bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Electrotonic remodeling following myocardial infarction in dogs susceptible and resistant to sudden cardiac death
Authors: del Rio Carlos L. , McConnell Patrick I. , Kukielka Monica , Dzwonczyk Roger , Clymer Bradley D. , Howie Michael B. , Billman George E.
Published: November 2007

Passive electrical remodeling following myocardial infarction (MI) is well established. These changes can alter electrotonic loading and trigger the remodeling of repolarization currents, a potential mechanism for ventricular fibrillation (VF). However, little is known about the role of passive electrical markers as tools to identify VF susceptibility post-MI. This study investigated electrotonic remodeling in the post-MI ventricle, as measured by myocardial electrical impedance (MEI), in animals prone to and resistant to VF. MI was induced in dogs by a two-stage left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery ligation. Before infarction, MEI electrodes were placed in remote (left circumflex, LCX) and infarcted (LAD) myocardium. MEI was measured in awake animals 1, 2, 7, and 21 days post-MI. Subsequently, VF susceptibility was tested by a 2-min LCX occlusion during exercise; 12 animals developed VF (susceptible, S) and 12 did not (resistant, R). The healing infarct had lower MEI than the normal myocardium. This difference was stable by day 2 post-MI (287 ± 32 Ω vs. 425 ± 62 Ω, P < 0.05). Significant differences were observed between resistant and susceptible animals 7 days post-MI; susceptible dogs had a wider electrotonic gradient between remote and infarcted myocardium (R: 89 ± 60 Ω vs. S: 180 ± 37 Ω). This difference increased over time in susceptible animals (252 ± 53 Ω at 21 days) due to post-MI impedance changes on the remote myocardium. These data suggest that early electrotonic changes post-MI could be used to assess later arrhythmia susceptibility. In addition, passive-electrical changes could be a mechanism driving active-electrical remodeling post-MI, thereby facilitating the induction of arrhythmias.
Habituation of Wild Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) of the South Group at Taï Forest, Côte d’Ivoire: Empirical Measure of Progress
Authors: Bertolani Paco , Boesch Christophe
Published: November 2007

The last part of the chimpanzee(Pan troglodytes)habituation process of the Taï South Group was monitored over 2 years (1994–1996), during which all males and most of the females became habituated to observation by humans. The time needed (5–7 years) to habituate the community was similar to that recorded for the Taï North Group and is comparable to other populations studied in Africa. Variation emerged in habituation rate: males were habituated earlier than females, and among females, sexually cycling individuals were habituated faster than non-cycling females. Such differences may be a function of both the methods used to find the chimpanzees and the sex of the individual. Reproductive status and individuality may also have influenced habituation rates by affecting the number of contacts required to habituate a chimpanzee to neutral humans.
New Preparations Comprising Recombinant Human Growth Hormone: Deliberations on the Issue of Biosimilars
Authors: Ranke Michael B.
Published: November 2007

Manufactured recombinant human GH (rhGH) has been available for more than 25 years. In the meantime, the GH produced by various manufacturers has been approved for application in replacement therapy in children and adults with GH deficiency or a number of disorders involving small stature in children. Until recently approval for each individual diagnosis was only granted after extensive studies on the long-term efficacy (e.g. adult height reached) and safety of the various products. Meanwhile, the European approving agency, the European Medicines Evaluation Agency (EMEA), has relinquished this restrictive stance. Thus, new rhGH preparations can count on gaining approval for existing indications even without conducting standard clinical studies of their efficacy and safety for each of these indications. The EMEA’s reconsideration is apparently based on the rationale that recombinant GH can, in effect, be considered equivalent to the tried and tested preparations in wide use, provided certain specifications are met. The term ‘biosimilars’ was coined to denote the similarities between the products rather than their parity, as is the case with generics for instance. The higher complexity of biopharmaceuticals relates not only to the substances themselves but also to the manufacturing process. It is generally believed that modifications to a manufacturing process – which are a prerequisite for a patent – may cause modifications of the active substance which then may lead to different long-term effects. Thus, the term ‘biosimilar’ does not indicate that complex biopharmaceuticals deriving from the same substance are entirely identical, nor does the approval of a ‘biosimilar’ ensure this. The factual information provided here is offered towards clarification of some uncertainties and as a contribution towards resolving open questions relating to the topic of biosimilars. The final choice of product to be prescribed must be made by the informed, independent physician.
Voice Range Profiles for Tonal Dialect of Min
Authors: Chen Sheng Hwa
Published: November 2007

The influence of frequency and intensity in Min dialect on maximum vocal performance has not been investigated. The purposes of this study are (1) to investigate the physiological frequency and intensity ranges of the tonal dialect of Min, and (2) to compare the physiological frequency and intensity ranges of Min to those of nontonal languages. The subjects were 40 normal Taiwanese adults. All subjects were native Min speakers. The lowest frequency, the highest frequency, the maximum range of vowel frequency change (MRVFC), soft voice, loud voice, and the dynamic intensity range were obtained from voice range profiles. The independent t test was used to find the statistical significance of all frequency and intensity variables between female and male speakers in vocal range profiles. The results revealed that female speakers had significantly greater lowest frequency and highest frequency than male speakers. Male speakers had a significantly greater MRVFC than female speakers. Moreover, Min speakers had a greater MRVFC and dynamic intensity range than most of nontonal language speakers. The data provide an assessment tool of vocal function for Min speakers.
Vascular Calcification and Uremia: What Do We Know?
Authors: Cozzolino Mario , Mazzaferro Sandro , Pugliese Francesco , Brancaccio Diego
Published: November 2007

