily than immature (juvenile) fronds. Increased proportions of reproductively mature fronds in floating rafts following storms compared with the proportion of mature fronds attached to the substratum support the ESF predictions. This combination of ontogenetic changes in material properties, buoyancy, and reproductive maturity in combination with the life history of T. ornata may contribute to the dispersal of this alga throughout French Polynesia.
Sex Differences in the Influence of COMT Val158Met on Alcoholism and Smoking in Plains American Indians
Authors: Enoch Mary‐Anne , Waheed Juwaria F. , Harris Claudia R. , Albaugh Bernard , Goldman David
Published: February 2006

Background: Alcoholism and heavy smoking are highly comorbid and are cotransmitted in the general U.S. population; however little is known about comorbidity in American Indians. The catechol‐O‐methyltransferase (COMT) functional polymorphism, Val158Met, has been associated with alcoholism in Caucasians. The aims of our study were firstly to investigate patterns of alcohol and tobacco consumption and comorbidity between alcoholism and smoking in Plains American Indians and secondly to determine the influence, including sexual dimorphic effects, of COMT Val158Met and COMT haplotypes, on these behaviors.

Methods: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual‐III‐R lifetime diagnoses were assigned to 342 community‐ascertained Plains American Indians (201 women, 141 men). Lifetime drinking and smoking histories were obtained. Five COMT loci, including Val158Met, were genotyped. Haplotype‐based analyses identified 1 block with 3 common haplotypes; 2 included Val158, and 1 had the Met158 allele.

Results: The alcoholics drank heavily (12±8 drinks/drinking day) but episodically (max 10±8 d/mo). Although 62% of male alcoholics and 40% of female alcoholics were smokers (≥10 cigarettes/d), only 12% of alcoholic men and 8% of alcoholic women smoked heavily (>20/d). In women, the COMT Val158 allele frequency was maximal in alcoholic smokers (0.85), decreasing to 0.74 in nonalcoholic smokers, 0.67 in alcoholic nonsmokers, and 0.64 in nonalcoholic nonsmokers (χ2=11.1, 3 df, p=0.011). Women showed a main effect of Val158 on smoking (p=0.003). Both male and female alcoholics were more likely to have at least 1 Val158 allele compared with nonalcoholics (0.95 vs 0.88, p<0.05). Approximately 30% of all participants were long‐term, nonaddicted light, social smokers (3.6±1.7 cigarettes/d); they had the same Val158Met frequencies as nonsmokers. Haplotype analyses supported the Val158Met findings; however, only 1 of the 2 Val158 haplotypes was implicated.

Conclusions: Plains Indians have different smoking and drinking patterns and considerably less comorbidity between alcoholism and heavy smoking compared with the general U.S. population. Our COMT Val158Met results suggest that there may be both sex differences in the genetic origins of alcoholism and smoking in this population and overlap in genetic vulnerability to both addictions in women.
Reestablishing an Intragastric Ethanol Self‐infusion Model in Rats
Authors: Fidler Tara L. , Clews Tara W. , Cunningham Christopher L.
Published: February 2006

Background: There is a scarcity of behavioral models that will reliably produce ethanol intakes in rodents at levels that induce or maintain dependence. The present experiments were designed to reestablish a model that uses passive intragastric (IG) infusion of ethanol to induce tolerance/dependence/withdrawal before allowing rats to self‐infuse ethanol intragastrically.

Methods: Sprague–Dawley rats were surgically implanted with IG catheters and allowed to recover. During the passive infusion phase (3–6 days), rats in the experimental group were passively infused with 10% (v/v) ethanol (3.3–12.2 g/kg/d). Rats in the control group were not infused. During the self‐infusion phase (5–6 days), all rats had access to 2 flavored solutions. Licks on 1 solution were paired with ethanol infusions (20%, v/v) whereas licks on the other solution were unpaired. Experiments differed in the specific passive infusion parameters and in the ethanol intake limit during self‐infusion.

Results: Rats in the experimental groups self‐infused more ethanol per day (means of 4–7 g/kg/d) than did rats in the control group (means of 0–2.6 g/kg/d). Across all 3 studies, individual total daily intakes exceeded 5 g/kg on 35% of the self‐infusion days in ethanol‐preexposed rats compared with <1% of the self‐infusion days in the control rats. Ethanol‐exposed rats also infused a substantially higher percentage (42%) of their total ethanol intake in relatively large bouts (>1.5 g/kg) compared with control rats (<10%). The addition of a daily 6‐hour ethanol‐free period during the passive infusion phase (in Experiments 2 and 3) led to higher ethanol intakes than in Experiment 1. Results of a control experiment showed that differences between experimental and control groups in Experiments 1 to 3 were a result of ethanol experience and not a general effect of differential infusion experience.

