bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Altered Motor Cortex Excitability to Magnetic Stimulation in Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome
Authors: Nardone Raffaele , Bergmann Jürgen , Kronbichler Martin , Caleri Francesca , Lochner Piergiorgio , Tezzon Frediano , Ladurner Gunther , Golaszewski Stefan 
Published: January 2010

Background: Alcohol addiction is a complex brain disease caused by alterations in crucial neurotransmitter systems, including gamma‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate. These disturbances could be revealed by changes in cortical excitability parameters, as assessed by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). This study was aimed to further investigate the complex pathophysiology of alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS).Methods: Motor cortex excitability was examined in 13 subjects with AWS in a mild predelirial state, in 12 chronic alcoholics and in 15 age‐matched control subjects, using a range of TMS protocols. Central motor conduction time, resting and active motor threshold, duration of the cortical silent period, short latency intracortical inhibition (SICI), and intracortical facilitation (ICF) to paired TMS were examined.Results: Intracortical facilitation was significantly increased in the AWS patients when compared with the chronic alcoholics and the control subjects. The other TMS parameters did not differ significantly from the controls. Administration of a single oral dose of the glutamatergic antagonist riluzole in a subgroup of 8 patients significantly reduced ICF; motor threshold and SICI were not affected by riluzole.Conclusion: Transcranial magnetic stimulation shows a selective increase in intracortical facilitation after ethanol withdrawal. Our findings support the theory that altered glutamatergic receptor function plays an important role in the pathogenesis of human alcohol withdrawal. This study provides further physiological evidence that antiglutamatergic approaches represent an efficacious alternative for treating alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
Does Alcohol Involvement Increase the Severity of Intimate Partner Violence?
Authors: McKinney Christy M. , Caetano Raul , Rodriguez Lori A. , Okoro Ngozi 
Published: January 2010

Background:  Most studies that have examined alcohol use immediately prior to intimate partner violence (IPV) have been limited to male‐to‐female partner violence (MFPV) and are subject to a number of methodological limitations. We add new information concerning the relationship between alcohol involvement and severity of IPV, MFPV, and female‐to‐male partner violence (FMPV).Methods:  We analyzed data from a 1995 U.S. national population‐based survey of couples ≥18 years old. We examined 436 couples who reported IPV and had information on alcohol involvement with IPV. We measured IPV using a revised Conflict Tactics Scale, Form R that asked respondents about 11 violent behaviors in the past year. Respondents were classified into mutually exclusive categories as having experienced mild only or mild + severe (“severe”) IPV, MFPV or FMPV. Respondents were also asked if they or their partner were drinking at the time the violent behavior occurred and were classified as exposed to IPV with or without alcohol involvement. We estimated proportions, odds ratios, 95% confidence intervals, and p‐values of the proposed associations, accounting for the complex survey design.Results:  Overall, 30.2% of couples who reported IPV reported alcohol involved IPV; 69.8% reported no alcohol involvement. In adjusted analyses, those reporting severe (vs. mild only) IPV were more than twice as likely to report alcohol involvement. In adjusted analyses, those reporting severe (vs. mild) MFPV or FMPV were more likely to report female but not male alcohol involvement. Though estimates were positive and strong, most confidence intervals were compatible with a wide range of estimates including no association.Conclusions:  Our findings suggest alcohol involvement of either or both in the couple increases the risk of severe IPV. Our findings also suggest female alcohol use may play an important role in determining the severity of IPV, MFPV or FMPV.
GABRA2 and Alcohol Use Disorders: No Evidence of an Association in an Italian Case–Control Study
Authors: Onori Nicoletta , Turchi Chiara , Solito Giovanni , Gesuita Rosaria , Buscemi Loredana , Tagliabracci Adriano 
Published: January 2010