In the last decade, the nephrology community has focused its attention on the main cause of morbidity and mortality in chronic renal failure patients: cardiovascular disease. In addition, recent studies pointed out that vascular calcification (VC) is a major cause of cardiovascular disease in the dialysis population. Interestingly, the pathogenesis of VC and soft tissue calcification in chronic kidney disease (CKD) has been extensively investigated. Nowadays we know that VC is associated not only with passive calcium phosphate deposition, but also with an active, cell-mediated process. To better understand the pathogenesis of VC in CKD, numerous regulatory proteins have been studied, because of their ability to inhibit mineral deposition in the vessels. We here examine the state of the art of those substances recognized as regulatory key factors in preventing VC in uremic conditions, such as fetuin A (α2-Heremans-Schmid glycoprotein), matrix γ-carboxyglutamic acid protein, pyrophosphate, osteoprotegerin and bone morphogenetic protein. We conclude that at present it is too early to introduce these novel markers into clinical practice.
Identification of Apolipoprotein E Guangzhou (Arginine 150 Proline), a New Variant Associated with Lipoprotein Glomerulopathy
Authors: Luo Boxun , Huang Fengxian , Liu Qicai , Li Xiaoyan , Chen Wenfang , Zhou Shu-Feng , Yu Xueqing
Published: November 2007

Background/Aims: Lipoprotein glomerulopathy (LPG) is a rare disease characterized by thrombus-like substances in markedly dilated glomerular capillaries and elevated plasma levels of apolipoprotein E (apoE). Previous studies have shown that genetic disorders of apoE may contribute to the pathogenesis of LPG, but LPG may not be caused by apoE gene mutations in Chinese patients. This study investigated the association of a new variant of apoE with LPG in a Chinese family. Methods: The apoE gene in a family with 4 LPG patients was sequenced. The polymerase chain reaction product of coding region of apoE exon 4 was cloned into pMD 18-T vector and then sequenced. Results: A novel point mutation in exon 4 of the apoE gene was identified in all 4 LPG patients and 1 asymptomatic family member. Sequence analysis confirmed a nucleotide G to C point mutation in exon 4 (base 308) of the apoE gene in all patients and the asymptomatic family member. This missense mutation denotes amino acid substitution of the proline residue for arginine residue at position 150 of apoE. Those patients were all heterozygotes with apoE Guangzhou. One of 2 grandsons was a heterozygous carrier of apoE Guangzhou, although he did not have proteinuria. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that apoE (arginine 150 proline) is a novel apoE variant that etiologically related to LPG. This variant (apoE Guangzhou) may cause a marked molecular conformational change of the apoE and thus impair its binding ability to lipids.
Incidence of Status Epilepticus in Southern Europe: A Population Study in the Health District of Ferrara, Italy
Authors: Govoni Vittorio , Fallica Elisa , Monetti Vincenza Cinzia , Guerzoni Franco , Faggioli Raffaella , Casetta Ilaria , Granieri Enrico
Published: November 2007

Background: Theepidemiologic features of status epilepticus (SE) are still in the course of definition. Methods: We carried out an intensive survey of multiple sources of case material in the resident population of the health district of Ferrara, Italy, in 2003. Information was collected on age, gender, duration, seizure type and etiology of SE. Results: The age- adjusted annual incidence rate of SE was 27.2/100,000 (95% CI = 19.4–36.9) and it was higher in men (41.7/100,000, 95% CI = 26.9–61.7) than in women (12.3/100,000, 95% CI = 6.9–20.4). The incidence was higher in the elderly (older than 60 years, 39.2/100,000) than in younger adults in the age group 20–59 years (14.7/100,000). The age-specific incidence showed a bimodal distribution peaking in the youngest (0–4 years) and in the oldest age group (75+ years). Cerebrovascular disease was the most frequent etiologic factor (45%). Epilepsy had previously been diagnosed in 40% of the patients. The case fatality was 5%. Conclusions: The study found a higher incidence of SE than that expected on the basis of the previous European studies suggesting that the risk of SE in southern Europe is higher and more similar to that estimated in population studies in the United States. The case fatality was lower than that reported in previous South-European population studies despite the similar clinical features of the patients. Indirect evidence suggests that several factors related to the SE management could have positively influenced the outcome.
Complete versus Partial Lateral Sinus Thrombosis: A Pathophysiological Hypothesis
Authors: Altieri Marta , Mercurio Alessio , Di Piero Vittorio , Vicenzini Edoardo , Lenzi Gian Luigi
Published: November 2007

