bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of severity and duration of bladder outlet obstruction on catalase and superoxide dismutase activity
Authors: Callaghan Connor M , Schuler Catherine , Leggett Robert E , Levin Robert M 
Published: February 2013

ObjectivesTo study the effects of partial bladder outlet obstruction on the cell's anti‐oxidant defense mechanisms, superoxide dismutase and catalase, in order to elucidate how the bladder responds to oxidative stress.MethodsFour groups of eight rabbits were subjected to partial bladder outlet obstruction for 4, 8 and 12 weeks. Eight sham rabbits were used as the control group. The bladders were removed under anesthesia, and the muscle and mucosa were separated, frozen and stored at −80°C for analysis. Superoxide dismutase and catalase assays were carried out on these tissues. The groups were also categorized by severity (mild, intermediate and severe) of decompensation, as well as duration.ResultsWhen separated by duration, catalase activity of the mucosa was significantly higher in the control and the 12‐weeks obstructed rabbits. This activity was lower than the control in the 4‐ and 8‐weeks obstructed rabbits. When separated by severity, catalase activity of the mucosa was significantly higher and severely decompensated than the muscle in the controls. When separated by duration or severity, superoxide dismutase activity of the muscle was significantly lower than controls for all obstructed rabbits. The activities of both superoxide dismutase and catalase were significantly reduced in the severely decompensated bladder smooth muscle, but not in the 12‐weeks obstructed bladder smooth muscle.ConclusionsPartial bladder outlet obstruction has significant effects on the activity of both superoxide dismutase and catalase in the bladder, with variations that are dependent on the severity and duration of the obstruction.
ICT for development in the context of the closure of Chernobyl nuclear power plant: an activity theory perspective
Authors: Karanasios Stan , Allen David 
Published: February 2013

AbstractThis paper provides an analysis of a broadband implementation in the town of Slavutych, Ukraine. Slavutych was purposefully built 50 km from Chernobyl shortly after the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP) disaster in 1986 to house personnel of ChNPP and their families evacuated from the city of Prip'yat. Drawing on activity theory, and in particular the notion of activity systems, we demonstrate how an activity system approach can be used to frame Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICTD) intervention. We highlight the tools used to mediate the activity, the activity motivation and the relevant stakeholders and examine the role of ‘contradictions’. Using the notion of connected activities, we also provide some theoretical basis for understanding the emergence of activities and conceptualising the impact of development projects, arguing that the outcome of an activity leads to/is consumed by other related activities. This paper contributes to scholarship in the field of ICTD using an empirical case in a complex setting and furthers theoretical development by advancing an activity system perspective for understanding and theorising ICTD interventions.
Implementation of a successful electronic wound documentation system in rural Victoria, Australia: a subject of collaboration and community engagement
Authors: Khalil Hanan , Cullen Marianne , Chambers Helen , Steers Nicole , Walker Judi 
Published: February 2013

AbstractTo describe the steps needed for a successful implementation of an e‐health programme (the Mobile Wound Care system) in rural Victoria, Australia and to provide recommendations for future e‐health initiatives. Wound care is a major burden on the health care system. Optimal wound care was found to be impeded by issues that included the limited access to health care providers, incomplete and inconsistent documentation and limited access to expert review. This study trialled the use of a shared electronic wound reporting and imaging system in combination with an expert remote wound consultation service for the management of patients with chronic and acute wounds in Gippsland. The trial sites included four rural Home and Community Health Care providers. Considerable effort was put into designing a best practice e‐health care programme. There was support from managers and clinicians at regional and local levels to address an area of health care considered a priority. Various issues contributing to the successful implementation of the wound care project were identified: the training model, quality of data collected, demands associated with multiple sites across a vast geographic region, computer access, hardware and computer literacy.
Hyperhomocysteinaemia and chronic venous ulcers
Authors: de Franciscis Stefano , De Sarro Giovambattista , Longo Paola , Buffone Gianluca , Molinari Vincenzo , Stillitano Domenico M , Gallelli Luca , Serra Raffaele 
Published: February 2013

