bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Clinical significance of α‐fetoprotein: involvement in proliferation, angiogenesis, and apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Mitsuhashi Noboru , Kobayashi Souichi , Doki Tomoko , Kimura Fumio , Shimizu Hiroaki , Yoshidome Hiroyuki , Ohtsuka Masayuki , Kato Atsushi , Yoshitomi Hideyuki , Nozawa Satoshi , Furukawa Katsunori , Takeuchi Dan , Suda Kosuke , Miura Seiki , Miyazaki Masaru 
Published: May 2008

AbstractBackground and Aim:  Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most common cancers. α‐Fetoprotein is strongly expressed in most patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, and high levels of α‐fetoprotein expression have been reported as an independent prognostic factor. However, there have been few reports on the reasons for poor prognosis.Methods:  We analyzed the correlation between serum α‐fetoprotein levels and clinicopathological findings in 37 hepatocellular carcinoma patients undergoing curative surgery. α‐Fetoprotein mRNA expression in tissue samples was analyzed by quantitative reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR), while protein expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry. To assess the mechanistic correlations between α‐fetoprotein and tumor progression, we further analyzed cell proliferation (Ki‐67), angiogenesis (CD34), and apoptosis (TdT‐mediated dUTP‐biotin nick end labeling [TUNEL] assay).Results:  Post‐operative serum α‐fetoprotein levels were correlated with disease‐free and overall survival, and were an independent prognostic factor for survival. α‐Fetoprotein expression, as assessed by immunohistochemistry, was strong and heterogeneous in hepatocellular carcinoma. Control livers did not express α‐fetoprotein and there was weak expression of α‐fetoprotein in adjacent regions in hepatocellular carcinoma patients. The Ki‐67 labeling index in the high serum α‐fetoprotein cases was significantly higher than in α‐fetoprotein‐negative cases (P = 0.042). The α‐fetoprotein‐positive cases also showed a significantly higher microvessel density than α‐fetoprotein‐negative cases (P = 0.035), whereas hepatocellular carcinoma without α‐fetoprotein overexpression had a higher apoptotic index when compared to hepatocellular carcinoma with α‐fetoprotein overexpression (P = 0.033).Conclusion:  These results indicate that the poor prognosis associated with high α‐fetoprotein is due to high cell proliferation, high angiogenesis, and low apoptosis.
Management and patient survival in hepatocellular carcinoma: Does the physician's level of experience matter?
Authors: Chen Tsung‐Ming , Chang Tzu‐Ming , Huang Pi‐Teh , Tsai Ming‐Hung , Lin Lien‐Fu , Liu Chung‐Cheng , Ho Ka‐Sic , Siauw Chuan‐Pau , Chao Po‐Liang , Tung Jai‐Nien 
Published: May 2008

AbstractIntroduction:  The prognostic determinants of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) depend on tumor stage, liver function reserve, and treatments offered. The clinical impact of the physician's experience on HCC management and the survival outcome is unknown.Methods:  A total of 103 patients were managed by one high‐volume physician and 249 patients by seven low‐volume physicians. The experience of high‐volume physician in HCC management was five times more than that of low‐volume physicians. Patient survival was the single end point for this study.Results:  Compared to the low‐volume physician group, more of the patients allocated to the high‐volume physician had early stage HCC on the date of diagnosis (66/103, 64.1%; vs 119/249, 47.8%; P = 0.008), and they received curative therapies including radiofrequency ablation or liver resection (66/103, 64.1% vs 54/249, 21.7%, P < 0.001), and had significantly better survival outcome (median survival of 34 months, 95% confidence interval [CI], 17.6–50.4; vs 6 months, 95% CI, 4.3–7.7; P < 0.001) with a multivariable‐adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for survival of 1.94 (95%, CI, 1.31–2.87, P < 0.001). A multivariate analysis of the pretreatment prognostic factors for these two groups identified α‐fetoprotein (AFP) level (HR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.01–1.99; P = 0.042), ascites (HR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.15–2.46; P = 0.007), maximum tumor diameter (HR, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.16–2.74; P = 0.009), and portal vein thrombosis (PVT) (HR, 2.17; 95% CI, 1.49–3.17; P < 0.001) as independent factors for the low‐volume physician group. However, only maximum tumor diameter (HR, 4.54; 95% CI, 1.77–11.67; P < 0.001) and PVT (HR, 5.73; 95% CI, 2.30–14.22; P = 0.002) were independent factors for the high‐volume physician group.Conclusion:  The survival of HCC patients was dependent on the level of experience of the physicians who oversaw these patients.
Stem‐like cells in hepatitis B virus–associated cirrhotic livers and adjacent tissue to hepatocellular carcinomas possess the capacity of tumorigenicity
Authors: Sun Yu‐Ling , Yin Sheng‐Yong , Xie Hai‐Yang , Zhou Lin , Xue Fei , Wu Li‐Ming , Gao Feng , Zheng Shu‐Sen 
Published: May 2008

