bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cantharidin induces apoptosis of human multiple myeloma cells via inhibition of the JAK/STAT pathway
Authors: Sagawa Morihiko , Nakazato Tomonori , Uchida Hideo , Ikeda Yasuo , Kizaki Masahiro
Published: June 2008

Multiple myeloma is an incurable B‐cell malignancy requiring new therapeutic strategies in clinical settings. Interleukin (IL)–6 signaling pathways play a critical role in the pathogenesis of multiple myeloma. The traditional Chinese medicine cantharidin (CTD) has been shown to inhibit cellular proliferation and induce apoptosis of various cancer cells. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of CTD as a novel therapeutic agent for the patients with multiple myeloma. We investigated the in vitro effects of CTD for its antimyeloma activity, and further examined the molecular mechanisms of CTD‐induced apoptosis. CTD inhibited the cellular growth of human myeloma cell lines as well as freshly isolated myeloma cells in patients. Cultivation with CTD induced apoptosis of myeloma cells in a cell‐cycle‐independent manner. Treatment with CTD induced caspase‐3, –8, and –9 activities, and it was completely blocked by each caspase inhibitor. We further examined the effect of CTD on the IL‐6 signaling pathway in myeloma cells, and found that CTD inhibited phosphorylation of STAT3 at tyrosine 705 residue as early as 1 h after treatment and down‐regulated the expression of the antiapoptotic bcl‐xL protein. STAT3 directly bound and activated the transcription of bcl‐xL gene promoter, resulting in the induction of the expression of bcl‐xL in myeloma cells. The essential role of STAT3 in CTD effects was confirmed by transfection with the constitutively active and dominant negative form of STAT3 in U266 cells. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that CTD is a promising candidate to be a new therapeutic agent in signal transduction therapy. (Cancer Sci 2008; 99: 1820–1826)
Expression profiling of the solute carrier gene family in chicken intestine from the late embryonic to early post‐hatch stages
Authors: Li H. , Gilbert E. R. , Zhang Y. , Crasta O. , Emmerson D. , Webb Jr K. E. , Wong E. A.
Published: June 2008

Intestinal development during late embryogenesis and early post‐hatch has a long‐term influence on digestive and absorptive capacity in chickens. The objective of this research was to obtain a global view of intestinal solute carrier (SLC) gene family member expression from late embryogenesis until 2 weeks post‐hatch with a focus on SLC genes involved in uptake of sugars and amino acids. Small intestine samples from male chicks were collected on embryonic days 18 (E18) and 20 (E20), day of hatch and days 1, 3, 7 and 14 post‐hatch. The expression profiles of 162 SLC genes belonging to 41 SLC families were determined using Affymetrix chicken genome microarrays. The majority of SLC genes showed little or no difference in level of expression during E18–D14. A number of well‐known intestinal transporters were upregulated between E18 and D14 including the amino acid transporters rBAT, y+LAT‐2 and EAAT3, the peptide transporter PepT1 and the sugar transporters SGLT1, GLUT2 and GLUT5. The amino acid transporters CAT‐1 and CAT‐2 were downregulated. In addition, several glucose and amino acid transporters that are novel to our understanding of nutrient absorption in the chicken intestine were discovered through the arrays (SGLT6, SNAT1, SNAT2 and AST). These results represent a comprehensive characterization of the expression profiles of the SLC family of genes at different stages of development in the chicken intestine and lay the ground work for future nutritional studies.
Anthropometric characteristics as predictors of coronary heart disease in women
Authors: Yang L. , Kuper H. , Weiderpass E.
Published: June 2008

Objectives.  Obesity and other anthropometric measures are clearly related to risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), although debate remains as to which measures are most important and how the impact of obesity varies over the life course.

Aim.  We aimed to investigate these issues in a large cohort of Swedish women. The Women’s Lifestyle and Health Cohort Study includes 49 259 women, aged 30–50 years at baseline (1991–1992) when an extensive questionnaire was completed.

Methods.  Women were given standard instructions for self‐measurement of anthropometric characteristics. Women were followed through linkages to national registries until December 2003, during which time 256 cases of incident fatal CHD or nonfatal myocardial infarction occurred.

Results.  Waist circumference was associated with increased CHD risk after multivariate adjustment for confounders (HR = 1.9; 95% CI:1.1–3.3; highest versus lowest quartile), whereas height, weight and hip circumference were not. Measures of obesity were strongly related to CHD, and after mutual adjustment, waist‐hip ratio (HR = 1.9, 95% CI: 1.2–3.2) was more closely related to CHD risk than BMI (HR = 1.5, 95% CI: 1.0–2.4). Risk of CHD was increased in women who remained heavy, those who were heavy at age 18, and those with low birth weight.

