bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Consumer policy and consumer empowerment: comparing the historic development in Finland and Germany
Authors: Wahlen Stefan , Huttunen Kaisa 
Published: May 2011

AbstractThis article traces the trajectories of consumer policy in Finland and Germany in the light of a comparative history in order to reflect upon the notion of consumer empowerment in public policy. The principle developments of contemporary consumer policy can be traced back to the post‐war political and economic integrations arising from the initial idea of free markets and individual freedom emphasized in classical liberalism. The article explores this development in Finland and Germany to the point of the establishment of a joint European Union (EU) consumer policy to reveal the notion of consumer empowerment. This approach creates an understanding of the peculiarities of consumer policy in EU member states despite the presence of a joint European policy area. Nowadays, both Finnish and German consumers find EU regulations excessive. It is important to acknowledge the influence of this historic development in order to understand what consumer empowerment meant in the past and thus to further develop policy action on a joint level.
Why do states enfranchise citizens abroad? Comparative insights from Mexico, Italy and Belgium
Authors: LAFLEUR JEAN‐MICHEL 
Published: May 2011

AbstractOver the past two decades, sending states have greatly increased their interest in maintaining strong connections with their citizens abroad. The worldwide adoption of external voting – understood not only as an electoral procedure that allows some citizens to cast their vote outside the national territory but also as an acknowledgement that an emigrant status is compatible with polity membership – illustrates this phenomenon. Why do states enfranchise citizens abroad? In this article, I seek to answer this question by comparing the evolution of the debates on the extension of voting privileges to citizens residing abroad in Mexico, Italy and Belgium. My central argument is that a combination of variables shapes the development of external voting in different parts of the world, as well as the content of these laws. These include emigrant lobbying, home states' desires to stimulate emigrant loyalty for economic purposes and, most importantly, the evolution of domestic politics. In discussing these variables, I also shed light on how one can shape the adoption of external voting legislation to control the impact of votes cast abroad.
Tracking extranigral degeneration in animal models of Parkinson’s disease: quest for effective therapeutic strategies
Authors: Knaryan Varduhi H. , Samantaray Supriti , Le Gal Charlene , Ray Swapan K. , Banik Naren L. 
Published: May 2011

J. Neurochem. (2011) 118, 326–338.AbstractSporadic Parkinson’s disease (PD) is now interpreted as a complex nervous system disorder in which the projection neurons are predominantly damaged. Such an interpretation is based on mapping of Lewy body and Lewy neurite pathology. Symptoms of the human disease are much widespread, which span from pre‐clinical non‐motor symptoms and clinical motor symptoms to cognitive discrepancies often seen in advanced stages. Existing symptomatic treatments further complicate with overt drug‐irresponsive symptoms. PD is better understood by assimilation of extranigral degenerative pathways with nigrostriatal degenerative mechanisms. The term ‘extranigral’ appeared first in the 1990s to more rigorously define the nigral pathology by process of elimination. However, as clinicians progressively identified PD symptoms unresponsive to the gold standard drug l‐DOPA, definitions of PD symptoms were redefined. Non‐motor symptoms prodromal to motor symptoms just as pre‐clinical to clinical, and conjointly emerged the concept of nigral versus extranigral degeneration in PD. While nigrostriatal degeneration is responsible for the neurobiological substrates of extrapyramydal motor features, extranigral degeneration corroborates a vast majority of other changes in discrete central, peripheral, and enteric nervous system nuclei, which together account for global symptoms of the human disease. As an extranigral site, spinal cord degeneration has also been implicated in PD progression. Interconnected to the upper CNS structures with descending and ascending pathways, spinal neurons participate in movement and sensory circuits, controlling movement and reflexes. Several clinical and in vivo studies have demonstrated signs of parkinsonism‐related degenerative processes in spinal cord, which led to recent consideration of spinal cord as an area of potential therapeutic target. In a nutshell, this review explores how the existing animal models can actually reflect the human disease in order to facilitate PD research. Evolution of extranigral degeneration studies has been succinctly revisited, followed by a survey on animal models in light of recent findings in clinical PD. Together, it may help to develop effective therapeutic strategies for PD.
Glaucoma blind registration in Fife (2000–2009) – a retrospective cohort study
Authors: O’Colmain Una , Anijeet Deepa , Vosoughi Marcus , Sinclair Anne , Sanders Roshini 
Published: May 2011