AbstractBackground and Aim:  Recent investigations demonstrate that adult stem cells may be targets for malignant transformation and that the stem‐like cells in diseased livers possess the capacity of tumorigenicity in animal models. The aim of this study is to examine expression patterns of stem‐cell markers in hepatitis B virus–associated cirrhotic livers and hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC), and to investigate the stem‐like cell capacity of tumorigenicity in these tissues.Methods:  Twenty surgically resected HCCs and corresponding adjacent tissues as well as 10 cirrhotic liver tissues were collected and immunohistochemical staining were performed to detect the expression of CD34, Thy‐1, CD133, and c‐kit. Then the non‐cancerous tissues were transplanted into immunodeficient mice and the characteristics of the cells from primary tissue cultures were explored in vitro.Results:  Immunohistochemical analysis characterized different expression patterns of stem‐cell markers among these tissues. First, CD34 and Thy‐1 expression was identified in proliferating bile ductules and it represented hepatic progenitor cells; CD133 and c‐kit‐positive cells were observed in the parenchyma of these tissues, and some of them were characterized as intermediate hepatocytes morphologically and spatially. Second, in two groups including three mice transplanted with tissues adjacent to HCC‐initiated tumors, CD133 and c‐kit expression was detected. Finally, our study also indicated that stem‐like cells from tissue could express hepatic‐lineage markers and possessed great capacities to proliferate, self‐renew, and form clones in vitro.Conclusion:  Our results suggest that the stem‐like cells in cirrhotic livers possess the capacity of tumorigenicity and may contain candidates for HCC cancer stem cells.
Clinicopathologic analysis of renal biopsies after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation
Authors: CHAN GAVIN SW , LAM MAN FAI , AU WING YAN , CHIM STELLA , TSE KAI CHUNG , LO STANLEY HK , FUNG SHING HOI , LAI KAR NENG , CHAN KWOK WAH 
Published: May 2008

