bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lactobacillus rhamnosus
Strain GG Prevents Enterohemorrhagic
Escherichia coli
O157:H7-Induced Changes in Epithelial Barrier Function
Authors: Johnson-Henry K. C. , Donato K. A. , Shen-Tu G. , Gordanpour M. , Sherman P. M.
Published: January 2008

Enterohemorrhagic
Escherichia coli
(EHEC) O157:H7 intimately attaches to intestinal epithelial monolayers and produces attaching and effacing (A/E) lesions. In addition, EHEC infection causes disruptions of intercellular tight junctions, leading to clinical sequelae that include acute diarrhea, hemorrhagic colitis, and the hemolytic-uremic syndrome. Current therapy remains supportive since antibiotic therapy increases the risk of systemic complications. This study focused on the potential therapeutic effect of an alternative form of therapy, probiotic
Lactobacillus rhamnosus
strain GG, to attenuate EHEC-induced changes in paracellular permeability in polarized MDCK-I and T84 epithelial cell monolayers. Changes in epithelial cell morphology, electrical resistance, dextran permeability, and distribution and expression of claudin-1 and ZO-1 were assessed using phase-contrast, immunofluorescence, and transmission electron microscopy and macromolecular flux. This study demonstrated that pretreatment of polarized MDCK-I and T84 cells with the probiotic
L. rhamnosus
GG reduced morphological changes and diminished the number of A/E lesions induced in response to EHEC O157:H7 infection. With probiotic pretreatment there was corresponding attenuation of the EHEC-induced drop in electrical resistance and the increase in barrier permeability assays. In addition,
L. rhamnosus
GG protected epithelial monolayers against EHEC-induced redistribution of the claudin-1 and ZO-1 tight junction proteins. In contrast to the effects seen with the live probiotic, heat-inactivated
L. rhamnosus
GG had no effect on EHEC binding and A/E lesion formation or on disruption of the barrier function. Collectively, these findings provide in vitro evidence that treatment with the probiotic
L. rhamnosus
strain GG could prove to be an effective management treatment for preventing injury of the epithelial cell barrier induced by A/E bacterial enteropathogens.
Transcutaneous Immunization with Cross-Reacting Material CRM
197
of Diphtheria Toxin Boosts Functional Antibody Levels in Mice Primed Parenterally with Adsorbed Diphtheria Toxoid Vaccine
Authors: Stickings Paul , Peyre Marisa , Coombes Laura , Muller Sylviane , Rappuoli Rino , Del Giudice Giuseppe , Partidos Charalambos D. , Sesardic Dorothea
Published: January 2008

Transcutaneous immunization (TCI) capitalizes on the accessibility and immunocompetence of the skin, elicits protective immunity, simplifies vaccine delivery, and may be particularly advantageous when frequent boosting is required. In this study we examined the potential of TCI to boost preexisting immune responses to diphtheria in mice. The cross-reacting material (CRM
197
) of diphtheria toxin was used as the boosting antigen and was administered alone or together with either one of two commonly used mucosal adjuvants, cholera toxin (CT) and a partially detoxified mutant of heat-labile enterotoxin of
Escherichia coli
(LTR72). We report that TCI with CRM
197
significantly boosted preexisting immune responses elicited after parenteral priming with aluminum hydroxide-adsorbed diphtheria toxoid (DTxd) vaccine. In the presence of LTR72 as an adjuvant, toxin-neutralizing antibody titers were significantly higher than those elicited by CRM
197
alone and were comparable to the functional antibody levels induced after parenteral booster immunization with the adsorbed DTxd vaccine. Time course study showed that high levels of toxin-neutralizing antibodies persisted for at least 14 weeks after the transcutaneous boost. In addition, TCI resulted in a vigorous antigen-specific proliferative response in all groups of mice boosted with the CRM
197
protein. These findings highlight the promising prospect of using booster administrations of CRM
197
via the transcutaneous route to establish good herd immunity against diphtheria.
AMycobacterium tuberculosisMutant Lacking thegroELHomologuecpn60.1Is Viable but Fails To Induce an Inflammatory Response in Animal Models of Infection
Authors: Hu Yanmin , Henderson Brian , Lund Peter A. , Tormay Peter , Ahmed M. Tabish , Gurcha Sudagar S. , Besra Gurdyal S. , Coates Anthony R. M.
Published: January 2008

The causative agent of tuberculosis,Mycobacterium tuberculosis, has two chaperonin (Cpn60) proteins and one cochaperonin (Cpn10) protein. We show here thatcpn60.2andcpn10, but notcpn60.1, are essential for cell survival. A mutant lacking Cpn60.1 was indistinguishable from the wild-type organism in plate and broth culture and within murine macrophages, although it showed increased sensitivity to high temperature (55°C). However, infection of mice with the Δcpn60.1mutant revealed a major difference from the wild-type organism. In spite of having equal numbers of bacteria in infected sites, the Δcpn60.1mutant failed to produce granulomatous inflammation in either mice or guinea pigs. This was associated with reduced cytokine expression in infected animals and macrophages. Cell wall lipid acid composition was not altered in the mutant strain. Thus, it appears that Cpn60.1 is an important agent in the regulation of the cytokine-dependent granulomatous response inM. tuberculosisinfection.
Streptococcal Pyrogenic Exotoxin B-Induced Apoptosis in A549 Cells Is Mediated through α
v
β
3
Integrin and Fas
Authors: Tsai Wan-Hua , Chang Chia-Wen , Lin Yee-Shin , Chuang Woei-Jer , Wu Jiunn-Jong , Liu Ching-Chuan , Tsai Pei-Jane , Lin Ming T.
Published: January 2008