Conclusions.  In conclusion, there is strong evidence for supporting control of obesity, in particular avoidance of abdominal obesity, as a strategy to prevent CHD.
Revisiting human primary immunodeficiencies
Authors: Casanova Jean‐Laurent , Fieschi Claire , Zhang Shen‐Ying , Abel Laurent
Published: June 2008

Human primary immunodeficiencies (PIDs) are often thought to be confined to a few rare, familial, monogenic, recessive traits impairing the development or function of one or several leucocyte subsets and resulting in multiple, recurrent, opportunistic and fatal infections in infancy. We highlight here the rapidly growing number of exceptions to each of these conventional qualifications. Indeed, bona fide PIDs include common and sporadic illnesses and may present as dominant, or even polygenic traits; their pathogenesis may involve non haematopoietic cells, and they may result in single episode of illness, with a single or multiple morbid phenotypes, some of which may involve infection, in otherwise healthy adults. We need to increase awareness of the multitude of clinical presentations of human PIDs considerably and rapidly in the medical community. Human PIDs should be considered in a wide range of clinical situations.
The styrene‐responsive StyS/StyR regulation system controls expression of an auxiliary phenylacetyl‐coenzyme A ligase: implications for rapid metabolic coupling of the styrene upper‐ and lower‐degradative pathways
Authors: Del Peso‐Santos Teresa , Shingler Victoria , Perera Julián
Published: June 2008

Pseudomonas sp. strain Y2 degrades styrene through oxidation to phenylacetic acid via the styABCD operon‐encoded enzymes, whose expression is induced in response to styrene by the StyS/StyR two‐component regulatory system. Further transformation of phenylacetic acid to tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates is mediated by the enzymes of paa catabolic genes, whose expression is regulated by the PaaX repressor. The first step of this paa degradation pathway is catalysed by paaF‐encoded phenylacetyl‐coenzyme A ligases that produce phenylacetyl‐coenzyme A. This metabolic intermediate, upon being bound by PaaX, inactivates PaaX‐mediated repression of both the paa genes and the styABCD operon. Strain Y2 is unique in having three paaF genes located within two complete copies of the paa gene clusters. Expression of both paaF and paaF3 is controlled by the PaaX repressor. Here we use specific mutants in combination with in vivo and in vitro assays to demonstrate that paaF2, adjacent to the StyS/StyR regulatory genes, belongs to the StyR regulon and is not subject to repression by PaaX. We propose that this unexpected styrene‐responsive regulatory strategy for the otherwise metabolically redundant PaaF2 auxiliary enzyme provides a system for rapid co‐ordinate de‐repression of the two sets of catabolic genes required for styrene degradation.
A new twist on an old pathway – accessory secretion systems
Authors: Rigel Nathan W. , Braunstein Miriam
Published: June 2008

The export of proteins from their site of synthesis in the cytoplasm across the inner membrane is an important aspect of bacterial physiology. Because the location of extracytoplasmic proteins is ideal for host–pathogen interactions, protein export is also important to bacterial virulence. In bacteria, there are conserved protein export systems that are responsible for the majority of protein export: the general secretion (Sec) pathway and the twin‐arginine translocation pathway. In some bacteria, there are also specialized export systems dedicated to exporting specific subsets of proteins. In this review, we discuss a specialized export system that exists in some Gram‐positive bacteria and mycobacteria – the accessory Sec system. The common element to the accessory Sec system is an accessory SecA protein called SecA2. Here we present our current understanding of accessory Sec systems in Streptococcus gordonii, Streptococcus parasanguinis, Mycobacterium smegmatis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Listeria monocytogenes, making an effort to highlight apparent similarities and differences between the systems. We also review the data showing that accessory Sec systems can contribute to bacterial virulence.
Paternal effects on seed germination: a barrier to the genetic assimilation of an endemic plant taxon?
Authors: ANDERSSON S. , MÅNSBY E. , PRENTICE H. C.
Published: June 2008

We used a crossing experiment to investigate post‐zygotic barriers that might limit introgression between a pair of closely‐related, gynodioecious plant species – the widespread weedSilene vulgarisand the local Swedish endemicS. uniflorassp.petraea. The study not only considered the effects of hybridization on conventionally‐used (primary) fitness components such as seed set and progeny survival, but also provided a test for the effects of interspecific hybridization on characters with more subtle or habitat‐specific effects on fitness. We detected highly significant paternal effects on seed germination properties, with the germination characteristics of hybrid seed resembling those of the species that served as the pollen donor. These paternal effects on germination represent a potentially strong barrier to interspecific introgression in the two species’ natural habitats, where an inappropriate germination response in the habitat of the maternal parent may lead to the failure of seedling establishment. Interspecific crosses had weak or variable effects on progeny survival, flowering and sex ratio, but these effects could not be interpreted in terms of barriers to introgression. Our results indicate that nuclear restorers inS. vulgarishave the capacity to suppress cytoplasmic male‐sterility genes in its endemic congener.
The Meaning and Meaningfulness of Corporate Social Initiatives
Authors: HESS DAVID , WARREN DANIELLE E.
Published: June 2008

In response to pressures to be more “socially responsible,” corporations are becoming more active in global communities through direct involvement in social initiatives. Critics, however, question the sincerity of these activities and argue that firms are simply attempting to stave off stakeholder pressures without providing a corresponding benefit to society. By drawing on institutional theory and resource dependence theory, we consider what factors influence the adoption of a “meaningful” social initiative—an initiative that is sustainable and has the potential for a significant positive impact on society—as opposed to a symbolic initiative. In addition, we raise the question of how social initiatives—both meaningful and symbolic—participate in the “institutional war” over the meaning of corporate social responsibility.
Reading the Tea Leaves—Did Citigroup Risk Their Reputation During 2004–2005? Presented at ICAA's Second International Conference Globalization – The Good Corporation June 26–28, 2007 Baruch College, New York City
Authors: YORK CHRISTOPHER C. , GUMBUS ANDRA , LILLEY STEPHEN
Published: June 2008

