bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Mivazerol inhibits intrathecal release of glutamate evoked by halothane withdrawal in rats
Authors: Zhang X. , Kindel G. , Wülfert E. , Hanin I. 
Published: January 2009

Background: Mivazerol is a new and selective α2‐adrenergic receptor agonist devoid of hypotensive effects (1, 2). Previous studies have demonstrated that mivazerol prevents hemodynamic instability during emergence from halothane anesthesia in rats (3). The present study was to determine whether glutamate and aspartate are involved in this action of mivazerol, at the second to third thoracic segments (T2–T3) of the spinal cord.Methods:In vivomicrodialysis in combination with high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was employed in the study. Blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) were recorded along with intrathecal (i.t.) microdialysis perfusion.Results: BP, HR and i.t. release of glutamate (GLU, pmol/μl) were stable in the rats under 1.1% halothane anesthesia. However, halothane withdrawal immediately increased BP, HR, and i.t. release of GLU, and remained elevated for at least 2 h after withdrawal of halothane. Thirty minutes prior to halothane withdrawal, intravenous (i.v.) infusion of mivazerol (15 μg · kg–l· h–) almost completely prevented the increases in HR (Δ18±7 vs Δ79±7 beats/min), and in the i.t. release of GLU (Δ10.3±3.7 vs Δ30.6±5.9; 112% vs 167%). Local i.t. microinjection of mivazerol (2.5 μg/kg) 2 min prior to withdrawal of halothane also blocked the HR responses, as well as on the i.t. release of GLU following halothane withdrawal.Conclusion: The present study demonstrates that emergence from halothane anesthesia increases i.t. release of GLU, and that mivazerol has an inhibitory effect on the above, through its direct action on the spinal cord.
High thoracic/low cervical, long‐term intrathecal (IT) infusion of bupivacaine alleviates “refractory” pain in patients with unstable angina pectoris: Report of 2 cases
Authors: Dahm P. , Nitescu P. , Appelgren L. , Curelaru I. 
Published: January 2009

Background: There is no reliable treatment for “refractory” pain from unstable angina pectoris (UAP) when epidural infusion of bupivacaine has failed to relieve it. In two such cases we explored the potential of intrathecal (IT) bupivacaine infusion to provide pain relief.Patients and methods: Two female patients, 70 and 67 years. An 18‐G nylon catheter was inserted intrathecally through a 17‐G Tuohy needle via the T2–T3 interspace and its tip located at the height of C6–C7 vertebrae. The catheter was connected to a portable, programmable electronic pump filled with bupivacaine 5 mg/ml. The infusion started at rates of 0.1–0.2 ml/h, with optional bolus doses of 0.1–0.2 ml, 4–2 times/h, respectively, by PCA (Patient‐ControlledAnalgesia), and then adjusted to give the patients satisfactory (80%–100%) pain relief.Results: Pain relief was obtained with doses of IT‐bupivacaine ranging from 17 to 45 (mean=25) mg/d. The pain intensity decreased from VAS (VisualAnalogueScore) 9–10 to 0–2 out of 10. The nocturnal sleep improved from 2–4 to 6–7 h. The patients could now ambulate, walking or in a wheel‐chair. The IT‐treat‐ment lasted 700 and 437 d, of which 540 and 343 d (respectively) were spent at home, and was terminated by: (a) the patient's death due to intracranial bleeding (1st case); (b) progressive aggravation of the unstable angina that could not be fully countered by increasing the bupivacaine dose above 1.0 mg/h due to occurrence of cerebral transient ischemic attacks, usually not correlated with orthostatic arterial hypotension but apparently facilitated by microembolization of the cerebral arteries (2nd case).Conclusion: IT‐bupivacaine infusion may alleviate “refractory” pain in patients with unstable angina pectoris when epidural bupivacaine failed to do so. Its use is apparently limited by the IT‐bupivacaine critical dosage (in these patients = 1.0–1.5 mg/h).
A comparison of the inhibitory effects of four volatile anaesthetics on the metabolism of chlorzoxazone, a substrate for CYP2E1, in rabbits
Authors: Tateishi T. , Watanabe M. , Nakura H. , Tanaka M. , Kumai T. , Aoki T. , Kobayashi S. 
Published: January 2009

