bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Chronic oral nicotine treatment protects against striatal degeneration in MPTP‐treated primates
Authors: Quik Maryka , Parameswaran Neeraja , McCallum Sarah E. , Bordia Tanuja , Bao Shanshan , McCormack Alison , Kim Amy , Tyndale Rachel F. , Langston J. William , Di Monte Donato A. 
Published: August 2006

AbstractThe present studies were done to investigate the effect of long‐term nicotine treatment against nigrostriatal damage in non‐human primates. Monkeys were administered nicotine in drinking water for 6 months to provide chronic but intermittent delivery as with smoking. Plasma nicotine levels ranged from 10 to 15 ng/mL, which were within the range in cigarette smokers. Animals were then lesioned with low doses of the dopaminergic neurotoxin MPTP for several months while nicotine was continued. The results showed that levels of striatal tyrosine hydroxylase, dopamine transporter, vesicular monoamine transporter, dopamine and nicotinic receptors were greater in nicotine‐treated MPTP‐lesioned primates than in lesioned animals not receiving nicotine. Nicotine had no effect in unlesioned animals. Monoamine oxidase activity was similar in unlesioned and lesioned animals treated with or without nicotine, suggesting that nicotine did not exert its effects through changes in MPTP or dopamine metabolism. MPTP‐induced cell loss in the substantia nigra was unaffected by nicotine treatment, indicating that nicotine acts at the striatal level to restore/maintain dopaminergic function. These data further support the possibility that nicotine contributes to the lower incidence of Parkinson's disease in smokers.
“Do Least Harm” Philosophy May Suffice for Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Octogenarians
Authors: ROSSI MARCO L. , BELLI GUIDO , PARENTI DENNIS ZAVALLONI , SCATTURIN MELANIA , PAGNOTTA PAOLO , GASPARINI GABRIELE , PRESBITERO PATRIZIA 
Published: August 2006

Background: Octogenarians represent one of the most rapidly expanding segments of the population and an ever growing number are undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). A simplified approach with incomplete or “culprit‐lesion” only PCI may be an option even in multivessel disease, to minimize periprocedural complications while still allowing a meaningful clinical recovery in patients with inherent functional limitations related to age itself. We tried to determine the effects of either complete or partial PCI on procedural and long‐term outcome in a consecutive series of octogenarians.
Methods: In‐hospital and 1‐year clinical outcomes were collected in elderly patients treated with PCI between January 1998 and March 2004 in our institution.
Results: In a total of 165 octogenarians, 73 elderly patients (44%) underwent complete (COM) and 92 (56%) incomplete (INC) revascularization. Major in‐hospital cardiac events were similar in the two subgroups. At 1‐year follow‐up 65% of patients in the COM and 68% in the INC group (P = ns) referred improvement in angina status and quality of life. Clinically driven repeat PCI was necessary in 16% of COM and 15% of INC patients. Recurrent PCI was mostly required to treat a restenotic index lesion in both groups, while only five patients in the INC group (5.4%) required PCI of a different lesion.
Conclusions: Current PCI coronary techniques are safe and effective in octogenarians. Restenosis remains the main cause for recurrent events after bare metal stents. Percutaneous revascularization limited to the culprit lesion may suffice in most patients, with favorable clinical outcome at 1 year.
Patent Foramen Ovale Using the Premere Device: The Results of the CLOSEUP Trial
Authors: BÜSCHECK FRANZISKA , SIEVERT HORST , KLEBER FRANZ , TIEFENBACHER CHRISTIANE , KRUMSDORF URILKE , WINDECKER STEPHEN , UHLEMANN FRANK , WAHR DENNIS W. 
Published: August 2006