Background/Aim: The lateral sinus (LS) is composed of the transverse sinus (TS) and sigmoid sinus (SiS). Methods: We studied the clinical pattern of complete or isolated LS thrombosis in 22 consecutive patients. Results: Isolated LS thrombosis patients had a more severe clinical presentation, and more frequent intracranial hemorrhages and seizures. Conclusion: These data suggest that partial involvement of the LS in the thrombotic process may cause more severe clinical symptoms.
Role of TRPM2 Channel in Mediating H
2
O
2
-Induced Ca
2+
Entry and Endothelial Hyperpermeability
Authors: Hecquet Claudie M. , Ahmmed Gias U. , Vogel Stephen M. , Malik Asrar B.
Published: November 2007

Oxidative stress through the production of oxygen metabolites such as hydrogen peroxide (H
2
O
2
) increases vascular endothelial permeability. H
2
O
2
stimulates ADP-ribose formation, which in turn opens transient receptor potential melastatin (TRPM)2 channels. Here, in endothelial cells, we demonstrate transcript and protein expression of TRPM2, a Ca
2+
-permeable, nonselective cation channel. We further show the importance of TRPM2 expression in signaling of increased endothelial permeability by oxidative stress. Exposure of endothelial cell monolayers to sublytic concentrations of H
2
O
2
induced a cationic current measured by patch-clamp recording and Ca
2+
entry detected by intracellular fura-2 fluorescence. H
2
O
2
in a concentration-dependent manner also decreased trans-monolayer transendothelial electrical resistance for 3 hours (with maximal effect seen at 300 μmol/L H
2
O
2
), indicating opening of interendothelial junctions. The cationic current, Ca
2+
entry, and transendothelial electrical resistance decrease elicited by H
2
O
2
were inhibited by siRNA depleting TRPM2 or antibody blocking of TRPM2. H
2
O
2
responses were attenuated by overexpression of the dominant-negative splice variant of TRPM2 or inhibition of ADP-ribose formation. Overexpression of the full-length TRPM2 enhanced H
2
O
2
-mediated Ca
2+
entry, cationic current, and the transendothelial electrical resistance decrease. Thus, TRPM2 mediates H
2
O
2
-induced increase in endothelial permeability through the activation of Ca
2+
entry via TRPM2. TRPM2 represents a novel therapeutic target directed against oxidant-induced endothelial barrier disruption.
Quantitative Trait Locus Analysis of Carotid Atherosclerosis in an Intercross Between C57BL/6 and C3H Apolipoprotein E–Deficient Mice
Authors: Li Qiongzhen , Li Yuhua , Zhang Zhimin , Gilbert Timothy R. , Matsumoto Alan H. , Dobrin Seth E. , Shi Weibin
Published: November 2007

Background and Purpose—

Inbred mouse strains C57BL/6J (B6) and C3H/HeJ (C3H) exhibit marked differences in atherosclerotic lesion formation in the carotid arteries on the apolipoprotein E–deficient (apoE
−/−
) background when fed a Western diet. Quantitative trait locus analysis was performed on an intercross between B6.apoE
−/−
and C3H.apoE
−/−
mice to determine genetic factors contributing to variation in the phenotype.

Methods—

Female B6.apoE
−/−
mice were crossed with male C3H.apoE
−/−
mice to generate F
1
hybrids, which were intercrossed to generate 241 female F
2
progeny. At 6 weeks of age, F
2
mice were started on a Western diet. After being fed the diet for 12 weeks, F
2
mice were analyzed for phenotypes such as lesion size in the left carotid arteries and plasma lipid levels and typed for 154 genetic markers spanning the mouse genome.

Results—

One significant quantitative trait locus, named
CAth1
(25 cM, log of the odds score: 4.5), on chromosome 12 and 4 suggestive quantitative trait loci, on chromosomes 1, 5, 6, and 11, respectively, were identified to influence carotid lesion size. One significant quantitative trait locus on distal chromosome 1 accounted for major variations in plasma low-density lipoprotein/very-low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride levels. Carotid lesion size was not significantly correlated with plasma low-density lipoprotein/very-low-density lipoprotein or high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels.

Conclusions—

These data indicate that the loci for carotid lesions do not overlap with those for aortic lesions as identified in a previous cross derived from the same parental strains, and carotid atherosclerosis and plasma lipids are controlled by separate genetic factors in the B6 and C3H mouse model.
Barriers to the Use of Anticoagulation for Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: Gattellari Melina , Worthington John , Zwar Nicholas , Middleton Sandy
Published: November 2007

Background and Purpose—

Anticoagulation reduces the risk of stroke in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation yet remains underused. We explored barriers to the use of anticoagulants among Australian family physicians.

Methods—

The authors conducted a representative, national survey.

Results—

Of the 596 (64.4%) eligible family physicians who participated, 15.8% reported having a patient with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation experience an intracranial hemorrhage with anticoagulation and 45.8% had a patient with known nonvalvular atrial fibrillation experience a stroke without anticoagulation. When presented with a patient at “very high risk” of stroke, only 45.6% of family physicians selected warfarin in the presence of a minor falls risk and 17.1% would anticoagulate if the patient had a treated peptic ulcer. Family physicians with less decisional conflict and longer-standing practices were more likely to endorse anticoagulation.