Our previous work suggested that streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin (SPE) B-induced apoptosis is mediated through a receptor-like mechanism. In this study, we have identified α
v
β
3
and Fas as the SPE B receptors for this function. The SPE B fragment without the RGD motif and G308S, a SPE B mutant with the RSD motif, induced less apoptosis than did native SPE B, suggesting that the RGD motif is critical for SPE B-induced apoptosis. Fluorescein isothiocyanate-SPE B binding assays and immunoprecipitation analysis showed that SPE B specifically interacted with α
v
β
3
. Anti-α
v
β
3
antibody partially inhibited SPE B-induced apoptosis but had no effect on G308S-induced apoptosis. In addition, Fas binding to SPE B was verified in an affinity column and an immunoprecipitation analysis. Anti-Fas antibody inhibited SPE B- and G308S-induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner, suggesting that Fas-mediated SPE B-induced apoptosis also occurs RGD independently. Both anti-α
v
β
3
and anti-Fas antibodies synergistically inhibited SPE B-induced apoptosis. The apoptotic cascades were activated by SPE B and G308S, with a little delay by the latter. After SPE B binding, the cell surface level of α
v
β
3
, but not of Fas, was decreased. The decreased α
v
β
3
level was restored by treatment with the proteasome inhibitor MG132, suggesting a SPE B-mediated endocytosis of integrin α
v
β
3
via the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Taken together, our results demonstrate that SPE B-induced apoptosis is mediated through α
v
β
3
integrin and Fas in a synergistic manner.
Identification and Characterization ofChlamydia pneumoniae-Specific Proteins That Activate Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Production in RAW 264.7 Murine Macrophages
Authors: Jiang Shinn-Jong , Kuo Cho-Chou , Berry Mark W. , Lee Amy W. , Campbell Lee Ann
Published: January 2008

Chlamydia pneumoniaeis a common respiratory pathogen, which activates macrophages to induce inflammatory cytokines that may promote atherosclerosis. However, the antigens that induce macrophage activation have not been well defined. In the current study, three chlamydial proteins which are recognized during human infection, outer membrane protein 2 (OMP2) and two 53-kDa proteins (Cpn 0980 and Cpn 0809), were investigated to determine whether they activate macrophages and, if they do, what mechanism they use for this activation. It was shown that these three proteins could (i) induce expression of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and tissue factor and (ii) induce phosphorylation of p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) and activation of early growth response factor 1 (Egr-1). Control proteins, the N-terminal fragment of polymorphic membrane protein 8 and the thioredoxin portion of the fusion protein, had no effect on macrophages. Treatment of cells with a MEK1/2 inhibitor, U0126, dramatically reduced the phosphorylation of ERK, activation of Egr-1, and expression of TNF-α in macrophages treated with recombinant proteins. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) act as sensors for microbial antigens and can signal via the MAPK pathway. Chlamydial protein-induced expression of TNF-α was significantly reduced in macrophages lacking TLR2 or TLR4. These findings suggest thatC. pneumoniaemay activate macrophages through OMP2, Cpn 0980, and Cpn 0809 in addition to cHSP60 and that activation occurs via TLR2 or TLR4, Egr-1, and MAPK pathways.
IsdA ProtectsStaphylococcus aureusagainst the Bactericidal Protease Activity of Apolactoferrin
Authors: Clarke Simon R. , Foster Simon J.
Published: January 2008

An important facet of theStaphylococcus aureushost-pathogen interaction is the ability of the invading bacterium to evade host innate defenses, particularly the cocktail of host antimicrobial peptides. In this work, we showed that IsdA, a surface protein ofS. aureuswhich is required for nasal colonization, binds to lactoferrin, the most abundant antistaphylococcal polypeptide in human nasal secretions. The presence of IsdA on the surface ofS. aureusconfers resistance to killing by lactoferrin. In addition, the bactericidal activity of lactoferrin was inhibited by addition of phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, implicating the serine protease activity of lactoferrin in the killing ofS. aureus. Recombinant IsdA was a competitive inhibitor of lactoferrin protease activity. Reciprocally, antibody reactive to IsdA enhanced killing ofS. aureus. Thus, IsdA can protectS. aureusagainst lactoferrin and acts as a protease inhibitor.
Synthesis and Structure of a Clathrated Two-Dimensional Metal-Organic Framework: [Cd(4,4'-bpy)2(H2O)2](ClO4)2·(L)2·H2O (L = Bis(1-pyrazinylethylidene)hydrazine)
Authors: Wu Dayu , Wu Genhua , Huang Wei , Wang Zhuqing
Published: January 2008

The compound [Cd(4,4'-bpy)2(H2O)2](ClO4)2·(L)2 was obtained by the reaction of Cd(ClO4)2, bis(1-pyrazinylethylidene)hydrazine (L) and 4,4'-bipyridine in aqueous MeOH. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction has revealed its two-dimensional metal-organic framework. The 2-D layers superpose on each other, giving a channel structure. The square planar grids consist of two pairs of shared edges with Cd(II) ion and a 4,4'-bipyridine molecule each vertex and side, respectively. The square cavity has a dimension of 11.817 × 11.781 Å. Two guest molecules of bis(1-pyrazinylethylidene)hydrazine are clathrated in every hydrophobic host cavity, being further stabilized by π-π stacking and hydrogen bonding. The results suggest that the hydrazine molecules present in the network serve as structure-directing templates in the formation of crystal structures.
Defining normal variables of right ventricular size and function in pulmonary hypertension: an echocardiographic study
Authors: López-Candales A , Dohi K , Rajagopalan N , Edelman K , Gulyasy B , Bazaz R
Published: January 2008

Background

Right ventricular (RV) fractional area change and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) are recognised methods for assessing RV function. However, the way in which these variables are affected by varying degrees of pulmonary hypertension (PH) has not been well characterised.