Objectives: The CLOSEUP trial was conducted to determine the safety and effectiveness of the Premere closure device in closure of patent foramen ovale (PFO).
Background: PFO is a relatively common congenital condition, associated with cryptogenic stroke and migraine with aura. The Premere device is specifically designed to close PFO of variable size and length, with right and left anchor arms connected by a flexible tether. The device has an open architecture, a low profile, and a small surface area on the left atrial side which may discourage thrombus formation.
Methods: Patients between 18 and 65 years of age who had a cryptogenic ischemic stroke or a transient ischemic attack and a PFO underwent percutaneous PFO closure using the Premere device.
Results: Of the 73 enrolled patients, six patients had atrial anatomy not appropriate for the Premere; 27 patients received the 15 mm and 40 patients received the 20 mm device. Implantation was successful in all patients. At 6 months of follow‐up, 86% of patients had no shunt that could be provoked with Valsalva as assessed during contrast echocardiography. Closure rates were better with the 20 mm versus the 15 mm device, and three patients with residual shunt had atrial septal aneurysms at baseline. One patient had transient atrial fibrillation which resolved by 3 months. There were no instances of thrombus, death, or stroke.
Conclusions: These data demonstrate that the Premere device can safely and effectively close PFO. Additional studies should be undertaken to demonstrate the effectiveness of PFO closure in reducing thrombo‐embolic events such as stroke.
Does Diagnostic Coronary Angiography Induce Significant Coronary Microembolization in Stable, Ischemic Patients? A Prospective Study
Authors: KATRITSIS DEMOSTHENES , KOROVESIS SOCRATES , KARVOUNI EVANGELIA , GIAZITZOGLOU ELEFTHERIOS , PAXINOS GEORGE , HALIASSOS ALEXANDER 
Published: August 2006

Background: Although microembolization during percutaneous coronary interventions is a frequent event, the extent of possible microembolization during diagnostic coronary angiography is unknown. The aim of the study was to investigate whether diagnostic coronary angiography results in coronary microembolization and consequent subtle, subclinical myocardial necrosis with enzyme elevations.
Methods: Fifty‐three consecutive patients underwent diagnostic coronary angiography due to inducible ischemia. Creatine kinase MB isoenzyme (CK MB) and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) were used as sensitive surrogate markers of myocardial necrosis. Serial measurements, before, and 6 and 24 hours following a diagnostic procedure, were performed.
Results: Baseline cTnI was below the limits of detection in all patients (<0.20 ng/mL), except for one patient with 1.31 ng/mL. Baseline median CK‐MB was 1.05 ng/mL (interquartile range, 0.80–1.56 ng/mL) (

Fig. 1

). Both at 6 and 24 hours, no patients had any increase in cTnI, with the exception of a minor increase to 0.22 ng/mL at 24 hours in one patient. At 6 hours, 25 patients had decreases in CK MB, while 22 had increases (exact P = 0.77). At 24 hours, 26 patients had decreases in CK MB and 19 patients had increases. Evolution of creatine kinase MB measurements in 53 patients at baseline, 6 hours, and 24 hours after angiography. Troponin I measurements were almost ubiquitously below the limit of detection (see text).image
Conclusions: Detectable embolization with subsequent subclinical myonecrosis is an unlikely event.
The Effectiveness of Student Canvassers1
Authors: Nesbitt Paul D. 
Published: August 2006

Student E s delivered persuasive communications against U.S. involvement in S.E. Asis to community residents in the residents' homes. The S s received either a written communication (a pamphlet), or a verbal communication (a talk with a student E), or, on successive occasions, both. A control group received neither communication. Later all the Ss were approached by other student Es with a relevant opinion inventory. At this time they were also offered a choice of contrasting petitions to sign.The attitude measure reflected no difference as a result of the written communication, and a negative persuasion effect for the verbal communication. Also Ss signed significantly fewer petitions, whether pro or con, after the vcrbal communication. The pragmatic implications of these results are discussed as they relate to student canvassers in the community.
Threats, Promises, and Coalitions: A Study of Compliance and Retaliation in a Simulated Organizational Setting1
Authors: Freedman Stuart C. 
Published: August 2006