Conclusion—

Strategies to optimize the management of nonvalvular atrial fibrillation should address psychological barriers to using anticoagulation.
Beauty and the Beast: Art and Science in Early Modern European Equine Imagery'
Authors: Cuneo Pia F.
Published: November 2007

This article analyses artists' manuals and veterinary texts in order to understand some of the assumptions attending the production of art and the practice of science in early modern Europe. These sources, several of which have remained largely unstudied, share a similar focus on the horse: how artists can best render them and how horse-owners and stable-masters can best care for them. The article considers these sources within their artistic, scientific and hippological contexts, but pays special attention to how the discursive practices of art and science overlap. The artists' manuals promote mathematically oriented techniques and aesthetics, while the illustration to the veterinary texts are fundamentally informed by artistic and iconographic traditions. Art and science thus mutually elucidate each other while simultaneously highlighting the social and economic importance of the horse in early modern history.
Rethinking Iconoclasm in Early Modern England: the Case of Cheapside Cross
Authors: Budd Joel
Published: November 2007

Protestant iconoclasm has generally been understood as an assault on the beliefs and practices of traditional religion. This article challenges that understanding through a detailed study of Cheapside Cross, a large monument that was repeatedly attacked by iconoclasts in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It draws on contemporary pamphlets and the manuscripts records of the City of London to reveal the complex variety of associations that Cheapside Cross acquired before and during the Reformation era. It argues that perceptions of the monument were shaped not only by its iconography but also by its involvement in ceremonies and rituals, including royal coronation processions. The iconoclastic attacks on Cheapside Cross should be interpreted not merely as a challenge to traditional beliefs but as attempts to restructure the monument's associations. The paper concludes that attacks on other images may be understood in a similar manner.
Circa 1533: Anxieties, Desires, and Dreams
Authors: Crouzet Denis , Good Jonathan
Published: November 2007

In Italy, the Holy Roman Empire, and France, one can discern in the last decades of the fifteenth century and the early years of the sixteenth a powerful anguish about the future, taking one of two forms: either the vision of an imminent Last Judgment, or a great rupture in time, announcing the dawn of a new Covenant. In France, one of the peculiar features of this historical process was the tension that built up around the year 1533, one thousand five hundred years after the death of Christ. This tension could explain the offensive launched individually or collectively by the men who stood behind Marguerite de Navarre-men of faith who hoped to bring the kingdom into the evangelical sphere of the Word of God, given to each and to all. Their defeat, following the inaugural address of Nicholas Cop, and the two Affairs of the Placards, left the way open for the emergence of a sharp division between, on the one hand, a "popery" proclaiming that the End of Time had come, and, on the other, a Calvinism seeking to "de-eschatologize" the human understanding of time.
Ottoman Madrasas: the Multiple Lives of Educational Institutions in Eighteenth-Century Syria1
Authors: Tamari Steve
Published: November 2007

Nineteenth- and twentieth-century students of educational institutions in Damascus have disparaged the Ottoman period as one of decline. This article challenges the assumptions and the conclusions of these historians by looking at the status of Islamic colleges, madrasas, during the eighteenth century. Though the construction of madrasas in the eighteenth century did not rival the "golden age" of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, all phases of Damascus' history as a center of Islamic education should be put in the context of alternating periods of ups and downs. Within such a context the Ottoman period in general and the eighteenth century in particular emerge as much more vibrant than historians once assumed.
Franciscan Missionaries and the 1752 `Donation of Sierra Leone'
Authors: Hair P.E.H.
Published: November 2007

The Franciscan mission to western Guinea between the 1660s and the late eighteenth century operated, from its Bissau centre, a 'Mission to Sierra Leone', whose priests occasionally reached the territory of modern Sierra Leone. Contact was made with the Afro-Portuguese resident in the Sierra Leone estuary, particularly with the Lopes family, and in 1752 a leading member was encouraged to make a 'Donation of Sierra Leone' to the Portuguese crown. This had little meaning and no effect. Hardly anything else is known about the local missionary activities, partly because of the decay of the general mission, but scraps of information about the Catholicism of the Afro-Portuguese appear in Portuguese and English sources.
Mystical Weapons: Some Evidence From the Liberian War1
Authors: Ellis Stephen
Published: November 2007

During the Liberian civil war (1989-97), many participants, as well as local journalists, used terms such as 'sorcery', 'witchcraft', 'voodoo', 'juju' and 'African science' to describe certain techniques used by fighters. Essentially, these words were applied to techniques of offence or defence which were rooted in local religious traditions rather than in either Islam or Christianity. This article traces the history of such terms, as well as of the activities which they designate, to show how they changed during the twentieth century.
Mosques, Mawlanas and Muharram: Indian Islam in Colonial Natal, 1860-1910
Authors: Vahed Goolam H.
Published: November 2007