SUMMARY:Aim:  The ever‐growing number and increasing survival of haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) allow better recognition of its associated renal injuries. We aimed to study the clinicopathologic features of renal biopsies after HSCT by reviewing 13 percutaneous renal biopsies in our institute (Queen Mary Hospital).Methods:  A retrospective clinicopathologic study of all renal biopsies archived to the Department of Pathology, Queen Mary Hospital during the period January 1999 to December 2006 was performed. Biopsies from patients with HSCT were selected. Clinical data on presentation and follow up were retrieved from hospital records and physicians.Results:  In the 8‐year period, a total of 2233 native renal biopsies were archived. Thirteen renal biopsies were selected from 12 patients with HSCT (11 allogeneic, one autologous). All but one patient were male. The age at renal biopsy ranged from 7 to 63 years (median: 32 years). The median interval of renal biopsy after HSCT was 24 months (range 1–134 months). Evidence of graft‐versus‐host disease was found in nine patients. The most common presentation was significant proteinuria (10 cases) and renal impairment (eight cases). The predominant histological changes were membranous glomerulonephritis (n = 4) and thrombotic microangiopathy (n = 4). One case of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, IgA nephropathy, minimal change disease, acute tubular necrosis and hypertensive nephrosclerosis were also recorded. Four of our patients died at 0–11 months after renal biopsy. Of the remaining eight patients with a mean follow up of 43.6 months (range, 10–98 months), chronic renal impairment were found in three (37.5%) patients and significant proteinuria also persisted in three. One patient had cytogenetic evidence of relapse of underlying haematological malignancy after HSCT.Conclusion:  Among the various renal lesions after HSCT, membranous glomerulonephritis and thrombotic microangiopathy were the most common. Mechanisms of renal injury varied from graft‐versus‐host disease‐associated immune complex deposition to non‐immune complex injury on endothelial cells, glomerular epithelial cells and tubular epithelium. Pathologists and clinicians should attend to the histological and temporal heterogeneity of renal injury when managing patients after HSCT.
Presence of Arcobacter spp. in environmental waters correlates with high levels of fecal pollution
Authors: Collado Luis , Inza Isabel , Guarro Josep , Figueras Maria Jose 
Published: May 2008

SummaryWe investigated the presence of Arcobacter spp. in 205 water samples of freshwater, seawater and sewage in Spain. These bacteria were present in 55.1% of the samples (113/205) and were significantly associated for the first time with bacterial indicators of fecal pollution. The dominant species in the positive samples was Arcobacter butzleri (94%) followed by Arcobacter cryaerophilus (30%) and Arcobacter skirrowii (1.8%).
Follicular development in the volcano mouse (Neotomodon alstoni alstoni, Rodentia: Muridae) from birth to maturity: A morphological approach
Authors: Luis‐Díaz J. , Cárdenas‐Vázquez R. , Villalpando‐Fierro I. , Martínez‐Torres M. , Merchant H. 
Published: May 2008

AbstractThe present study describes the morphology and ultrastructural features of postnatal follicular development in the volcano mouse (Neotomodon alstoni alstoni), an endemic Mexican rodent. By the first week of age, germ cells were organized in clusters within the ovigerous cords, and only 51.8% of them were associated with somatic cells. At the ultrastructural level, pairing chromosomes and cellular junctions between germ and pregranulosa cells, such as desmosomes, were observed. At this time, the zona pellucida could not be detected in the formed follicles. From 15 to 28 days postpartum, growing follicles were located at the medulla and inner cortex of the ovary, but most were atretic. The first preovulatory follicles were seen at 40 days. Likewise, corpora lutea were observed at this stage of development, which shows that the volcano mouse is a spontaneous ovulator. The follicular development of the volcano mouse shows strong similarities with that of the golden hamster, particularly during the first week. The morphological changes observed during postnatal follicular development of the volcano mouse follow the same general histological pattern as reported for other mammals, although the timing of these events is species‐specific.
Has Globalization Increased Inequality?*
Authors: Dreher Axel , Gaston Noel 
Published: May 2008

AbstractThere is no shortage of theories that purport to explain why globalization may have adverse, insignificant, or even beneficial effects on income and earnings inequality. Surprisingly, the empirical realities remain an almost complete mystery. In this paper, we use data on industrial wage inequality, household income inequality as well as measures of the economic, social and political dimensions of globalization to examine this controversial issue. Overall, while we find that globalization has exacerbated inequality; this is particularly true in the case of income inequality in OECD countries.
The Effect of Monetary Policy on Exchange Rates during Currency Crises: the Role of Debt, Institutions, and Financial Openness*
Authors: Eijffinger Sylvester C. W. , Goderis Benedikt 
Published: May 2008

