bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Role of spinal 5‐HT2 receptor subtypes in quipazine‐induced hindlimb movements after a low‐thoracic spinal cord transection
Authors: Ung Roth‐V. , Landry Eric S. , Rouleau Pascal , Lapointe Nicolas P. , Rouillard Claude , Guertin Pierre A. 
Published: November 2008

AbstractA role of serotonin receptors (5‐HTRs) in spinal rhythmogenesis has been proposed several years ago based mainly upon data showing that bath‐applied 5‐HT could elicit locomotor‐like rhythms in in vitro isolated spinal cord preparations. Such a role was partially confirmed in vivo after revealing that systemically administered 5‐HTR2 agonists, such as quipazine, could induce some locomotor‐like movements (LM) in completely spinal cord‐transected (Tx) rodents. However, given the limited binding selectivity of currently available 5‐HTR2 agonists, it has remained difficult to determine clearly if one receptor subtype is specifically associated with LM induction. In situ hybridization, data using tissues from L1–L2 spinal cord segments, where critical locomotor network elements have been identified in mice, revealed greater 5‐HTR2A mRNA levels in low‐thoracic Tx than non‐Tx animals. This expression level remained elevated for several days, specifically in the lateral intermediate zone, where peak values were detected at 1 week post‐Tx and returned to normal at 3 weeks post‐Tx. Behavioral and kinematic analyses revealed quipazine‐induced LM in 1‐week Tx mice either non‐pretreated or pretreated with selective 5‐HTR2B and/or 5‐HTR2C antagonists. In contrast, LM completely failed to be induced by quipazine in animals pretreated with selective 5‐HTR2A antagonists. Altogether, these results provide strong evidence suggesting that 5‐HTR2A are specifically associated with spinal locomotor network activation and LM generation induced by quipazine in Tx animals. These findings may contribute to design drug treatments aimed at promoting locomotor function recovery in chronic spinal cord‐injured patients.
Temporal filtering by prefrontal neurons in duration discrimination
Authors: Oshio Ken‐ichi , Chiba Atsushi , Inase Masahiko 
Published: November 2008

AbstractNeural imaging studies have revealed that the prefrontal cortex (PFC) participates in time perception. However, actual functional roles remain unclear. We trained two monkeys to perform a duration‐discrimination task, in which two visual cues were presented consecutively for different durations ranging from 0.2 to 2.0 s. The subjects were required to choose the longer cue. We recorded single‐neuron activity from the PFC while the subjects were performing the task. Responsive neurons for the first cue period were extracted and classified through a cluster analysis of firing rate curves. The neuronal activity was categorized as phasic, ramping and sustained patterns. Among them, the phasic activity was the most prevailing. Peak time of the phasic activity was broadly distributed about 0.8 s after cue onset, leading to a natural assumption that the phasic activity was related to cognitive processes. The phasic activity with constant delay after cue onset might function to filter current cue duration with the peak time. The broad distribution of the peak time would indicate that various filtering durations had been prepared for estimating C1 duration. The most frequent peak time was close to the time separating cue durations into long and short. The activity with this peak time might have had a role of filtering in attempted duration discrimination. Our results suggest that the PFC contributes to duration discrimination with temporal filtering in the cue period.
Visual mismatch negativity for changes in orientation – a sensory memory‐dependent response
Authors: Astikainen Piia , Lillstrang Elina , Ruusuvirta Timo 
Published: November 2008

AbstractIt remains unclear whether the mismatch negativity of event‐related potentials (ERPs) in vision resembles its auditory counterpart in terms of memory relatedness. We recorded ERPs to visual bars in adult humans engaged in an auditory task. In one condition, a bar (‘standard’) repeated at 400‐ or 1100‐ms non‐stimulated intervals was rarely (P = 0.1) replaced by another bar of a different orientation (‘deviant’). In the other condition (400‐ms intervals), the occurrences of the standards were replaced by 10 (P = 0.1 each) bars of different orientations, including that of the deviant (‘control‐deviant’). Deviants shifted ERPs towards negative polarity relative to standards in occipital electrodes and towards positive polarity in frontal electrodes at 185–205 ms post‐stimulus but only when 400‐ms non‐stimulated intervals were applied. Furthermore, the shift existed even relative to ERPs to control‐deviants. The findings suggest that, as in audition, vision supports the detection of voluntarily unattended changes per se within the constraints of sensory memory. The findings also pave the way for the future exploration of both intact and impaired memory‐based visual processing and memory capacity.
Standardized surgery for colonic cancer: complete mesocolic excision and central ligation – technical notes and outcome
Authors: Hohenberger W. , Weber K. , Matzel K. , Papadopoulos T. , Merkel S. 
Published: November 2008