Methods

RV end-systolic area (RVESA), RV end-diastolic area (RVEDA), pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) and TAPSE were collected from a database of 190 patients who had been referred to the PH clinic for evaluation.

Results

The mean (SD) age of the study population was 56 (17) years; 82 men were included with a mean (SD) PASP of 54 (33) mm Hg (range 16–150), RVESA of 14 (9) cm2, RVEDA of 24 (9) cm2, RV fractional area change of 44 (18)% and TAPSE of 2.06 (0.69) cm. Receiver-operating characteristic curves identified TAPSE <2.01 cm, RV fractional area change <40.9%, RVESA >12.3 cm2 and RVEDA >23.4 cm2 as abnormal values with PH. Finally stratification of patients into sub-groups according to their PASP allowed means and standard deviations to be reported for each echocardiographic variable.

Conclusion

This analysis provides a range of normal variables of RV size and function, not previously published, that can be used in routine evaluation and follow-up of patients with PH.
Clinical and laboratory profile of primary hyperparathyroidism in India
Authors: Priya G , Jyotsna V P , Gupta N , Chumber S , Bal C S , Karak A K , Seth A , Ammini A C
Published: January 2008

Aim

To assess 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) concentrations in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism and to study the relationship, if any, between vitamin D concentration and bone disease.

Methods

Consecutive patients with diagnosed primary hyperparathyroidism were enrolled in the study. Clinical and biochemical details, including serum calcium, phosphate, alkaline phosphatase, parathyroid hormone (PTH) and 25OHD levels, were recorded. An abbreviated skeletal survey and preoperative localisation with ultrasound/CT scan of the neck and tetrofosmin/technetium-99m hexakis(2-methoxyisobutylisonitrile) parathyroid scan was performed.

Results

39 patients with primary hyperparathyroidism were identified (mean (SD) age 38.4 (15.0) years (range 12–72)). The most common presenting features were bone pain (80%), fatigue (80%) and proximal muscle weakness (78%). Brown tumours were present in 58% of cases, renal calculi in 42% and nephrocalcinosis in 12%. The mean (SD) corrected serum calcium concentration was 12.47 (1.58) mg/dl (3.2 (0.4) mmol/l). Serum 25OHD concentration was <5 ng/ml in 11 patients (28%), 5–10 ng/ml in nine (23%), 10–20 ng/ml in 14 (36%), and >20 ng/ml in five (13%). Serum alkaline phosphatase, PTH and gland weight were higher, whereas serum 25OHD was lower, in patients with skeletal disease. Patients with 25OHD concentrations ⩽10 ng/ml had higher body mass index, lower postoperative calcium and higher postoperative PTH. There was a significant correlation between serum calcium and adenoma weight.

Conclusion

The profile of patients with diagnosed primary hyperparathyroidism does not seem to have changed over the last decade. Parathyroid gland weight was found to correlate with serum calcium and PTH.
HOW DO ENTREPRENEURIAL TECHNOLOGY FIRMS REALLY GET FINANCED, AND WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE?
Authors: WILLOUGHBY KELVIN W.
Published: January 2008

This paper discusses an emerging heterodoxy in the academic literature on entre- preneurial technology finance that is based on the idea of "bootstrapping." Bootstrap finance is a third approach (emphasizing funding technology ventures through revenue and other non-traditional sources), alongside the orthodoxies of traditional business finance (emphasizing debt) and contemporary venture finance (emphasizing venture capital and public equity). The paper also reports the results of an original empirical study of entrepreneurial technology firms in the bioscience-related industries in the United States. The data from the study show that "unorthodox" bootstrap financing is actually the dominant kind of financing in those high technology industries. The data are analyzed to explore industry effects, regional milieux effects, and entrepreneurial-status effects on the relative mix of bootstrap finance and the three traditional sources of finance: venture capital, public equity and debt finance. The effects on firm behavior and performance of variations in financing strategy are explored, with implications for managers of entrepreneurial technology ventures and educators concerned with technology entrepreneurship.
VENTURE CAPITAL, THE PUBLIC SECTOR AND THE HIGH-TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY
Authors: MESSICA AVI , AGMON TAMIR
Published: January 2008

We studied the optimal funding of the public sector for the Hi-Tech industry in the presence of short-term, cyclical, venture capital (VC) funding by constructing a decision-making model that results in the optimal governmental support and a model that accounts for the dynamics of the VC industry. We found that the VC industry is highly correlated with the NASDAQ stock index and that the optimal public policy for funding the Hi-Tech sector should be anti-cyclical, dynamic, and conditioned on the VC investments. The models and their validation are discussed as well as the practical implications for policy and decision makers.
A STUDY ON THE FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE FITNESS BETWEEN TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY AND CORPORATE STRATEGY
Authors: CHEN JIN , HE YU-BING , JIN XIN
Published: January 2008