Background:Halothane inhibitsin vitroandin vivoactivity of cytochrome P‐450 (CYP) 2E1. There are several fluorinated volatile anaesthetics besides halothane, and most of them are defluorinated by CYP2E1. It is unclear whether other fluorinated anaesthetics inhibit thein vivoactivity of CYP2E1.Methods:We compared the inhibitory effects of therapeutic concentrations of four inhalational anaesthetics, halothane, enflurane, isoflurane, and sevoflurane, on chlorzoxazone metabolism in rabbits receiving artificial ventilation.Results:All four inhalational anaesthetics decreased arterial blood pressure and increased plasma chlorzoxazone concentration. However, no significant differences in the plasma chlorzoxazone concentration were found between the four anaesthetics. The estimated chlorzoxazone clearance increased after beginning inhalation with all four agents, but no significant difference in clearance was noted between agents.Conclusions:At therapeutic concentrations, thein vivoinhibitory effect on chlorzoxazone metabolism was similar for all four inhalational anaesthetics examined, even though their chemical characteristics and extent of hepatic metabolism differ considerably.
General anaesthesia for surgery can influence circulating melatonin during daylight hours
Authors: Reber A. , Huber P. R. , Ummenhofer W. , Gürtler C. M. , Zurschmiede C. , Drewe J. , Schneider M. 
Published: January 2009

Background: Both melatonin and anaesthetics have been shown to affect sleep and behaviour. The effect of general anaesthesia on circulatory melatonin has not been reported, but anaesthetic‐related alterations in hormone profiles are known. We hypothesize that differences in recovery from anaesthesia may be associated with differences in circulatory melatonin levels because of melatonin's sedative effect in humans.Methods: The influences of general anaesthesia and surgery on circulating melatonin, prolactin, and Cortisol concentration were investigated in 32 female patients scheduled for elective gynaecological surgery to study differences in hormone profiles and responses during anaesthesia and the recovery period. Patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups. General anaesthesia was induced with either thiopentone/fentanyl (Group 1: n=16) or propofol/fentanyl (Group 2: n=16). Maintenance of anaesthesia was achieved with either isoflurane (0.8–1.0 vol%)/fentanyl (Group 1) or propofol (6 mg · kg−1· h−1)/fentanyl (Group 2) with a N2O/O2 flow ratio of 2:1 in both groups. During anaesthesia, patients' eyes were carefully taped shut to prevent light effects. Blood samples were taken before and after premedication, immediately before induction of anaesthesia, every 15 min during anaesthesia, and hourly in the recovery room for 8 h. The control group consisted of 6 healthy women who were not subjected to surgery, but who were in a similar environment, including light conditions, as the study groups.Results: Isoflurane and propofol anaesthesia as well as darkness elicited elevated plasma melatonin levels that persisted in the recovery period in patients anaesthetized with isoflurane, but gradually decreased during the recovery of patients anaesthetized with propofol. Circulating prolactin and Cortisol values were also elevated during anaesthesia and had similar decreases during the recovery period.Conclusion: Higher plasma levels of melatonin during the recovery period following isoflurane anaesthesia may, in part, explain increased sedation in these patients compared with patients who received propofol anaesthesia. However, the relationship between recovery from anaesthesia and plasma melatonin levels may not be simple and straightforward.
Thyroid function during and after cardiopulmonary bypass in children
Authors: Saatvedt K. , Lindberg H. , Geiran O. R. , Fiane A. , Seem E. , Michelsen S. , Pedersen T. , Hagve T. A. 
Published: January 2009

Background: The aim of the study was to elucidate the changes in thyroid function during and after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in children.Methods: Triiodothronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), free thyroxine (FT4) and thyroid‐stimulating hormone (TSH) were determined preoperatively, at specific times throughout CPB, and serially up to 48 h postoperatively, in 10 children (median age 35, range 23–68 months) undergoing elective surgery for congenital heart disease.Results: T3 decreased from 2.01±0.08 preoperatively to 0.94±0.10 nmol/1 24 h postoperatively (P<0.05). T4 levels followed a pattern similar to changes in T3. FT4 increased from 17.4±0.7 preoperatively to 30.0±0.4 pmol/1 after 30 min of CPB (P<0.05). TSH decreased from 2.44±0.43 preoperatively to 0.93±0.21 24 h postoperatively (P<0.05).Conclusion: T3, T4 and TSH are significantly depressed after open heart surgery in children.
Physiological responses of cork oak and holm oak to infection by fungal pathogens involved in oak decline
Authors: Linaldeddu B. T. , Sirca C. , Spano D. , Franceschini A. 
Published: January 2009