AbstractObjective  Total mesorectal excision (TME) as proposed by R.J. Heald more than 20 years ago, is nowadays accepted worldwide for optimal rectal cancer surgery. This technique is focused on an intact package of the tumour and its main lymphatic drainage.This concept can be translated into colon cancer surgery, as the mesorectum is only part of the mesenteric planes which cover the colon and its lymphatic drainage like envelopes. According to the concept of TME for rectal cancer, we perform a concept of complete mesocolic excision (CME) for colonic cancer. This technique aims at the separation of the mesocolic from the parietal plane and true central ligation of the supplying arteries and draining veins right at their roots.Method  Prospectively obtained data from 1329 consecutive patients of our department with RO‐resection of colon cancer between 1978 and 2002 were analysed. Patient data of three subdivided time periods were compared.Results  By consequent application of the procedure of CME, we were able to reduce local 5‐year recurrence rates in colon cancer from 6.5% in the period from 1978 to 1984 to 3.6% in 1995 to 2002. In the same period, the cancer related 5‐year survival rates in patients resected for cure increased from 82.1% to 89.1%.Conclusion  The technique of CME in colon cancer surgery aims at a specimen with intact layers and a maximum of lymphnode harvest. This is translated into lower local recurrence rates and better overall survival.
The involvement of calpains in opacification induced by Ca2+‐overload in ovine lens culture
Authors: Lee Hannah Y. Y. , Morton James D. , Sanderson Julie , Bickerstaffe Roy , Robertson Lucinda J. G. 
Published: November 2008

AbstractObjective  To investigate biochemical changes accompanying Ca2+‐induced lens opacification and the possible role of calpain activation in opacification within an ovine lens culture system.Methods  Sheep lenses were cultured in minimal media. Lens opacification was induced by exposure to the Ca2+ ionophore, ionomycin, and graded by digital image analysis. Cell viability was estimated by the release of lactate dehydrogenase into the culture medium. Opaque lenses were fixed and stained for a microscopic view of the lens structural changes. Ionic changes in the lens were measured by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Calpain activation was determined by zymography on casein gels and proteolysis was investigated by SDS–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS–PAGE), two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE) and Western blotting. The calpain inhibitor, SJA6017, was used to investigate the involvement of calpains in lens opacification.Results  Treatment of cultured ovine lenses with ionomycin increased total lens Ca2+ concentration and caused the cortical region of the lens to become opaque. Addition of the Ca2+ chelator, EGTA, inhibited the ionomycin‐induced changes. Progress of opacification correlated with the death of lens cells and lens swelling in differentiating fiber cells. Autolysis of calpain 2, following ionomycin treatment, suggested activation of this protease. 2DE revealed that the ionomycin did not result in substantial proteolysis of the crystallins. However, Western blotting revealed significant breakdown of the cytoskeletal proteins, spectrin and vimentin. The pattern of the breakdown products was consistent with calpain proteolytic activity. SJA6017 retarded the cortical opacity induced by Ca2+‐overload in the ovine lens.Conclusion  The ovine lens with Ca2+‐induced opacification by ionomycin is associated with calpain activation and the subsequent proteolysis of cytoskeletal proteins. These events could be initial factors contributing to cell death and the loss of lens transparency which occurs in this ovine model of cataractogenesis. The ovine model supports the hypothesis that cytoskeletal proteins and Ca2+ homeostasis play an important role in maintaining lens transparency.
A case of conjunctival melanoma in a cat
Authors: Payen G. , Estrada M. , Clerc B. , Chahory S. 
Published: November 2008

AbstractSince 1985, 5 cases of feline conjunctival melanoma have been reported in the literature. Information on feline conjunctival melanoma epidemiological features, localizations, macroscopic features and histological features is limited. We are describing the clinical, histopathologic features and outcomes in a cat that presented clinically with a slow developing dark brown mass located under the upper eyelid of the left eye. Pertinent literature is reviewed; and the recognizable clinical features and treatment are discussed. The mass was surgically resected. Despite its size, the lesion was easily separated from underlying tissues, making possible a macroscopic complete resection that left intact the adjacent conjunctiva. The tumour histological examination has showed a pigmented melanoma lacking encapsulation, but presenting a clear zone delimiting the lesion. It was exclusively composed of epithelioid cells, and presented mild cellular anaplasia and weak mitotic activity. These features allowed it to be classified as a quite differentiated melanoma with few signs of potential malignancy. In accordance with these histologic features, no recurrence has been registered 34 months after surgery. Thus, a favorable outcome is now reported for two out of six cases of conjunctival melanoma in the cat. This report also confirms the predilection for this neoplasm to arise from the bulbar conjunctiva.
War mementos and the souls of missing soldiers: returning effects of the battlefield dead
Authors: Harrison Simon 
Published: November 2008

