bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
CHOLEDOCHOLITHIASIS: OVERDIAGNOSED ENDOSCOPICALLY AND UNDERTREATED LAPAROSCOPICALLY
Authors: O’Neill Christine J. , Gillies Donna M. , Gani Jon S. 
Published: May 2008

Background:  Two recent meta‐analyses suggest that operative common bile duct (CBD) exploration (laparoscopic or open) may be superior to endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) for the management of choledocholithiasis when the gall bladder is in situ. Much of the published work regarding laparoscopic exploration comes from enthusiasts of the technique and may not be transferable to other institutions. In our institution, both hepatobiliary and general surgeons carry out cholecystectomy, with differing levels of expertise in laparoscopic bile duct exploration. ERCP and laparoscopic antegrade transampullary endobiliary stents are available. We reviewed the management of choledocholithiasis in this setting.Methods:  A retrospective review of all patients undergoing cholecystectomy during 2004 and 2005 at John Hunter and Belmont Hospitals (Newcastle, Australia) was conducted.Results:  The overall incidence of choledocholithiasis was 10.3% (70 of 681). Fifty patients underwent preoperative ERCP, with choledocholithiasis confirmed in only 24 patients (therapeutic rate 30%). Thirty‐one patients underwent CBD exploration with 100% clearance through an open approach (12 patients) and 58% clearance through a laparoscopic approach (11 of 19 patients). Hepatobiliary surgeons carried out 22 of 31 CBD explorations (clearance rate 82%) and placed 13 transampullary antegrade endobiliary stents. In comparison, general surgeons carried out nine CBD explorations (clearance rate 56%) and placed only four antegrade stents.Conclusion:  This series suggests that preoperative ERCP is significantly overutilized, laparoscopic CBD exploration is less successful than open CBD exploration and that antegrade transampullary intraoperative endobiliary stenting is underutilized by non‐hepatobiliary surgeons.
CHOLEDOCHODUODENOSTOMY: REAPPRAISAL IN THE LAPAROSCOPIC ERA
Authors: Khalid Kamran , Shafi Mohammad , Dar Haroon M. , Durrani Khalid M. 
Published: May 2008

Background:  With the advent of interventional endoscopic procedures and with growing experience of laparoscopic surgery, the indications for open biliary procedures have become limited. This prospective study reviews the indications of open choledochoduodenostomy for benign biliary diseases and presents the short‐term and long‐term outcomes of this procedure in the present minimally invasive surgical era.Methods:  Side‐to‐side choledochoduodenostomy was carried out for various benign obstructive pathologies of the biliary tract. The various parameters recorded were the demographic data, indications for surgery, early and late complications and the long‐term outcome of the procedure.Results:  Results of choledochoduodenostomy on 54 consecutive patients over a 9‐year period are presented. The mean age was 49.7 years with a male to female ratio of 1:2.6. Thirty (55.5%) patients presented with obstructive jaundice and 42.6% had cholangitis. Overall hospital morbidity was 13% with zero mortality. After a mean follow up of 7.8 years, 96.3% patients had ‘good’ or ‘fair’ and 3.7% experienced ‘poor’ results. No recurrent disease or biliary malignancy was observed.Conclusion:  Open biliary drainage procedures may still be indicated in select patients where the facility or expertise for minimally invasive biliary procedures is not available. Choledochoduodenostomy remains an effective biliary drainage procedure with acceptable morbidity and mortality, especially in the high‐risk and elderly population. The procedure should be regarded as an essential in the general surgical knowledge and training.
Ultrastructure of spermatozoa of lizards in the genus Mabuya from Central Brazil
Authors: De Sá Mandel S. M. , Cunha L. D. , Brandão J. C. , Colli G. R. , Báo S. N. 
Published: May 2008

