bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Influence of social support and emotional context on pain processing and magnetic brain responses in fibromyalgia
Authors: Montoya Pedro , Larbig Wolfgang , Braun Christoph , Preissl Hubert , Birbaumer Niels
Published: December 2004

Objective

To examine the effects of social support provided by the presence of patient's significant other on pain ratings, pain thresholds, and brain activity associated with tactile stimulation in 18 fibromyalgia (FM) patients and 18 migraine patients (controls), and to assess the influence of emotional context on thermal pain perception and processing of non–pain‐related information.

Methods

Thermal pain thresholds and somatosensory brain magnetic responses elicited by tactile stimulation at the elbow (a painful tender point in the FM group) and at the finger (nonpainful site) were evaluated under 2 experimental conditions of social support: patient alone and patient's significant other present. Brain activity was recorded using a 151‐channel whole‐head magnetoencephalography system. Additionally, the emotional context during presentation of tactile stimuli was manipulated by presenting aversive, pain‐related pictures and neutral pictures and asking the patients to imagine that they were experiencing the situations depicted.

Results

Thermal pain thresholds indicated greater sensitivity in FM patients than in migraine patients, as well as enhanced sensitivity at the elbow than at the fingers. Specifically, in FM patients, there were significant reductions in pain sensitivity and subjective pain ratings when patients were stimulated at the painful tender point in the presence of their significant others as compared with the ratings when the patients were alone. Brain activity elicited by elbow stimulation was also significantly reduced in FM patients when a significant other was present as compared with the activity when the patient was alone. These effects were not observed in the migraine patients.

Conclusion

When the significant other was present, FM patients reported less pain and thermal pain sensitivity and showed diminished brain activity elicited upon tactile stimulation of a tender point compared with these levels when the patients were alone. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that social support through the presence of a significant other can influence pain processing at the subjective–behavioral level as well as the central nervous system level.
Early response to immunosuppressive therapy predicts good renal outcome in lupus nephritis: Lessons from long‐term followup of patients in the Euro‐Lupus Nephritis Trial
Authors: Houssiau Frédéric A. , Vasconcelos Carlos , D'Cruz David , Sebastiani Gian Domenico , de Ramon Garrido Enrique , Danieli Maria Giovanna , Abramovicz Daniel , Blockmans Daniel , Mathieu Alessandro , Direskeneli Haner , Galeazzi Mauro , Gül Ahmet , Levy Yair , Petera Peter , Popovic Rajko , Petrovic Radmila , Sinico Renato Alberto , Cattaneo Roberto , Font Josep , Depresseux Geneviève , Cosyns Jean‐Pierre , Cervera Ricard
Published: December 2004

Objective

In the Euro‐Lupus Nephritis Trial (ELNT), 90 patients with lupus nephritis were randomly assigned to a high‐dose intravenous cyclophosphamide (IV CYC) regimen (6 monthly pulses and 2 quarterly pulses with escalating doses) or a low‐dose IV CYC regimen (6 pulses of 500 mg given at intervals of 2 weeks), each of which was followed by azathioprine (AZA). After a median followup of 41 months, a difference in efficacy between the 2 regimens was not observed. The present analysis was undertaken to extend the followup and to identify prognostic factors.

Methods

Renal function was prospectively assessed quarterly in all 90 patients except 5 who were lost to followup. Survival curves were derived using the Kaplan‐Meier method.

Results

After a median followup of 73 months, there was no significant difference in the cumulative probability of end‐stage renal disease or doubling of the serum creatinine level in patients who received the low‐dose IV CYC regimen versus those who received the high‐dose regimen. At long‐term followup, 18 patients (8 receiving low‐dose and 10 receiving high‐dose treatment) had developed permanent renal impairment and were classified as having poor long‐term renal outcome. We demonstrated by multivariate analysis that early response to therapy at 6 months (defined as a decrease in serum creatinine level and proteinuria <1 gm/24 hours) was the best predictor of good long‐term renal outcome.

Conclusion

Long‐term followup of patients from the ELNT confirms that, in lupus nephritis, a remission‐inducing regimen of low‐dose IV CYC followed by AZA achieves clinical results comparable with those obtained with a high‐dose regimen. Early response to therapy is predictive of good long‐term renal outcome.
Evidence for a novel rheumatoid arthritis susceptibility locus on chromosome 6p
Authors: Brintnell William , Zeggini Eleftheria , Barton Anne , Thomson Wendy , Eyre Stephen , Hinks Anne , Silman Alan J. , Worthington Jane
Published: December 2004

Objective

To investigate whether the large linkage peak on chromosome 6p harbors rheumatoid arthritis (RA) susceptibility loci in addition to the well‐characterized HLA–DRB1 gene.

Methods

DNA samples obtained from 377 UK RA affected sibling pair (ASP) families, comprising test (181 ASPs) and replication (196 ASPs) cohorts, were used for linkage analysis. Three hundred eighty‐four patients with RA derived from a subset of 192 ASPs were compared with a panel of 288 unrelated healthy controls for association studies. Samples were genotyped for 35 microsatellites and 25 single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs).