In this paper, we challenge the conventional wisdom that high‐quality news reports of questionable corporate business practices will stimulate various marketplace negative responses, which in turn, will pressure management to undertake actions designed to protect the organization's reputation. Analysis is confined to a relatively brief period of bad news relating to Citigroup, Inc. We conclude that while none of the expected negative marketplace responses are evident in widely available news sources, the CEO did exhibit significant concern and instituted a targeted reputation risk management program. In the absence of a concerned CEO, analysts should not, we suggest, expect a management team to respond with reputation‐enhancing corrective action solely as a reaction to negative publicity regarding questionable business practices.
Transformation Charters in Contemporary South Africa: The Case of the ABSA Group Limited
Authors: ARYA BINDU , BASSI BALBIR , PHIYEGA RIAH
Published: June 2008

Over the past decade, strategy and international business scholars have increasingly turned their attention to assessing how alterations in institutional arrangements in former centrally planned economies influence enterprise‐level strategies. Little is known about the strategic responses of organizations operating in countries going through institutional transformation related to social issues. Since the first democratic elections in 1994, the South African government has focused on addressing the inequalities of the past through what is known as Black Economic Empowerment (empowerment of historically disadvantaged black people). In this paper, we investigate the approach used by the Amalgamated Banks of South Africa (ABSA) Group Limited, one of the top four banks and an important player in the South African financial services sector, in formulating and implementing strategy to ensure successful and sustainable organizational transformation. A key component of ABSA's Black Economic Empowerment strategy is incorporation of transformation as a business imperative and not merely as a compliance requirement.
Corporate Services in Poor Areas: A Case Study with Participative Multistakeholder Involvement
Authors: MELÉ DOMENÈC , PALADINO MARCELO
Published: June 2008

Corporations that provide services such as water, sewage disposal and electricity in poor countries or deprived areas face political, social and economic problems that make it difficult to simultaneously favor the interests of shareholders and other relevant stakeholders. In this paper a case study is presented in which a company, Aguas Argentinas, promoted innovative and participative multistakeholder involvement that produced benefits for all parties. Key factors in the model employed were the generation of credibility and trust, adaptive management to the specific situation of deprived areas, stakeholder dialogue, and participation. It is argued that understanding corporate citizenship as reciprocity and common effort in solving interdependent problems were fundamental to the success of the company in this case.
Corporate Responses to HIV/AIDS: Experience and Leadership from South Africa
Authors: BOLTON PAMELA L.
Published: June 2008

HIV/AIDS harms the viability and competitiveness of African businesses. As a consequence, companies increasingly subscribe to the view that taking a proactive role to combat HIV/AIDS is not simply a question of compassion and good corporate citizenship. Rather, these firms see assertive action against HIV as critical to their long‐term profitability, and some have concluded that it is cost effective even in the short term. The article discusses how South African companies are taking action against HIV in ways that set new benchmarks, enhance the effectiveness of international AIDS advocacy efforts, and spur businesses across Africa and beyond to strengthen their corporate responses to HIV/AIDS.
The Idea of Practice and Why It Matters in the Teaching of Preaching
Authors: Nieman James
Published: June 2008

Abstract.  The concept of practice helps us better understand how preaching works, as well as how we can teach that practice more effectively. This essay develops a compact but wide‐ranging view of practices, reflecting the current scholarly discussion. It also argues that preaching is a particular instance of this larger concept of practices. Understanding preaching as a practice gives new perspectives on what preaching is and allows us to consider how to employ broadly recognized standards of excellence to evaluate particular instances of students’ preaching. Further, this essay explores how the teaching of preaching is a practice in its own right. The value of this insight is that it allows us then to explore how the character of the teaching and the character of what is taught can be consonant with one another, and in ways that can guide. This essay is from “Teaching Preaching as a Christian Practice,” edited by Thomas G. Long and Nora Tisdale. Used by permission of Westminster John Knox Press.
Tell Me a Story of Jesus: Teaching as Storytelling and Four Recent Short Histories of Christianity
Authors: Clingerman Forrest
Published: June 2008

Abstract.  Offering a review of four short introductory books on Christianity, this essay discusses how introductory textbooks, and introductory religion courses more generally, are like storytelling. Books by Lindberg, Tomkins, Norris, and Woodhead are reviewed with an emphasis on their classroom use. These books share several things in common – most notably, each is a “short,” popular text. Dealing with the topic of Christianity in abbreviated form presents certain challenges and possibilities in the task of teaching. After examining these short histories, the essay reflects on several questions that emerge: When should we use textbooks in college classrooms? What are the goals that teachers have in the use of textbooks? How do textbooks define the subject matter of a course? And finally, how do teachers use texts to aid in telling a story in the classroom?
Disrupting the Luxury of Despair: Justice and Peace Education in Contexts of Relative Privilege
Authors: Turpin Katherine
Published: June 2008