This article discusses acts of restitutive giving, a range of practices similar to the gift except that they express sociability by reaffirming between donors and recipients the existence of social boundaries rather than connections. The particular case discussed concerns military personnel in the major wars of the twentieth century, who took personal items from the enemy dead as battle trophies. Focusing on the Pacific War, the article explores the meaning of these objects for the servicemen who kept them, and the ways in which this meaning altered during their later lives. In particular, the article seeks to explain why some veterans in old age, or their families after their deaths, traced the original owners' surviving kin and returned the objects to them.RésuméLe présent article discute des actes de restitution, des pratiques proches du don à ceci près qu’elles expriment la sociabilité en réaffirmant entre celui qui donne et celui qui reçoit l’existence de frontières sociales plutôt que de liens. Le cas particulier discuté ici concerne des militaires ayant participé aux grands conflits armés du XXème siècle, qui avaient emporté comme trophées de guerre des biens personnels de leurs ennemis morts au combat. Dans le cas plus précis de la guerre du Pacifique, l’auteur explore la signification de ces objets pour les militaires qui les ont gardés, et la manière dont cette signification a changé par la suite au fil de leur vie. Il s’agit en particulier d’expliquer pourquoi certains anciens combattants, devenus vieux, ou leur famille après leur mort, ont recherché les parents survivants des anciens propriétaires de ces objets pour leur rendre ceux‐ci.
The commensality of ‘contact’, ‘pacification’, and inter‐ethnic relations in the Amazon: Kayabi autobiographical perspectives
Authors: Oakdale Suzanne 
Published: November 2008

This article builds upon research that calls for seeing the historically specific processes often labelled as ‘contact’ and ‘acculturation’ in Amazonia from indigenous perspectives, perspectives that focus on the centrality of the body and bodily transformations. Through a discussion of two Tupi‐speaking Kayabi men's accounts of their own and their relatives' relations with non‐indigenous Brazilians over the course of the twentieth century, I argue that autobiographical and biographical narratives provide a privileged means for understanding how these processes are conceptualized. They also offer a sense for the uneven, reversible nature of these processes as they focus on the experiences of particular persons' bodies over many years. In these two men's accounts, gifts of food and commensality are featured as key activities that transform self and other over a variety of inter‐ethnic, interpersonal interactions.RésuméLe présent article s’appuie sur des recherches qui invitent à considérer du point de vue autochtone les processus historiquement spécifiques que l’on appelle souvent « contact » et « acculturation » en Amazonie. Ce point de vue se fonde sur la place centrale du corps et de ses transformations. Par le biais d’une discussion des récits faits par deux Kayabis, locuteurs du tupi, à propos de leurs relations et de celles de leurs proches avec les Brésiliens non autochtones au fil du XXèmesiècle, l’auteure avance que les narrations autobiographiques et biographiques constituent un moyen privilégié de comprendre comment ces processus sont conceptualisés. Ils font également toucher du doigt la nature irrégulière et réversible de ces processus, en cela qu’ils sont centrés sur l’expérience des corps de certaines personnes au fil de plusieurs années. Dans les récits de ces deux hommes, les offrandes de nourriture et la commensalité sont présentées comme des activités essentielles, qui transforment soi‐même et l’autre par le biais de diverses interactions interethniques et interpersonnelles.
Childhood disability and parental moral responsibility in northern Vietnam: towards ethnographies of intercorporeality
Authors: Gammeltoft Tine M. 
Published: November 2008

This article explores the roles played by parents living in Hanoi, Vietnam, in shaping the subjectivities of children who are categorized as physically or intellectually impaired. In an effort to comprehend disability in terms of an active and embodied engagement with the world, I employ a phenomenologically inspired ‘intercorporeal’ perspective as a conceptual alternative to ‘medical’ and ‘social’ models of disability. Through this approach I show how, in northern Vietnam, disability in children brings into question the moral integrity of their parents and how this compels parents to define their children's subjectivities in ways that diminish their personhood. The analysis identifies Buddhist notions of karma, everyday ethics of reciprocity, and party‐state discourses of productivity as particularly important forces structuring such social responses to human impairment.RésuméL’article explore le rôle joué par des parents vivants à Hanoï, au Vietnam, dans la formation de la subjectivité d’enfants considérés comme handicapés physiques ou mentaux. En s’efforçant d’appréhender le handicap en termes d’engagement actif et incarné dans le monde, l’auteure adopte un point de vue « intercorporel », d’inspiration phénoménologique, pouvant constituer une alternative conceptuelle aux modèles « médicaux » et « sociaux » du handicap. Par cette approche, elle montre comment, dans le Nord du Vietnam, le handicap des enfants remet en question l’intégrité morale de leurs parents, et comment il oblige ceux‐ci à définir la subjectivité de leurs enfants d’une manière qui diminue leur valeur en tant que personne. L’analyse identifie les notions bouddhistes de karma, l’éthique quotidienne de la réciprocité et les discours relatifs à la productivité tenus par l’État‐parti comme des forces particulièrement importantes à l’œuvre dans la structuration de ces réponses sociales au handicap humain.
Immigrant Remittances, Stability of Employment and Relative Deprivation
Authors: Lianos Theodore P. , Cavounidis Jennifer 
Published: November 2008