This research sought to examine the effects of threats and promises on compliance and the formation of subordinate coalitions in a simulated employeremployee conflict situation. It also sought to determine some of the motives underlying coalition decisions‐tangible and intangible‐and the conditions under which each of these possible motive types would be salient. Coalition motives were examined by manipulating the consequences for coalition members following their use of coalition power (presence vs. absence of monetary gain). A control condition was present in which no such power was available.Ninety male undergraduate business students were randomly assigned to one of six experimental conditions in a 3 × 2 factorial design. Three Ss engaged in a modified bilateral monopoly bargaining task in which two of them (the “employees”) believed they were exchanging a series of offers and counteroffers with the third (the “employer”) over a hypothetical wage increase for a maximum of eight rounds. Ss were told they would earn a sum of money proportional to the effectiveness of their bargaining. In actuality, all Ss were assigned the employee role and all employer “offers” were pre‐programmed. On round six, the Ss were “sent” either a threat or promise message by the employer demanding that they accept his round five offer. Compliance‐noncompliance was defined as employee acceptance‐rejection of this demand, respectively. In addition to compliance behavior, S s in coalition conditions had the power to form an alliance with the other employee against the employer after the latter used his threat or promise power. Coalitions could confiscate up to 25% of the employer's earnings and, depending on experimental condition, could either keep or not keep any money their coalition acquired.It was hypothesized that threateners would elicit less compliance, and be responded to with more, and more severe subordinate coalitions than would promisers. It was further assumed that there would be less compliance when subordinates had coalition power, and that the effect of monetary reward on the likelihood of coalition formation would be contingent on the type of power (threats vs. promises) the employer used. Specifically, it was assumed that a majority of S s in the Threat condition who had this power would form coalitions against the employer regardless of whether or not they realized any tangible gain for doing so. In the promise condition, however, it was expected that coalition decisions would be based primarily on whether Ss stood to gain monetarily. The hypotheses were supported.These results were discussed in terms of the impact of power acquisition as a variable mediating perception and compliance behavior, and in terms of the role of economic vs. retaliatory motives as factors underlying subordinate coalition decisions. Some of the conditions which influence the relative salience of these two coalition motives were proposed, and the organizational implications of these findings were suggested.
The Social Psychology of Caregiving: Physical and Psychological Costs of Providing Support to the Disabled1
Authors: Schulz Richard , Tompkins Connie A. , Wood Dan , Decker Susan 
Published: August 2006

The emphasis of much of the existing research on social support‐health relationships has been on the availability and impact of support on the recipient, but social psychologists have paid little attention to the costs to the caregiver of providing that support. In an earlier study (Schulz & Decker, 1985), we found that the long‐term coping of individuals experiencing chronic disability as a result of spinal‐cord injury was facilitated by the availability of a primary support person, or caregiver. In this study we examined the determinants of well‐being of the primary caregiver of the middle‐aged and elderly spinal‐cord‐injured persons. Psychological well‐being, life satisfaction, and depression were the dependent measures. The availability of social support, social contact, and feelings of control over one's life were important determinants of caregiver well‐being, even after controlling for health and income. In addition, the amount of time spent each day assisting the disabled person was a strong independent correlate of depression, and the extent to which the caregiver felt burdened by the victim was significantly and negatively related to life satisfaction. These results are discussed in the context of a comprehensive stress‐coping model.Since data were available from both disabled individuals and their primary support persons, we had the unique opportunity to compare the perspectives of both those giving and receiving daily care. We found no relationship in levels of psychological well‐being and depression reported by the disabled person and caregiver; however, caregivers attributed to the victims affective levels similar to their own.
Reconsidering the Role of Attitudes in Exercise Behavior: A Decision Theoretic Approach1
Authors: Kendzierski Deborah , Lamastro Valerie Davis 
Published: August 2006