Abstract.  The Iliff School of Theology established a justice and peace concentration within its curriculum to respond to the challenges of racism, class and economic exploitation, sexism, and militarism by fostering social analysis and attending to the contributions of religious thought and resources to the struggles of social change. Within an institution and with a student body who both tend to be relatively privileged in terms of class and racial or ethnic background, one of the persistent issues in teaching justice and peace studies has been addressing the emergence of guilt, anger, and despair as course content challenges students (and faculty) to relinquish self‐understandings, historical understandings of their religious tradition and national context, and inadequate theological and faith formation shaped by dominant narratives that ignore social realities of oppression. This pedagogical challenge has encouraged multiple professors to develop unique pedagogical approaches to educating students about justice issues in this context. This paper will draw on the insights of these approaches, in conversation with literature‐based analysis, to describe the temptations students experience when learning about justice and peace in contexts of privilege. This paper also describes the pedagogical practices that emerged in this particular context, and the failures and limitations of these practices for individual and institutional transformation.
E‐jing: Using Information Technology to Teach about Chinese Religions
Authors: Deitrick Jim
Published: June 2008

Abstract.  This article discusses ways in which modern online information technologies may be used to enhance students' understanding of Chinese religions and religious texts. This discussion is predicated upon a model of linguistic communication that places significant weight on the structures and “sedimented presuppositions” of language in determining the meanings of discourse. Assignments are presented that use online technologies to give even beginning students insight into the presuppositions of Chinese religious discourse, while also allowing them to explore, kinesthetically, one of Confucianism's central practices, the reading and writing of Chinese characters. Appendices providing additional materials related to the course are available online: http://www.wabashcenter.wabash.edu/journal/article2.aspx?id=14153.
Learning About Teaching from the Traditions We Teach: Reflections on an Undergraduate Buddhism Course
Authors: Tsai Julius N.
Published: June 2008

Abstract. Can one engage in pedagogical reflection from within the worldviews and practices of the religious traditions that one teaches? This essay explores the possibility of generating comparative models for teaching and learning via the Buddhist concepts of no‐self (anātman), skilful means (upāya‐kauśalya), and awakening (bodhi).
The Chengzhongcun Land Market in China: Boon or Bane? — A Perspective on Property Rights
Authors: TIAN LI
Published: June 2008

With the rapid expansion of China's cities since the 1978 economic reform, more and more villages have been swallowed up by urban sprawl. The retention of collective land ownership in chengzhongcun has, on the one hand, made low‐rent housing affordable for migrants; on the other hand, however, it has exposed chengzhongcun to many social, economic and environmental problems. Based on a case study of chengzhongcun in Guangzhou, and using an analytical framework of property rights, this article has found that maintaining collective land ownership in chengzhongcun has been socially and economically costly, but a redevelopment strategy without a complementary affordable housing scheme may be problematic. In order to solve the problems of chengzhongcun, an institutional reform of collective land is required.

Les villes chinoises s’étant rapidement étendues depuis la réforme économique de 1978, un grand nombre de villages a été absorbé par les tentacules urbains. La préservation d’une propriété foncière collective dans les chengzhongcun a permis que les migrants accèdent à un logement à loyer modéré, tout en exposant cet habitat à de multiples problèmes sociaux, économiques et environnementaux. S’appuyant sur l’étude de cas du chengzhongcun de Guangzhou et sur un cadre analytique de droits de propriété, cet article montre que le maintien de la propriété foncière collective dans le chengzhongcun s’est révélé coûteux sur le plan social et économique et que, par ailleurs, une stratégie de réaménagement sans un système de logement complémentaire accessible pourrait être problématique. Résoudre les problèmes du chengzhongcun appelle à une réforme institutionnelle des terrains collectifs.
‘Cold spots’ of Urban Infrastructure: ‘Shrinking’ Processes in Eastern Germany and the Modern Infrastructural Ideal
Authors: MOSS TIMOTHY
Published: June 2008

This article explores the unfamiliar, but increasingly prevalent problem of overcapacity in urban infrastructure systems in regions subject to dramatic socio‐economic restructuring. Taking the case of water supply and wastewater disposal systems in Eastern Germany as an example, it examines firstly how infrastructure overcapacities have emerged since reunification in 1990 as a result both of sharply declining water consumption in the wake of ‘shrinking’ processes and of infrastructure expansion. Secondly, the article analyses what impact chronic overcapacity is having on the governance of water infrastructure systems. This empirical analysis is framed conceptually in terms of the current debate on the changing relationship between infrastructures and the localities they serve. It assesses specifically how far and in what ways the phenomenon of overcapacity in technical networks resonates with the ‘splintering urbanism’ thesis developed by Stephen Graham and Simon Marvin. It argues that the serious technical and economic problems posed by overcapacity are intensifying spatial disparities in service quality and price, and — more fundamentally — are challenging the supply‐driven ‘modern infrastructural ideal’ of universal and equitable water services.