Conclusions: Relatively short periods of passive IG infusion of ethanol induced levels of ethanol self‐infusion in genetically heterogeneous rats that were comparable with drinking intakes previously reported in rats selectively bred for ethanol intake/preference. Although the induction of dependence/withdrawal may have played a role in this outcome, an alternative interpretation is that experimental rats self‐infused more ethanol because passive exposure produced tolerance to aversive pharmacological effects that would otherwise limit intake of the paired flavor because of development of conditioned taste aversion. The current findings provide a strong basis for future work designed to identify parametric determinants of this form of self‐administration, its sensitivity to genetic influences, and its neurobiological substrates.
Delay Discounting Predicts Behavioral Sensitization to Ethanol in Outbred WSC Mice
Authors: Mitchell Suzanne H. , Reeves Jamie M. , Li Na , Phillips Tamara J.
Published: February 2006

Background: Alcoholic individuals discount the value of future rewards more steeply than social drinkers, which is viewed as symptomatic of higher levels of impulsivity. However, the mechanisms underlying this difference are unknown. This study examined 2 hypotheses about the relationship between discounting and ethanol's effects in mice: (1) steep discounters are less sensitive to the initial stimulant‐like effects of ethanol and (2) steep discounters exhibit greater behavioral adaptation to stimulant effects with repeated ethanol exposure.

Methods: An adjusting amount procedure was used to assess discounting as a function of delay in ethanol‐naïve genetically heterogeneous WSC mice. Mice chose between a small amount of sucrose solution delivered immediately and 19.5 μL delivered following a delay (0, 2, 4, 8, or 12 seconds, varied between sessions). Within sessions, the amount (μL) of immediate sucrose was adjusted until animals became indifferent between the immediate and specific delayed reward. Hyperbolic discount functions were fitted to quantify the degree of delay discounting. Then, in a within‐subjects design over 13 days, mice received a pattern of daily injections of saline or ethanol, and after certain treatments their locomotor activity was assessed for 15 minutes.

Results: Animals with steeper discount functions (greater impulsivity) tended to exhibit less locomotor stimulation on their initial exposure to ethanol. However, steeper discounting was positively associated with increases in locomotor activity after repeated exposure (sensitization), indicating that steep discounters showed higher levels of sensitization to the stimulating effects of ethanol.

Conclusions: These results suggest 2 behavioral effects of ethanol, associated with an increased risk for alcohol abuse, that are associated with variations in delay discounting.
Differential Effects of Alcohol Consumption and Withdrawal on Circadian Temperature and Activity Rhythms in Sprague–Dawley, Lewis, and Fischer Male and Female Rats
Authors: Taylor Anna N. , Tio Delia L. , Bando Jennifer K. , Romeo Horacio E. , Prolo Paolo
Published: February 2006

Background: Hypothalamic synthesis and secretion of corticotropin‐releasing hormone (CRH), a putative mediator of various behavioral and physiological responses to ethanol (EtOH), is defective in inbred Lewis (LEW) rats in comparison with their genetically related inbred Fischer 344 (F344) and outbred Sprague–Dawley (S–D) strains. We aimed to characterize the effects of continuous EtOH consumption and withdrawal on circadian patterns of body temperature and spontaneous locomotor activity in males and females of these 3 strains.

Methods: Adult LEW, F344, and S–D males and randomly cycling females were fed an EtOH‐containing liquid diet or the control (pair‐fed or lab chow and water) diet for 14 days. Biotelemetric body temperature data for the last 3 days of EtOH diet feeding and the first 3 days of withdrawal were subjected to cosinor analysis of the circadian rhythm parameters of midline‐estimating statistic of rhythm (MESOR), amplitude, and acrophase. Mean dark‐phase activity during these periods was also computed.