AbstractThis is the first description of spermatozoal ultrastructure of Mabuya skinks. The spermatozoa of the species studied are filiform, consisting of a head region, a midpiece and a tail. The head is characterized by the following features: a depressed acrosome anteriorly, an acrosome vesicle divided into cortex and medulla, paracrystalline subacrosomal material, a pointed tip perforatorium, a circular perforatorium base plate inside the subacrosomal cone, an epinuclear lucent zone separated from the subacrosomal cone by a membrane, a large nuclear rostrum, and round nuclear shoulders. The midpiece presents a bilateral stratified laminar structure, a distal centriole, peripheral fibres 3 and 8 grossly enlarged, columnar mitochondria with linear cristae, dense body rings and a triangular annulus. Finally, the tail is composed of a principal piece and an end piece. An axoneme and a fibrous sheath characterize the principal piece, and the end piece is formed only by an axoneme, which loses its pattern in the last portion. Comparisons with members of Teiidae revealed differences in the numbers of dense rings. A well‐developed epinuclear lucent zone in Mabuya is less prominent among teiids. In the spermatozoa of Mabuya, the first ring of dense bodies is very large, uniquely resembling the condition present in snakes.
Phillips and Eternal Life: A Response to Mikel Burley
Authors: Haldane John 
Published: May 2008

AbstractMikel Burley challenges that my essay, “Philosophy, Death and Immortality,” in which I discussed the views of Dewi Phillips, fails to establish the case for a realist treatment of claims about the resurrection of Jesus and the general resurrection of human beings. I respond to these criticisms by again distinguishing between the analysis of the sense of religious claims and the determination of whether they purport to make reference beyond human language and practices. I consider particular texts drawn from Christian scripture and argue that they are best understood in realist terms. I conclude by pointing out that a Wittgensteinean about meaning need not be a linguistic idealist.
Trade unions, collective bargaining and macroeconomic performance: a review
Authors: Aidt Toke S. , Tzannatos Zafiris 
Published: May 2008

ABSTRACTCoordination through collective bargaining is recognised as an influential determinant of labour market outcomes and macroeconomic performance. This article provides a systematic review of the empirical literature on the subject. What emerges from the review is that it is different types and coverage of bargaining coordination, rather than cross‐country variation in trade union density, that matter for economic performance. High levels of bargaining coverage tend to be associated with relatively poor economic performance, but this adverse relationship can be at least mitigated by high levels of bargaining coordination. In the absence of formal bargaining arrangements, economies often develop informal bargaining mechanisms whose effects are similar to those arising from formal bargaining provided they both operate at similar levels of coordination. The consequences of labour market coordination or absence thereof depend on the monetary policy regime as non‐accommodating monetary policy can eliminate some of the adverse unemployment consequences otherwise associated with industry‐level collective bargaining. Finally, bargaining coordination seems to matter most in times of rapid economic change rather than under more stable conditions. Overall, we conclude that it is the total ‘package’ of (formal and informal) labour market institutions that matters for the performance of the economy rather than unionisation as such or individual aspects of unionism.
Electrocortical and electrodermal responses covary as a function of emotional arousal: A single‐trial analysis
Authors: Keil Andreas , Smith J. Carson , Wangelin Bethany C. , Sabatinelli Dean , Bradley Margaret M. , Lang Peter J. 
Published: May 2008

AbstractElectrophysiological studies of human visual perception typically involve averaging across trials distributed over time during an experimental session. Using an oscillatory presentation, in which affective or neutral pictures were presented for 6 s, flickering on and off at a rate of 10 Hz, the present study examined single trials of steady‐state visual evoked potentials. Moving window averaging and subsequent Fourier analysis at the stimulation frequency yielded spectral amplitude measures of electrocortical activity. Cronbach's alpha reached values >.79, across electrodes. Single‐trial electrocortical activation was significantly related to the size of the skin conductance response recorded during affective picture viewing. These results suggest that individual trials of steady‐state potentials may yield reliable indices of electrocortical activity in visual cortex and that amplitude modulation of these indices varies with emotional engagement.
Compromised sensitivity to monetary reward in current cocaine users: An ERP study
Authors: Goldstein Rita Z. , Parvaz Muhammad A. , Maloney Thomas , Alia‐Klein Nelly , Woicik Patricia A. , Telang Frank , Wang Gene‐Jack , Volkow Nora D. 
Published: May 2008