Results

In the test cohort, the maximum logarithm of odds (LOD) score was obtained over D6S1260 (LOD 7.1). Evidence for linkage to the telomeric portion of the peak was increased in subsets of ASPs in which both individuals had erosive disease or both carried 2 copies of the shared epitope. HLA–A, HLA–DRB1, and 8 additional markers showed evidence of linkage in the presence of association with RA (using the extended transmission disequilibrium test [ETDT]). The positive ETDT result for 2 adjacent markers (D6S1665 and 210901‐4) mapping to the telomeric end of the linked region (∼11 Mb from DRB1) was replicated (for D6S1665) in the second cohort of ASPs. Haplotypic overtransmission of pairwise combinations between D6S1665*7 and 210901‐4*4 was identified through the TDTPhase program. Multipoint conditional analysis showed this effect to be independent of HLA–DRB1. SNP‐based association studies of the region identified a 4‐marker haplotype in the DEK gene that was significantly associated with RA (P = 0.009).

Conclusion

Evidence has been presented for an RA susceptibility locus mapping under the linkage peak on 6p, 11 Mb telomeric of HLA–DRB1. Preliminary association data implicate the gene DEK.
Association of severe vertebral fractures with reduced quality of life: Reduction in the incidence of severe vertebral fractures by teriparatide
Authors: Crans G. G. , Silverman S. L. , Genant H. K. , Glass E. V. , Krege J. H.
Published: December 2004

Objective

The association between vertebral fracture severity and health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) was investigated in a subset of patients in the Fracture Prevention Trial. We sought to determine whether vertebral fracture severity was associated with HRQOL scores, and if so, to determine the effects of teriparatide (recombinant human parathyroid hormone 1‐34) on vertebral fracture grades that most strongly impact HRQOL in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.

Methods

Vertebral fracture severity was assessed by the visual semiquantitative (SQ) method. A subset of 444 patients with a baseline radiograph completed the Osteoporosis Assessment Questionnaire. Baseline HRQOL scores were modeled as a function of maximum baseline vertebral fracture grade, while controlling for age, bone mineral density, body mass index, and back pain.

Results

The effect of baseline vertebral fracture grade on baseline HRQOL was statistically significant, while interactions between vertebral fracture grade and the other variables were not statistically significant. SQ grade 3 (SQ3) vertebral fractures were associated with a significantly lower overall HRQOL score and with significantly lower physical function, symptoms, and emotional status dimension scores. After a median of 19 months of therapy, new or worsening SQ3 vertebral fractures occurred in 21 of 448 patients (4.7%) in the placebo group compared with 3 of 444 patients (0.7%) in the 20 μg/day teriparatide group. The risk of developing a new or worsened SQ3 vertebral fracture was reduced by 86% (P < 0.001) in patients treated with 20 μg/day teriparatide.

Conclusion

Compared with prevalent fractures of lesser severity, SQ3 vertebral fractures were associated with reduced HRQOL. Teriparatide treatment significantly reduced the risk of new or worsening SQ3 vertebral fractures. These findings suggest, but do not directly demonstrate, a benefit of teriparatide on HRQOL.
Association of a functional CD19 polymorphism with susceptibility to systemic sclerosis
Authors: Tsuchiya Naoyuki , Kuroki Kimiko , Fujimoto Manabu , Murakami Yoshinori , Tedder Thomas F. , Tokunaga Katsushi , Takehara Kazuhiko , Sato Shinichi
Published: December 2004

Objective

CD19 is overexpressed in B cells from patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), and plays a crucial role not only for autoantibody production, but also for skin fibrosis in mouse models. We previously reported the association of a GT repeat polymorphism in the 3′‐untranslated region (3′‐UTR) of CD19 with human systemic lupus erythematosus. In this study, we examined whether CD19 polymorphisms are associated with genetic susceptibility to SSc.

Methods

A case–control association study was performed for CD19 polymorphisms, −499G>T in the promoter region and a GT repeat polymorphism in the 3′‐UTR, in 134 patients with SSc and 96 healthy individuals recruited at Kanazawa University. CD19 expression levels in the peripheral blood naive and memory B cells from SSc patients were examined by 2‐color flow cytometry.

Results

Carrier frequencies of the −499T allele in the promoter (odds ratio [OR] 2.18, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.31–3.86, P = 0.003) and of the (GT)14 allele in the 3′‐UTR (OR 1.86, 95% CI 1.05–3.28, P = 0.03) were significantly increased in SSc patients compared with healthy controls. Association was particularly evident in patients with limited cutaneous SSc with anticentromere antibodies. These alleles were in linkage disequilibrium, but the −499T allele seemed to play a primary role. CD19 expression levels in peripheral blood B cells were significantly elevated in both naive (P = 0.0029) and memory (P = 0.0022) B cells from patients with SSc who had the −499T allele as compared with those without the −499T allele.

Conclusion

The CD19 −499G>T polymorphism is associated with higher CD19 expression in B cells, and with susceptibility to SSc.
NF‐κB–regulated expression of cellular FLIP protects rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts from tumor necrosis factor α–mediated apoptosis
Authors: Bai Shaochun , Liu Hongtao , Chen Kun‐Hung , Eksarko Polikseni , Perlman Harris , Moore Terry L. , Pope Richard M.
Published: December 2004

Objective

Little apoptosis has been observed in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) synovial tissues. Tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) is expressed in the joints of patients with RA, yet RA synovial fibroblasts are relatively resistant to apoptosis induced by TNFα. Recently, we demonstrated that FLIP is highly expressed in the RA joint. These studies were performed to determine if TNFα‐induced NF‐κB controls the expression of FLIP long (FLIPL) and FLIP short (FLIPS) in RA synovial fibroblasts and to determine the role of FLIP in the control of TNFα‐induced apoptosis.