Background: Alcoholism is a major health and social issue, a highly frequent disease and a cause of premature death. It is also the most expensive addictive disorder being related to high morbidity and mortality, violence, accidents, and social and legal problems. It is a quantitative disorder, where the combined incidence of environmental and multiple genetic factors varies from 1 subject to another. Recent association studies have identified several genes as candidates for alcoholism, including GABAAreceptor genes, due to their role in mediating several behavioral effects of alcohol, such as motor incoordination, anxiolysis, sedation, and withdrawal. The proposed association between the 3′ half of the gene encoding the alpha‐2 subunit of GABA receptor (3′‐GABRA2) and alcohol use disorders (AUDs) has received several independent confirmations.Methods: In this study, 10 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the 3′‐GABRA2 gene, previously reported to be implicated in alcohol dependence, were used to evaluate the linkage between selected SNPs and AUDs in an Italian sample and to compare findings with those of previous studies.Results: No evidence of an association was found at the allele, genotype, haplotype, or diplotype levels between the 3′‐GABRA2 polymorphisms investigated and alcoholism in 149 Italian alcoholics (98 alcohol dependents and 51 alcohol abusers) and 278 controls.Conclusions: Despite previous reports, we did not find an association between AUDs and 3′‐GABRA2 polymorphisms. This is probably due to the minimal comorbidity of our Italian sample suggesting that this gene is implicated in polysubstance dependence rather than in alcoholism alone.
Anti‐Inflammatory and Anti‐Apoptotic Roles of Endothelial Cell STAT3 in Alcoholic Liver Injury
Authors: Miller Andrew M. , Wang Hua , Park Ogyi , Horiguchi Norio , Lafdil Fouad , Mukhopadhyay Partha , Moh Akira , Fu Xin Yuan , Kunos George , Pacher Pal , Gao Bin 
Published: January 2010

Background:  It is generally believed that the hepatoprotective effect of interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) is mediated via activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) in hepatocytes. IL‐6‐deficient mice are more susceptible to alcohol‐induced hepatocyte apoptosis and steatosis and elevation of serum alanine transaminase (ALT); however, whereas hepatocyte‐specific STAT3 knockout mice are more susceptible to alcohol‐induced hepatic steatosis, they have similar hepatocyte apoptosis and serum ALT after alcohol feeding compared with wild‐type mice. This suggests that the hepatoprotective effect of IL‐6 in alcoholic liver injury may be mediated via activation of STAT3‐independent signals in hepatocytes, activation of STAT3 in nonparenchymal cells, or both. We have previously shown that IL‐6 also activates STAT3 in sinusoidal endothelial cells (SECs). Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate whether STAT3 in endothelial cells also plays a protective role in alcoholic liver injury.Methods:  Wild‐type and endothelial cell‐specific STAT3 knockout (STAT3E−/−) mice were pair‐fed and fed ethanol containing diet for 4 weeks. Liver injury and inflammation were determined.Results:  Feeding mice with ethanol‐containing diet for 4 weeks induced greater hepatic injury (elevation of serum ALT) and liver weight in STAT3E−/− mice than wild‐type control groups. In addition, ethanol‐fed STAT3E−/− mice displayed greater hepatic inflammation and substantially elevated serum and hepatic levels of IL‐6 and TNF‐α compared with wild‐type mice. Furthermore, ethanol‐fed STAT3E−/− mice displayed a greater abundance of apoptotic SECs and higher levels of serum hyaluronic acid than wild‐type controls.Conclusions:  These data suggest that endothelial cell STAT3 plays important dual functions of attenuating hepatic inflammation and SEC death during alcoholic liver injury.
Prevalence of Alcohol‐Related Problems in an Elderly Population and Their Association With Cognitive Impairment and Dementia
Authors: Lopes Marcos A. , Furtado Erikson F. , Ferrioli Eduardo , Litvoc Júlio , De Campos Bottino Cássio M. 
Published: January 2010

Background:  Studies investigating the association between alcohol use and cognitive disorders in the elderly population have produced divergent results. Moreover, the role of alcohol in cognitive dysfunction is not clear. The aims of this study were to estimate the prevalence of alcohol‐related problems in an elderly population from Brazil and to investigate their association with cognitive and functional impairment (CFI) and dementia.Methods:  A community‐based cross‐sectional study was performed. A sample of 1,145 elderly people was examined in 2 phases. Several instruments were utilized in the first phase: the CAGE questionnaire was used to identify potential cases of alcohol‐related problems, and a screening test for dementia was used to estimate CFI. The CAMDEX interview (Cambridge Examination) and DSM‐IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition) criteria were used for the clinical diagnosis of dementia in the second phase.Results:  “Heavy alcohol use” (CAGE ≥ 2) was found in 92 subjects (prevalence: 8.2%). It was associated with gender (males, p < 0.001), low education (only in females, p = 0.002), and low socioeconomic level (p = 0.001, in females; p = 0.002, in males). The Mini Mental State Examination exhibited a nonlinear relationship with alcohol‐related problems in females; “mild–moderate alcohol use” (CAGE < 2) presented the highest score. A significant association between alcohol‐related problems and cognitive dysfunction was found only in females. “Heavy alcohol use” was associated with higher CFI and dementia rates compared to “mild–moderate alcohol use” (p = 0.003 and p < 0.001, respectively). “Mild–moderate alcohol use” had a tendency of association with lower CFI and dementia rates when compared to “no alcohol use” (p = 0.063 and 0.050, respectively).Conclusion:  Our findings suggest that alcohol use does not have a linear relationship with cognitive decline.
Adolescent C57BL/6J (but not DBA/2J) Mice Consume Greater Amounts of Limited‐Access Ethanol Compared to Adults and Display Continued Elevated Ethanol Intake into Adulthood
Authors: Moore Eileen M. , Mariani John N. , Linsenbardt David N. , Melón Laverne C. , Boehm Stephen L. 
Published: January 2010