Citation information: O’Colmain U, Anijeet D, Vosoughi M, Sinclair A & Sanders R. Glaucoma blind registration in Fife (2000–2009) – a retrospective cohort study. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt 2011, 31, 360–366. doi: 10.1111/j.1475‐1313.2011.00849.xAbstractPurpose:  To collate information on patients registered blind secondary to glaucoma between 2000 and 2009 and compare findings to an identical study completed a decade earlier between 1990 and 1999.Methods:  The records of all people registered as blind via the Fife Society for the Blind between 2000 and 2009 were retrospectively examined and those with glaucoma as the primary cause were studied in detail. We compared these results with the results of our previous study, in which we examined the same documents for the preceding decade, 1990–1999.Results:  The glaucoma blind registration rate was reduced by 31% in the current study compared to the previous one (60 vs 87 patients, p = 0.013). At the same time, there was a 6% increase in blindness registrations due to all causes (881 vs 938, p = 0.62). Patients were referred with significantly fewer visual symptoms (33% vs 60%, p = 0.002) and glaucoma surgery rates increased from 44% to 62% in the current study (p = 0.013). In the later decade, more patients were offered partial sight registration before blind registration (37% vs 10%, p < 0.0001) and sustained independent living at the time of blind registration in this study (66% vs 33%, p < 0.0001). Nearly one‐third of patients in the study group had cognitive impairment and/or hearing loss and this was similar to the first study.Conclusions:  The study demonstrates a downward trend in the rates of blind registration due to glaucoma, compared to stable rates of registration for all diseases. Over the time period of the two studies there were refinements in the way glaucoma is managed medically by the hospital eye service and in the community, with a high level of input maintained from the local low vision service.
Decreased production of neuronal NOS‐derived hydrogen peroxide contributes to endothelial dysfunction in atherosclerosis
Authors: Capettini LSA , Cortes SF , Silva JF , Alvarez‐Leite JI , Lemos VS 
Published: May 2011

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Reduced NO availability has been described as a key mechanism responsible for endothelial dysfunction in atherosclerosis. We previously reported that neuronal NOS (nNOS)‐derived H2O2 is an important endothelium‐derived relaxant factor in the mouse aorta. The role of H2O2 and nNOS in endothelial dysfunction in atherosclerosis remains undetermined. We hypothesized that a decrease in nNOS‐derived H2O2 contributes to the impaired vasodilatation in apolipoprotein E‐deficient mice (ApoE−/−).EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Changes in isometric tension were recorded on a myograph; simultaneously, NO and H2O2 were measured using carbon microsensors. Antisense oligodeoxynucleotides were used to knockdown eNOS and nNOS in vivo. Western blot and confocal microscopy were used to analyse the expression and localization of NOS isoforms.KEY RESULTS Aortas from ApoE−/− mice showed impaired vasodilatation paralleled by decreased NO and H2O2 production. Inhibition of nNOS with L‐ArgNO2‐L‐Dbu, knockdown of nNOS and catalase, which decomposes H2O2 into oxygen and water, decreased ACh‐induced relaxation by half, produced a small diminution of NO production and abolished H2O2 in wild‐type animals, but had no effect in ApoE−/− mice. Confocal microscopy showed increased nNOS immunostaining in endothelial cells of ApoE−/− mice. However, ACh stimulation of vessels resulted in less phosphorylation on Ser852 in ApoE−/− mice.CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Our data show that endothelial nNOS‐derived H2O2 production is impaired and contributes to endothelial dysfunction in ApoE−/− aorta. The present study provides a new mechanism for endothelial dysfunction in atherosclerosis and may represent a novel target to elaborate the therapeutic strategy for vascular atherosclerosis.
Cellular pharmacokinetic mechanisms of adriamycin resistance and its modulation by 20(S)‐ginsenoside Rh2 in MCF‐7/Adr cells
Authors: Zhang Jingwei , Zhou Fang , Wu Xiaolan , Zhang Xiaoxuan , Chen Yuancheng , Zha Beth S , Niu Fang , Lu Meng , Hao Gang , Sun Yuan , Sun Jianguo , Peng Ying , Wang Guangji 
Published: May 2011