Methods

RA synovial fibroblasts were isolated from RA synovial tissues and used between passages 3 and 9. RA synovial or control fibroblasts were sham infected or infected with a control adenovirus vector or one expressing the super‐repressor IκBα (srIκBα). The cells were stimulated with TNFα or a control vehicle, and expression of FLIPL and FLIPS was determined by isoform‐specific real‐time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis. Cell viability was determined by XTT cleavage, and apoptosis was determined by annexin V staining, DNA fragmentation, and activation of caspases 8 and 3.

Results

TNFα induced the expression of both isoforms of FLIP messenger RNA (mRNA) in RA synovial fibroblasts; however, FLIPL was the dominant isoform detected by Western blot analysis. In control fibroblasts, TNFα induced the expression of FLIPL and FLIPS mRNA and protein. The TNFα‐induced, but not the basal, expression of FLIP was regulated by NF‐κB. When NF‐κB activation was suppressed by the expression of srIκBα, TNFα‐mediated apoptosis was induced. TNFα‐induced apoptotic cell death was mediated by caspase 8 activation and was prevented by the ectopic expression of FLIPL or the caspase 8 inhibitor CrmA.

Conclusion

The TNFα‐induced, but not the basal, expression of FLIP is regulated by NF‐κB in RA synovial fibroblasts. The resistance of RA synovial fibroblasts to TNFα‐induced apoptosis is mediated by the NF‐κB–regulated expression of FLIP. These observations support the role of NF‐κB and FLIP as attractive therapeutic targets in RA.
Use of mass spectrometry to identify protein biomarkers of disease severity in the synovial fluid and serum of patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Liao Hua , Wu Jiang , Kuhn Eric , Chin Wendy , Chang Betty , Jones Michael D. , O'Neil Steve , Clauser Karl R. , Karl Johann , Hasler Fritz , Roubenoff Ronenn , Zolg Werner , Guild Brad C.
Published: December 2004

Objective

To identify a panel of candidate protein biomarkers of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) that can predict which patients will develop erosive, disabling disease.

Methods

A 2‐step proteomic approach was used for biomarker discovery and verification. In the first step, 2‐dimensional liquid chromatography–coupled tandem mass spectrometry was used to generate protein profiles of synovial fluid (SF) from patients with either erosive RA (n = 5) or nonerosive RA (n = 5). In the second step, the selected candidate markers were verified using quantitative multiple reaction monitoring mass spectrometry in sera of patients with erosive RA (n = 15) or nonerosive RA (n = 15) and of healthy controls (n = 15).

Results

Through differential profiling of proteins in the <40‐kd portion of the SF proteome, we selected 33 prospective candidate biomarkers from a total of 418 identified proteins. Among the proteins that were elevated in the SF of patients with erosive RA were C‐reactive protein (CRP) and 6 members of the S100 protein family of calcium‐binding proteins. Significantly, levels of CRP, S100A8 (calgranulin A), S100A9 (calgranulin B), and S100A12 (calgranulin C) proteins were also elevated in the serum of patients with erosive disease compared with patients with nonerosive RA or healthy individuals.

Conclusion

Several potential protein marker candidates have been identified for prognosis of the erosive form of RA. This study demonstrates the facility of using protein mass spectrometry in SF and serum for global discovery and verification of clinically relevant sets of disease biomarkers.
Revised versions of the Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire (CHAQ) are more sensitive and suffer less from a ceiling effect
Authors: Lam Catherine , Young Nancy , Marwaha Jasvir , McLimont Marjorie , Feldman Brian M.
Published: December 2004

Objective

To determine the relative discriminant validity of 3 new versions of the Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire (CHAQ) and to determine the relative concordance between children and their parents.

Methods

The parents of 48 children with musculoskeletal disability and 101 nondisabled controls were given the CHAQ and the 3 revised versions in random order. Children older than 5 years also completed the questionnaires.

Results

All 3 new versions of the CHAQ were more sensitive at differentiating patients from controls (relative efficiency 1.35–1.65); the versions with 8 added items were even more sensitive (relative efficiency 1.79–2.32). The new versions of the CHAQ suffered less from a ceiling effect and were more normally distributed. Concordance between children and parents was moderate to high for all versions.

Conclusion

Researchers and clinicians should consider using a revision of the CHAQ. By being more sensitive at differentiating patients, the revised versions of the CHAQ will allow fewer subjects to be studied and will be more able to detect differences between patients in the clinic.
Feasibility and construct validity of the parent willingness‐to‐pay technique for children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis
Authors: Barron Andrea C. , Lee Tsz‐Leung , Taylor Janalee , Moore Terry , Passo Murray H. , Graham T. Brent , Griffin Thomas A. , Grom Alexei A. , Lovell Daniel J. , Brunner Hermine I.
Published: December 2004

Objective

To assess the feasibility and construct validity of the willingness‐to‐pay (WTP) technique for measuring health care preferences in families of children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).

Methods

Parents were asked to estimate the monthly US dollar amount they would be willing to pay to obtain for their child the following hypothetical drugs: ARTHRO, which guarantees complete clinical response; and NO‐STOM‐ACHE, a drug that eliminates gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. A yes/no question was used with random assignment of the starting bids. Parents who agreed to pay the starting bid were then asked whether they would be willing to pay 200% and then 400% of this initial bid. Socioeconomic data and information on medications, disease activity, patient physical function, wellbeing, and health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) were obtained.