Results: In the control diet condition, the MESORs and amplitudes of LEW males were lower than those of F344 males. MESORs of rhythms of LEW females were lower than those of both F344 and S–D females. Ethanol consumption caused hypothermia with reduced MESORs and amplitudes of LEW and F344 males and amplitudes of F344 and S–D females. Upon withdrawal, MESORs of the males increased during each day as the amplitudes decreased, reflective of their initial withdrawal‐induced dark‐phase hypothermia, which was most pronounced in the LEW males, followed by light‐phase hyperthermia. MESORs of females were not affected by withdrawal; their amplitudes were differentially affected. Acrophase of LEW males shifted from dark to light on the first day of withdrawal. All rats responded to EtOH exposure with a reduction of dark‐phase spontaneous locomotor activity and an immediate increase upon withdrawal.

Conclusions: Body temperature rhythms of the males were generally more affected by EtOH consumption and withdrawal than the females; within each sex, LEW and F344 rats differed significantly. The specific hormonal factors that mediate the differential temperature responses remain to be defined.
Early Ethanol's Anxiolytic Effects Assessed Through an Unconditional Stimulus Revaluation Procedure
Authors: Pautassi Ricardo Marcos , Sanders Sarah , Miller Stacie , Spear Norman , Molina Juan Carlos
Published: February 2006

Background: Even though ethanol is considered to exert antianxiety effects, the existence of such properties during early ontogeny of the rat has rarely received attention, mainly because of the restricted behavioral repertoire of the pup. This study evaluated ethanol's anxiolytic properties in preweanling rats through an unconditional stimulus revaluation procedure.

Methods: Optimal parameters for the acquisition of an odor avoidance response were obtained in Experiment 1. In Experiment 2 preweanlings experienced 4 conditioning trials defined by a 5 minute exposure to a lemon odor while they were intraorally infused with a sapid aversive stimulus (citric acid). Twenty‐four hours later, pups were briefly exposed to the acid 5 minutes after being administered with 0.0, 0.25, 0.5, 1.25, or 2.5 g/kg of ethanol. Odor preferences were then evaluated in a 2‐way odor preference test. Blood ethanol concentrations (BEC's) derived from these doses were assessed in Experiment 3. In Experiment 4, citric acid mediated‐conditioning was followed by a similar odor‐preference test after pups were re‐exposed to the acid either 5 or 25 minutes after receiving a 2.5 g/kg ethanol dose. Ethanol's effects upon the avoidance response were also analyzed in an alternative rat strain (Experiment 5).

Results: Moderate to low ethanol doses ameliorated the otherwise strong avoidance response. Further experiments: (a) replicated these phenomena, (b) established that they are correlated with BEC's in the range of 17–70 mg%, and (c) Indicated that ethanol's influence upon an avoidance response changes as a function of the temporal course of the intoxication.

Conclusions: Acute ethanol interacts with aversive nondrug‐mediated learning. These findings are likely to be discussed in terms of possible negative reinforcing properties of ethanol and indicate that this drug exerts differential motivational effects during the course of the intoxication. The devaluation procedure should be considered as an alternative method to assess ethanol's motivational properties.
Serum Lipids and Risk Factors for Attempted Suicide in Patients with Alcohol Dependence
Authors: Deisenhammer Eberhard A. , Lechner‐Schoner Theresia , Kemmler Georg , Ober Alexander , Braidt Eva , Hinterhuber Hartmann
Published: February 2006

Background: Alcohol dependence is a major risk factor for suicidal behavior. Although a number of risk factors have been suggested there is still no well‐defined risk profile for attempted suicide in alcoholic patients. Alterations of serum lipids have been associated with completed as well as attempted suicide and with suicidal ideation. This study investigated potential demographic and clinical risk factors for attempted suicide in alcohol‐dependent patients taking serum lipids additionally into consideration.

Methods: One‐hundred ten alcohol‐dependent patients who were admitted to a psychiatric university hospital department for inpatient treatment were grouped according to whether or not they had a lifetime history of attempted suicide. Attempters versus nonattempters as well as attempters who used a violent versus a nonviolent suicide method were compared.