Two studies demonstrated that subjective expected utility (SEU) theory predicted interest in, but not adherence to, a weightlifting exercise program. The studies also showed that attitudes were related to adherence for certain individuals. Specifically, attitudes toward not weightlifting were related to the number of days experienced subjects weightlifted. In addition, in Study 1, experienced subjects had more positive attitudes toward weightlifting and more negative attitudes toward not weightlifting than did inexperienced subjects, and the two groups differed on a number of underlying beliefs. Similarly, in Study 2, experienced subjects had more positive attitudes toward weightlifting and differed from inexperienced subjects on a number of underlying beliefs.These results are discussed in terms of their implications for several issues: the usefulness of SEU theory in the exercise domain; the importance of considering attitudes toward alternative courses of action (including inaction) when attempting to predict exercis–or any other–behavior; the need to distinguish between exercise adoption (initiation) and maintenance (adherence); and the importance of Beach's (1982, 1985) distinction between deasion making and decision implementation.
Cultural Differences in Attitudes Toward Smoking: Developing Messages Using the Theory of Reasoned Action1
Authors: Marin Barbara Vanoss , Marin Gerardo , Perez‐Stable Eliseo J. , Otero‐Sabogal Regina , Sabogal Fabio 
Published: August 2006

The theory of reasoned action was used to identify the culturally appropriate beliefs of Hispanic smokers that might be targeted in an anti‐smoking campaign. In‐depth interviews were conducted with 263 Hispanics and 150 non‐Hispanic whites. Intentions to quit smoking were predicted most strongly by the attitudinal rather than the normative component of the model. A pattern of cultural differences between the two ethnic groups was identified. Family‐related consequences and concerns about bad smell contributed more to Hispanic attitudes toward quitting than to those of non‐Hispanic whites, while the effects of withdrawal from cigarettes contributed more to non‐Hispanic whites'attitudes than to Hispanics'. The bad smell of cigarettes, improving relationships with the family, weight gain, breathing more easily, and having a better taste in the mouth were the consequences of smoking and quitting that most strongly discriminated between those Hispanics intending and not intending to quit.These results should be used in the creation of culturally appropriate anti‐smoking messages for this group.
Change in Self‐concept and Attributional Styles Among Academically Gifted Adolescents1
Authors: Brounstein Paul J. , Holahan William , Dreyden Julia 
Published: August 2006

A nonequivalent control group design involving academically gifted students who would participate in a residential summer program where they could achieve “consensual validation” by being with other gifted students (n= 156), those eligible but who would not attend the program (n= 172), and academically competent students (n= 106), was used to identify differences in global self‐concept, the structure of self‐concept and attributional style before, immediately after, and about four months after the intervention. There were no initial differences on any of the measures for the two gifted groups. However, competent students differed from gifted students on both self‐concept and attributional measures. While global self concept for gifted and competent students was similar, competent students boasted significantly greater self‐concepts in the domains of social and physical activities and significantly lower self‐concepts in the academic domain. On the attributional style measure, gifted students were significantly less likely than competent comparisons to take credit or see as pervasive the causes for social successes.In general, differences observed initially were robust over time. Only tentative support for the effectiveness of the short‐term intervention being effective in modifying aspects of social self‐concept among the gifted was obtained. Here, gifted program attenders decreased the extent to which they internalized blame for or perceived as pervasive the causes for social failure subsequent to program participation.The relationship of observed changes in attribution to self‐concept and the effectiveness of short‐term interventions to effect change in cognitive functioning and personality are discussed.
Human Leukocyte Antigen F Protein is Expressed in the Extra‐Villous Trophoblasts but Not on the Cell Surface of them
Authors: Nagamatsu Takeshi , Fujii Tomoyuki , Matsumoto Junko , Yamashita Takahiro , Kozuma Shiro , Taketani Yuji 
Published: August 2006