Background:  Alcohol use is common during the adolescent period, a time at which a number of crucial neurobiological, hormonal, and behavioral changes occur (Spear, 2000). In order to more fully understand the complex interaction between alcohol use and these age‐typical neurobiological changes, animal models must be utilized. Rodents experience a developmental period similar to that of adolescence. Although rat models have shown striking adolescent‐specific differences in sensitivity to ethanol, little work has been done in mice despite the fact that the C57BL/6J (B6) and DBA2/J (D2) mice have been shown to markedly differ in ethanol preference drinking and exhibit widely different sensitivities to ethanol.Methods:  The current study examined ethanol intake in adolescent and adult B6 and D2 mice using a limited access alcohol exposure paradigm called Drinking in the Dark (DID). Additionally, the effect of adolescent (or adult) ethanol exposure on subsequent adult ethanol intake was examined by re‐exposing the mice to the same paradigm once the adolescents reached adulthood. We hypothesized that adolescent (P25–45) mice would exhibit greater binge‐like alcohol intake compared to adults (P60–80), and that B6 mice would exhibit greater binge‐like alcohol intake compared to D2 mice. Moreover, we predicted that relative difference in binge‐like alcohol intake between adolescents and adults would be greater in D2 mice.Results:  Adolescent B6 mice consumed more ethanol than adults in the DID model. There was no difference between adolescent and adult D2 mice.Conclusions:  This work adds to the literature suggesting that adolescents will consume more ethanol than adults and that this exposure can result in altered adult intake. However, this effect seems largely dependent upon genotype. Future work will continue to examine age‐related differences in ethanol intake, preference, and sensitivity in inbred mouse strains.
Situated Learning: Conceptualization and Measurement
Authors: Goel Lakshmi , Johnson Norman , Junglas Iris , Ives Blake 
Published: January 2010

ABSTRACTA focus on the interaction between cognitive schemas and context in situ has been suggested as fundamental in organizational decision making and information interpretation. Past research suggests that the situation and the social interaction that occur during learning at the cognitive level consist of factors that affect the process, but the research lacks a coherent explanation for how those factors affect it. We propose a conceptualization of learning, termed situated learning, which accounts for these factors. By drawing on situated cognition theory, social learning theory, and the theory of mental models, we identify and measure four components of situated learning, that is, thematic focus, cognitive absorption, social structure, and participation. Among the most important lessons for researchers and practitioners is the need to consider learning as a constellation of the four components instead of an indivisible phenomenon. This perspective can enhance our understanding of cognitive processes, such as information interpretation and decision making.
The G‐20 Moment
Authors: LULA DA SILVA LUIZ INÁCIO 
Published: January 2010

Thanks to the draining effects of the Iraq war and the financial meltdown emanating from Wall Street, a powershift away from American dominance is taking place. Caught between a rising China and an America in relative decline, the new leadership in Japan is recalibrating its post‐World War II relationships. The G‐20 has usurped the role once played by the G‐8 as the governing committee of globalization. And the symbiotic coupling of “Chimerica”, born out of the credit bubble built up over the past two decades, is being put to the test.In this section, the new prime minister of Japan, the president of the European Union, the president of Brazil and a leading economic historian assess these shifts.
Obama, China and Wishful Thinking About American Jobs
Authors: REICH ROBERT 
Published: January 2010