Results: Patients who had attempted suicide at least once in their life differed significantly from those who had no history of suicide attempts. Univariate analyses showed that they were younger (41.7 years vs 46.8 years; p=0.003), were more often smokers (97% vs 77%; p=0.011), had more frequently coabused benzodiazepines (54% vs 17%; p=0.002), and scored currently higher on the Montgomery and Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) global scale (26.3 vs 20.2; p=0.005) as well as the “suicidal thoughts” item (1.8 vs 0.6; p=0.001). Additionally, they had higher serum triglyceride levels (178.9 vs 127.5; p=0.039). A logistic regression analysis left coabuse of benzodiazepines [odds ratio (OR), 5.26; p=0.001], younger age (OR per year increase of age, 0.91; p=0.006), and current MADRS item 10 (“suicidal thoughts”) score (OR per point increase in MADRS item 10 score, 1.43; p=0.019) as significant factors. Suicide attempters who had used a violent method were significantly more often male (82% vs 44%; p=0.035), were younger (38.2% vs 45.1 years; p=0.008), and had less frequently coabused tranquilizers (35% vs 78%; p=0.018) than nonviolent attempters.

Conclusions: These findings contribute to the development of a more specific profile of alcohol‐dependent individuals at risk for suicidal behavior. Further research is required to determine the role of serum triglycerides for suicidal behavior in patients with alcohol dependence.
Effects of the History of Conduct Disorder on the Iowa Gambling Tasks
Authors: Kim Yang Tae , Lee Seung Jae , Kim Sang Heon
Published: February 2006

Background: Recent research conducted with the Iowa Gambling Task (GT) suggests decision‐making impairments in substance dependence, as well as behavior disorders such as conduct disorder and attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder. However, little is known about the past history of conduct disorder on decision making.

The purpose of this study was to test the possible effect of past history of conduct disorder on GT performance and how this factor could contribute to the performance on GT in alcohol‐dependent patients.

Methods: Four subject groups were tested: (1) alcohol‐dependent patients with (n=28) and (2) alcohol‐dependent patients without (n=28), a history of conduct disorder and (3) normal controls with (n=10) and (4) normal controls without (n=30) a history of conduct disorder. Demographic and alcohol‐related variables were evaluated, and a decision‐making task, “Iowa GT,” both original and variant version, were applied.

Results: As a whole, normal controls with a history of conduct disorder and alcohol‐dependent patients with or without a history of conduct disorder show impaired decision making because of hypersensitivity to reward and hyposensitivity to punishment. However, no significant differences were noted between alcohol‐dependent patients either with or without a history of conduct disorder on gambling performance.

Conclusions: These results indicate that the history of conduct disorder may contribute to impaired decision making on GT. Furthermore, this kind of decision‐making pattern may represent one of common underlying mechanisms in both conduct disorder and alcohol dependence.
Single‐ and Multiple‐Dose Pharmacokinetics of Long‐acting Injectable Naltrexone
Authors: Dunbar Joi L. , Turncliff Ryan Z. , Dong Qunming , Silverman Bernard L. , Ehrich Elliot W. , Lasseter Kenneth C.
Published: February 2006

Background: Oral naltrexone is effective in the treatment of alcohol dependence; however, a major limitation of its clinical utility is poor patient adherence to the daily dosing schedule. A biodegradable, long‐acting naltrexone microsphere formulation was developed to achieve continuous naltrexone exposure for 1 month in the treatment of alcohol dependence.

Methods: The single‐ and multiple‐dose safety and pharmacokinetics of a long‐acting naltrexone microsphere preparation were evaluated in healthy subjects. One group of subjects (n=28) received a single dose of oral naltrexone 50 mg followed by a single gluteal intramuscular (IM) injection of long‐acting naltrexone 190 or 380 mg or placebo. A different group of subjects (n=14) received oral naltrexone 50 mg daily for 5 days, followed by IM long‐acting naltrexone 380 mg or placebo every 28 days for a total of 4 doses. A 7‐day washout period separated oral and IM administrations. Blood samples were collected to determine plasma concentrations of naltrexone and the primary metabolite, 6β‐naltrexol.

Results: After a single IM injection of long‐acting naltrexone 380 mg, naltrexone plasma concentrations were measurable in all subjects for at least 31 days postdose. The pharmacokinetics were proportional to the dose and multiple dose observations were consistent with single dose observations. Mean apparent elimination half‐lives for naltrexone and 6β‐naltrexol ranged from 5 to 7 days. Exposure to 6β‐naltrexol was reduced with IM injection compared with that oral administration. No serious adverse events occurred.