This study examines the establishment of Islam in colonial Natal, attempting to fill a void in and correct the existing historiography.1 In comparison with other parts of Africa, the lack of a historiographical tradition on Islamic South Africa is conspicuous, but understandable given that traditionally the impact and consequences of racial segregation occupied the attention of most historians. Although Islam is a minority religion in South Africa, apartheid has created an impression of population density not reflected in the census figures. According to the 1996 census, there were 553,585 Muslims in a total population of forty million.2 Indian Muslims make up one of the two largest sub-groups, the other being Malay¸.3 There are 246,433 Malay and 236,315 Indian Muslims.4 The majority of Indian Muslims are confined to KwaZulu Natal and Gauteng, while most Malay Muslims live in the Western Cape. There is thus very little contact and interaction between them; indeed there are deep differences of history, culture, class and tradition. Muslims have played an important role in the social, economic and political life of the country. The many mosques that adorn the skylines of major South African cities are evidence that Islam has a living presence in South Africa, while the militant activities of the Cape-based People Against Gangsterism and Drugs (Pagad) in the post-1994 period has ensured that Islam remains in the news. This study demonstrates that, apart from obvious differences between Indian and Malay Muslims, there are deep-seated differences among Indian Muslims. The diversity of tradition, beliefs, class, practices, language, region, and experience of migration has resulted in fundamental differences that have generated conflict.
Vade, Sta, Ambula
Authors: Gilliland Wright Diana
Published: November 2007

This paper examines manumissions within the harsh and volatile culture of fourteenth-century Crete. Three large collections of notarial documents for the years 1300-1306 allow a real-time view of increased sales, decreased prices, and manumissions in the wake of the Catalan and Ottoman conquests in western Anatolia. It appears that when the price of a slave was equivalent to the wages of a hired man, slaves were freed within a fairly short time after capture. There was a variety of ways in which manumission could be accomplished, and ransoming was a business in itself. Wills from the whole century provide information about relationships, possessions, and economics, and indicate that owners often took responsibility in assuring the future stability of emancipated slaves. Cretan society was fluid enough that freed slaves of every ethnic origin were easily assimilated.
Princely Pieties: the 1598-1617 accessions of the Royal Library in Brussels
Authors: Thøfner Margit
Published: November 2007

This article is concerned with one particular phase of the history of the ancient Royal Library in Brussels. It investigates how the Library developed during the first two decades of the reign of the Archduke Albert and the Infanta Isabella; an investigation permitted by the existence of an inventory compiled between 1614 and 1617. A substantial part of the article thus consists of an annotated transcript of the relevant parts of this inventory. On this basis, the article demonstrates that the accessions policy of the Royal Library in Brussels went through a significant transformation during the period in question: the Library changed from being a wide-ranging academic resource towards a more narrowly religious and recreational scope. However, as the article argues, this change was probably not caused by the Brussels Court of Albert and Isabella. Rather, it was due to the suppliers of the Library, the chief printing-houses and authors of the Southern Netherlands. Thus, whilst the 1614-17 inventory is of historical interest itself, it also offers important evidence of how a certain social group perceived the Brussels Court.
Varia bibliographica
Authors: Lievens Robrecht
Published: November 2007

In his brief note on a compositor's pun, the author refers to Prof. Marita Mathijsen's handbook on the discipline of editing, Naar de letter. Handboek editiewetenschap (Assen 1995), where she observes a difference between intentional interference and unintentional alteration in a given text. In the first category she mentions six reasons for a copyist or compositor to interfere in a text: (1) he wants to correct a mistake, (2) he disapproves of a particular construction, (3) he wants to alter the spelling, (4) he wants to alter the interpunction, (5) acting as a censor, he deletes, and (6) he has problems of a technical nature. The author mentions yet another possibility: the compositor wants to have some fun. In addition to the examples occurring in Die historie van Reynaert die Vos (Gouda, Leeu, 1479), mentioned by Hellinga-Querido and Gondrie - see note 2, the author has discovered another compositor's pun in Die excellente Cronike van Vlaanderen (Antwerpen, Willem Vorstcrman, 1531). On fo. 123v. of this edition the Christian name Adriaen occurs twice, the first time printed 'Adriaen', the second time 'Aaaa' when pronounced in Dutch 'Adriaen' could be understood to denote 'A three a's'. The author suggests that the compositor might have been inspired by an often quoted biblical reminiscence of Jeremiah 1, 6.
Walter Burley's Physics Commentaries and the Mathematics of Alteration
Authors: Sylla Edith Dudley
Published: November 2007

In a long question, "Whether there is motion to quality," (Utrum ad qualitatem sit motus) which became part of his Oxford Expositio omnium librorum Physicorum cum questionibus optime disputatis, composed before 1310, Walter Burley supported the succession-of-forms theory of qualitative change. After commenting on Peter Lombard's Sentences at Paris, Burley took part in disputations on controversial questions in the early 1320s, resulting in his De primo et ultimo instanti and his Tractatus Primus and Tractatus Secundus de intensione et remissione formarum. In these independent controversial works, Burley advanced and defended the succession-of-forms theory with greater detail and precision. This paper examines the treatment of the mathematics of alteration in Burley's final Parisian Expositio in libros octo de physico auditu in light of this earlier controversial work.
Nightmare and Utopia: Extraterrestrial Worlds From Galileo To Goethe
Authors: Guthke Karl S.
Published: November 2007