AbstractChronic venous ulceration (CVU) is the major cause of chronic wounds of lower extremities, and is a part of the complex of chronic venous disease. Previous studies have hypothesised that several thrombophilic factors, such as hyperhomocysteinaemia (HHcy), may be associated with chronic venous ulcers. In this study, we evaluated the prevalence of HHcy in patients with venous leg ulcers and the effect of folic acid therapy on wound healing.Eighty‐seven patients with venous leg ulcers were enrolled in this study to calculate the prevalence of HHcy in this population. All patients underwent basic treatment for venous ulcer (compression therapy ± surgical procedures).Patients with HHcy (group A) received basic treatment and administered folic acid (1·2 mg/day for 12 months) and patients without HHcy (group B) received only basic treatment. Healing was assessed by means of computerised planimetry analysis.The prevalence of HHcy among patients with chronic venous ulcer enrolled in this study was 62·06%. Healing rate was significantly higher (P < 0·05) in group A patients (78·75%) compared with group B patients (63·33%).This study suggests a close association, statistically significant, between HHcy and CVU. Homocysteine‐lowering therapy with folic acid seems to expedite wound healing. Despite these aspects, the exact molecular mechanisms between homocysteine and CVU have not been clearly defined and further studies are needed.
Reconfiguring Belonging in the Suburban US South: Diversity, ‘Merit’ and the Persistence of White Privilege
Authors: Nagel Caroline R. 
Published: February 2013

AbstractIn the past few decades, a diverse body of scholarship has complicated the image of American suburbs as spaces of white, middle‐class homogeneity. Revisionist suburban histories and accounts of African American and immigrant suburbanization have drawn attention to the longstanding presence of non‐white others in US suburbs. Yet despite diversification, white privilege remains deeply entrenched in suburbia. This article explores the shifting character of white privilege in the US — especially in the US South — and asks how whites interpret diversity and identify those with whom they are, or are not, willing to share their privileges. This article uses the results of a pilot study in a subdivision near Columbia, South Carolina, to explore how white suburbanites articulate belonging in neighborhood space. This discussion highlights the ways in which respondents reject the pre‐civil‐rights order marked by overt racial discrimination, but also reveals the ways in which they evaluate the relative merit of minority groups and identify certain differences as unacceptable. While limited in scope, this study encourages scholars to further explore the ways in which shifting configurations of race become intertwined with processes of contemporary suburban change.
Cosmopolitanism Within Borders: On Behalf of Charter Cities
Authors: Freiman Christopher 
Published: February 2013

AbstractEconomist Paul Romer proposes the establishment of charter cities. Charter cities would resemble special economic zones; that is, small regions that experiment with economic rules that differ from those governing their larger ‘host’ countries. Yet unlike a special economic zone, a charter city would also experiment with its own legal and political rules. The rules, in turn, can be enforced by a third‐party coalition of representatives of foreign countries that enforce these rules at home. Host countries that face problems of economic stagnation or political instability can thus leverage the experience and credibility of ‘guarantor’ countries to gradually reform their own institutions. I defend charter cities as an instrument of cosmopolitan justice in nonideal global conditions. Contributing to efforts to establish charter cities is, in many cases, a more efficient use of a country's scarce resources than foreign aid or attempts to facilitate institutional change abroad. I argue that countries also have a moral reason to contribute to charter cities: they can serve as compensation for the coercive harms due to those countries' border closures. I conclude that cosmopolitans and nationalists can find common ground in their reasons to support the establishment of charter cities.
A Contemporary Review of White Spot Lesions in Orthodontics
Authors: Heymann Gavin C. , Grauer Dan 
Published: February 2013

AbstractWhite spot lesions (WSL) associated with fixed orthodontic appliances are a common adverse effect of orthodontic treatment and represent a significant challenge to achieving esthetic excellence. The purpose of this article is to review the current evidence regarding diagnosis, risk assessment, prevention, intratreatment management, and postorthodontic treatment of WSL, and to provide clinical recommendations useful for both the orthodontist and the general dentist. Caries risk assessment should be incorporated into initial evaluations of orthodontic patients, and risk‐specific prevention and management protocols can help to eliminate or minimize this clinical problem. There are multiple options for treatment of WSL, ranging from conservative to invasive techniques; the severity of lesions is a determinant of which option is most appropriate.Clinical SignificanceWhite spot lesions associated with orthodontic treatment are a common problem that can be minimized with appropriate prevention, management, and treatment approaches.
Demanding, Giving, Sharing, and Keeping: Panará Ideas of Economy
Authors: Ewart Elizabeth 
Published: February 2013