AbstractWe studied modulation of the P300 by monetary reward expected to be received on a sustained attention task in 18 individuals with current cocaine use disorders (CUD) and 18 control subjects. Results in the controls revealed sensitivity to money as measured with P300 amplitude and speed of behavioral response and their intercorrelations. In contrast, despite generally faster P300 waveforms and higher self‐reported interest in the task, individuals with CUD did not display these responses to money versus nonreward; at the behavioral level, this impairment correlated with frequency of recent cocaine use. These preliminary results suggest a compromised sensitivity to a secondary reinforcer in CUD. This deficit, which needs to be replicated in larger samples of people with currently active versus abstaining CUD, may underlie the compromised ability to advantageously modify behavior in response to changing inner motivations and environmental contingencies.
Shifting global supply networks and fast fashion: made in Turkey for Marks & Spencer
Authors: TOKATLI NEBAHAT , WRIGLEY NEIL , KIZILGÜN ÖMÜR 
Published: May 2008

AbstractIn the late 1980s and early 1990s, it was noted that retailers in Britain had started providing increased variety and fashionability to their customers, had added mid‐season purchasing to their previous two‐season calendars, and that a high fashion and low price ‘throwaway market’ had appeared on the retail scene. Since then mid‐season purchasing has evolved into purchasing throughout the year; and the ‘throwaway market’ (now called fast fashion) has become almost the norm. Here we revisit one of those British retailers (Marks & Spencer) together with its Turkish suppliers and observe a trend towards the diffusion of design capabilities to suppliers that is more widespread than is suggested in the literature. We also consider the question of how most appropriately to conceptualize the nature of these retailer‐ supplier relations in today's circumstances. We especially look into the manner in which these relations are reflected in price negotiations, the eventual distribution of the value‐added, and the nature of everyday interactions such as accreditation and reclamation practices. We conclude that even though Turkish suppliers seem to be successfully upgrading into design–a high value‐added activity–the question of whether or not this development has entailed a renegotiation of power between retailer and supplier remains a complicated one.
Global networks and the reorganization of production in the clothing industry of post‐socialist Ukraine
Authors: KALANTARIDIS CHRISTOS , SLAVA SVITLANA , VASSILEV IVAYLO 
Published: May 2008

AbstractIn this article we examine how processes of globalization and the nature of emerging inter‐firm relationships influence the organization of production in a post‐socialist region, using the case of the clothing industry in Transcarpathia, Western Ukraine. We combine insights from two perspectives, the global commodity chain approach and the new regionalism. The focus on both institutional setting and interfirm relationships is essential in regions undergoing rapid change. In the article we also use Burt's concept of structural holes and the idea of a competence‐difficulty gap to examine the nature of relationships within networks of firms, arguing that global integration can be viewed as a bridging process. The evidence comes from surveys and fieldwork conducted between 1997 and 2004, providing a longitudinal analysis of the same firms. Among other findings, we show that the difficulty of doing business locally may make relationships more stable. With respect to industrial structure, international subcontracting and joint‐venture arrangements enable technological modernization in assembly and parts of preassembly, but also result in the demise of high‐value added competences.
Family divided: the class formation of Honduran transnational families
Authors: SCHMALZBAUER LEAH 
Published: May 2008

AbstractAlthough there is a growing literature on transnational families, we know little about the class formation of such families and even less about how transnational migration and generation interact in this process. In this article I draw from ethnographic research with Honduran immigrant parents in the USA and transnational youths in Honduras to theorize the class formation of transnational families. Based on Bryceson and Vuorela's concepts of frontiering and relativizing, I show how economic remittances bolster the expectations and improve the lifestyles of transnational youths to the detriment of their parents' welfare in the USA. That parents often relativize their communication, choosing not to tell children about their struggles, can contribute to increased inequalities within families. Finally, my data suggest that it will be difficult for transnational youths to meet their newfound expectations and maintain their lifestyles without a permanent flow of remittances and thus the ongoing separation of family.
Mechanistic hypotheses for nonsynaptic epileptiform activity induction and its transition from the interictal to ictal state—Computational simulation
Authors: De Almeida Antônio‐Carlos G. , Rodrigues Antônio M. , Scorza Fúlvio A. , Cavalheiro Esper A. , Teixeira Hewerson Z. , Duarte Mário A. , Silveira Gilcélio A. , Arruda Emerson Z. 
Published: May 2008