Present-day speculation on extraterrestrial intelligence, taking its cue from a number of programmes currently "listening" for electro-magnetic signals from space, have a prehistory dating back to the immediate aftermath of the Copernican Revolution. Throughout the centuries of the Early Modern Period, it was not only theological but also more or less secular philosophical concerns that informed the hopes and the fears that writers of all stripes associated with the tentative notion that "We are not alone." It was not until the "Romantic" period, around 1800, that a reaction set in: as Goethe put it, there is also a universe within us-one worthier of our attention than the cosmos.
Personality and Religion
Authors: Saroglou Vassilis , Jaspard Jean-Marie
Published: November 2007

The aim of this paper is to explore whether and how the Five-Factor Model (FFM) of personality – also known as the Big Five – may be relevant to psychology of religion. First, we review empirical research which has used Eysenck's taxonomy. Second, after a brief presentation of the FFM, we hypothesize, on the basis of research in the Eysenck framework as well as on the basis of research in psychology of religion generally, how each of the five factors may be related to religiosity. Third, we insist on the necessity of including gender differences when studying the association between personality and religion. Fourth, we discuss the results from an exploratory study on religiousness and the FFM (Saroglou, 1998) and we compare the results of this study with the few studies on Big Five to have used religious variables. Finally, the discussion focuses on the importance of personality taxonomies when studying religiosity and on the usefulness of the FFM for this purpose.
Religion in Mental Health Care: Psychotherapists’ Views
Authors: van Uden Marinus H.F. , Pieper Joseph Z.T.
Published: November 2007

This paper presents the results of an empirical study among two groups of psychotherapists in the Netherlands. One group works in a mental health institution based on religious principles (the Gliagg), and the other group in a general mental health institution (the Riagg).

The investigation starts with an overview of the religious background and religious practices of the therapists. Some equations with the average Dutch citizen are made.

The next part of the study deals with the perception by psychotherapists of religious issues connected with psycho-social problems. How often in their opinion is there a relation and what kind of relation is at issue?

The third part of the study considers the way in which psychotherapists treat these religious issues. Do they attend to them and what kind of (religious) interventions are used? Special attention is given to the question of whether there are contacts with the clergy.

We conclude that religion should be given a more pronounced place in general mental health care and that Riagg psychotherapists, in particular, should become better equipped to deal with religious issues.
Trans-Cultural/Religious Constants vs. Cross-Cultural/Religious Differences in Psychological Aspects of Religion
Authors: Saroglou Vassilis
Published: November 2007

Are there trans-religious, trans-cultural constants in psychological aspects of religion across different religions and cultures? An excessively culturalistic approach may overlook this possibility, putting an emphasis on the uniqueness of the religious phenomenon studied as emerging from a complex of multiple contextual factors. This article reviews empirical studies in psychology of religion in the 1990s that mainly include participants from different Christian denominations, but also from other religions: Muslims, Jews and Hindus. It appeared, at first, that several cross-cultural/religious differences can be documented (especially between Catholics and Protestants), but the interpretation of these differences is not simple, as other factors may interfere. Secondly it turned out that an impressive series of psychological constants also exist across different denominations, religions, and cultures. These constants include personality correlates, gender and gender orientation, positive and negative values, cognitive and affective aspects, identity formation, social attitudes and consequences.
The personality profile of female Anglican clergy in Britain and Ireland
Authors: Francis Leslie J. , Jones Susan H. , Robbins Mandy , Jackson Chris J.
Published: November 2007

A sample of 523 newly ordained female Anglican clergy in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales completed the Eysenck Personality Profiler (EPP). The data demonstrated that the female clergy tended to be less extravert than women in general, less neurotic than women in general, and less toughminded than women in general. These findings help to clarify the way in which women clergy tend to project a characteristically masculine personality profile in respect of one major dimension of personality (neuroticism), but a characteristically feminine personality profile in respect of the other two major dimensions of personality (psychoticism and extraversion).
Humor Appreciation as Function of Religious Dimensions
Authors: Saroglou Vassilis
Published: November 2007

Religion and specific religious dimensions have been hypothesized to reflect and have an effect on sense of humor, especially from a personality psychology perspective. Some empirical evidence tends to confirm this hypothesis, at least when behavioral (spontaneous humor creation) measure but not questionnaires are used. However, sense of humor is not restricted to humor creation, but includes other components such as humor appreciation. In the present study (based on pencil evaluation of humorous stimuli by 118 participants), as hypothesized, religious fundamentalism and orthodoxy were found to be negatively related to humor appreciation in general and to appreciation of incongruity-resolution and nonsense humor in particular, whereas religious historical relativism was positively related to appreciation of nonsense (= unresolved incongruity) humor. However, religiosity was unrelated to humor appreciation and no religious dimension predicted low appreciation of sexual humor.
Relationships as Sources of Forming Self in the Religious Groups,
Authors: Naništová Eva , Halamová Júlia
Published: November 2007