Facilitating the company's competitive advantage building as well as enhancing its financial performance, the fitness between one company's technology strategy and its corporate strategy plays a significant role of ensuring the deployment of the company's technological capability and technological resources. In order to analyze the factors which influence the fitness between a company's technological capabilities and its corporate strategy, this study introduces four factors based on the former relevant studies. They are the external environment, top management, firm's technological resources and the organizational convergence ability. Moreover, this study has creatively utilized technology attitude, product innovation and process innovation as three indicators to measure the studying object: the fitness between a company's technology strategy and corporate strategy. After empirical research, a model is constructed, with all the detailed influencing factors and their functional mechanism included. Finally, the limitations and future expectations are discussed.
Relationships of dietary fat, body composition, and bone mineral density in inbred mouse strain panels
Authors: Li Renhua , Svenson Karen L. , Donahue Leah Rae B. , Peters Luanne L. , Churchill Gary A.
Published: January 2008

Laboratory inbred mouse strains show a broad range of variation in phenotypes, such as body composition, bone mineral density (BMD), plasma leptin, and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), and thus provide a basis for the study of associations among them. We analyzed these phenotypes in male and female mice from 43 inbred strains fed on a high-fat (30% caloric content) diet and from 30 inbred strains fed on a low-fat (6%) diet. Structural equation modeling of these data reveals that the relationship of body fat content and areal BMD is altered by dietary factors and genotypes. Sex has no net effect on areal BMD, but after accounting for body mass difference females have higher areal BMD. Leptin is affected by relative fat mass and has no net effect on areal BMD. IGF-I has a direct effect on areal BMD.
Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription-1 Is Critical for Apoptosis in Macrophages Subjected to Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress In Vitro and in Advanced Atherosclerotic Lesions In Vivo
Authors: Lim Wah-Seng , Timmins Jenelle M. , Seimon Tracie A. , Sadler Anthony , Kolodgie Frank D. , Virmani Renu , Tabas Ira
Published: January 2008

Background—

Macrophage apoptosis is a critical process in the formation of necrotic cores in vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques. In vitro and in vivo data suggest that macrophage apoptosis in advanced atheromata may be triggered by a combination of endoplasmic reticulum stress and engagement of the type A scavenger receptor, which together induce death through a rise in cytosolic calcium and activation of toll-like receptor-4.

Methods and Results—

Using both primary peritoneal macrophages and studies in advanced atheromata in vivo, we introduce signal transducer and activator of transcription-1 (STAT1) as a critical and necessary component of endoplasmic reticulum stress/type A scavenger receptor–induced macrophage apoptosis. We show that STAT1 is serine phosphorylated in macrophages subjected to type A scavenger receptor ligands and endoplasmic reticulum stress in a manner requiring cytosolic calcium, calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II, and toll-like receptor-4. Remarkably, apoptosis was inhibited by ≈80% to 90% (
P
<0.05) by STAT1 deficiency or calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II inhibition. In vivo, nuclear Ser-P-STAT1 was found in macrophage-rich regions of advanced murine and human atheromata. Most important, macrophage apoptosis was decreased by 61% (
P
=0.034) and plaque necrosis by 34% (
P
=0.02) in the plaques of fat-fed low density lipoprotein receptor null

Ldlr
−/−

mice transplanted with

Stat1
−/−

bone marrow.

Conclusions—

STAT1 is critical for endoplasmic reticulum stress/type A scavenger receptor–induced apoptosis in primary tissue macrophages and in macrophage apoptosis in advanced atheromata. These findings suggest a potentially important role for STAT1-mediated macrophage apoptosis in atherosclerotic plaque progression.
Angiotensin II Receptor Blockade Reduces Tachycardia-Induced Atrial Adhesion Molecule Expression
Authors: Goette Andreas , Bukowska Alicja , Lendeckel Uwe , Erxleben Michaela , Hammwöhner Matthias , Strugala Denis , Pfeiffenberger Jan , Röhl Friedrich-Wilhelm , Huth Christof , Ebert Matthias P.A. , Klein Helmut U. , Röcken Christoph
Published: January 2008

Background—

Increased levels of inflammatory markers are predictors of thromboembolic events during atrial fibrillation (AF). Increased endocardial expression of adhesion molecules (ie, vascular cell adhesion molecule [VCAM] and intercellular adhesion molecule [ICAM]) could be an important link between initiation of inflammatory and prothrombogenic mechanisms responsible for thrombus development at the atrial endocardium (endocardial remodeling).

Methods and Results—

Tissue microarrays were used to screen right atrial tissue specimens obtained from 320 consecutive patients for differences in atrial expression of the prothrombogenic proteins VCAM-1, ICAM-1, thrombomodulin, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, and von Willebrand factor. An in vitro organotypic human atrial tissue model and a pig model of rapid atrial pacing were used to determine the therapeutic impact of angiotensin II receptor blockade. Immunohistochemical analyses showed that all prothrombogenic proteins are expressed by endocardial cells. Using multivariable analysis, only the intensity of VCAM-1 expression was increased in patients with AF (
P
=0.03). Increased atrial VCAM-1 expression was confirmed by Western blotting in patients with persistent and paroxysmal AF (persistent AF 207±42% versus sinus rhythm 100±16%,
P
=0.028; paroxysmal AF 193±42%,
P
=0.024 versus sinus rhythm). In vitro pacing of ex vivo human atrial tissue slices confirmed that rapid activation causes VCAM-1 upregulation (mRNA and protein levels). Pacing-induced VCAM-1 expression was abolished by olmesartan. To confirm this finding in vivo, VCAM-1 expression was determined in 14 pigs after rapid atrial pacing (600 bpm). Atrial tachycardia caused an upregulation of VCAM-1 expression, which was prevented by irbesartan, consistent with the observed increase in plasma levels of angiotensin II. Alterations in the in vivo VCAM-1 expression were more pronounced in the left atrium (>5-fold compared with sham) than in the right atrium (3.5-fold compared with sham).