Conclusions: This study demonstrated that the long‐acting naltrexone formulation was well tolerated, displayed predictable pharmacokinetics, and resulted in no meaningful drug accumulation upon multiple dosing. Intramuscular administration avoids first‐pass metabolism and changes the exposure ratio of 6β‐naltrexol to naltrexone compared with oral administration. By providing continuous exposure to naltrexone for several weeks following IM injection, this long‐acting naltrexone formulation may offer therapeutic benefit to those patients who experience difficulty adhering to the daily administration schedule necessitated by oral naltrexone therapy.
Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Aldehyde Dehydrogenase‐2 Genotypes in Japanese Females
Authors: Yokoyama Akira , Kato Hoichi , Yokoyama Tetsuji , Igaki Hiroyasu , Tsujinaka Toshimasa , Muto Manabu , Omori Tai , Kumagai Yoshiya , Yokoyama Masako , Watanabe Hiroshi
Published: February 2006

Background: Aldehyde dehydrogenase‐2 (ALDH2) is the key enzyme for elimination of acetaldehyde, an established animal carcinogen produced after drinking. In persons with inactive ALDH2, the body fails to metabolize acetaldehyde rapidly, leading to excessive accumulation of acetaldehyde. Inactive heterozygous ALDH2 enhances the risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in Japanese male drinkers.

Methods: We studied whether this is the case for women. The risk factors of esophageal SCC were examined in 52 Japanese women with esophageal SCC and 412 cancer‐free Japanese women.

Results: The increasing trend in cancer risk according to the quantity of alcohol consumption was significantly steeper in women with inactive heterozygous ALDH2 than in those with active ALDH2 [adjusted odds ratios (ORs) (95% confidence intervals (CIs)) per +7 U/wk increment of alcohol drinking were 3.91 (2.09–7.31) and 1.39 (0.92–2.09), respectively; p=0.006 for difference in OR; 1 Ut=22 g of ethanol]. The results obtained using an alcohol‐flushing questionnaire were essentially comparable with those obtained by ALDH2 genotyping [adjusted ORs (95% CIs) per +7 U/wk increment of alcohol drinking were 3.94 (1.87–8.31) and 1.46 (0.96–2.23) in those with and without flushing, respectively; p=0.021 for difference in OR]. The risk of esophageal cancer was markedly higher in heavy drinkers with ALDH2*1/*2 than in never/rare drinkers with ALDH2*1/*1 [adjusted OR (95% CI)=59.1 (4.65–750)]. Other independent significant risk factors of esophageal SCC were smoking, a preference for hot food or drinks, and lower intake of green and yellow vegetables.

Conclusions: Japanese men and women shared several common risk factors of esophageal SCC, including drinking with inactive heterozygous ALDH2.
Alcohol Consumption Before and During Pregnancy Comparing Concurrent and Retrospective Reports
Authors: Alvik Astrid , Haldorsen Tor , Groholt Berit , Lindemann Rolf
Published: February 2006

Background: Reported alcohol consumption during pregnancy has proven to be higher when reported retrospectively during or after the pregnancy, compared with concurrent reports. In a longitudinal, population‐based questionnaire study, we investigated whether these findings could be replicated.

Methods: A longitudinal, population‐based questionnaire study. Among a representative half of pregnant women in Oslo, 92% accepted to join the study. Non‐Norwegian speaking and/or immigrants from nonwestern countries were not invited. Questionnaires were answered at 17 (T1) and 30 weeks of pregnancy (T2) and 6 months after term (T3). The response rate was at T1 93% (N= 1,749), at T2 82%, and at T3 94% [representing 86% (T1), 70% (T2), and 64% of those invited to join the study].

Results: Significantly more alcohol consumption after pregnancy recognition was reported retrospectively at both T2 and T3 [T2 0.15 and T3 0.18 standard units per week (SU/wk)] than concurrently at T1 or T2 (T1 0.10 and T2 0.14 SU/wk). When comparing the 2 retrospective reports at T2 and T3, there was a significant increase over time. Predictive factors for higher retrospective reports were higher age, more SU per week before pregnancy, reported alcohol use after pregnancy recognition (at T1), and depression after the pregnancy. A predictive factor for lower retrospective reporting was anxiety during, but not after, the pregnancy. Contrary to previous suggestions, anxiety concerning abnormality in the 6‐month‐old child was not a predictive factor.