Cet article s’intéresse à la question, inhabituelle quoique de plus en plus courante, de la surcapacité des systèmes d’infrastructures urbains dans les régions soumises à une restructuration socio‐économique massive. Prenant comme exemples les réseaux d’alimentation en eau et d’évacuation des eaux usées en Allemagne de l’Est, il examine d’abord comment sont apparues des surcapacités d’infrastructures depuis la réunification de 1990, provoquées à la fois par une nette diminution de la consommation en eau à la suite des processus de ‘rétrécissement’ et par l’expansion des infrastructures. L’article analyse ensuite l’impact d’une surcapacité chronique sur la gouvernance des réseaux d’infrastructure de l’eau. Cette analyse empirique s’articule au plan conceptuel autour du débat actuel sur l’évolution des relations entre les infrastructures et les localités qu’elles desservent. Elle évalue en particulier dans quelle mesure et de quelles manières le phénomène de surcapacité dans les réseaux techniques fait écho à la thèse de ‘la fragmentation urbaine’élaborée par Stephen Graham et Simon Marvin. Les graves problèmes techniques et économiques que pose la surcapacité accentuent actuellement les disparités spatiales en matière de qualité et de tarification des services, mais ce qui est plus essentiel, ils remettent en question ‘l’idéal moderne d’infrastructure’ dynamisé par la demande et caractérisant des services de l’eau universels et équitables.
Political Infrastructures: Governing and Experiencing the Fabric of the City
Authors: McFARLANE COLIN , RUTHERFORD JONATHAN
Published: June 2008

There has been a profusion of work in recent years exploring the links between infrastructure and the city. This has entailed a conceptualization of cities and infrastructure that recognizes their mutual constitution and the inherently political nature of networked urban infrastructure. In introducing this symposium, we find that a comparative approach to infrastructure can reveal a diversity of ways in which the urban fabric is produced, managed and distributed, and comes to matter in everyday life. We argue for a more globally informed conceptualization of the politics of infrastructure by exploring three key themes in the symposium: fragmentation, inequality and crisis.

Ces dernières années, les études abondent sur les liens entre infrastructures et ville. Il en a découlé une conceptualisation des villes et des infrastructures qui prend en compte leur constitution mutuelle ainsi que la nature intrinsèquement politique des réseaux d’infrastructures urbains. Pour lancer ce symposium, nous estimons qu’une approche comparative des infrastructures est en mesure de révéler diverses façons dont le tissu urbain est produit, administré et réparti, et dont il devient important dans la vie au quotidien. Nous préconisons une conceptualisation des politiques d’infrastructures qui bénéficierait d’un éclairage à un échelon plus mondial tout en explorant trois thèmes clés du symposium : fragmentation, inégalité et crise.
The Role of Small Towns in Regional Development and Poverty Reduction in Ghana
Authors: OWUSU GEORGE
Published: June 2008

Ghana, like many other countries in sub‐Saharan Africa, lacks a clearly articulated urban development strategy. Urban growth has been rapid but largely uncontrolled. Ghana's adoption of a decentralization programme in 1988 focused some attention on small towns. The country's more recent adoption of the Millennium Development Goals and other specific poverty reduction strategies requires more concerted state promotion of small towns. Improved service provision and delivery through small towns is a necessary component of any successful poverty reduction or regional development strategy.

Le Ghana, comme de nombreux autres pays de l’Afrique subsaharienne, manque de stratégie d’aménagement urbain claire et explicite. L’expansion urbaine a été rapide et généralement non maîtrisée. Le Ghana ayant lancé un programme de décentralisation en 1988, les petites villes ont bénéficié d’un certain intérêt. L’adoption plus récente des Objectifs du Millénaire pour le Développement, ainsi que d’autres stratégies de réduction de la pauvreté, implique davantage de concertation dans la promotion gouvernementale des petites villes. Une amélioration de la mise à disposition des services dans les petites villes constitue un élément nécessaire à toute réussite en matière de réduction de la pauvreté ou de stratégie de développement régional.
Psoriasis: consensus on topical therapies
Authors: Van De Kerkhof PCM , Barker J , Griffiths CEM , Kragballe K , Mason J , Menter A , Papp K
Published: June 2008

Objective  A consensus conference was convened to evaluate the topical treatment of psoriasis.

Participants  Members of the International Psoriasis Council (IPC) with broad clinical experience in the treatment of psoriasis and a specialist in meta‐ and pharmacoeconomic analyses were invited to participate on the consensus panel. Those accepting the invitation convened in Saariselkä, Finland.

Evidence  An advisory group on topical treatments was nominated by the organizing panel members. All participants reported at the consensus conference on evidence based data with respect to disease severity assessment, the available data on efficacy and safety and on a comparative efficacy/safety analysis.

Consensus process  At the consensus conference, the presentations were discussed and conclusions, which were reached by the group, were recorded. Active participants of the group wrote assigned sections of this consensus document with a majority of participants agreed on the conclusions.
A tool to evaluate rapidly the quality of clinical trials on topical acne treatment
Authors: Revuz J , Moyse D , Poli F , Pawin H , Faure M , Chivot M , Beylot C , Dréno B ,   for the Groupe Expert Acné (GEA)
Published: June 2008

Practicing dermatologists rarely evaluate therapeutic trials. This study was designed to build a simple evaluation tool, use it to evaluate the quality of published trials and thereby consider their applicability. Reports on 146 therapeutic trials, published from 1969 to 2004, were selected. A 50‐item list was used for an initial assessment. After comparison with existing grids, a shortened nine‐item list was established and used for this analysis. The results were analyzed item by item (logistic regression) and globally (principal component analysis). An index was then established and validated using Cronbach's coefficient α. The overall quality of trials was poor: 9% to 73% positive response range. This rate increased after 1990 for six items. Two factors explained almost 60% of the total variance: factor 1 summing six items concerning the formal content of the articles and factor 2 its underlying basis. Using the sum of these six variables, Cronbach's coefficient α reached 0.716; their mean sum improved from 1969 to 1970–2001–2005. The significantly improved quality of trials, based on the mean sum over time, supports well‐founded basis of this tool. Regarding the application of evidence‐based medicine in clinical practice, this tool is user friendly and should facilitate the updating of our knowledge.
Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis: A Review of the Current Recommendations of the Histiocyte Society
Authors: Satter Elizabeth K. , High Whitney A.
Published: June 2008