AbstractThis paper examines the factors affecting immigrant remittances on the basis of the experience of immigrants to Greece. In addition to factors commonly used in similar analyses, we examine two new ones: stability of employment and relative deprivation. Our results show that the stability of employment has no significant effect on the decision to remit, while relative deprivation does. Immigrants from less relatively deprived families are more likely to send money back home. As for their effects on the size of remittances, our results show that the relative deprivation variable is insignificant, while those in steady jobs remit less money than those employed in unsteady jobs. The latter finding suggests that fluctuations in migrant employment and migrant income are borne by migrants themselves, whose goal appears to be to secure a steady flow of remittances to country of origin. This type of remittance behaviour has implications for the interpretation of volatility in remittance flows to migrant–sending countries. Specifically, variation in flows may be attributable to changes in the numbers of migrants and not only to changes in the economic and employment conditions in destination countries.
Of Skilled Migration, Brain Drains and Policy Responses*
Authors: Skeldon Ronald 
Published: November 2008

AbstractDeveloped countries are increasingly trying to attract skilled migrants, rarely giving any consideration to the impact that this migration might have on countries of origin. The debate on the “brain drain” is not new but it has taken on greater urgency in the context of a globalizing economy and ageing societies and this article reviews the evidence over time and space. It examines opposing interpretations of the impact of the skilled from countries of origin and goes on to examine the particular case of the migration of health professionals. Health workers are seen to be key to achieving basic welfare objectives in any country and their loss may be critical to countries of origin. Hence, the movement of health professionals may be central to any understanding of a brain drain. However, the case for a brain drain, even in this sector, is not straightforward. Specific country and place of origin of the skilled, place of training, appropriateness of training, fit of skills to needs, and the role of return and inmigration of health professionals all need to be taken into consideration. The article examines the case for a two‐tiered health training system, one for global markets and the other for local markets. Retention and return of the skilled are examined through the potential for outsourcing in both education and health care. The article concludes with an examination of policy approaches towards skilled migration and offers pointers towards a more balanced and integrated approach by placing the emphasis on development rather than control of migrants.
I‐CAN: A New Instrument to Classify Support Needs for People with Disability: Part I
Authors: Riches Vivienne C. , Parmenter Trevor R. , Llewellyn Gwynnyth , Hindmarsh Gabrielle , Chan Jeff 
Published: November 2008

Background  The supports paradigm has shifted focus from assessing competence and deficits among people with disabilities to identifying supports needed to live meaningful and productive lives in inclusive settings. Consequently, a rigorous and robust system is required that is capable of accurately determining the type and intensity of support needed and of allocating resources accordingly. The aim of the present study was to develop such a system to identify and classify support needs of people with disabilities based on the conceptual framework of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) [WHO, The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), Author, Geneva, 2001], and the supports concept [Mental Retardation: Definition, Classification and Systems of Support, 9th edn (1992), 10th edn (2002), American Association on Mental Retardation, Washington, DC).Method  A total of 1012 individuals with disabilities who were supported by accommodation and day programme organizations across the eastern states of Australia were assessed. The instrument was used in a team setting involving the person, their family and friends and staff as appropriate. Version 1 was administered with 595 people with disability. This version was refined according to qualitative and quantitative analyses. Another 342 individuals were assessed using Version 2, resulting in a combined data set for 936 individuals. Version 3 was then trialled with a further 76 individuals with disabilities.Results  Ten domain scales in Health and Well Being (HWB) and Activities and Participation (A&P) were explored and refined. The scales effectively discriminated a range of intensities of support for people with various disabilities, with the highest support needs generally recorded by individuals with multiple disabilities who were ageing. The instrument can be used to develop a profile of needed supports across the domain scales. These measure current and predicted support needs, and contribute to future planning. The team approach proved beneficial in this regard.Conclusions  The I‐CAN is a useful instrument for effectively assessing the support needs of people with a disability using a person centred approach. It is effective in identifying support needs across health and well‐being areas, and activities of daily living.