Conclusion: Concurrently reported alcohol consumption during pregnancy is probably under‐reported. Thus, concurrent reports appear to underestimate fetal exposure.
Reevaluation of the resting time period when preparing whole blood–derived platelet concentrates with the platelet‐rich plasma method
Authors: Moroff Gary , Kline Linda , Dabay Michelle , Hunter Suzanne , Johnson Adrienne , McNeil Deanna , Nixon Jan , Sawyer Sherrie , Taylor Harry , Whitley Pam , Wahab Fawzi , Murphy Scott
Published: February 2006

BACKGROUND:  The resting of platelet (PLT) pellets during the preparation of whole blood–derived PLT concentrates (PCs) is considered an essential step. A reevaluation of the rest period was conducted because preparation and storage conditions have been modified during the past 20 years.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS:  A two‐site in vitro study (Study 1) was conducted with rest times of 0 to 5 minutes, 1 hour, and 4 hours (n = 31‐33 per rest period). Leukoreduced PCs were stored for 5 days. A second study (Study 2) measuring in vivo viability was conducted at a third site (14 paired studies). PCs were prepared from 2 units of whole blood on the same day to simultaneously compare viability following storage and radioisotopic labeling.

RESULTS:  In Study 1, comparable in vitro parameters and swirling were observed with the three rest periods. The mean (±1 SD) values after storage for the extent of shape change and hypotonic stress parameters were 0 to 5 minutes, 16.7 ± 7.2 and 66.0 ± 15.7%; 1 hour, 19.1 ± 6.9 and 69.3 ± 17.9%; and 4 hours, 17.6 ± 5.5 and 64.1 ± 11.3%. In Study 2, the in vivo recovery was 49.9 ± 15.3 and 50.9 ± 20.2% with 0‐ to 5‐minute and 1‐hour rest periods, respectively. The corresponding survival time was 111.2 ± 50.7 and 114.9 ± 43.8 hours.

CONCLUSION:  These studies indicate comparable in vitro and in vivo viability properties with 0‐ to 5‐minute and 1‐hour rest periods and at 4 hours (in vitro only).
Convenience, the bane of our existence, and other barriers to donating
Authors: Schreiber George B. , Schlumpf Karen S. , Glynn Simone A. , Wright David J. , Tu Yongling , King Melissa R. , Higgins Martha J. , Kessler Debra , Gilcher Ronald , Nass Catharie C. , Guiltinan Anne M. ,   National Heart, Lung, Blood Institute Retrovirus Epidemiology Donor Study
Published: February 2006

BACKGROUND:  To prevent donor loss and improve retention, it is important to understand the major deterrents to blood donation and to identify factors that can be effectively addressed by blood centers.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS:  A 30‐item self‐administered questionnaire was completed in 2003 by 1705 first‐time and 2437 repeat US donors who had not donated in 2 to 3 years. Asian, Hispanic, black, and white first‐time and repeat donors rated the importance of deterrents to donation in their decision to not return with a 1 to 5 scale. Categorical analysis of variance methods were used to compare the importance of deterrents between first‐time and repeat donors of different race or ethnicity.

RESULTS:  Not having a convenient place to donate was most commonly cited as an important or very important reason for not returning by 32 to 42 percent of first‐time and 26 to 43 percent of repeat respondents. Although bad treatment and poor staff skills were less of a barrier than convenience, they were more important for minority donors. Other factors such as physical side effects, foreign travel, or length of the process appeared less important.

CONCLUSION:  Inconvenience is a major barrier to donating, suggesting that mobile collections and increased hours of operation might help recapture lapsed donors. The finding that lapsed minority donors were more likely to give bad treatment and poor staff skills as important reasons to not donate is disconcerting in light of the changing donor demographics and increased efforts to recruit these donors.
Streptococcus agalactiae sepsis after transfusion of a plateletpheresis concentrate: benefit of donor evaluation
Authors: Stevens Wesley T. , Bolan Charles D. , Oblitas Jaime M. , Stroncek David F. , Bennett John E. , Leitman Susan F.
Published: February 2006

BACKGROUND:  Bacterial contamination of platelet (PLT) components is an important cause of transfusion reactions. Recent efforts have focused on heightened surveillance to detect contamination before transfusion to limit recipient morbidity and mortality. Although identifying the cause of contamination is most often viewed in the context of recipient safety, this case illustrates the importance of a thorough evaluation on donor safety.

CASE REPORT:  A 68‐year‐old woman experienced a severe febrile reaction after a plateletpheresis transfusion. Blood cultures from the patient and from the plateletpheresis component were both positive for the presence of Streptococcus agalactiae. No abnormalities were identified on review of collection and processing records. The donor was asymptomatic and had a negative review of systems, a normal physical exam, normal laboratory values, and negative blood and urine cultures. One of three stool samples was positive for the presence of occult blood. Colonoscopy revealed a Dukes Stage B colonic adenocarcinoma. Fifteen months after surgical resection and adjuvant chemotherapy, the donor had no evidence of recurrent tumor.