Current psychological concepts often emphasise the importance of close personal relationships and social context in creating self. The study focuses on the relationships and the influence of the relationship contexts (relationships in family, religious group, ideal group, Slovak current society, God etc.) on forming the perceived self. 128 members of small Christian groups were given a questionnaire consisting of socio-demographic questions and a set of different scales measuring all mentioned constructs. Findings show significant correlations between high self-esteem and positive attributes concerning family, community and spirituality contexts. The significant differences were found between respondents with high and low levels of self-esteem. In addition, results of a stepwise regression analysis show that the personally important relationships have the most substantial influence on forming the self-esteem.
Identity and Integrity in African Theology a Critical Analysis
Authors: Maluleke Tinyiko S.
Published: November 2007

This article was born out of a paper the author read at the bi-annual meeting of ATIEA (Association of Theological Institutions in East Africa) held April 2000 in Arusha, Tanzania. In it, the author traces the roots and aspects of African Theology wrestling with issues of identity. In doing this, reference is made to the nascent stages in the development of African Theology and to the birth of the philosophy of Pan-Afrcanism. In conclusion, the author suggests that perhaps after all is said and done, African identity crises - even African Christian identity crises - are not that unique but part of la condition humaine. If this there is even a grain of truth in this suggestion, then perhaps our attidue towards identity in Africa should be an open, exploratory rather than one that seeks to extinguish all identity crises and provide finalized answers.
The Contextualisation of Christlanity: the Case of the Bangwato of Botswana
Authors: Nkomazana Fidelis
Published: November 2007

This article examines how the development of Christianity among the BaNgwato was influenced by socio-cultural practices. The most important factor is that where there was an attempt to contextualise, there was a rapid growth of Christianity, whilst where this was hindered or ignored, the response was negative. To adequately discuss this, I have selected four examples of socio-cultural practices : medical practices, war rites, initiation rites and marriage practices. The objective of the article is therefore to demonstrate that these factors greatly influenced the role and importance of Christianity among the BaN gwato.
A Jesus To Think With and Live By: Story and Ideology in Crossan's Jesus Research
Authors: Strijdom Johan M.
Published: November 2007

The aim of this article is to challenge Crossan in two related fronts. First, concerning 'story': did ancient authors consciously reflect on the distinction between fact and fiction, history and myth, literal and metaphorical? Could they view myths as made-up tales about divine intervention ? Further, could they question the reality of divine intervention as such, or were these questions introduced only much later by the Enlightenment and then illegitimately projected onto antiquity, as Crossan holds? My answer refers to the evidence in Thucydides, the Hippocratic corpus and the Gnostics, but focuses especially on Plato's conscious manipulation of the myths of Atlantis and the metals. I also respond to Crossan's understanding of the Platonist Celsus. Secondly, concerning 'ideology': if jesus'message and program were about systemic justice as distributive egalitarianism, about non-violent but provocative protest against violent and oppressive imperialism, how do his vision and life then relate to ancient and modern views on and practices of social justice? My objection is that whereas Crossan correctly emphasizes the concern for a just society in the Jewish and Near Eastern traditions, he underestimates the contribution of Greco-Roman paganism (except for the Cynics) in this regard. By means of a cursory discussion of Hesiod, Solon, and Socrates, and a more elaborate treatment of Plato, Aristotle and the Stoics (eg, Musonius Rufus and Seneca) I indicate just how important such a nuanced comparison is.
Physical limitations and self-rated overall health in family medicine patients
Authors: Rohrer James E. , Merry Stephen P. , Rohland Barbara , Rasmussen Norman , Wilshusen Laurie
Published: November 2007

Objective: To assess how physical limitations relate to self-rated health among family medicine patients after adjustment for severity of illness.

Design: A telephone survey of family medicine patients, linked with medical record information.

Setting: A large family medicine department in Rochester, Minnesota, USA.

Subjects: Self-ratings of health were linked to medical records for 804 adult patients.

Results: Adjusting for severity and other confounders using multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that having physical limitations was inversely and independently related to good self-rated health (adjusted odds ratio = 0.20, P<0.001). Odds ratios also were lower for high severity of illness (adjusted odds = 0.43). Morbidly obese patients and patients older than 65 years of age also had reduced odds of good self-rated health.

Conclusions: In our sample of family medicine patients, part of the disparity in health status experienced by people with physical limitations is attributable to greater severity of illness, age and obesity.
Extracorporeal Life Support in Severe Propranolol and Verapamil Intoxication
Authors: Kolcz Jacek , Pietrzyk Jacek , Januszewska Katarzyna , Procelewska Malgorzata , Mroczek Tomasz , Malec Edward
Published: November 2007

Combined poisoning with calcium-channel blockers and β-blockers is usually associated with severe heart failure. This report shows the effectiveness of emergency extracorporeal life support in treating life-threatening simultaneous propranolol and verapamil intoxication. A 15-year-old girl presented in cardiogenic shock after alcohol consumption and a propranolol and verapamil overdose; plasma concentrations: propranolol, 0.53 m/mL; verapamil, 1.06 mg/mL. She was successfully resuscitated with extracorporeal life support. Therapeutic plasma exchange was initiated. Extracorporeal support was discontinued 70 hours later. The patient made a full recovery. Simultaneous verapamil and propranolol overdoses can cause severe hemodynamic compromise and arrest of electrical and mechanical function of the heart. Emergency extracorporeal life support can successfully maintain vital organ blood flow and allows time for drug metabolism, redistribution, and removal. Therapeutic plasma exchange may reduce the time of emergency extracorporeal life support. Emergency extracorporeal life support should be considered early in cases of near-fatal intoxications with cardiodepressive drugs.
Outcome Measurements in Wound Healing Are Not Inclusive: A Way Forward
Authors: Matousek S. , Deva A.K. , Mani Raj
Published: November 2007