Abstract:  Langerhans cell histiocytosis is a rare proliferative disorder where pathologic Langerhans cells accumulate in a variety of organs. Historically, the nomenclature regarding this entity has been confusing because the disease had been subcategorized simply based upon the different clinical manifestations. In the following article, we summarize the current recommendation of the Histiocyte Society regarding the classification, evaluation, prognosis, and treatment of Langerhans cell histiocytosis.
Dispelling the Myths Behind Pediatric Patch Testing—Experience from Our Tertiary Care Patch Testing Centers
Authors: Jacob Sharon E. , Steele Tace , Brod Bruce , Crawford Glen H.
Published: June 2008

Abstract:  Allergic contact dermatitis is now known to be a common problem in pediatric populations, accounting for up to 20% of all dermatitis seen in children. Seminal studies conducted over the past decade have demonstrated a prevalence rate in the range of 25% to 60% of children referred for epicutaneous patch testing. This patch test procedure is generally accepted as the gold standardin vivo technique to diagnose allergic contact dermatitis. However, the overwhelming majority of research studies to date have been conducted on adult populations. Increasingly, pediatric patients are undergoing patch test procedures with techniques that have been standardized and optimized almost exclusively in adults. With this article, we hope to emphasize common misconceptions and pitfalls encountered with this approach. In addition, we hope to stimulate research interest in this field so as to determine the optimum patch test conditions and techniques for children.
Sustained Efficacy and Safety of Pimecrolimus Cream 1% when Used Long‐term (up to 26 Weeks) to Treat Children with Atopic Dermatitis
Authors: Langley Richard G. B. , Eichenfield Lawrence F. , Lucky Anne W. , Boguniewicz Mark , Barbier Nathalie , Cherill Robert
Published: June 2008

Abstract:  Atopic dermatitis is a chronic, inflammatory condition affecting up to 20% of children. Here, we report the long‐term extension study of previously published pivotal phase III studies with pimecrolimus cream 1%. Two identical, 26‐week studies (6‐week, double‐blind, followed by 20‐week, open‐label phases) were conducted in children aged 2 to 17 years with atopic dermatitis. Pooled efficacy and safety analyses were performed. At day 43, 34.8% pimecrolimus‐treated patients versus 18.4% in the vehicle group (p < 0.001) were clear/almost clear (Investigators’ Global Assessment 0/1) of disease, with significant differences (p < 0.05) between treatment groups for all double‐blind visits in all parameters. Pimecrolimus was significantly more effective (based on the Eczema Area and Severity Index) in treating the face and neck versus the rest of the body (p < 0.0001) and versus vehicle (p < 0.0001) in the double‐blind phase. Disease control was sustained in the pimecrolimus group throughout the whole study. Patients treated with vehicle during the double‐blind phase experienced rapid, marked improvement when switched to pimecrolimus in the open‐label phase. The incidence of adverse events was low and comparable between treatment groups. In conclusion, pimecrolimus cream 1% is effective and well tolerated in the long‐term control of children with mild to moderately severe atopic dermatitis.
Mucocele in Pediatric Patients: Analysis of 36 Children
Authors: Nico Marcello Menta S. , Park Jee Hee , Lourenço Silvia Vanessa
Published: June 2008

Abstract:  Mucoceles are common benign lesions of the oral cavity that develop following extravasation or retention of mucous material from major or minor salivary glands. Most series report a higher incidence of mucocele in young patients but no studies exist for this specific age group. The records of 104 patients presenting with mucocele who underwent surgery in the Oral Diseases Clinic of the Department of Dermatology of the University of São Paulo, Brazil, between 1991 and 2006, were reviewed. Of these, 36 (34.6%) were 15 years old or younger, the youngest being 2 years old. Twenty‐six patients were girls, 10 were boys. Lesions were located on the lower labial mucosa (30 patients), tongue (three), floor of the mouth (one), buccal mucosa (one), and in one patient the location was unknown. Histopathology revealed an extravasation pattern in 35 patients and a retention pattern in one. Of the distinct subtypes of mucocele, tongue lesions (mucocele of the glands of Blandin‐Nuhn) seem to be more prevalent and retention mucoceles seem to be very rare in children.
Molecular Analysis of Malassezia Species Isolated from Hospitalized Neonates
Authors: Zomorodain Kamiar , Mirhendi Hossein , Tarazooie Bita , Kordbacheh Parivash , Zeraati Hojjat , Nayeri Fatemeh
Published: June 2008