SummaryThe aim of this research was to study the changes in net photosynthesis and stomatal conductance values in 3‐year‐old cork oak and holm oak seedlings growing in natural conditions and inoculated with Apiognomonia quercina, Biscogniauxia mediterranea, Botryosphaeria corticola and Pleurophoma cava. Throughout the 4‐month experimental period, the evolution of visual external symptoms and the values of physiological variables were periodically recorded. All pathogens caused stem lesions around the infection point; however, the lesions caused by B. corticola were longer in both oak species. On cork oak seedlings, all pathogens induced a significant and gradual reduction in net photosynthesis and stomatal conductance values, whereas other physiological disturbances were induced only by B. corticola infections on holm oak seedlings.
Corneal stromal invasive squamous cell carcinoma: a retrospective morphological description in 10 horses
Authors: Kafarnik Christiane , Rawlings Melanie , Dubielzig Richard R. 
Published: January 2009

AbstractObjective To describe the pathomorphological features of corneal stromal invasive squamous cell carcinoma (CSI‐SCC) in horses.Material and methods A total of 87 equine SCC in the Comparative Ocular Pathology Laboratory of Wisconsin database were retrieved. The signalment and anatomical distribution were summarized. Ten CSI‐SCC out of 87 SCCs were further investigated focusing on pathomorphological description. All 10 cases were stained with H&E, periodic acid–Schiff stain and Verhoeff's elastic stain.Results Four Appaloosas, two Quarter horses, two American Paint, one Pinto and one Thoroughbred horse were affected. The mean age at the time of enucleation/keratectomy was 16.7 ± 5.2 years. Out of 10, five horses were clinically diagnosed as chronic stromal keratitis, 3 of 10 had a previous biopsy diagnosed as SCC, 1 of 10 was described as stromal mass, and 1 of 10 as invasive SCC. Previous keratectomies before enucleation were performed in 3 of 10 horses, of which 2 also had additional lasertherapy/cryotherapy.Seven of 10 cases showed tumor infiltration in the anterior‐mid stroma, 3/10 in the mid‐deep stroma. The anterior epithelium had no contact with the CSI‐SCC in 8 of 10 cases, 7 of 10 had intact and normal epithelium, and 3 of 10 showed intact, dysplastic corneal and conjunctival epithelium. The limbus was not pigmented in 8 of 10 specimens. There was a mild‐moderate lymphoplasmacytic inflammation between the neoplastic islands. Solar elastosis was present in 2 of 10 samples.Conclusion The CSI‐SCC shows a distinctive intrastromal tumor growth pattern with a smooth, intact corneal epithelium. The tumor can be underestimated and misdiagnosed as chronic active stromal keratitis. A deep biopsy is necessary for the definitive diagnosis.
Hormographiella aspergillatakeratomycosis in a dog
Authors: Rampazzo Antonella , Kuhnert Peter , Howard Judith , Bornand Valérie 
Published: January 2009

AbstractA 4‐year‐old, female, Border Collie was presented to the University of Bern Veterinary Teaching Hospital, because of a corneal lesion of 10 days duration. The axial cornea presented a whitish fluorescein‐positive plaque with irregular margins. A diagnosis of keratomycosis was made based on cytology. Medical therapy with local broad‐spectrum antibiotic and fluconazole was instituted. After 1 week of treatment, the improvement was deemed unsatisfactory. Therefore, a lamellar keratectomy and conjunctival pedicle flap were performed. After surgery, the cornea healed uneventfully. Histology confirmed the diagnosis of keratomycosis. The fungus could not be grown in culture and a precise etiological diagnosis could only be obtained with genetic identification of the fungus. A PCR technique was used to amplify the fungal genome from the cornea.Hormographiella aspergillata, the asexual reproductive form of the basidiomyceteCoprinopsis cinerea, was identified. As advised in human medicine, we encourage the use of this molecular technique to obtain an early species diagnosis, allowing targeted medical therapy.
Molecular phylogenetic interrelationships of the south Asian cyprinid genera Danio, Devario and Microrasbora (Teleostei, Cyprinidae, Danioninae)
Authors: Fang Fang , Norén Michael , Liao Te Yu , Källersjö Mari , Kullander Sven O. 
Published: January 2009