Conclusions—

AF and rapid atrial pacing both increase endocardial VCAM-1 expression, which can be attenuated by angiotensin II receptor blockade. This provides evidence that angiotensin II plays a pathophysiological role in prothrombotic endocardial remodeling.
Meta-Analysis of the Association of 4 Angiotensinogen Polymorphisms With Essential Hypertension
Authors: Pereira Tiago Veiga , Nunes Ane C.F. , Rudnicki Martina , Yamada Yoshiji , Pereira Alexandre Costa , Krieger José E.
Published: January 2008

Angiotensinogen (AGT) gene polymorphisms have been linked to increased risk of hypertension, but the data remain controversial. In this study we review the most commonly investigated polymorphisms at the AGT locus (other than M235T) and provide summary estimates regarding their association with essential hypertension, while addressing heterogeneity, as well as publication biases. Data on 26 818 subjects from 46 studies for the 4 most-studied
AGT
variants (T174M in exon 2 and 3 promoter variants: A-6G, A-20C, and G-217A) were meta-analyzed. Statistically significant associations with hypertension were identified for the T174M (odds ratio [OR]: 1.19; 95% CI: 1.07 to 1.33;
P
=0.002) and G-217A (OR: 1.37; 95% CI: 1.17 to 1.59;
P
=0.00006) polymorphisms. A dual but consistent effect was observed for the −20C allele, which was associated with a decreased risk of hypertension in populations of mixed and European ancestries (OR: 0.64; 95% CI: 0.44 to 0.92;
P
=0.02 and OR: 0.77; 95% CI: 0.65 to 0.91;
P
=0.003, respectively), but with a 24% increase in the odds of hypertension in Asian subjects (OR: 1.24; 95% CI: 1.04 to 1.48;
P
=0.02). No association of the A-6G variant with hypertension was detected. Current studies support the notion that single variants at the
AGT
might modulate the risk of hypertension but indicate caution in interpreting these results because of the putative presence of publication bias and gene-environment interactions.
The T8590C Polymorphism of CYP4A11 and 20-Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic Acid in Essential Hypertension
Authors: Laffer Cheryl L. , Gainer James V. , Waterman Michael R. , Capdevila Jorge H. , Laniado-Schwartzman Michal , Nasjletti Alberto , Brown Nancy J. , Elijovich Fernando
Published: January 2008

A role for a deficit in transport actions of 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE) in hypertension is supported by the following: (1) diminished renal 20-HETE in Dahl-S rats; (2) altered salt- and furosemide-induced 20-HETE responses in salt-sensitive hypertensive subjects; and (3) increased population risk for hypertension in C allele carriers of the T8590C polymorphism of CYP4A11, which encodes an enzyme with reduced catalytic activity. We determined T8590C genotypes in 32 hypertensive subjects, 25 of whom were phenotyped for salt sensitivity of blood pressure and insulin sensitivity. Urine 20-HETE was lowest in insulin-resistant, salt-sensitive subjects (F=5.56;
P
<0.02). Genotypes were 13 TT, 2 CC, and 17 CT. C allele frequency was 32.8% (blacks: 38.9%; whites: 25.0%). C carriers (CC+CT) and TT subjects were similarly distributed among salt- and insulin-sensitivity phenotypes. C carriers had higher diastolic blood pressures and aldosterone:renin and waist:hip ratios but lower furosemide-induced fractional excretions of Na and K than TT. The T8590C genotype did not relate to sodium balance or pressure natriuresis. However, C carriers, compared with TT, had diminished 20-HETE responses to salt loading after adjustment for serum insulin concentration and resetting of the negative relationship between serum insulin and urine 20-HETE to a 1-μg/h lower level of 20-HETE. The effect of C was insulin independent and equipotent to 18 μU/mL of insulin (Δ20-HETE= 2.84−0.054×insulin−0.98×C;
r
2
=0.53; F=11.1;
P
<0.001). Hence, genetic (T8590C) and environmental (insulin) factors impair 20-HETE responses to salt in human hypertension. We propose that genotype analyses with sufficient homozygous CC will establish definitive relationships among 20-HETE, salt sensitivity of blood pressure, and insulin resistance.
Renal Phosphodiesterase 4B Is Activated in the Dahl Salt-Sensitive Rat
Authors: Tawar Urmila , Kotlo Kumar , Jain Shilpa , Shukla Sagar , Setty Suman , Danziger Robert S.
Published: January 2008