ResumoEste artigo trata das idéias Panará sobre economia e modos de troca, através de uma discussão sobre o que “propriedade,” “dinheiro” e “partilha” significam para pessoas Panará. Partindo da discussão de Lévi‐Strauss sobre comercio e guerra como aspectos de um único processo social, e sugerido que as atividades econômicas Panará podem ser entendidos como aspectos da relação dinâmica com a alteridade. O encontro e a interação da gente Panará com dinheiro revela idéias importantes sobre valor, equivalência, modalidades de troca, interdependência mútua e a relação entre pessoas e objetos.
The Politics of Identification in a Shrimp Conflict in Ecuador: The Political Subject, “Pueblos Ancestrales del Ecosistema Manglar” [Ancestral Peoples of the Mangrove Ecosystem]
Authors: Latorre Sara 
Published: February 2013

ResumenDebido al éxito de las políticas de identidad ecuatorianas y (Latino Americanas) desde 1990 en adelante, actualmente las demandas sobre indigeneidad se han convertido en un poderoso leguaje para conseguir derechos territoriales colectivos en esta región. En este contexto, la literatura sobre identidades étnico‐raciales provee algunos ejemplos fascinantes sobre “indigeneidad” que cuestionan las concepciones dominantes de esta categoría. El presente caso de estudio va un poco más lejos en esta línea temática, al poner en cuestión la hegemónica premisa que considera las identificaciones étnicas en el marco de una única categoría racial. El movimiento social identificado con el sujeto político “Pueblos Ancestrales del Ecosistema Manglar” ha trascendido las divisiones “racializadas,” normalmente asociadas con las identidades étnicas, a través de la articulación de un contra‐discurso étnico basado en los conceptos de “ancestralidad” y “pueblos.” Este sujeto político se auto‐representa como “pueblos ancestrales” que pertenecen a un ecosistema natural específico, y al mismo tiempo está constituidos por un grupo “multi‐racial.”
Navigating Narrative: The Antinomies of “Mediated” Testimonios
Authors: Kohl Benjamin , Farthing Linda C. 
Published: February 2013

ResumenEn torno a la literatura testimonial latinoamericana ha surgido un áspero debate sobre las cuestiones de legitimidad, representación, relaciones de poder y posturas solidarias. Nosotros, al escribir From the Mines to the Streets: A Bolivian Activist's Life (Desde las minas a las calles: la vida de un activista boliviano), enfrentamos ese tipo de problemas, en la medida que nos tocó afrontar la necesidad de tomar en cuenta tanto las expectativas de los lectores del norte global como los requerimientos de los editores de esos países, y de adoptar una forma acorde a la tradición narrativa “occidental” para que sea más fácil de vender en los mercados globales. En este artículo discutimos cómo manejamos esas tensiones durante el proceso de traducción y elaboración del libro. Al final la experiencia nos convenció de que, a pesar de los desafíos y obstáculos, la literatura testimonial puede contribuir a propósitos educacionales y al activismo político de investigadores con compromiso social.
The Political Economy of the (Weak) Enforcement of Indirect Taxes
Authors: BESFAMILLE MARTIN 
Published: February 2013

AbstractThe objective of this paper is to understand the determinants of the enforcement level of indirect taxation in a positive setting. We build a sequential game where individuals, who differ in their willingness to pay for a taxed good, vote over the enforcement level. Firms then compete à la Cournot and choose the fraction of sales taxes to evade. We assume in most of the paper that the tax rate is set exogenously. Voters face the following trade‐off: more enforcement not only increases tax collection but also increases the consumer price of the goods sold in an imperfectly competitive market. We obtain that the equilibrium enforcement level is the one most preferred by the individual with the median willingness to pay, that it is not affected by the structure of the market (number of firms) and the firms’ marginal cost, and that it decreases with the resource cost of evasion and with the tax rate. We also compare the enforcement level chosen by majority voting with the utilitarian level. In the last section, we endogenize the tax rate by assuming that individuals vote simultaneously over tax rate and enforcement level. We prove the existence of a Condorcet winner and show that it entails full enforcement (i.e., no tax evasion at equilibrium). The existence of markets with less than full enforcement then depends crucially on the fact that tax rates are not tailored to each market individually.
Synergistic Effects of BAY 60-4552 and Vardenafil on Relaxation of Corpus Cavernosum Tissue of Patients with Erectile Dysfunction and Clinical Phosphodiesterase Type 5 Inhibitor Failure
Authors: Albersen Maarten , Linsen Loes , Tinel Hanna , Sandner Peter , Van Renterghem Koenraad 
Published: February 2013