AbstractThis paper empirically examines the effect of monetary policy on exchange rates during currency crises. We find strong evidence that raising the interest rate: (i) has larger adverse balance sheet effects and is therefore less effective in countries with high domestic corporate short‐term debt; (ii) is more credible and therefore more effective in countries with high‐quality institutions; (iii) is more credible and therefore more effective in countries with high external debt; and (iv) is less effective in countries with high capital account openness. Our results support the idea that the effect of monetary policy depends on its impact on fundamentals, as well as its credibility, as suggested in the recent theoretical literature.
Methodological Issues in the Use of Peer Sociometric Nominations with Middle School Youth
Authors: Poulin François , Dishion Thomas J. 
Published: May 2008

AbstractStudies reporting sociometric assessments based on nominations have been characterized by important methodological inconsistencies when conducted in the middle school context. The purpose of this study was to examine (1) the possibility of a response bias when participants are provided with a long roster sorted alphabetically, (2) the impact of including or not other‐sex peers in the voting population, and (3) the impact of including or not all the grademates in the voting population. Participants were 664 sixth graders from three middle schools. Peer nominations for sociometric items (i.e., like most and like least), as well as teacher ratings of antisocial behavior and records of academic performance, were collected. A sequence effect in peer nominations was found, suggesting that students whose names were listed higher on the rosters received more nominations than did students whose names were listed lower on the list. Moreover, results indicated that the nominations received from the other‐sex grademates and from the grademates outside the classroom improved the predictive validity of the sociometric measure. The implications of these results for the use of sociometric assessment in middle schools are discussed.
Ekila: blood, bodies, and egalitarian societies
Authors: Lewis Jerome 
Published: May 2008

Mbendjele forest hunter‐gatherers in northern Congo refer to a confusing body of seemingly unconnected and diverse practices and beliefs as ‘ekila’. Ethnographically, ekila has many meanings. I suggest a number of possible ways to understand what connects these different practices, but argue that it is only when considering learning in this egalitarian environment that ekila really begins to make sense. The ethnography demonstrates how formulaic and counter‐intuitive explanations of specific taboos and related behaviour stimulate a learner‐motivated pedagogic process – one devoid of an individual or institutional focus – through which Mbendjele learn important knowledge. Ekila anchors key areas of cosmological knowledge, gender and political ideology in the physical and biological experiences of human growth and maturation so that gendered practices and cultural values take on a natural, inevitable quality.RésuméLes chasseurs‐cueilleurs Mbendjele des forêts du nord du Congo font référence sous le nom d’ekilaà un corpus apparemment confus de pratiques et de croyances diverses et sans rapport entre elles. Du point de vue ethnographique, l’ekila a de nombreuses significations. L'auteur suggère plusieurs manières possibles de comprendre ce qui relie ces différentes pratiques, mais avance que ce n'est qu'en considérant l'apprentissage dans cet environnement égalitaire que l’ekila commence vraiment à prendre un sens. L'ethnographie démontre comment les explications toutes faites et contre‐intuitives de certains tabous et des comportements y afférents ont suscité un processus pédagogique motivé par les destinataires de l'enseignement, vide de toute attention individuelle ou institutionnelle, par lequel les Mbendjele acquièrent des connaissances importantes. L’ekila ancre des notions essentielles de connaissances cosmologiques, de genre et d'idéologie politique dans l'expérience physique et biologique de la croissance et de la maturation humaines, de sorte que les pratiques sexuées et les valeurs culturelles prennent une qualité naturelle et inévitable.
Gamba spirits, gender relations, and healing in post‐civil war Gorongosa, Mozambique
Authors: Igreja Victor , Dias‐Lambranca Béatrice , Richters Annemiek 
Published: May 2008