Standardized outcome measurement in wound healing has been an elusive goal. Whilst research into wound healing science and technology continues to progress rapidly, the lack of a uniform outcome assessment is making comparative analysis of results difficult. This paper seeks to outline the reported clinical, physiological, and histological outcomes that have been utilized in the literature. A minimal data set base for wound outcome evaluation is also established to be validated by future multivariate analysis of patient data.
Notch target Hes5 ensures appropriate Notch induced T- versus B-cell choices in the thymus
Authors: Varnum-Finney Barbara , Dallas Mari H. , Kato Keizo , Bernstein Irwin D.
Published: November 2007

Notch signaling establishes boundaries in the thymus by inducing T-cell commitment and inhibiting a B-cell choice. Here, we show a significant 1.6-fold increased generation of B-cell precursors in thymuses from mice deficient for Notch target Hes5 compared with wild-type littermates. We further show that culture of bone marrow–derived progenitors with increasing densities of purified immobilized Notch ligand (Delta1ext-IgG) induced increased expression of Notch targets Hes1 and Hes5, and that although Hes5-deficient progenitors responded appropriately to high densities of ligand, they misread intermediate and low densities. Together, our results suggest that to ensure an appropriate outcome in the thymus in response to a lower threshold of induced Notch signaling, induction of the additional target Hes5 is required.
In adults with standard-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the greatest benefit is achieved from a matched sibling allogeneic transplantation in first complete remission, and an autologous transplantation is less effective than conventional consolidation/maintenance chemotherapy in all patients: final results of the International ALL Trial (MRC UKALL XII/ECOG E2993)
Authors: Goldstone Anthony H. , Richards Susan M. , Lazarus Hillard M. , Tallman Martin S. , Buck Georgina , Fielding Adele K. , Burnett Alan K. , Chopra Raj , Wiernik Peter H. , Foroni Letizia , Paietta Elisabeth , Litzow Mark R. , Marks David I. , Durrant Jill , McMillan Andrew , Franklin Ian M. , Luger Selina , Ciobanu Niculae , Rowe Jacob M.
Published: November 2007

An international collaboration was set up to prospectively evaluate the role of allogeneic transplantation for adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and compare autologous transplantation with standard chemotherapy. Patients received 2 phases of induction and, if in remission, were assigned to allogeneic transplantation if they had a compatible sibling donor. Other patients were randomized to chemotherapy for 2.5 years versus an autologous transplantation. A donor versus no-donor analysis showed that Philadelphia chromosome–negative patients with a donor had a 5-year improved overall survival (OS), 53% versus 45% (P = .01), and the relapse rate was significantly lower (P ≤ .001). The survival difference was significant in standard-risk patients, but not in high-risk patients with a high nonrelapse mortality rate in the high-risk donor group. Patients randomized to chemotherapy had a higher 5-year OS (46%) than those randomized to autologous transplantation (37%; P = .03). Matched related allogeneic transplantations for ALL in first complete remission provide the most potent antileukemic therapy and considerable survival benefit for standard-risk patients. However, the transplantation-related mortality for high-risk older patients was unacceptably high and abrogated the reduction in relapse risk. There is no evidence that a single autologous transplantation can replace consolidation/maintenance in any risk group. This study is registered at http://clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00002514.
The role of the nose in the pathogenesis of obstructive sleep apnoea and snoring
Authors: Kohler M. , Bloch K. E. , Stradling J. R.
Published: November 2007

Data from observational studies suggest that nasal obstruction contributes to the pathogenesis of snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). To define more accurately the relationship between snoring, OSA and nasal obstruction, the current authors have summarised the literature on epidemiological and physiological studies, and performed a systematic review of randomised controlled trials in which the effects of treating nasal obstruction on snoring and OSA were investigated.

Searches of bibliographical databases revealed nine trials with randomised controlled design. External nasal dilators were used in five studies, topically applied steroids in one, nasal decongestants in two, and surgical treatment in one study.

Data from studies using nasal dilators, intranasal steroids and decongestants to relieve nasal congestion showed beneficial effects on sleep architecture, but only minor improvement of OSA symptoms or severity. Snoring seemed to be reduced by nasal dilators. Nasal surgery also had minimal impact on OSA symptoms.

In conclusion, chronic nasal obstruction seems to play a minor role in the pathogenesis of obstructive sleep apnoea, and seems to be of some relevance in the origin of snoring. The impact of treating nasal obstruction in patients with snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea on long-term outcome remains to be defined through randomised controlled trials of medical and surgical therapies.