Molecular analysis of mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences from 159 species of the family Cyprinidae supports the subfamily Danioninae, of which Rasborinae is shown to be a junior synonym. Analysis of combined cytochrome b and a fragment of the nuclear rhodopsin gene from 68 species, including 43 species representing the subfamily Danioninae, supports phylogenetic distinctness of Danio and Devario. In the combined molecular analysis Microrasbora rubescens, Chela, Laubuca, Devario, and Inlecypris form a clade with M. gatesi, M. nana and M. kubotai being in sister group position to the rest. The sister group of this Devario clade is Danio. Inlecypris is synonymized with Devario. Microdevario, new genus, is proposed for M. gatesi, M. nana and M. kubotai, supported by morphological characters. In the cytochrome b analysis, M. rubescens falls outside Devario, and there is no morphological support for including M. rubescens in Devario. In the cytochrome b analysis Esomus + Danionella is the sister group of Danio and Devario clades, whereas in individual rhodopsin and combined analyses Esomus is the sister group of Danio, and of Danio and the Devario clade, respectively. Sundadanio presents at least one strong morphological synapomorphy with Danio, but is positioned in molecular trees either as a member of the Cyprininae or as sister group of the remaining Danioninae. In the morphological analysis, small‐sized species grouped together based on shared reductions that are not necessarily synapomorphies. In the molecular analysis, small‐sized species such as Danionella and Sundadanio possess long branches and their position varies, but they did not group together. This suggests morphological homoplasy, but phylogenetic positions are not well supported in the molecular analyses
Governing Capital? Corporate Social Responsibility and the Limits of Regulation
Authors: O'Laughlin Bridget 
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACTThe current concern with corporate social responsibility must be seen in the context of major shifts in the functioning of the market, the state and civil society, and of the boundaries between them, and in the ways that we envision them. Capitalism has been reconfigured as an ethical order in which transnational corporations can, indeed must, be accountable for the global well‐being of citizens be they rich or poor, capitalists or workers. This ethical commitment to global justice is to be promoted by the mobilization of civil society, governing with integrity both large corporations and a somewhat marginalized regulatory state. In short, regulation is being privatized. Contributors to the debate which follows vary in the extent to which they accept this vision of how capital is to be governed. There are three principal grounds for scepticism. First, in a world so marked by sharp inequalities of both income and conditions of life, how can corporate initiatives be both profitable and consistent with the interests of the poor? Second, how can global civil society, which is itself structured by relation of power and class, be counted on to regulate corporations in the interest of the poor? Third, do limited corporate reforms undercut alternative transformative projects? Those with greater sympathy for civil society involvement in governing corporate capital point out that transformative projects grow out of everyday experiences of progressive change, not out of defeatist visions of an untransformable hegemonic capital. Readers — please decide.
The Struggle for Corporate Accountability
Authors: Utting Peter 
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACTThe nature of activism concerned with the activities of transnational corporations has changed in recent years. In the 1990s, an increasing number of NGOs opted for collaboration as opposed to confrontation. By the turn of the millennium, there were signs that another approach was gaining ground, one that involved new campaigns for corporate accountability and legalistic regulation. This article examines the changing contours of contestation and civil society–business relations. It identifies two sets of conditions that are driving the contemporary ‘corporate accountability movement’: transformations occurring in the nature of capitalism that connect TNCs with global inequality and injustice; and the failures and limitations of the mainstream corporate social responsibility (CSR) agenda. It then highlights core conceptual and strategic elements that distinguish the CSR and corporate accountability ‘movements' and assesses the potential of the latter to reassert social control over corporate capitalism.
Contract Labour: The ‘Achilles Heel’ of Corporate Codes in Commercial Value Chains
Authors: Barrientos Stephanie 
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACTCodes of labour practice implemented by corporate buyers in their global production networks are one dimension of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Research indicates the benefits of codes for workers are limited and they fail to reach the most vulnerable workers, particularly those employed by labour contractors who face the worst employment conditions. This contribution argues that the commercial dynamics of global production networks provides an opening for civil society organizations to pressure for codes, but simultaneously drives the use of a vulnerable and insecure workforce that is the ‘Achilles Heel’ of codes. Whilst codes have a role to play, inherent tensions underpinned by a commercial logic mean they should only ever be viewed as one strand in broader strategies that address the rights of the most vulnerable workers in global production.
The Global Sourcing and Codes of Conduct Debate: Five Myths and Five Recommendations
Authors: Lund‐Thomsen Peter 
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACTMuch attention has been devoted to corporate social responsibility (CSR) in recent years. Codes of conduct — or the ethical principles that companies use to guide their practices — have been at the heart of the debate about how global companies should manage their supply chains in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. What characterizes the debate today? Exaggerated claims are often made about the benefits that codes supposedly bring to workers and the environment in the developing world. The risk is that codes of conduct may do more harm than good, because much of the academic and policy‐oriented rhetoric on the topic is largely divorced from the realities faced by many developing country suppliers, workers and communities. Using insights from recent fieldwork in the Pakistani sporting goods industry, this contribution attempts to bust five myths that continue to characterize the codes of conduct debate and introduce five recommendations that could lead to a more fruitful engagement with future research, policy, and practice in this area.
Social Movements and Corporate Social Responsibility in South Africa
Authors: Bond Patrick 
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACTIf Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is often reduced to ‘greenwashing’ for naïve middle‐class consumers, is there a more durable force to address excessive profit taking and consequent underdevelopment? While the post‐apartheid era in South Africa has been celebrated, with little foresight, for an ‘economic boom’ that restored relative corporate profitability to levels last witnessed during apartheid's heyday, the same period saw world‐class social opposition to corporate power. Three areas are illustrative: the Treatment Action Campaign's street pressure and legal strategy to acquire anti‐retroviral drugs for HIV‐positive people; Sowetans whose street protests helped drive Suez Lyonnaise des Eaux out of Johannesburg and whose constitutional case over the right to water attacked its commercialization policies; and climate activists who oppose carbon trading. Meanwhile, activists also demanded reparations from apartheid‐tainted transnational corporations in the US courts through the Alien Tort Claims Act, while a ‘Corpse Awards' was launched by activists in part to mitigate against CSR efforts. The critiques of corporations — and CSR — and the motivation for social activism are informed by strategic principles of ‘decommodification’ and ‘deglobalization of capital’; the first cannot work without the second.
PRODUCT AND LABOUR MARKETS IN WAGE DETERMINATION: SOME AUSTRALIAN EVIDENCE
Authors: Brown William , Haylest John , Hughest Barry , Rowe Lyndon 
Published: January 2009