Results

Sixty‐two families of children with JIA were interviewed. GI symptoms were present in 54%, and 53% of the children had joints with active arthritis or limited range of motion. Four parents (7%) were unwilling to pay anything for any of the studied medications. The mean amount (median; mean percentage of available family income) families were willing to pay was $395 ($300; 15%) for ARTHRO and $109 ($80; 4%) for NO‐STOM‐ACHE. Correlation and regression analysis supported that, adjusted for the available family income, the WTP for ARTHRO was associated with disease activity, pain, and the HRQOL of the patients. After correction for the starting bids and the available family income, the WTP for NO‐STOM‐ACHE was associated with the patient's HRQOL, pain, and the amount of GI discomfort.

Conclusion

The WTP technique is feasible and has construct validity for measuring health care preferences for children with JIA. Relatively large WTP estimates support a possible important negative impact of the disease on families of children with JIA.
Risk of pancreatic adenocarcinoma
Authors: Chang Kenneth J. , Parasher Gulshan , Christie Catherine , Largent Joan , Anton‐Culver Hoda
Published: December 2004

BACKGROUND

African Americans have a higher incidence of pancreatic adenocarcinoma compared with non‐Hispanic whites. Whether other clinical differences exist between these two groups is not well known.

METHODS

The authors conducted a population‐based retrospective analysis of all patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma in both a regional and a statewide database between 1988 and 1998. Their goal was to evaluate differences in incidence rates, clinical presentation, including age at diagnosis, gender, and tumor characteristics, and treatment among race/ethnic groups.

RESULTS

African Americans had a higher age‐adjusted incidence rate of pancreatic adenocarcinoma (8.78) compared with non‐Hispanic whites (5.89), Hispanics (5.09), Asians (4.75), and all race/ethnicities combined (5.82). African Americans also presented at a later stage of disease and received less surgery than all other race/ethnicities, despite equal availability of medical insurance. The analyses also revealed gender differences. In general, males maintained a higher incidence rate of pancreatic adenocarcinoma than females across all race/ethnicities. In all race/ethnic groups, females were diagnosed at an older age and an earlier stage of disease than males. The proportional hazard mortality ratio for females age < 60 was significantly less than that for males in the same age group (P < 0.02), even after accounting for stage and treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

African Americans in California had a higher incidence rate of pancreatic adenocarcinoma, had a slightly higher risk of presenting with advanced‐stage diseas and with nonresectable tumors (i.e., tumors located in the body or tail of the pancreas), and underwent less surgical treatment than all other race/ethnicities. Younger females in all race/ethnic groups had a survival advantage over males of the same age. Cancer 2005. © 2004 American Cancer Society.
Lack of association of polyomavirus and herpesvirus types 6 and 7 in human lymphomas
Authors: Hernández‐Losa Javier , Fedele Cesar Giovanni , Pozo Francisco , Tenorio Antonio , Fernández Victor , Castellví Josep , Parada Carlos , Ramón y Cajal Santiago
Published: December 2004

BACKGROUND

The association of viruses with several human tumors has been studied for almost 100 years, and it remains a very controversial issue. Due to the fact that the presence of polyomaviruses and herpes viruses reportedly are associated with lymphomas, albeit with striking results and differences between the many studies, the authors undertook a study into the presence of viral sequences of polyomavirus (BK virus, JC virus, and especially simian virus 40 [SV40]) in human lymphomas in an attempt to explain this contradictory association. To complete the study, the presence of different virus types from the herpesviriridae family were analyzed, such as herpesvirus type 6 (HHV6), HHV7, HHV8, and Epstein–Barr virus, in human lymphomas.

METHODS

DNA was isolated from 83 frozen human lymphoma samples, and different polymerase chain reaction techniques were used to find polyomavirus and herpesvirus sequences in these samples. To assess the incidence of the presence of sequences in lymphomas, a parallel analysis was made of 53 samples from normal donor spleen lymphocytes. Positive samples were analyzed for polyomavirus sequences by immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS

Polyomavirus sequences were detected in 9 of 83 lymphomas (11%), and SV40 sequences could be confirmed in only 1 lymphoma. Immunohistochemistry for large‐T antigen was negative in all samples. Herpesviruses were detected in 53 of 83 lymphomas (63.9%), were detected more frequently in Hodgkin lymphomas (80%) than in non‐Hodgkin lymphomas (58.7%), and were detected in > 60% of normal spleen lymphocytes.