ABSTRACT

Introduction
Overall efficacy rates of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5-i) for erectile dysfunction (ED) are 60–70%. PDE5-i treatment failures currently have to resort to invasive treatment options for restoration of erectile function.

Aims
To assess changes in the nitric oxide (NO)/cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)/protein kinase (PKG) pathway in human corpus cavernosum (HCC) of PDE5-i nonresponders compared with healthy controls. To evaluate the effects of BAY 60-4552, a stimulator of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC), and vardenafil on relaxation of HCC strips from PDE5-i nonresponders.

Main Outcome Measures
mRNA expression, morphological localization of the NO/cGMP/PKG pathway, and relaxant capacity of both compounds alone or combined. Analysis of variance, t-test or Mann–Whitney test based upon number of groups and normality of data.

Methods
HCC tissues were harvested after consent from individuals undergoing penile prosthesis implantation (patients) and potent patients undergoing transurethral surgery (healthy controls, needle biopsy). HCC tissues of patients were compared with those of healthy controls for the expression of mRNA coding for PDE5A, eNOS, PKGα1, PKG2, sGCα1, sGCα2, sGCβ1, sGCβ2, α-smooth muscle actin (aSMA) and β-actin by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The respective proteins were localized using immunofluorescence. Tissue strips of patients were precontracted with phenylepinephrine followed by incubation with 1 μM of either vardenafil or BAY 60-4552, or both simultaneously.

Results
The main targets in the NO/cGMP/sGC pathway were downregulated in PDE5-i nonresponders. The pathway was morphologically located to HCC smooth muscle, of which the overall content was preserved in ED patients based on aSMA expression. BAY 60-4552 and vardenafil have synergistic effects on relaxation of HCC of PDE5-i nonresponders. The main limitation is the small amount of control tissue precluding functional testing on these samples.

Conclusion
Despite downregulation of the NO/cGMP/PKG pathway, combining BAY 60-4552 with vardenafil significantly enhanced relaxation HCC strips of PDE5-i nonresponders.
Preliminary evidence of sustained expression of angiopoietin‐2 during monocyte differentiation in chronic hepatitis C
Authors: Rodríguez‐Muñoz Yolanda , Martín‐Vílchez Samuel , López‐Rodríguez Rosario , Hernández‐Bartolomé Ángel , García‐Buey Luisa , Borque María J. , Moreno‐Otero Ricardo , Sanz‐Cameno Paloma 
Published: February 2013

AbstractBackgroundMonocytes are essential precursors of antigen‐presenting cells, such as macrophages and dendritic cells, and contribute to the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory diseases and cancer.AimsAs Tie2‐expressing monocytes (TEMs) are increased in the peripheral blood of patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC), we aimed to examine the expression of Tie2 and angiopoietins (Ang1 and Ang2) during monocyte differentiation and maturation in CHC.MethodsThe expression of Tie2, CD11b, CD80, CD83, CD86 and MHC‐II was measured by flow cytometry in peripheral blood monocytes and monocytes‐derived cells (Mo‐DCs) from nine healthy subjects and eight CHC patients whose HCV infection was unresolved after combination therapy. Ang1 and Ang2 levels were measured in cellular supernatants by ELISA.ResultsMo‐DCs from CHC patients expressed differential patterns of maturation markers compared with controls – primarily with regard to CD80. Tie2 was downregulated during monocyte differentiation in controls and CHC patients, whereas Ang1 expression was constant. However, Ang2 levels fell significantly during the differentiation of control monocytes, in contrast with those from CHC patients in whom Ang2 expression remained stable throughout differentiation.ConclusionsAltered expression of the Ang/Tie2 system in monocytes and Mo‐DCs from CHC patients might account for the inflammatory and angiogenic disorders that are related to CHC. An increased understanding of Ang/Tie2 system regulation might be helpful in designing strategies to prevent CHC progression.
In situ U/Pb dating of impact‐produced zircons from the Vargeão Dome (Southern Brazil)
Authors: Nédélec Anne , Paquette Jean‐Louis , Yokoyama Elder , Trindade Ricardo I. F. , Aigouy Thierry , Baratoux David 
Published: February 2013