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Intracellular pharmacokinetics of anticancer drugs in multi‐drug resistance (MDR) cancer cells is hugely important in the evaluation and improvement of drug efficacy. By using adriamycin as a probe drug in MDR cancer cells, we developed a cellular pharmacokinetic‐pharmacodynamic (PK‐PD) model to reveal the correlation between cellular pharmacokinetic properties and drug resistance. In addition, the ability of 20(S)‐ginsenoside Rh2 (20(S)‐Rh2) to reverse MDR was further investigated.EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH The cellular pharmacokinetics of adriamycin were analysed visually and quantitatively in human breast cancer cells MCF‐7 and in adriamycin‐resistant MCF‐7 (MCF‐7/Adr) cells. Mitochondria membrane potential was assayed to evaluate the apoptotic effect of adriamycin. Subsequently, a PK‐PD model was developed via MATLAB.KEY RESULTS Visual and quantitative data of the dynamic subcellular distribution of adriamycin revealed that it accumulated in cells, especially nuclei, to a lesser and slower extent in MCF‐7/Adr than in MCF‐7 cells. 20(S)‐Rh2 increased the rate and amount of adriamycin entering cellular/subcellular compartments in MCF‐7/Adr cells through inhibition of P‐glycoprotein (P‐gp) activity, in turn augmenting adriamycin‐induced apoptosis. The integrated PK‐PD model mathematically revealed the pharmacokinetic mechanisms of adriamycin resistance in MCF‐7/Adr cells and its reversal by 20(S)‐Rh2.CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS P‐gp, which is overexpressed and functionally active at cellular/subcellular membranes, influences the cellular pharmacokinetic and pharmacological properties of adriamycin in MCF‐7/Adr cells. Inhibition of P‐gp activity represents a key mechanism by which 20(S)‐Rh2 attenuates adriamycin resistance. Even more importantly, our findings provide a new strategy to explore the in‐depth mechanisms of MDR and evaluate the efficacy of MDR modulators.
Δ9‐Tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9‐THC) attenuates mouse sperm motility and male fecundity
Authors: Morgan Daniel J , Muller Charles H , Murataeva Natalia A , Davis Brian J , Mackie Ken 
Published: May 2011

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Numerous studies have shown that N‐arachidonoylethanolamine (AEA) can inhibit sperm motility and function but the ability of cannabinoids to inhibit sperm motility is not well understood. We investigated the effects of WIN 55,212‐2, a CB1 cannabinoid receptor agonist, and Δ9‐tetrahydracannabinol (Δ9‐THC) on the ATP levels and motility of murine sperm in vitro. In addition, the effects of acute administration of Δ9‐THC on male fecundity were determined.EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Effects of Δ9‐THC on basal sperm kinematics were determined using computer‐assisted sperm analysis (CASA). Stop‐motion imaging was performed to measure sperm beat frequency. The effect of Δ9‐THC on sperm ATP was determined using a luciferase assay. Male fertility was determined by evaluating the size of litters sired by Δ9‐THC‐treated males.KEY RESULTS Pretreatment of sperm for 15 min with 1 µM Δ9‐THC reduced their basal motility and attenuated the ability of bicarbonate to stimulate flagellar beat frequency. Treatment with 5 µM WIN 55,212‐2 or 10 µM Δ9‐THC for 30 min reduced sperm ATP levels. In sperm lacking CB1 receptors this inhibitory effect of WIN 55,212‐2 on ATP was attenuated whereas that of Δ9‐THC persisted. Administration of 50 mg·kg−1Δ9‐THC to male mice just before mating caused a 20% decrease in embryonic litter size.CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Δ9‐THC inhibits both basal and bicarbonate‐stimulated sperm motility in vitro and reduces male fertility in vivo. High concentrations of WIN 55,212‐2 or Δ9‐THC inhibit ATP production in sperm; this effect of WIN 55,212‐2 is CB1 receptor‐dependent whereas that of Δ9‐THC is not.LINKED ARTICLES This article is part of a themed section on Cannabinoids in Biology and Medicine. To view the other articles in this section visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bph.2012.165.issue‐8. To view Part I of Cannabinoids in Biology and Medicine visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bph.2011.163.issue‐7
Exercise Capacity in Patients Supported With Rotary Blood Pumps Is Improved by a Spontaneous Increase of Pump Flow at Constant Pump Speed and by a Rise in Native Cardiac Output
Authors: Jacquet Luc , Vancaenegem Olivier , Pasquet Agnès , Matte Pascal , Poncelet Alain , Price Joel , Gurné Olivier , Noirhomme Philippe 
Published: May 2011