Thanks to the draining effects of the Iraq war and the financial meltdown emanating from Wall Street, a powershift away from American dominance is taking place. Caught between a rising China and an America in relative decline, the new leadership in Japan is recalibrating its post‐World War II relationships. The G‐20 has usurped the role once played by the G‐8 as the governing committee of globalization. And the symbiotic coupling of “Chimerica”, born out of the credit bubble built up over the past two decades, is being put to the test.In this section, the new prime minister of Japan, the president of the European Union, the president of Brazil and a leading economic historian assess these shifts.
Integration of Intestinal Structure, Function, and Microvascular Regulation
Authors: BOHLEN H. GLENN 
Published: January 2010

ABSTRACTWithout an increase in blood flow to provide additional oxygen, intestinal absorption of nutrients cannot proceed. Studies of the intestinal microvascular structure and distribution of resistances indicated that most of the microvascular regulation must occur outside the mucosal tissues. This requires a communication system from the mucosa to resistance vessels unlike that of any other organ. The various mechanisms involved and their communication from mucosal to arteriolar cells has required an integrated study of intestinal structure, physiology, and microvascular regulation. The results of this analysis using diverse approaches have revealed some of the major physical and cellular mechanisms that couple intestinal absorption and microvascular function.
Distribution of Cellular Proliferation in Skeletal Muscle Transverse Arterioles During Maturation
Authors: PRICE RICHARD J. , SKALAK THOMAS C. 
Published: January 2010

ABSTRACTObjective: To investigate the spatial and phenotypic origin of the new smooth muscle (SM) cells that are necessary for transverse arteriolar (TA) remodeling by establishing the distribution of cellular proliferation in TA trees during maturation.Methods: Whole‐mount gracilis muscles from rats at 4 and 9 weeks of age were immunolabeled for SM myosin heavy chain to denote arterioles and for bromodeoxyuridine to denote S‐phase (DNA synthesizing) nuclei. The dimensions of each clearly visible segment in TA trees were measured. S‐phase cells in the wall of, or within 5 µm of, TA segments were identified as (1) endothelium or intimal fibroblasts, (2) SM, or (3) interstitial cells. The relative percentages of each cell type in S‐phase, the distribution of arteriolar diameters containing S‐phase SM, and the density of S‐phase interstitial cells (per unit length and per unit surface area of TA) were determined. Alcian blue counterstaining was used to discern the percentage of interstitial cells that were mast cells.Results: At 4 and 9 weeks, respectively, 3.7% and 2.1% of S‐phase cells were endothelium or intimal fibroblasts, 3.0% and 4.2% were SM, and 93.3% and 93.7% were interstitial cells. No S‐phase interstitial cells within 5 µm of TAs were mast cells. The mean diameter of TA segments containing an S‐phase SM nucleus was 15.22 ± 1.2 µm at 4 weeks of age, with the minimum diameter being 8.9 µm. From 4 to 9 weeks of age, the number of interstitial cells per unit length of TA decreased 10‐fold from 15.2 (n = 115) to 1.5 (n = 182) cells/mm. At 4 weeks, the density of S‐phase interstitial cells was greatest surrounding the most terminal arterioles.Conclusions: When coupled with the result that S‐phase SM is absent in the most terminal segments, the relatively high density of S‐phase interstitial cells surrounding the smallest diameter terminal segments at 4 weeks of age is consistent with the hypothesis that fibroblast hyperplasia is a component of terminal arteriolar development.
Observations on the Accuracy of Photometric Techniques Used to Measure Some In Vivo Microvascular Blood Flow Parameters
Authors: COKELET GILES R. , PRIES AXEL R. , KIANI MOHAMMAD F. 
Published: January 2010