AbstractThe Vargeão impact structure was formed in the Serra Geral basaltic and rhyodacitic to rhyolitic lava flows of southern Brazil, that belong to the Paraná‐Etendeka large igneous province. The Chapecó‐type rhyodacites contain small baddeleyite crystals recently dated at 134.3 (±0.8) Ma, which is regarded as the age of this acid volcanism coeval to the flood basalt eruption. Inside the impact structure, a brecciated rhyodacitic sample displays fine veinlets containing numerous lithic fragments in a former melt. This impact breccia contains newly formed zircons, either in the veins or at the contact between a vein and the volcanic matrix. The zircons are 10–50 μm in length, clear and nearly unzoned. In situ laser‐ablation dating of the zircons provides a concordant Early Aptian age of 123.0 ± 1.4 Ma that is regarded as the age of the impact event. As in situ age determination ensures the best possible selection of the analyzed mineral grains, the methodology employed in this study also represents a promising method for dating other impact structures.
Smooth Muscle Cell Ca2+: Think Locally, Act Globally
Authors: Earley Scott 
Published: February 2013

AbstractDynamic changes in intracellular Ca2+ levels in vascular smooth muscle cells are critically important for cardiovascular regulation. This Special Topic Issue highlights a series of expert opinion articles focused on this important subject. After a brief overview, novel discoveries surrounding smooth muscle cell Ca2+ influx via L‐type and T‐type channels are reviewed. Current work revealing the functional importance of dynamic Ca2+ signaling in the control of the parenchymal microvasculature and the emerging role of mitochondrial Ca2+ signaling and store‐operated Ca2+ entry in smooth muscle cells is discussed. Finally, recent data describing a new target of localized Ca2+ signaling in arterial myocytes that is responsible for membrane depolarization is reviewed. Authors were encouraged to write in an opinionated and provocative manner with the hope of stimulating discussion in this area of research.
Renal biopsy: Comparative yield of cranial versus caudal needle trajectory. An ex vivo analysis
Authors: Karam Adib R , Vijayaraghavan Gopal , Khan Ashraf , Ustun Berrin , Hussain Sarwat 
Published: February 2013

AbstractAimTo compare the diagnostic quality of tissue cores obtained using cranial and caudal angulation of the renal biopsy needle. Comparison was made in terms of the number of glomeruli and proportion of renal cortex with medulla on pathological analysis.MethodsA total of 40 desktop, renal biopsies were performed on 10 ex vivo porcine kidneys using two different targeting angles. Biopsies were obtained from the ‘lower pole’ of each kidney using both cephalad and caudad angulations of the biopsy needle. Ten 18‐gauge semi‐automated cutting needles were used during twenty biopsies obtained per each angle; two biopsies were made using each needle. The resulting samples were collected in 40 separate and labelled formalin containers according to the used targeting angle. Two pathologists blinded to the corresponding biopsy angles reviewed the samples in consensus.ResultsSamples with a cephalad targeting angle had a mean length of 14.5 mm with mean number of 9.6 glomeruli and average 82% cortex and 18% medulla. Samples obtained using a caudad needle angulation had a mean length of 14.1 mm with mean number of 11.6 glomeruli and on the average 99% cortex. The P‐values comparing the two samples were as follows: 0.63 comparing the mean length of cores, 0.08 for number of glomeruli and 0.002 comparing the proportion of cortex.ConclusionThe proportion of cortical tissue in the core biopsy specimen using the caudad angle approach was statistically significantly higher, compared with the cephalad needle trajectory.