Reduced β-adrenoreceptor signaling is associated with increased sympathoadrenal activity in hypertensive patients and animal models of hypertension. However, the mechanism that accounts for this characteristic decline in β-adrenergic signaling is unclear. In the present study, we investigated renal phosphodiesterase 4B, which metabolizes cAMP. Immunoblot analysis detected only the phosphodiesterase 4B4 isoform present in kidney tissue from spontaneously hypertensive rats, hypertensive Dahl salt-sensitive (SS) rats, and Dahl salt-resistant rats. The phosphorylated (activated) form of the protein was present at 2-fold greater levels in Dahl SS rats than in spontaneously hypertensive rats and Dahl salt-resistant rats, whereas the unphosphorylated form of the protein was reduced by approximately one half in SS animals. In accord with immunoblot data, rolipram-inhibitable cAMP hydrolyzing activity, a measure of PDE4 activity, was ≈3-fold greater in kidney cytosolic extracts from SS rats than in extracts from spontaneously hypertensive rats and salt-resistant rats. Phosphodiesterase 4B expression was detected by immunohistochemistry in the renal vasculature, proximal tubules, and distal tubules. These results raise the possibility that increased PDE4 activity, specifically phosphodiesterase 4B4 activity, reduces β-adrenergic signaling in the kidney and contributes to salt-sensitive hypertension in the Dahl SS rat.
Mixing in Shallow Cumulus Clouds Studied by Lagrangian Particle Tracking
Authors: Heus Thijs , van Dijk Gertjan , Jonker Harm J. J. , Van den Akker Harry E. A.
Published: January 2008

Mixing between shallow cumulus clouds and their environment is studied using large-eddy simulations. The origin of in-cloud air is studied by two distinct methods: 1) by analyzing conserved variable mixing diagrams (Paluch diagrams) and 2) by tracing back cloud-air parcels represented by massless Lagrangian particles that follow the flow. The obtained Paluch diagrams are found to be similar to many results in the literature, but the source of entrained air found by particle tracking deviates from the source inferred from the Paluch analysis. Whereas the classical Paluch analysis seems to provide some evidence for cloud-top mixing, particle tracking shows that virtually all mixing occurs laterally. Particle trajectories averaged over the entire cloud ensemble also clearly indicate the absence of significant cloud-top mixing in shallow cumulus clouds.
Variability and Linkages of New Guinea Coastal Undercurrent and Lower Equatorial Intermediate Current
Authors: Kawabe Masaki , Kashino Yuji , Kuroda Yoshifumi
Published: January 2008

Velocity at depths of 700–800 m was measured between September 1998 and October 2002 at 2.5°S, 142°E off the New Guinea coast and at 0°, 138°E to examine the New Guinea Coastal Undercurrent (NGCUC) and the current on the equator carrying Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW). Velocity characteristics before November 1999 were markedly different from those after November 1999. The typical state occurred during the second period: the intermediate NGCUC and the Lower Equatorial Intermediate Current (LEIC) varied markedly with an annual cycle in opposite phases. In austral winter, the NGCUC flowed west-northwestward strongly (14 cm s−1, 285°T), especially in May–July during which the LEIC disappeared and eddylike equatorial variations with periods of 20–60 days were significant. In austral summer, the LEIC flowed westward strongly (12 cm s−1, 270°T), especially in October–December, whereas the NGCUC reversed its direction repeatedly to flow east-southeastward in November–February. Thus, the intermediate NGCUC and LEIC are present stably in austral winter and summer, respectively. These variations of the currents must change the pathway of AAIW seasonally. The state during the first period was atypical: the current on the equator flowed eastward strongly (13.0 cm s−1, 81°T), that is, no LEIC was present, and the NGCUC flowed west-northwestward strongly (14.8 cm s−1, 280°T) without changing direction. The atypical state may be related to the 1998–99 La Niña. In addition, power spectral peaks at periods of 14–35 days of meridional velocity at the equator suggest that intermediate tropical instability waves are generated in October–December in the typical state.
Getting off the Street
Authors: Karabanow Jeff
Published: January 2008

This article explores the ways in which young people across Canada attempt to exit street life. Through semistructured interviews with 128 young people and 50 service providers in six Canadian cities, the goal of the research was to identify the strategies and challenges of street exiting to inform service providers and policy makers as to the complexities and struggles involved in young people's experiences with street disengagement. Findings suggest that there are several interrelated dimensions to the exiting process including contemplation, motivation to change, securing help, transitioning from the street, changing daily routine, and redefining one's sense of self.
Long-Term Associations of Homelessness With Children's Well-Being
Authors: Shinn Marybeth , Schteingart Judith S. , Williams Nathanial Chioke , Carlin-Mathis Jennifer , Bialo-Karagis Nancy , Becker-Klein Rachel , Weitzman Beth C.
Published: January 2008

To analyze long-term consequences of homelessness, the authors compared 388 formerly homeless children 55 months after shelter entry with 382 housed peers, birth to 17, using mother- and child-reported health, mental health, community involvement, cognitive performance, and educational records. Both groups scored below cognitive and achievement norms. Small group differences favored housed 4- to 6-year-olds on cognition and 4- to 10-year-olds on mental health only. Child care and recent stressful events, which were high, were as or more important than prior homelessness. Only children living with mothers were included, potentially biasing results. Policy implications are discussed.
Arthroscopic Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation in Osteochondral Lesions of the Talus
Authors: Giannini Sandro , Buda Roberto , Vannini Francesca , Di Caprio Francesco , Grigolo Brunella
Published: January 2008

Background

Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) in the ankle was considered up to now an extremely technically demanding surgery with considerable morbidity for the patients.

Hypothesis

Hyalograft C scaffold allows arthroscopic ACI, thanks to a specifically designed instrumentation.