CONCLUSIONS

The current results did not support a clear association of polyomavirus and HHV6 or HHV7 with lymphomas; HHV6 and HHV7 sequences were detected in a similar percentage of normal samples and lymphomas. The lack of significant differences between normal and malignant lymphocytes and the absence of viral protein expression in the tumor cells did not allow the establishment of a clinical correlation between polyomaviruses or HHVs (HHV6, HHV7, HHV8) and lymphomas. Nevertheless, because viral products can be lost during tumor progression, and because host factors can modulate the oncogenic role of some viruses, the hypothetical role of these viruses cannot be discarded completely. Cancer 2005. © 2004 American Cancer Society.
Prolegomenon to a history of paleoanthropology: The study of human origins as a scientific enterprise. Part 2. Eighteenth to the twentieth century
Authors: Goodrum Matthew R.
Published: December 2004

Modern scientific theories of human origins can be traced directly back to the discoveries, arguments, and theories of the seventeenth century. But as we have seen in the first part of this paper, a great many critical steps had been taken, ideas proposed, and discoveries made long before this. The scientific advances of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries owed much to ancient science, while still retaining many aspects of the medieval Christian world view. Yet both science and Christianity changed significantly as a result of the Renaissance, the Protestant Reformation, the Scientific Revolution, the voyages of exploration, and the changes wrought on European society as a result of industrialization. The question of human origins was directly affected by the archeological study of prehistoric ruins, new geological theories, the study of fossils, the discovery of “savage” peoples living in the New World, and the comparison of prehistoric stone implements from Europe with those collected in the New World. This proliferation of new discoveries, new theories, and the emergence of completely new scientific disciplines in the seventeenth century laid the foundation for the dramatic new discoveries and theories that came over the next three centuries.
Holes in the head: Evolutionary interpretations of the paranasal sinuses in catarrhines
Authors: Rae Todd C. , Koppe Thomas
Published: December 2004

Everyone who has ever experienced a head cold is familiar with the paranasal sinuses, the bony hollows above and beside the nasal cavity that contribute, sometimes painfully, to upper respiratory tract disorders. These internal cranial structures have a wide distribution among eutherian mammals and archosaurs.1, 2 Sinuses have languished somewhat in the shadow of their better known and more accessible morphological cousins (dentition, postcrania), but new imaging techniques, growth studies, and explicit phylogenetic evaluation3 are beginning to fill in the gaps in our knowledge of the evolution of these enigmatic spaces in primates and promise to yield insights into the evolution of the facial skeleton.
Phagocytosis of O4+ axonal fragments in vitro by p75− neonatal rat olfactory ensheathing cells
Authors: Wewetzer Konstantin , Kern Norman , Ebel Christian , Radtke Christine , Brandes Gudrun
Published: December 2004

Olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) have gained wide interest because of their unique regeneration‐promoting capacity. However, despite their frequent use in regeneration studies, the characterization of the cells has remained fragmentary. In the present study, we analyzed freshly dissociated neonatal rat OECs at the light and electron microscopic level and studied their fate in vitro using a novel two‐step labeling protocol based on antibody internalization. We report the identification and characterization of two distinct OEC populations in situ and in primary cell suspensions that differed in number, p75 NGF receptor expression, and O4 immunoreactivity. The major OEC population in primary cells suspensions did not express p75 but stained positive for the glycolipid O4 (p75−/O4+). During culturing, these cells upregulated p75 expression and lost O4 immunoreactivity. Conversely, the minor OEC population consisted of p75+/O4− OECs that maintained p75 expression in vitro. Interestingly, ultrastructural analysis revealed not only that O4 immunoreactivity of p75− OECs was, in fact, due to O4+ axonal fragments adhering to the cell surface but also that p75− OECs rapidly phagocytosed these fragments in vitro. Taken together, the identification of two distinct OEC populations in the neonatal olfactory bulb that converge into single p75+ phenotype in vitro is reported. The observation that upregulation of p75 receptor expression in vitro was only apparent in those OECs closely associated with O4+ axonal processes may suggest that axonal signalling in vivo negatively regulates p75 receptor expression. The strong phagocytic activity of OECs in vitro may reflect one important aspect of their physiological function. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Validation of a soil water balance model using soil water content and pressure head data
Authors: Wegehenkel Martin
Published: December 2004

The validation of soil water balance models and the evaluation of the quality of the model predictions at field‐scale require time‐series of in situ measured model outputs. In our study, we have validated such a model using a 6‐year period with time‐series of automatically recorded, daily volumetric soil water contents measured with the time‐domain reflectometry with intelligent microelements (TRIME) method and daily pressure heads measured with tensiometers. The comparisons of simulated with measured soil water contents and pressure heads were analysed using the modelling efficiency index (IA) and the square root of the mean square error (RMSE) in order to evaluate the prediction quality of the model. In our study, IA and RMSE, obtained either from the comparison of simulated with measured soil water contents or the comparison of calculated with observed pressure heads, in some cases lead to different results regarding the evaluation of the simulation quality of the soil water balance model. For example, a good fit between simulated and observed soil water contents does not necessarily result in a comparably good fit between the corresponding calculated and measured pressure heads. Therefore, a combined use of both measurement techniques, which takes into account their respective advantages and disadvantages, gives a more complete overview on the simulation quality of the soil water balance model than the single use of one of those techniques. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Chemical modification and immobilization of papain
Authors: Roy J Jegan , Sumi S , Sangeetha K , Abraham T Emilia
Published: December 2004

Papain, an endolytic cysteine protease (EC: 3.4.22.2), from Carica papaya latex has been chemically modified using succinic anhydride. This reagent reacts with the amino group of the lysine residues in the enzyme, thereby changing its net charge from positive to negative. The resultant enzyme had its optimum pH shifted from pH 6 to 8 and there was no change in the temperature optima of 70 °C. The modified papain had a specific activity of about 62.8 IU mg−1 of protein at pH 8.0 at 30 °C, whereas for the native enzyme it was 46.57 IU mg−1 under same conditions. Stability of the modified papain was further increased by entrapping in alginate/starch beads. The immobilized papain retained its activity even after six cycles of hydrolysis. The wet beads, when dried at 50 ± 2 °C, increased the storage stability of the immobilized enzyme. The succinylated papain is active in various organic solvents and hence can be successfully used in biotransformations as well as being used as a proteolytic component in detergents. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry
Effects of static and dynamic perturbations on isotropic hyperfine coupling constants in some quinone radicals
Authors: Fiedler S. L. , Eloranta J.
Published: December 2004