CONCLUSION:  Identification of bacteria in blood components should trigger a comprehensive donor evaluation, particularly if donor bacteremia is suspected. Organisms that may be associated with an enteric source should prompt a thorough gastrointestinal evaluation. Because the primary reservoir of S. agalactiae in the human body is the gastrointestinal tract, and because no findings suggested an alternate portal of entry in our male donor, a gastrointestinal source was suspected. In this case, an evaluation for organism‐specific pathology led to early identification of a potentially curable large bowel lesion.
Preparation of soluble infectious samples from scrapie‐infected brain: a new tool to study the clearance of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy agents during plasma fractionation
Authors: Berardi Vito Angelo , Cardone Franco , Valanzano Angelina , Lu Mei , Pocchiari Maurizio
Published: February 2006

BACKGROUND:  Concern about the safety of blood, blood components, and plasma‐derived products with respect to prions has increased since the report of two blood‐related infections of variant Creutzfeldt‐Jakob disease in the United Kingdom. Efforts were directed toward the development of procedures able to remove or inactivate prions from blood components or plasma‐derived products with brain fractions of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE)‐infected rodents as spiking materials. These spiking materials, however, are loaded with pathological prion protein (PrPTSE) aggregates that are likely not associated to blood infectivity. The presence of these aggregates may invalidate these studies.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS:  Brains from 263K scrapie–infected hamsters were suspended in 10 percent phosphate‐buffered saline. After low‐speed centrifugation, the supernatant was collected and ultracentrifuged at 220,000 × g at 25°C for 30 minutes. The high‐speed supernatants (SHS) and pellets were collected; the proteinase‐resistant PrPTSE was measured by Western blot and infectivity by intracerebral inoculation into weanling hamsters.

RESULTS:  A substantial amount of prion infectivity (more than 105 LD50 per mL of a 10% suspension of brain tissues) is present in the SHS fraction of 263K scrapie–infected hamster brains. Concomitantly, this fraction contains none or only traces of PrPTSE in its aggregate form.

CONCLUSION:  This study describes a simple and fast protocol to prepare infectious material from 263K scrapie–infected brains that is not contaminated with PrPTSE aggregates. This SHS fraction is likely to be the most relevant material for endogenous spiking of human blood in validation experiments aimed at demonstrating procedures to remove or inactivate TSE infectious agents.
Additional red blood cell alloantibodies after blood transfusions in a nonhematologic alloimmunized patient cohort: is it time to take precautionary measures?
Authors: Schonewille Henk , Van De Watering Leo M.G. , Brand Anneke
Published: February 2006

BACKGROUND:  Red blood cell (RBC) alloimmunization is common in transfused patients. Most studies report on the rate of alloimmunization in chronically transfused patients, which can be as high as 60 percent. Less is known on the incidence of clinically relevant antibodies in accidentally transfused patients. Because the probability of repeat transfusion increases with longer life expectancy, it was wondered to which extend non–chronically transfused alloimmunized patients are prone to form additional antibodies after repeat transfusion events.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS:  A 20‐year retrospective multicenter study was performed analyzing additional alloantibody formation, against the RH, KEL, FY, JK, and MNS blood group systems.

RESULTS:  After additional transfusions, 21.4 percent of 653 patients produced additional antibodies, resulting in 157 new antibody specificities. At the end of the study 33.4 percent of patients had multiple antibodies. Eighty of 140 patients (57%) who formed additional antibodies did so after one transfusion episode of a median of 2 units of RBCs. Based on the antigen profile of 316 patients, 83 percent of antibodies could have been prevented by extended matching for the C, E, c, K, Fya, and Jka antigens. Considering the current available donors in our region, 1 to 10 percent of potential donors would be available for 39 percent of patients and greater than 10 percent of potential donors for 61 percent of patients.