AbstractThe study is concerned with the extent to which workplace wage drift is influenced by establishment‐specific or occupation‐specific factors. It demonstrates, by analysis of variance of pay data from a survey of 44 occupations in 198 workplaces, that the sources of variation are predominantly establishment‐specific. There is evidence of a link between the amount of discretion an employer exercises in the labour market and the degree of concentration in his product market. It is argued that discussions of pay determination have been unduly preoccupied with labour market processes and have neglected the variation in employer behaviour arising from differences in product market.
Strike‐free Deals and Pendulum Arbitration
Authors: Lewis Roy 
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACTThis article analyses the legal and procedural aspects of strike‐free deals, focusing in particular on their contractual status, the drafting of their no‐strike clauses, and the ‘binding’ nature of their provisions on pendulum arbitration. Drawing on the author's experience as an arbitrator, it is argued that there is considerable diversity within the strike‐free format but that in general the similarities between strike‐free and conventional procedures are greater than their differences.
Reasonableness and Section 4 of the Employment Act 1980
Authors: Miller Kenneth 
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACTThis article explains the origins of s.4 of the Employment Act 1980 and assesses the place of this provision in the corpus of labour legislation enacted by the Conservative government since 1980. Its principal aim is to concentrate upon the concept of reasonableness which is central to the operation of the provision and to evaluate critically the role of the EAT and the industrial tribunals in interpreting it. Finally, the article seeks to assess the impact of the tribunaľs interpretation of s.4 on union admission and expulsion procedures.