SummaryPurpose:  The aim of this work is to study, by means of computational simulations, the induction and sustaining of nonsynaptic epileptiform activity.Methods:  The computational model consists of a network of cellular bodies of neurons and glial cells connected to a three‐dimensional (3D) network of juxtaposed extracellular compartments. The extracellular electrodiffusion calculation was used to simulate the extracellular potential. Each cellular body was represented in terms of the transmembrane ionic transports (Na+/K+ pumps, ionic channels, and cotransport mechanisms), the intercellular electrodiffusion through gap‐junctions, and the neuronal interaction by electric field and the variation of cellular volume.Results:  The computational model allows simulating the nonsynaptic epileptiform activity and the extracellular potential captured the main feature of the experimental measurements. The simulations of the concomitant ionic fluxes and concentrations can be used to propose the basic mechanisms involved in the induction and sustaining of the activities.Discussion:  The simulations suggest: The bursting induction is mediated by the Cl− Nernst potential overcoming the transmembrane potential in response to the extracellular [K+] increase. The burst onset is characterized by a critical point defined by the instant when the Na+ influx through its permeable ionic channels overcomes the Na+/K+ pump electrogenic current. The burst finalization is defined by another critical point, when the electrogenic current of the Na+/K+ pump overcomes its influx through the channels.
Levetiracetam prevents kindling‐induced asymmetric accumulation of hippocampal 7S SNARE complexes
Authors: Matveeva Elena A. , Vanaman Thomas C. , Whiteheart Sidney W. , Slevin John T. 
Published: May 2008

SummaryPurpose: Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying epilepsy is crucial to designing novel therapeutic regimens. This report focuses on alterations in the secretory machinery responsible for neurotransmitter (NT) release. Soluble N‐ethylmaleimide sensitive factor (NSF) attachment protein receptor (SNARE) complexes mediate the fusion of synaptic vesicle and active zone membranes, thus mediating NT secretion. SNARE regulators control where and when SNARE complexes are formed. Previous studies showed an asymmetric accumulation of 7S SNARE complexes (7SC) in the ipsilateral hippocampus of kindled animals. The present studies probe the persistence of 7SC accumulation and the effect of the anticonvulsant, levetiracetam (LEV), on 7SC and SNARE regulators.Method: Quantitative Western blotting was used to monitor levels of 7SC and SNARE regulators in hippocampal synaptosomes from kindled animals both before and after LEV treatment.Results: The asymmetric accumulation of 7SC is present 1‐year postamygdalar kindling. The synaptic vesicle protein, synaptic vesicle protein 2 (SV2), a primary LEV‐binding protein, and the SNARE regulator Tomosyn increase, whereas NSF decreases in association with this accumulation. Treatment with LEV prevented kindling‐induced accumulation of SV2, but did not affect the transient increase of Tomosyn or the long‐term decrease NSF. LEV treatment retarded the electrical and behavioral concomitants of amygdalar kindling coincident with a decrease in accumulation of 7SC.Conclusions: The ipsilateral hippocampal accumulation of SNARE complexes is an altered molecular process associated with kindling that appears permanent. Kindling epileptogenesis alters synaptosomal levels of the SNARE regulators: NSF, SV2, and Tomosyn. Concomitant treatment with LEV reverses the kindling‐induced 7SC accumulation and increase of SV2.
Expression of human endothelin-converting enzyme isoforms: role of angiotensin IIThis article is one of a selection of papers published in the special issue (part 1 of 2) on Forefronts in Endothelin.
Authors: Goettsch W. , Schubert A. , Morawietz H. 
Published: May 2008