The effects of solvent dielectric response on the isotropic hyperfine coupling constants of the 1,4‐benzoquinone, 1,4‐naphthoquinone and 9,10‐anthraquinone anions and 1,4‐naphthalenediol cation radicals were studied by electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy and by the theoretical density functional method within the polarizable continuum model. Experimental results demonstrate that the isotropic hyperfine coupling constants can be obtained with high accuracy and that the effects of solvent impurities can be minimized by careful sample preparation. The results obtained correlate well with theoretical predictions from density functional theory calculations. For 1,4‐naphthalenediol both the solvent dielectric response as well as rotational averaging of the hydroxy groups were calculated. The overall results highlight the importance of static and dynamic perturbations to the couplings and aid in the assignation process of the couplings to specific magnetic nuclei. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Change from within: The ABC‐AME church
Authors: Katsioloudes Marios I. , Avery Derek R. , Kass E. Eli
Published: December 2004

This article describes the dilemma of a senior pastor whose urban church lost its community focus as the congregation became more affluent. His task was to determine what role the church should play in helping its less fortunate neighbors and how to get the members to support this new vision.

Where there is no vision the people perish. —Proverbs 29:18
Nijmegen breakage syndrome diagnosed as Fanconi anaemia
Authors: New Helen V. , Cale C.M. , Tischkowitz M. , Jones A. , Telfer P. , Veys P. , D'Andrea A. , Mathew C.G. , Hann I.
Published: December 2004

Background

Fanconi anaemia (FA) and Nijmegen breakage syndrome (NBS) are rare chromosomal instability disorders with overlapping clinical features. It has recently been shown that, like FA, NBS is also associated with increased chromosomal sensitivity to DNA cross‐linking agents.

Procedure

We report a family that was initially diagnosed with FA on the basis of increased sensitivity to DNA cross‐linking agents. They were atypical in that there were associated severe infection problems. In view of these features we performed immune function studies together with molecular analysis of the FA genes and subsequently the NBS1 gene.

Results

Two children in the kindred have died, one from sepsis, and the other with a plasma cell malignancy. A third child underwent bone marrow transplantation because of recurrent infections. All affected members had severe immunological abnormalities. The genetic defect was shown to be a novel mutation in the NBS1 gene, so the diagnosis was revised to that of NBS.

Conclusions

This family illustrates the importance of awareness of the lack of specificity of DNA cross‐linking agent tests for FA, particularly in situations where the clinical features are atypical. In addition, one of the cases represents the first use of bone marrow transplantation for NBS that we are aware of; this treatment may have a future role for other patients with the syndrome. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Invasive adenoviral infection in a recipient of unrelated bone marrow transplantation: Problems with diagnostic PCR
Authors: Ishida Hiroyuki , Shin‐Nakai Noriko , Yoshihara Takao , Teramura Tomoko , Imamura Toshihiko , Mukouyama Atsushi , Morimoto Akira , Imashuku Shinsaku
Published: December 2004

A hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (SCT) recipient developed severe diarrhea and fever. A rapid test for the presence of adenovirus (AdV)‐specific antigen in the patient's stools was positive; however, AdV genome was not detected by conventional or real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). AdV was confirmed by specific PCR for AdV serotype 7 and by an AdV hexon/fiber gene DNA sequence homology search of the PCR product. We suspect that conventional/real‐time PCR failed to detect AdV due to nine silent single base substitutions in the extracted AdV genome. Treatment with 1 mg/kg cidofovir (CDV) intravenously three times a week was effective. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Pulmonary circulation of fetal sheep with lung hyperplasia following tracheal occlusion
Authors: Tchirikov M. , Hecher K. , Deprest J. , Verbeken E. , Roubliova X. , Schröder H. J.
Published: December 2004

Objectives

To determine the alteration of blood flow velocity profile in the pulmonary arteries (PAs) of fetal sheep after tracheal occlusion (TO).

Methods

Doppler ultrasound investigations of the PAs, the pulmonary trunk and the ductus arteriosus were performed weekly in nine ewes (gestational age 92–98 days, term 145 days) with singleton pregnancies after TO (n = 5) and in control fetuses (n = 4). Histological examinations with morphometry of pulmonary arterial vessels and of airways were performed in both groups.

Results

In the control group the experiments lasted 38 ± 6 days (mean ± SD), and in the TO group 25 ± 7 days. Relative lung weight was significantly higher in the TO group compared with the control group (14.5 ± 3.4% and 4.0 ± 0.5% of body weight). There were no significant differences in the Doppler parameters (pulsatility index, resistance index, the systolic peak, the diastolic minimum, time averaged maximum velocity) between groups. When the Doppler values of PAs in TO and control fetuses were combined, no significant differences between the left and right PA could be detected. The external diameter of peripheral PAs was significantly higher in the TO group as compared to control group (105.7 ± 2.5 µm vs. 96.9 ± 1.3 µm).