AbstractExercise capacity is improved in patients supported with continuous flow rotary blood pumps (RP). The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanisms underlying this improvement. Ten patients implanted with a RP underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) at 6 months after surgery with hemodynamic and metabolic measurements (RP group). A group of 10 matched heart failure patients were extracted from our heart transplant database, and the results of their last CPET before transplantation were used for comparison (heart failure [HF] group). Peak VO2 was significantly higher in RP than in HF patients (15.8 ± 6.2 vs. 10.9 ± 3 mL O2/kg.min) reaching 52 ± 16% of their predicted peak VO2. The total output measured by a Swan‐Ganz catheter increased from 5.6 ± 1.6 to 9.2 ± 1.8 L/min in the RP group and was significantly higher at rest and at peak exercise than in the HF group, whose output increased from 3.5 ± 0.4 to 5.6 ±  1.6 L/min. In the RP group, the estimated pump flow increased from 5.3 ± 0.4 to 6.2 ± 0.8, whereas the native cardiac output increased from 0.0 ± 0.5 to 3 ± 1.7 L/min. Cardiac output at peak exercise was inversely correlated with age (r = −0.86, P = 0.001) and mean pulmonary artery pressure (r = −0.75, P = 0.012). Maximal exercise capacity is improved in patients supported by RP as compared to matched HF patients and reaches about 50% of the expected values. Both a spontaneous increase of pump flow at constant pump speed and an increase of the native cardiac output contribute to total flow elevation. These findings may suggest that an automatic pump speed adaptation during exercise would further improve the exercise capacity. This hypothesis should be examined.
Health Care Costs in Patients with Fibromyalgia on Pregabalin vs. Duloxetine
Authors: Burke James P. , Sanchez Robert J. , Joshi Ashish V. , Cappelleri Joseph C. , Kulakodlu Mahesh , Halpern Rachel 
Published: May 2011

AbstractBackground:  The economic burden associated with fibromyalgia in the U.S. is substantial. The objective of this study was to compare changes in health care costs in fibromyalgia patients initiated on pregabalin and duloxetine in real‐world settings.Methods:  Patients (≥ 18 years old) initiating pregabalin or duloxetine between June 1, 2007 and December 31, 2008 were identified using a U.S. managed care database. Patients were selected if they had ≥ 2 medical claims for fibromyalgia (ICD‐9‐CM, 729.1) at least 90 days apart or ≥ 1 claim for fibromyalgia followed within 30 days by a pharmacy claim for pregabalin. The date of the first pregabalin or duloxetine prescription was defined as the index date, and continuous enrollment for 6‐month pre‐ and postindex periods was required.Results:  A total of 1,616 pregabalin and 207 duloxetine patients were identified. Treatment differences between pregabalin and duloxetine in the pre‐/postindex change in mean [SD] all‐cause total health care costs ($1,307 [16,747] vs. −$158 [17,337]; P = 0.24) or fibromyalgia‐related total health care costs ($584 [3,834] vs. $759 [2,133]; P = 0.32) were not significant. Multivariate analysis using difference‐in‐differences models showed no significant difference in all‐cause costs (mean cost ratio = 1.05, 95% CI: 0.84 to 1.31) or fibromyalgia‐related costs (0.85, 95% CI: 0.61 to 1.18) between treatments during the postindex period.Conclusion:  No significant differences were found between pregabalin and duloxetine in the pre‐ to postindex change in mean all‐cause or fibromyalgia‐related total health care costs.
Financial Distress and the Cross‐section of Equity Returns
Authors: GARLAPPI LORENZO , YAN HONG 
Published: May 2011

ABSTRACTWe explicitly consider financial leverage in a simple equity valuation model and study the cross‐sectional implications of potential shareholder recovery upon resolution of financial distress. Our model is capable of simultaneously explaining lower returns for financially distressed stocks, stronger book‐to‐market effects for firms with high default likelihood, and the concentration of momentum profits among low credit quality firms. The model further predicts (i) a hump‐shaped relationship between value premium and default probability, and (ii) stronger momentum profits for nearly distressed firms with significant prospects for shareholder recovery. Our empirical analysis strongly confirms these novel predictions.
Estimation and Evaluation of Conditional Asset Pricing Models
Authors: NAGEL STEFAN , SINGLETON KENNETH J. 
Published: May 2011