Problem  Human leukocyte antigen (HLA)‐F together with other class 1b HLAs may play a pivotal role in immunological interaction at feto‐maternal interface. However, it is not elucidated whether HLA‐F is expressed on cell surface of extra‐villous trophoblasts (EVTs).Method of study  The localization of HLA‐F in placenta of each trimester was investigated by immunohistochemistry. The expression modality of HLA‐F molecule was compared with that of HLA‐G in cultured EVTs using flowcytometry.Results and conclusion  In immunohistochemical study, remarkable staining for HLA‐F was confirmed in EVTs throughout gestation. HLA‐F expression was restricted to be intracellular in cultured EVTs. HLA‐F expression was increased with time in culture, which was accompanied by the increase of cell surface HLA‐G. Consequently, HLA‐F lacking in cell surface expression on EVTs may not contribute to the direct cell‐to‐cell immune reaction but might work supportively modifying the function of HLA‐G.
Comparative Roosting Ecology of Cynopterus (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) Fruit Bats in Peninsular Malaysia1
Authors: Campbell Polly , Reid Noah M. , Zubaid Akbar , Adnan Adura M. , Kunz Thomas H. 
Published: August 2006

ABSTRACTAlthough the use of modified roosts has been reported in more than 20 species of bats in the tropics, comparative studies of the roosting ecology of congeneric tent‐roosting species are notably lacking. In the Paleotropics, this unique behavior has been described in two species belonging to the genus, Cynopterus: C. sphinx and C. brachyotis. However, it is not known whether tent roosting is an essential component of their roosting ecology, or whether the behavior is found in other members of the genus. In this study we characterize the roosting ecology of four sympatric species of Cynopterus in peninsular Malaysia and use these data to address two main questions. (1) Do all four species use modified roosts and, in those that do, is tent‐roosting obligate or opportunistic? (2) Do species pairs overlap in roost preferences and roosting habitat and, if so, is there evidence for interspecific interactions in relation to these resources? We radio‐tracked bats at two floristically distinct sites and located a total of 249 roosts. Interspecific roost niche overlap was minimal at both sites and we found no evidence for interspecific competition for roost resources at the local level. Species differences in roosting ecology were defined primarily by spatial separation of roosting habitats and secondarily by within‐habitat differences in roost selection. Importantly, we found that although periodic use of modified roosts was a characteristic shared by all four species, most roosts were unmodified, indicating that tent roosting is a facultative behavior in Malaysian Cynopterus.
Different Patterns of Changes in the Dry Season Diameter at Breast Height of Dominant and Evergreen Tree Species in a Mature Subtropical Forest in South China
Authors: Yan Jun‐Hua , Zhou Guo‐Yi , Zhang De‐Qiang , Tang Xu‐Li , Wang Xu 
Published: August 2006

AbstractInformation on changes in diameter at breast height (DBH) is important for net primary production (NPP) estimates, timing of forest inventory, and forest management. In the present study, patterns of DBH change were measured under field conditions during the dry season for three dominant and native tree species in a monsoon evergreen broad‐leaved forest in the Dinghushan Biosphere Reserve. For each tree species, different patterns of DBH change were observed. In the case of the fast‐growing tree species Castanopsis chinensis Hance, large diurnal fluctuations occur, with a peak DBH in the early morning (around 05:00 h) that decreases to a minimum by about 14:00 h. Both Schima superba Gardn. et Chemp and Cryptocarya chinensis (Hance) Hemsl. exhibited less diurnal swelling and shrinkage. Diurnal fluctuations for these species were observed on a few occasions over the period of observation. Graphical comparisons and statistical analysis of changes in DBH with meteorological variables indicate that for different trees, the different changes in DBH observed responded to different meteorological variables. Large stem changes were found to occur for Ca. chinensis trees that were associated with variations in solar radiation. However, both S. superba and Cr. chinensis were found to be less sensitive to solar radiation. Changes in the DBH of these two species were found to be controlled mainly by soil temperature and soil moisture. During the later dry season, with a lower soil temperature and soil moisture, all three tree species stopped growing and only negligible shrinkage, expansion, or fluctuation occurred, suggesting that the optimum time to measure tree growth in the Dinghushan Biosphere Reserve is the later dry season.(Managing editor: Ya‐Qin Han)