Conclusions

We found a threefold increase of fetal lung volume after TO without significant changes of blood flow velocity profiles in the PAs of fetal sheep. Copyright © 2004 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease using four‐dimensional spatio‐temporal image correlation (STIC) telemedicine via an Internet link: a pilot study
Authors: Viñals F. , Mandujano L. , Vargas G. , Giuliano A.
Published: December 2004

Objective

To assess whether the spatio‐temporal image correlation (STIC) acquisition technique can be taught to a general obstetrician by e‐mail; whether STIC volume datasets can be transmitted over the Internet; and whether STIC volume datasets analyzed offline at a remote setting can be used to confirm or exclude major cardiac defects (TELE‐STIC).

Methods

This was a prospective study involving 50 pregnant women with gestational ages ranging between 20 and 36 weeks. These patients were selected by two general obstetricians (operators) working in geographically remote areas of Chile. Although both obstetricians were users of equipment capable of four‐dimensional (4D) ultrasound with STIC, they lacked skill in the performance of fetal cardiac examination. A dedicated web disk was created to upload the acquired volume datasets using an Internet broadband connection. Offline analysis was performed by a single investigator experienced in fetal echocardiography (the administrator).

Results

A telemedicine link via the Internet was possible in all cases. Seventy‐seven volume datasets were sent to the web server. A complete cardiac examination according to set criteria was achieved by the administrator in 86% of the cases scanned by one operator and 95% of the cases scanned by the other operator. Three patients had cardiac defects confirmed postnatally, two fetuses had extracardiac anomalies and one fetus had a suspected cardiac defect unconfirmed by second‐opinion TELE‐STIC. There were two isolated major congenital heart defects. Both patients were given advice by e‐mail and teleconference using a web camera about the likely outcome and benefits of scheduling in utero transport to a tertiary care center.

Conclusions

STIC volumes can be obtained by operators inexperienced in fetal echocardiography, transmitted via the Internet, and their analysis enables recognition of most of the structures and views necessary to assess fetal cardiac anatomy. The preliminary use of TELE‐STIC allowed us to demonstrate that some intracardiac anomalies can be ruled out and others confirmed, allowing perinatal management to be tailored accordingly. Copyright © 2004 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Prenatal diagnosis of absence of the septum pellucidum associated with septo‐optic dysplasia
Authors: Lepinard C. , Coutant R. , Boussion F. , Loisel D. , Delorme B. , Biquard F. , Bonneau D. , Guichet A. , Descamps P.
Published: December 2004

Septo‐optic dysplasia (SOD; De Morsier syndrome) is a rare congenital disorder characterized by the absence of the septum pellucidum (SP), hypoplasia of the optic chiasma and nerves, and various types of hypothalamic–pituitary dysfunction. We report on two fetuses with absence of the SP diagnosed by ultrasound examination at 29 and 30 gestational weeks. In the first case the diagnosis of SOD was suspected in utero and confirmed postnatally; to the best of our knowledge this is the first report of the prenatal diagnosis of SOD. In the second case absence of the SP appeared to be isolated and no visual or endocrine impairment were detected after birth. Copyright © 2004 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Crystal structure of the conserved hypothetical protein Rv1155 from Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Canaan Stéphane , Sulzenbacher Gerlind , Roig-Zamboni Véronique , Scappuccini-Calvo Loréna , Frassinetti Frédéric , Maurin Damien , Cambillau Christian , Bourne Yves
Published: December 2004

With the aim of elucidating the biological function of hypothetical proteins unique amongst the Actynomyces sub‐group of bacteria, we have solved the crystal structure of the conserved hypothetical protein Rv1155 from Mycobacterium tuberculosis at 1.8 Å resolution. Rv1155 is a homodimer both in the crystal structure and in solution and folds into two separate domains consisting of a six‐stranded anti‐parallel β‐barrel fold flanked by two α‐helices and a helix‐turn‐helix domain. Both domains contribute to the formation of two deep clefts at the dimer interface. The overall fold of Rv1155 strikingly resembles that of flavin mononucleotide‐binding protein and pyridoxamine 5′‐phosphate oxydase, but the architecture of the putative binding pocket is markedly different, consistent with the lack of color of Rv1155 and its inability to bind FMN. Rv1155 thus appears to belong to a group of proteins with stringent conservation of the binding cleft, having evolved towards a new binding function.
Hypotonic stress induces E‐cadherin expression in cultured human keratinocytes
Authors: Kippenberger Stefan , Loitsch Stefan , Guschel Maike , Müller Jutta , Kaufmann Roland , Bernd August
Published: December 2004

Human epidermis marks the interface between internal and external environments with the major task being to maintain body hydration. Alternating exposure of skin to a dry or humid environment is likely to cause changes in the epidermal water gradient resulting in osmotic alterations of epidermal keratinocytes. The present in vitro approach studied the effect of hypotonicity on cell–cell contact. It was demonstrated that hypotonic stress applied to human epithelial cells (HaCaT, A‐431) induced upregulation of E‐cadherin at both, the protein and mRNA level. 5′‐deletional mutants of the E‐cadherin promoter identified an element ranging from −53 to +31 that conveyed strong transactivation under hypotonic stress. In order to define relevant upstream regulators members of the MAP kinase family, the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and protein kinase B/Akt (PKB/Akt) were investigated. Hypotonic conditions led to a fast activation of ERK1/2, SAPK/JNK, p38, EGFR and PKB/Akt with distinct activation patterns. Experiments using specific inhibitors showed that p38 contributes to the E‐cadherin transactivation under hypotonic conditions. Further upstream, adhesion was found to be a prerequisite for E‐cadherin transactivation in this model. In summary, the present study provides evidence that E‐cadherin is an osmo‐sensitive gene that responds to hypotonic stress. The function of this regulation may be found in morphological changes induced by cell swelling. It is likely that induction of E‐cadherin contributes to the stabilization between adjacent cells in order to withstand the physical forces induced by hypotonicity.
ETHNIC AND RACIAL DIFFERENCES ON THE STANDARD PROGRESSIVE MATRICES IN MEXICO
Authors: LYNN RICHARD , BACKHOFF EDUARDO , CONTRERAS L. A.
Published: December 2004

Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices test was administered to a representative sample of 920 white, Mestizo and Native Mexican Indian children aged 7–10 years in Mexico. The mean IQs in relation to a British mean of 100 obtained from the 1979 British standardization sample and adjusted for the estimated subsequent increase were: 98·0 for whites, 94·3 for Mestizos and 83·3 for Native Mexican Indians.
TENNYSON, ARNOLD, AND THE WEALTH OF THE EAST
Authors: Haddad Emily A.
Published: December 2004

It is not indeed necessary to own a country in order to do trade with it or invest capital in it.—J. A. Hobson, 1902 WHEN WE EXAMINEAlfred Tennyson's and Matthew Arnold's poetic depictions of the wealth of the East, we find that most poems respond to one of two impulses. Some poems seem motivated mainly by the same classic orientalism that is exemplified by those poems of the Romantic period that represent the East as a world apart, untouched by time. But Arnold and Tennyson also wrote poems driven more by the imperialist currents that strengthened throughout the Victorian period; these poems show the East becoming increasingly assimilated into the very modern world of commerce within the British imperial system. In their poems on Eastern wealth, then, Arnold and Tennyson seem not only to be working through their inheritance from Romanticism (specifically, Romantic orientalism), but also to be negotiating between more traditional notions of value and those specific to the developing political and economic systems of the Victorian age. Ultimately, these poems' conception of the wealth of the East is at least consistent with, if not also implicated in, the conflicted evolution of imperialist ideology.
“TURN AGAIN, DICK WHITTINGTON!”: DICKENS, WORDSWORTH, AND THE BOUNDARIES OF THE CITY
Authors: Parrinder Patrick
Published: December 2004

IN A BRILLIANTLY SUGGESTIVE ARTICLE, the urban historian Lewis Mumford defined the form of the “archetypal city” as follows: First of all, the city is the creation of a king…acting in the name of a god. The king's first act, the very key to his authority and potency, is the erection of a temple within a heavily walled sacred enclosure. And the construction of another wall to enclose the subservient community turns the whole area into a sacred place: a city. (12) This ancient city, which arose just before the beginning of recorded history, is double walled. It has an inner as well as an outer boundary. The outer walls enclose the area inhabited by a subservient population, but the city itself exists for the sake of the temple and its adjoining palace, the homes, respectively, of the god and the king. Some great historic city centers such as Rome with its Vatican, Moscow with its Kremlin, and Beijing with its Heavenly City preserve a structure that is apparently descended from this model. In Anglo-Saxon London, however, an abbey and a seat of government were established at Westminster, just outside what became the walled City overlooked by the grim citadel of the Tower. Canterbury, not London, became the nation's religious capital. London, in effect, marks a stage in the separation of spiritual and temporal powers and, thus, in the secularization of the city. Medieval London was able to assert its independence from the monarchy through the institution of its self-governing Corporation, presided over by the Lord Mayor. The mayoralty was the only significant temporal office in the land not in the gift of the king; and this explains why, in the folk-tale, the ragged boy Dick Whittington could become Lord Mayor of London.
HOUSES IN BETWEEN: NAVIGATING SUBURBIA IN LATE VICTORIAN WRITING
Authors: Cunningham Gail
Published: December 2004

Oh it really is a wery pretty garden And Chingford to the eastward could be seen; Wiv a ladder and some glasses You could see to 'Ackney marshes If it wasn't for the 'ouses in between. “WHAT A PLEASANT THING IT MUST BE…to have ancestors,” muses Alma in George Gissing'sThe Whirlpool. This reflection is prompted by response to her location, living as she does neither in country village nor metropolitan center but in suburbia. Recognition of this brings her bleakly down to earth: “Nobody's ancestors ever lived in a semi-detached villa” (342; pt. 3, ch. 4). Genealogically speaking, of course, Alma has as many ancestors as anyone else, as Gissing knew perfectly well; his point, however, is to signal through Alma–as he does throughout the novel–the degree to which the explosion in suburban living that characterized late nineteenth-century London had disturbed and fractured identities. Alma's ancestors may have existed, but not in any spatial, social, or temporal dimension to which she, a dweller in the new semi-detached suburbia, can relate. Like all suburban dwellers of thefin de siècle, she has moved beyond the bounds of the historically known and culturally defined. Floundering between fantasies of rural idylls and illusions of metropolitan glamour, she is fatally unable to settle the new territory she now actually inhabits, aterra incognitaof domesticity in redbrick villas, of streets, gardens, commuters, of atomized family units in homogenized streetscapes. She has no social or historical chart by which to navigate.