ABSTRACTWe find that several recently proposed consumption‐based models of stock returns, when evaluated using an optimal set of managed portfolios and the associated model‐implied conditional moment restrictions, fail to capture key features of risk premiums in equity markets. To arrive at these conclusions, we construct an optimal Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) estimator for models in which the stochastic discount factor (SDF) is a conditionally affine function of a set of priced risk factors, and we show that there is an optimal choice of managed portfolios to use in testing a null model against a proposed alternative generalized SDF.
Transseptal Left Ventricular Endocardial Pacing Reduces Dispersion of Ventricular Repolarization
Authors: SCOTT PAUL A. , YUE ARTHUR M. , WATTS EDD , ZEB MEHMOOD , ROBERTS PAUL R. , MORGAN JOHN M. 
Published: May 2011

Background:
Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) may be proarrhythmic in some patients. This may be due to the effect of left ventricular (LV) epicardial pacing on ventricular repolarization. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of endocardial versus epicardial LV biventricular pacing on surface electrocardiogram (ECG) parameters that are known markers of arrhythmogenic repolarization.
Methods:
ECG markers of repolarization (QT dispersion, QTD; T peak to end, Tpeak‐end; Tpeak‐end dispersion, Tpeak‐endD; QTc) were retrospectively measured before and after CRT in seven patients with transseptal LV endocardial leads (TS group), 28 matched patients with coronary sinus (CS) LV leads (CS group), and eight patients with surgical LV epicardial leads (SUR group). All ECGs were scanned and analyzed using digital callipers.
Results:
Compared to the CS group, the TS group CRT was associated with a significant postpacing reduction in QTD (−45.2 ± 35.6 vs −4.3 ± 43.6 ms, P = 0.03) and Tpeak‐end (−24.2 ± 22.1 vs 3.4 ± 26.7 ms, P = 0.02). There was a nonsignificant post‐CRT reduction in both Tpeak‐endD (−11.3 ± 31.0 vs 2.4 ± 28.9 ms, P = 0.27) and QTc (−50.0 ± 46.4 vs 4.4 ± 70.2 ms, P = 0.06) in the TS versus the CS group. In contrast, there were no differences between the SUR and CS groups in terms of the effect of CRT on these repolarization parameters.
Conclusions:
CRT with (atrial transseptal) endocardial LV lead placement is associated with repolarization characteristics that are considered to be less arrhythmogenic than those generated by CS (epicardial) LV lead placement. Further work is needed to determine whether these changes translate to a reduction in proarrhythmia. (PACE 2011; 34:1258–1266)
Long‐term Arrhythmia Variability after Monomorphic Ventricular Tachycardia in Patients with an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator
Authors: CLEMENS MARCELL , NAGY‐BALÓ EDINA , HERCZKU CSABA , KUN CSABA , ÉDES ISTVÁN , CSANÁDI ZOLTÁN 
Published: May 2011

Background:
Arrhythmia burden in patients receiving an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) after monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (mVT) is higher than in patients with other indications. We investigated the long‐term arrhythmia profile in this subset of patients.
Methods:
Fifty‐two patients with an ICD implanted after mVT were followed up for at least 3 months. The cycle lengths (CLs) of the tachycardias recovered from the device memory were compared with the CL of the index arrhythmia. Morphological analysis of the intracardiac electrograms was performed and the response to antitachycardia pacing (ATP) was also assessed.
Results:
A total of 833 mVT episodes with intracardiac electrograms occurred during the follow‐up (3–58 months; mean: 30.3 months) in 41 of the 52 patients analyzed. mVTs with different CLs as compared with the index mVT were found in 26 (50.0%), and at least two different mVT morphologies were observed in 28 (53.8%) patients. Multiple mVT morphologies were predictive of lower ATP efficacy (95.6%, 85.0%, and 70.3% in the patients with 1, 2, and 3 or more mVT morphologies, respectively; P < 0.0001) and a higher shock burden (4.2%, 19.3%, and 24.7% in the patients with 1, 2, and 3 or more mVT morphologies, respectively; P < 0.0001).
Conclusion:
A high mVT burden was demonstrated with marked variability of the arrhythmias as concerns both CL and morphology in patients with an ICD implanted for mVT. Multiple mVT morphologies during the follow‐up were predictive of lower ATP efficacy and a higher shock burden. (PACE 2011; 34:1185–1191)