A key step in endothelin-1 (ET-1) synthesis is the proteolytic cleavage of big ET-1 by the endothelin-converting enzyme-1 (ECE-1). Four alternatively spliced isoforms, ECE-1a to ECE-1d, have been discovered; however, regulation of the expression of specific ECE-1 isoforms is not well understood. Therefore, we stimulated primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) with angiotensin II (Ang II). Furthermore, expression of ECE-1 isoforms was determined in internal mammary arteries of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. Patients had received one of 4 therapies: angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-I), Ang II type 1 receptor blockers (ARB), HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins), and a control group that had received neither ACE-I, ARB (that is, treatment not interfering in the renin–angiotensin system), nor statins. Under control conditions, ECE-1a is the dominant isoform in HUVECs (4.5 ± 2.8 amol/μg RNA), followed by ECE-1c (2.7 ± 1.0 amol/μg), ECE-1d (0.49 ± 0.17 amol/μg), and ECE-1b (0.17 ± 0.04 amol/μg). Stimulation with Ang II did not change the ECE-1 expression pattern or the ET-1 release. We found that ECE-1 mRNA expression was higher in patients treated with statins than in patients treated with ARB therapy (5.8 ± 0.76 RU versus 3.0 ± 0.4 RU), mainly attributed to ECE-1a. In addition, ECE-1a mRNA expression was higher in patients receiving ACE-I therapy than in patients receiving ARB therapy (1.68 ± 0.27 RU versus 0.83 ± 0.07 RU). We conclude that ECE-1a is the major ECE-1 isoform in primary human endothelial cells. Its expression in internal mammary arteries can be regulated by statin therapy and differs between patients with ACE-I and ARB therapy.
Role of hypoxia in the regulation of periovulatory EDN2 expression in the mouseThis article is one of a selection of papers published in the special issue (part 1 of 2) on Forefronts in Endothelin.
Authors: Na Giyoun , Bridges Phillip J. , Koo Yongbum , Ko CheMyong 
Published: May 2008

We have previously proposed endothelin-2 (EDN2) as a granulosa cell-derived contractile signal that facilitates ovulation. Spatially, Edn2 mRNA expression is restricted to granulosa cells of periovulatory follicles. Temporally, mRNA for this contractile peptide is expressed immediately before follicle rupture. The primary objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that hypoxia mediates EDN2 expression in granulosa cells at ovulation, and if it does, to determine the region within the promoter responsible for this effect. To determine the effect of hypoxia on mRNA expression, immature mice were treated with 5 IU of PMSG followed 48 h later by 5 IU of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Granulosa cells were isolated at 9 h after hCG, cultured under normal or hypoxic conditions, and the expression level of mRNA was compared. mRNA expression was increased when granulosa cells were cultured in a hypoxic environment (p < 0.05). Subsequent promoter analysis found that the 5′ upstream region of the EDN2 promoter (between –1894 bp and –1407 bp) was responsible for hypoxia-mediated changes in EDN2 expression. This promoter region contains multiple sites for potential transcriptional regulation, including that by hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1, ACGTG) at –1297 bp. The second objective of this study was to determine whether the progesterone receptor (PR) or cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), two key regulators of periovulatory events, controlled EDN2 expression. To accomplish this, gonadotropin-primed mice were treated with RU-486 or indomethacin and expression of mRNA for Edn2 was determined in ovaries collected at 12 h after hCG. Treatment with RU-486 or indomethacin did not affect expression of mRNA for Edn2 (p > 0.05). Taken together, we believe that hypoxia, but not the PR or COX-2, regulate gonadotropin-induced EDN2 expression in the periovulatory follicle.
Role of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system in collecting duct-derived endothelin-1 regulation of blood pressureThis article is one of a selection of papers published in the special issue (part 1 of 2) on Forefronts in Endothelin.
Authors: Ge Yuqiang , Huang Yufeng , Kohan Donald E. 
Published: May 2008

Renal collecting duct (CD)-specific knockout of endothelin-1 (ET-1) causes hypertension and impaired Na excretion. A previous study noted failure to suppress the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone axis in these knockout (KO) mice, hence the current investigation was undertaken to examine the role of this system in CD ET-1 KO. Renal renin content was similar in kidneys from CD ET-1 KO and control mice during normal Na intake; high-Na intake suppressed renal renin content to a similar degree in KO and control. Plasma renin concentrations paralleled changes in renal renin content. Valsartan, an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB), abolished the hypertension in CD ET-1 KO mice during normal Na intake. High-Na intake + ARB treatment increased blood pressure in CD ET-1 KO, but not in controls. High-Na intake was associated with reduced Na excretion in CD ET-1 KO animals, but no changes in water excretion or creatinine clearance were noted. Spironolactone, an aldosterone antagonist, also normalized blood pressure in CD ET-1 KO mice during normal Na intake, whereas high-Na intake + spironolactone raised blood pressure only in CD ET-1 KO animals. In summary, hypertension in CD ET-1 KO is partly due to angiotensin II and aldosterone. We speculate that CD-derived ET-1 may regulate, via a novel pathway, renal renin production.