Abstract:  Malassezia species are a part of the skin microflora of neonates. Under certain circumstances, they can cause diseases ranging from simple pustulosis to lifethreatening fungemia in newborn infants. Little information is available about the epidemiology of Malassezia species in neonates. In the present study, we successfully isolated Malassezia yeasts from 68.7% of hospitalized neonates. Using the polymerase chain reaction‐restriction fragment length polymorphism method (PCR‐RFPL), M. furfur (88.06%) was identified as the most isolated species, followed in frequency by M. globosa (10.48%), M. obtusa (0.73%), and M. slooffiae (0.73%). Among the variables studied, only a longer stay in the ward resulted in a higher colonization rate. Using multiple logistic regression, only the type of hospital and ward had some effects on the colonization rate. Our results supported the hypothesis that neonates acquire Malassezia flora through direct contact with their mothers or hospital personnel.
Congenital Psoriasis: Case Report and Literature Review
Authors: Lehman Julia S. , Rahil Anudeep K.
Published: June 2008

Abstract:  While childhood psoriasis is fairly common, congenital psoriasis appears to be rare and has not been well characterized. We present a patient with histologically confirmed congenital psoriasis. By reviewing the literature, we aim to both define this disease and compare it to infantile and childhood psoriasis. Electronic searches found articles reporting patients with biopsy‐proven congenital psoriasis. We recorded clinical features, such as family history, anatomic involvement, and disease severity. We compared these data with previous descriptions of infantile and childhood psoriasis. We included nine patients with congenital psoriasis in our analysis. No patient had a first‐degree family history of psoriasis. While the face, scalp, chest, and trunk were frequently involved, the buttocks generally were spared. Several patients had persistent disease despite therapy. In this series, congenital psoriasis differed from infantile and childhood psoriasis in several respects. Specifically, congenital psoriasis was associated with a lower prevalence of relevant family history, which could increase over time, and a different pattern of anatomic involvement, which may reflect exposure to age‐associated environmental factors. Although several patients with congenital psoriasis had severe disease, this likely represents publication bias. Additional reports of congenital psoriasis with extended follow‐up are needed to better characterize this condition.
Linear IgA Disease of Childhood Developing IgA Nephropathy
Authors: Rositto Alicia E. , Cobeñas Carlos , Drut Ricardo
Published: June 2008

Abstract:  We report the case of a 10‐year‐old girl presenting with linear IgA disease of childhood who in the follow‐up at age 16 developed hematuria and proteinuria resulting from IgA nephropathy. The combination of linear IgA disease and Berger nephropathy appears to be extremely uncommon but clinical alertness to this association might discover additional cases.
Focal Preauricular Dermal Dysplasia: Report of Two Cases and a Review of Literature
Authors: Krathen Michael S. , Rosenbach Misha , Yan Albert C. , Crawford Glen H.
Published: June 2008

Abstract:  We report two cases of focal preauricular dermal dysplasia and review the available literature. Focal preauricular dermal dysplasia is a form of aplasia cutis congenita in which atrophic skin lesions occur in a stereotypical bilateral distribution in the preauricular region. Although focal preauricular dermal dysplasia and membranous cutis aplasia of the scalp share clinical similarities, focal preauricular dermal dysplasia represents a form of aplasia cutis congenita that is not typically associated with extracutaneous anomalies.
Congenital Volkmann Ischemic Contracture: A Case Report
Authors: Raimer Lauren , McCarthy Rebecca A. , Raimer David , Colome‐Grimmer Maria
Published: June 2008

Abstract:  Congenital Volkmann ischemic contracture is a rare condition in which a neonate presents with an ulcerated forearm, necrotic subcutaneous tissue, nerve palsy, and muscular necrosis. We report a case of a 1‐day‐old infant who presented with an ulceration of the left forearm noted at delivery combined with decreased motor function of the left distal forearm. Histologic examination of the ulceration revealed findings of subcutaneous fat necrosis of the newborn. To our knowledge, this is the first case for which the findings of subcutaneous fat necrosis have been seen histologically.
Large, Papillomatous, Pedunculated Nevus Sebaceus: A New Phenotype
Authors: Correale Dana , Ringpfeil Franziska , Rogers Maureen
Published: June 2008

Abstract:  We present five cases of an unusual phenotype of nevus sebaceus characterized by large, pink, exophytic nodules. In all cases, no evidence of extracutaneous disease or associated syndromes was observed. We review the clinical presentation of nevus sebaceus, the differential diagnosis of exophytic scalp tumors in the newborn, as well as management of these lesions.
Basal Cell Carcinoma with Fibroepithelioma‐like Histology in a Healthy Child: Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Scalvenzi Massimiliano , Francia Maria Grazia , Falleti Jessica , Balato Anna
Published: June 2008

Abstract:  We report the case of a 13‐year‐old girl with a 7 mm plaque on the trunk. The mother of the patient reported that the lesion developed at the age of 3 and it was characterized by a slow growth. In 2003 a dermoscopic examination was executed and a diagnosis of dermical nevus was made. On examination at our department, a red‐pinkish plaque with two small areas of ulceration was found on the anterior part of the trunk. At dermoscopic examination we observed vascular pattern with linear‐irregular vessels, multiple blue‐gray dots, blue‐gray ovoid nests, and ulceration. A diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma was made and confirmed by histopathologic examination. The histopathologic specimen showed nests or lobules of basalioid cells associated with a surrounding loose fibromucinous stroma; two patterns were observed: adenoid‐cystic and fibroepithelial. Some fibroepithelioma of Pinkus‐like areas were present, where the fibrovascular stroma was very abundant with an arborizing network of long, thin cords of basaliod cells that extended downward from the epidermis and created a fenestrating pattern. The lesion was surgically excised. Basal cell carcinoma occurs rarely in children and is most often associated with an underlying condition that predisposes patients to the development of malignancy that was not present in our case.
Adult T‐cell Leukemia/Lymphoma in an Adolescent Presenting with Skin Lesions
Authors: Lucas Catherine T. , Gillis Kendra J. , Ness Jayne M. , Hammers Yuki A. , Crawford David F. , Kelly David R. , Theos Amy
Published: June 2008