Study Design

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods

Forty-six patients with a mean age of 31.4 years (range, 20–47) underwent operation from 2001 to 2004. They had posttraumatic talar dome lesions, type II or IIA. In the first step of surgery, an ankle arthroscopy was performed, with cartilage harvest from the detached osteochondral fragment or from the margins of the lesion. Chondrocytes were cultured on a Hyalograft C scaffold. In the second step of surgery, the Hyalograft C patch was arthroscopically implanted into the lesion, with a specifically designed instrumentation. Lesions >5 mm deep were first filled with autologous cancellous bone. Patients were evaluated clinically with the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score preoperatively and at 12 and 36 months after surgery. At a mean time interval of 18 months, the first 3 patients underwent a second-look arthroscopy with cartilage harvest from the implant and histological examination.

Results

The mean preoperative AOFAS score was 57.2 ± 14.3. At the 12-month follow-up, the mean AOFAS score was 86.8 ± 13.4 ( P < .0005), while at 36 months after surgery, the mean score was 89.5 ± 13.4 ( P < .0005). Clinical results were significantly related to the age of patients and to previous operations for cartilage repair. The results of the histological examinations revealed hyaline-like cartilage regeneration.

Conclusions

The Hyalograft C scaffold and the specifically designed instrumentation allowed arthroscopic implantation of chondrocytes, with excellent clinical and histological results.
Models of Cross-Border Organizing in Maquila Industries
Authors: Frundt Henry
Published: January 2008

For nearly the past decade, U.S. unions have adopted innovative organizational approaches with workers in developing countries. Especially in the maquila industries of Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, unions have attempted bilateral collaborations that have won worker benefits, legally recognized status, and in some cases, negotiated contracts. Four cross-border models are examined: international campaign organizing that emphasizes ethical consumer responses; clandestine targeting that accentuates local organizational development; federation organizing that commits union structures to bilateral efforts; coalition organizing that encompasses groups beyond traditional union constituencies. While all models involve bonafide organizing, clandestine targeting and federation organizing have been somewhat more successful at retaining a bi-directional union focus and at sustaining local union organizations.
Growth Machine Up-Links: Urban Renewal and the Rise and Fall of a Pro-Growth Coalition in a U.S. City
Authors: Gotham Kevin Fox
Published: January 2008

Recent research examining post-Second World War urban renewal and redevelopment programs acknowledges the pervasive influence of progrowth coalitions and the ideology of “growth” in local politics and decision-making. Yet few researchers have examined the role of state structures, political interests of urban planners and city officials, and the feedback effects of past growth initiatives and conflicts in shaping subsequent growth strategies and the composition of growth coalitions. I draw upon archival data and newspaper articles, real estate industry documents, and planning reports to examine the key actors, important decisions, and political struggles surrounding urban planning and redevelopment efforts in Kansas City, Missouri from 1940 through the 1960s. I use the narrative concepts of path dependency and policy feedback to illustrate how past events and actions, important decisions, and political conflicts can delimit future growth strategies and policy options, altering alliances between progrowth coalitions and local redevelopment agencies, and transforming the programmatic orientation of growth policy. Probing for the feedback effects of past redevelopment conflicts and institutional arrangements on subsequent growth strategies is useful for two reasons: First, it reveals how changing growth agendas and growth coalitions emerge not only in response to new socio-economic conditions but also on the basis of previous growth policies. Second, it highlights an important “up-link” dimension (Molotch 1999) in the growth machine heuristic that connects local processes with the macrostructures of the state and the economy.
Networks of Corporate Interlocking: 1962—1995
Authors: Barnes Roy C. , Ritter Emily R.
Published: January 2008

This paper documents the changing patterns of corporate interlocking among approximately 250 corporations across four time periods—1962, 1973, 1983, and 1995. By utilizing network analyses, we describe several attributes of the overall set of interlocking corporate directors in a period of increasing corporate concentration, economic globalization, and changing regulatory environments. Measures of network density are based on all corporations and are broken-down by the ties formed by single versus multiple interlocking directorates. Three measures of network centralization are based on complete sociomatricies in which all ties between corporations are non-directional and have been recorded as either present or absent. Finally, we report the number of cliques formed by minimum size across time. Measures of network density, centralization and the number of cliques all underscore that the network of corporate ties in 1995 is less dense, less concentrated, and contain few subgroups. Our analyses at the corporate level demonstrate that these changes occurred primarily among financial corporations and correspond to a period of dramatic changes in the U.S. financial markets. Given our descriptive findings, we conclude that interlocking directorates in the United States are becoming less concentrated, though by no means insignificant.
The Co-Option of Radicalism: Conflict, Community and Civil Society: Community Action and Social Change in a Post-Colonial Context
Authors: Robson Terry
Published: January 2008

Many view the emergence of a community action dynamic as one having the constituency and the power to affect the pace of economic development. Such a dynamic implies a rejection of the planned economy as well as an embracing of the philosophy of `small-is-best'. Disenchanted by the failure to respond effectively to the widening gulf between rich and poor, some turned to an `inclusive community' politics as an alternative. A new political correctness appeared in which `community' rather than `class' becomes the motor for change. Many of these developments satisfy the `New' Labour leadership's needs aimed at minimizing the negative effects of their rejection of socialist solutions. Against that background community workers warmly embrace this new direction; endorse a new communitarianism in which forms of subsidiarity are expected to replace a diminishing welfare state. In this paper contrasting examples are presented as evidence of these changes. All represent the nature of the failing expectations taking place in the world of `community' politics as the concept of `social partnership'—driven by the needs of the state—becomes, instead, synonymous with compromise and concession. Much of this is set in the context of the post-colonial political development of Northern Ireland in a post `Good-Friday' agreement situation in which `community' continues to remain indistinguishable from sectarian division.
Race Before “Whiteness”: Studying Identity in Ptolemaic Egypt
Authors: Mccoskey Denise Eileen
Published: January 2008