CONCLUSION:  It has been shown that nonhematooncologic alloimmunized patients are high antibody responders, with a more than 20 times increased risk to form antibodies compared to first‐time alloimmunization risk. If extended matching for C, c, E, K, Fya, and Jka antigens in the future is considered, this group should be taken into account.
Forging Collective Capacity for Urban Redevelopment: “Power To,”“Power Over,” or Both?
Authors: Gendron Richard
Published: February 2006

This paper explores the dynamic of cooperation between economic and political elites in a public‐private partnership that was created to guide the redevelopment of downtown Santa Cruz, California, following the devastating Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989. While the public‐private partnership was instrumental in the success of post‐earthquake reconstruction of the central business district, the consensus and cooperation between progressive political leaders and local business elites in this “partnership” were often more apparent than real. This occurred not only because of the longstanding tensions between the local pro‐growth coalition and progressive political leadership of the city but also because the public‐private partnership became a mechanism for potential regime transformation. Thus, the “collective capacity” needed to proceed with post‐earthquake redevelopment of the central business district was “forged” in two senses: It was created to effect necessary redevelopment, but it was also counterfeit. Political elites sought to limit both the scope and the duration of the partnership to check the increasing power of economic elites in the aftermath of the earthquake. Although regime theory acknowledges the relationship between “power over” and “power to,” I argue that its emphasis on the latter overlooks critical sources of conflict in the creation and implementation of local urban development policy. Consequently, I further argue that an analysis of both conceptions of power is necessary to understand not only how local development policies are enacted but “who benefits” from them.
Power, Reform, and Urban Regime Analysis
Authors: Stone Clarence N.
Published: February 2006

Although “power over” and “power to” are conceptually distinct, in political reality they are intertwined. As forms of “power to,” urban regimes are not neutral mechanisms, but are forms of empowerment. Still, they may come less out of a contest of wills around fixed preferences and more out of how preferences are shaped by relationships. Perceived feasibility plays a major part. Given bounded rationality, one alignment of relationships may crowd out others, facilitating the pursuit of some aims while hindering others. Reformers often face the handicap of being inattentive to the reality that some forms of interaction have higher opportunity costs than others and therefore are less sustainable. Reformers frequently see their task mainly in “power over” terms, that is, of ousting defenders of the status quo. But if reformers think about their task in terms of “power to,” then they can see that a major obstacle is the difficulty of achieving a settlement with sustainable forms of interaction. Going beyond particular battles to win the war for reform calls for a regime‐building effort that rests on viable forms of cooperation.
Ideology, Moral Cosmology, and Community in the United States
Authors: Ryle Robyn R. , Robinson Robert V.
Published: February 2006

We propose an ideological/cosmological model to complement the three answers that have been offered to the Community Question: contentions that community is now lost, saved, or liberated. We hypothesize that the U.S. education system inculcates an individualistic ideology that disposes highly educated people to a weaker sense of community. We also hypothesize that the theologically modernist moral cosmology is inherently individualistic relative to the religiously orthodox cosmology and inclines those holding it to feel less of a sense of community. Through analyses of national survey data on people's feelings of community from their town or city, neighbors, friends, place of worship, co‐workers or fellow students, ethnic group members, and people met on the web, we find strong confirmation for both hypotheses. Education and moral cosmology are each more consistent predictors of people's sense of community across a range of communities than most of the variables in the conventional answers to the Community Question.
Racial Uplift? Intra‐Racial Class Conflict and the Economic Revitalization of Harlem and Bronzeville
Authors: Hyra Derek S.
Published: February 2006

The study of revitalizing African American urban neighborhoods is needed to understand how race, class, and politics influence community development. While numerous investigations of urban neighborhoods stress inter‐racial conflict, few explore intra‐racial class discord. Class antagonism within black America is a controversial and debated topic. Several scholars claim that the common experience of racism has led to social and political unity among African Americans. However, others predict that with greater economic differentiation, shared feelings of social and political commonality will decrease. The economic transformation of Harlem in New York City and Bronzeville in Chicago, two historic African American communities, provides valuable insight into the importance of class conflict to community change. After decades of economic abandonment, these areas are experiencing a resurgence of residential and commercial investments, triggered, in part, by the return of the black middle class. Based on a 4‐year, comparative ethnographic investigation, using extensive participant observation, interviews, and archival data, this study reveals the conflict between lower‐ and upper‐income residents. I highlight the process by which members of the black middle class translate their preferences for community improvement, through local organizations, by advocating for the removal of the poor from these once low‐income neighborhoods. I argue that intra‐racial class antagonism plays a critical role in the economic development of these communities, and assess whether the redevelopment of Harlem and Bronzeville can be considered “racial uplift.” This study supports the notion that class conflict is essential for understanding community change and the black experience in urban America.