ABSTRACTObjective: The accuracy of optical methods used to measure in vivo microvascular blood flow parameters is investigated using measurements made in all vessels of microvascular networks of the rat mesentery.Methods: The principle of mass conservation was applied to in vivo blood flow rate and discharge hematocrit data, which were determined by photometric methods. One of the several implied assumptions of most interpretations of in vivo optical data is that the vessels are circular in cross‐section; to see the impact of vessel lumen shape on one of these measurements, the average velocity of blood flowing through a d‐shaped glass capillary tube was measured by the dual‐slit method.Results: For in vivo data, significant imbalance exists in a large number of bifurcations, and the correlation between the blood flow imbalance and the red cell flux imbalance is very small (r2 = 0.39), indicating multiple sources of error. Furthermore, the measured discharge hematocrits were consistent with the observed flow directions at bifurcations in only 39% to 46% of the bifurcations in a network. The imbalance at these bifurcations is not simply caused by the inaccuracy of measurements in only a few microvessels that join such bifurcations, i.e., the inaccuracies are evenly distributed among the vessels. The results of the in vitro study of blood velocity measurement in d‐shaped tubes indicates that the ratio of dual‐slit velocity to the actual average blood velocity is sensitive to the shape of the vessel lumen, and is a function of blood flow rate, hematocrit, vessel lumen shape, and orientation.Conclusions: Significant inaccuracies exist in the flow and hematocrit data obtained by current methods of interpretation of in vivo photometric measurements. These inaccuracies must be considered when making vessel‐to‐vessel comparisons, or vessel‐by‐vessel comparisons between in vivo observations and model predictions, even though the inaccuracies are greatly reduced when comparing averaged data.
Mice Lacking E‐Selection Show Normal Numbers of Rolling Leukocytes but Reduced Leukocyte Stable Arrest on Cytokine‐Activated Microvascular Endothelium
Authors: MILSTONE DAVID S. , FUKUMURA DAI , PADGETT RICHARD C. , O'DONNELL PETER E. , DAVIS VANNESSA M. , BENAVIDEZ OSCAR J. , MONSKY WAYNE L. , MELDER ROBERT J. , JAIN RAKESH K. , GIMBRONE MICHAEL A. 
Published: January 2010

ABSTRACTObjective: Previous work indicated that E‐selectin mediates transient interactions between leukocytes and cytokine‐activated endothelium in vitro. Here we examine the role of E‐selectin in blood leukocyte interactions with microvascular endothelium in vivo.Methods: E‐selectin‐deficient (E−/− mice were produced by gene targeting. The effect of this null mutation on leukocyte‐endothelial interactions was determined by intravital microscopy before and 4 to 5 hours after local administration of the proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) in dermal microvessels with low blood flow (dorsal skin‐fold chambers, intact ear skin), and after endotoxin activation in exteriorized mesenteric microvessels with higher blood flow.Results: E−/− mice were viable, fertile with normal circulating leukocyte and platelet profiles. Approximately 60% of circulating leukocytes rolled in dermal microvessels of both normal (E+/+) and E−/− mice without inflammatory stimulation. After local administration of TNFα, rolling increased modestly and equivalently in both genotypes. The main effect of TNFα was a dramatic increase in leukocyte stable adhesion and, unlike rolling, this manifestation of endothelial activation was significantly reduced in E−/− animals. This reflected fewer dermal microvessels supporting higher adhesion densities in E−/− mice, and a similar trend was observed in mesenteric microvessels.Conclusions: E‐selectin plays a previously unappreciated role in facilitating and/or mediating stable adhesion of leukocytes to inflamed microvascular endothelium.
In vivo Tissue pO2 Measurements in Hamster Skinfold by Recessed pO2 Microelectrodes and Phosphorescence Quenching Are in Agreement
Authors: BUERK DONALD G. , TSAI AMY G. , INTAGLIENTTA MACROS , JOHNSON PAUL C. 
Published: January 2010

ABSTRACTObjective: Phosphorescence quenching has been used successfully to optically measure in vivo blood pO2 in the microvasculature. Optical measurements have also been made in some tissues, but it is not clear whether these results accurately reflect tissue pO2.Methods: Recessed pO2 microelectrodes and the phosphorescence quenching technique were used simultaneously to measure in vivo tissue pO2 in hamster skinfold. The optical window for phosphorescence quenching was focused around the tips of microelectrodes that were positioned in tissue regions at least 100 µm from large microvessels.Results: Mean tissue pO2 measured by recessed pO2 microelectrodes was 18.4 ± 1.7 (SE) Torr, and mean tissue pO2 determined from the time course of phosphorescence decay was 18.8 ± 2.0 Torr (no significant difference). The two tissue pO2 measurements agreed over a wide range, from 2 to 46 Torr (r = 0.93, 39 paired measurements from six sites in 3 animals). There was no systematic change in the microelectrode tissue pO2 during the period of light excitation used for the optical method.Conclusions: Under the conditions of our study, sufficient amounts of porphyrin dye leaked from the vasculature and diffused into tissue, allowing accurate measurements of tissue pO2 by the phosphorescence quenching technique. Furthermore, the optical method did not deplete significant amounts of O2 from tissue during light excitation.