Abstract:  Adult T‐cell leukemia/lymphoma is a T‐cell malignancy caused by the human T‐cell lymphotropic virus‐I. Adult T‐cell leukemia/lymphoma is primarily a disease of adults due to the long latency period between initial infection and development of leukemia. We present a case of acute adult T‐cell leukemia/lymphoma in an adolescent. Skin lesions had appeared 3 years earlier and were the initial sign of human T‐cell lymphotropic virus‐I infection and T‐cell malignancy. Her disease failed to respond to both intensive chemotherapy and antiviral therapy. Cutaneous lesions are sometimes the initial sign of adult T‐cell leukemia/lymphoma and early recognition is imperative.
Richner–Hanhart Syndrome Detected by Expanded Newborn Screening
Authors: Meissner Thomas , Betz Regina Christine , Pasternack Sandra M. , Eigelshoven Sibylle , Ruzicka Thomas , Kruse Roland , Laitenberger Gitta , Mayatepek Ertan
Published: June 2008

Abstract:  Richner–Hanhart syndrome (tyrosinemia type 2) is an inborn error of tyrosine metabolism which is clinically characterized mainly by oculocutaneous symptoms including corneal opacities and keratosis palmoplantaris. Skin symptoms usually develop after the first year of life. We report a neonate in whom already on the third day of life diagnosis of Richner–Hanhart syndrome could be suspected because of elevated tyrosine levels in newborn screening by tandem mass spectrometry. Analysis of the tyrosine aminotransferase gene revealed a homozygous missense mutation p.R433W (c.1297C>T). An 8‐year‐old brother with persistent plantar hyperkeratotic plaques of the soles of yet unknown origin was subsequently identified to be also affected with Richner–Hanhart syndrome. This demonstrates that early diagnosis of Richner–Hanhart syndrome is possible in neonates by extended newborn screening. Early introduction of dietary treatment is a prerequisite to reduce the risk of clinical symptoms.
Successful Treatment of Florid Cutaneous Warts with Intravenous Cidofovir in an 11‐Year‐Old Girl
Authors: Cusack Caitriona , Fitzgerald Deborah , Clayton Timothy M. , Irvine Alan D.
Published: June 2008

Abstract:  Cutaneous warts, commonly seen in children and the immunosuppressed are socially distressing and are often resistant to traditional treatments. Here, we report an 11‐year‐old girl with bilateral florid verrucous lesions on her hands, feet and chin, which were refractory to a number of standard treatments including cryotherapy, cantharidin preparations, topical salicylic acid, surgical debulking techniques, oral Cimetidine, and topical and intralesional Cidofovir. As the disfiguring lesions had a marked adverse effect on her quality of life, a trial of IV Cidofovir was instituted. We administered five cycles of IV Cidofovir with a 1‐week interval between the first and second treatment, followed by 2‐week intervals thereafter. This regime was well tolerated and we report dramatic resolution of the lesions with persistent clearance 6 months after completion of the fifth infusion. Resolution of recalcitrant warts with IV Cidofovir has been reported in a limited number of cases. Our experience supports its efficacy in this setting, and to the best of our knowledge this is the first report of successful treatment of cutaneous warts with IV Cidofovir in a pediatric case.
ILVEN‐like Persistent Psoriasiform Dermatitis Confined to a Congenital Becker Nevus
Authors: ABBASI NAHEED , FANGMAN WILLIAM L. , ROSENMAN KARLA S. , SCHAFFER JULIE V.
Published: June 2008

Abstract:  A 10‐year‐old boy presented with a 5‐year history of an intractably pruritic, recalcitrant psoriasiform plaque in a broad vertical band on the left buttock, with histologic as well as clinical features suggestive of an inflammatory linear verrucous epidermal nevus. This lesion was completely superimposed upon a congenital Becker nevus. We postulate that the restricted distribution and persistence of the psoriasiform plaque reflected an inflammatory response limited to the aberrant clone of cells composing the Becker nevus, a manifestation of cutaneous mosaicism that could be characterized as an “inflammatory Becker nevus.”
Linear Nevoid Psoriasis
Authors: TAY YONG‐KWANG
Published: June 2008

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Autoimmune Diseases Associated with Neurofibromatosis Type 1
Authors: NANDA ARTI
Published: June 2008

Abstract:  Associations of autoimmune diseases with neurofibromatosis type 1 have been rarely described. In the present report, we describe two patients of neurofibromatosis type 1 having an association with vitiligo in one, and alopecia areata and autoimmune thyroiditis in another. The associations of neurofibromatosis type 1 with vitiligo, alopecia areata, and autoimmune thyroiditis have not been reported earlier. Whether these associations reflect a causal relationship with neurofibromatosis type 1 or are coincidental needs to be settled.