This paper examines the models classical historians and papyrologists use to study Greek and Egyptian identity during the period of Greek occupation of Egypt (332-30 B.C.E.). Employing the concept of ethnicity, some scholars have recently emphasized the fl uidity with which identity seems to operate in colonial documents from the Ptolemaic period. In particular, scholars argue that these documents attest to the increasing ability of certain “native Egyptians” to act as “Greek” in various administrative and legal contexts. While fi nding this recent use of ethnicity productive in grappling with the complexity of identity as a form of social practice in Ptolemaic Egypt, I nonetheless caution against over-emphasizing the role of context and individual agency within this colonial framework. In contrast, I argue that the concept of race should be added to current models to allow historians of this period to situate certain performances within a larger colonial structure that continued to treat the categories of “Greek” and “Egyptian” as conceptually distinct and indeed representative of inverse positions of social power.
The Linguistics of Color Blind Racism: How to Talk Nasty about Blacks without Sounding “Racist”
Authors: Bonilla-Silva Eduardo
Published: January 2008

In this paper I argue that color blind racism, the central racial ideology of the post-civil rights era, has a peculiar style characterized by slipperiness, apparent nonracialism, and ambivalence. This style fi ts quite well the normative climate of the country as well as the central frames of color blind racism. I document in the paper fi ve stylistic components of this ideology, namely, (1) whites' avoidance of direct racial language, (2) the central rhetorical strategies or “semantic moves” used by whites to safely express their racial views, (3) the role of projection, (4) the role of diminutives, and (5) how incursions into forbidden issues produce almost total incoherence among many whites. I conclude the paper with a discussion on how this style enhances the ideological menace of color blind racism.
African Women and the Decolonisation of Victimisation: Dazzling Crime Figures
Authors: Agozino Biko
Published: January 2008

This paper examines the variety of ways in which African women in the criminal justice system are treated as offenders when they are clearly innocent. Their treatment is compared with that of African men and white women and is situated in the history of slavery and colonialism. It is proposed that African women are relatively vulnerable to `victimisationas-mere-punishment' because they are marginalised in the articulation, re-articulation and disarticulation of race-gender-class relations. In the paper, all people of African descent would be simply referred to as Africans.
Ethnography, Demography and Service-Learning: Situating Lynwood Park
Authors: Gaughan Monica
Published: January 2008

This paper reports the results of a one-year service-learning project that excited students about sociology, and created useful analytic tools for a modest-income African American community. In the course of deepening our understanding of one neighborhood — including collecting extant demographic data, conducting surveys and interviews, site visits, and simply “hanging out,” — it becomes possible to demonstrate how using formal demography and community ethnography together provide better understandings of the processes of social stratifi- cation, segregation, and gentrifi cation than would be possible using only one of the methodological orientations. The paper begins with an introduction to theoretical and didactic challenges, proceeds to describing Lynwood Park itself using insights derived from qualitative evidence, and then describes our eclectic means of investigating the community. The second half of the paper situates Lynwood Park demographically and ethnographically in terms of the larger Atlanta community, and then in increasingly smaller and more socially meaningful units. Once we focus the demographic lens as much as possible, we must again rely on qualitative information to probe the multiple meanings of Lynwood Park. The paper closes with recommendations about how the people of Lynwood Park can use the data, and suggests how these techniques can be implemented theoretically and practically in sociology as a whole.
I Don't Sing, I Don't Dance, and I Don't Play Basketball!
Authors: Coates Rodney D.
Published: January 2008

We must begin to discuss how race, racism, and ethnic discrimination are part and parcel to the American cultural experience (Feagin 2000). We must understand that until and unless there are major cultural, structural and political changes in America, that race, racism and ethnic discrimination will continue (Myrdal 1996; McKee 1993). Sociology, if indeed it is to be a critical discipline, must adopt a radical new stance with regards to race, racism and ethnic discrimination. Rather then merely offering lip service to such change, it must become an agent of that change in the various arenas in which it operates. All too often, in our classrooms we give the allusion that we have all the answers. The problem is that what few answers we do give are often couched in such nebulous terminology that the student is at a loss. Perhaps it is not the answers that the student is in search of, but the questions. Are we primarily gatekeepers of the status quo? Is sociology's primary goal to be apologists to an otherwise oppressive system? I suggest that if a person who is ill goes to a doctor, who after detailed diagnosis with some of the most sophisticated tools, merely comes to the conclusion that the patient is ill — then they will soon fi nd themselves without patients. We as sociologists seem to be forever discovering that a problem exists, but fail to provide the proscriptions (past some vague notions that society must be transformed, revolutionized, or etc.). Rarely, and this is particularly true in America, do we leave our armchairs and get our hands dirty with the reality of oppression and the necessary solutions. If we ignore the past, if we fail to see that change and oppression are constant then our vision will forever be skewed. If we continue as if its business as usual, then we will see more departments closing, more faculty displaced, and increasingly discover that Sociology as a discipline is `declining in signifi cance.' Alternatively, increased signifi cance and enhanced vitality of sociology can be achieved if its tools, techniques and theories are made applicable, useable and assessable to those most in need of liberation.