This article describes the ways in which in post‐civil war Gorongosa (central Mozambique), women (and occasionally men) with personal and/or family experiences of extreme suffering are the focal point of possession by male, war‐related spirits named gamba. However, gamba spirits also create post‐war healing in which memory work and gender politics play an essential role. This type of post‐war healing is demonstrated through a secret, contractual ceremony in which a male living suitor demands permission from a gamba spirit, lodged in the body of a young woman (his deemed wife), to marry that woman. An account of the ceremony is preceded by a description of the conditions that gave rise to the emergence of gamba spirits in central Mozambique, and is followed by an analysis of the meaning of the voice of the spirit and its impact on the relation between the living husband and wife and, more generally, on Gorongosa post‐war society. We argue that the performance of gamba spirits contributes to a certain form of moral renewal. In the process, we locate relationships between spirits and hosts within wider systems of meaning in which they are created and reproduced, and we reinforce approaches to possession that see it as constituted by ‘a practice and politics of voice’ (Lambek).RésuméL'article décrit comment, au Mozambique d'après la guerre civile, dans la région du Gorongosa au centre du pays, les femmes (et parfois les hommes) ayant fait une expérience personnelle et/ou familiale de souffrance extrême sont possédées par des esprits mâles liés à la guerre appelés gamba. Les esprits gamba sont cependant aussi facteurs d'une guérison dans laquelle le travail de mémoire et la politique des genres jouent un rôle essentiel. Ce type de guérison d'après‐guerre est démontré par une cérémonie contractuelle secrète, au laquelle un prétendant vivant demande à un esprit gamba logé dans le corps d'une jeune femme (considérée comme son épouse) la permission d’épouser cette femme. Le récit de la cérémonie est précédé d'une description des conditions suscitant l’émergence des esprits gamba dans le centre du Mozambique, et suivi par l'analyse de la signification de la voix des esprits et de son impact dans la relation entre le mari vivant et sa femme, et plus généralement dans la société d'après‐guerre du Gorongosa. Les auteurs de l'article affirment que les performances des esprits gamba contribuent à une certaine forme de renouvellement moral. Ce faisant, ils resituent les relations entre les esprits et leurs hôtes dans des systèmes plus larges de significations dans lesquels elles sont créées et reproduites, et confortent les approches qui considèrent la possession comme constituée par « une pratique et une politique de la voix » (Lambek).
Why there are no ‘colour universals’ in language and thought
Authors: Wierzbicka Anna 
Published: May 2008

Do all people live in a world full of colours? Perceptually, yes (unless they are visually impaired), but conceptually, no: there are many languages which have no word for ‘colour’ and in which the question ‘what colour is it?’ cannot be asked and presumably does not arise. Yet the powerful and still immensely influential theory of Berlin and Kay assumes otherwise. While building on my earlier work on colour semantics, this article brings new evidence against the Berlin and Kay paradigm, and presents a fundamentally different approach. The new data on which the argument is based come from Australian languages. In particular, the article presents a detailed study of the visual world reflected in the Australian language Warlpiri and in Warlpiri ways of speaking, showing that while Warlpiri people have no ‘colour‐talk’ (and no ‘colour‐practices’), they have a rich visual discourse of other kinds, linked with their own cultural practices. It also offers a methodology for identifying indigenous meanings without the grid of the English concept ‘colour’, and for revealing ‘the native's point of view’.RésuméTout le monde vit‐il dans un monde plein de couleurs ? Du point de vue de la perception, la réponse est oui (sauf en cas de handicap visuel), mais au niveau des concepts, c'est non : dans de nombreuses langues, le mot « couleur » n'existe pas et la question « de quelle couleur est ceci ? » ne peut pas être posée, et ne se pose probablement même pas. Pourtant, théorie de Berlin et Kay, puissante et encore immensément influente, affirme le contraire. Tout en exploitant ses travaux antérieurs sur la sémantique des couleurs, l'auteur apporte de nouvelles preuves à l'encontre du paradigme de Berlin et Kay et présente une approche fondamentalement différente. Les nouvelles données sur lesquelles se base son argumentation proviennent des langues australiennes. L'article présente en particulier une étude détaillée du monde visuel tel qu'en rend compte la langue australienne warlpiri. Les expressions dans cette langue montrent que bien que les Warlpiri n'aient pas de « langage des couleurs » (ni de « pratique des couleurs »), ils ont un riche discours visuel à propos d'autres propriétés liées à leur propre pratique culturelle. L'article expose également une méthodologie pour identifier les significations indigènes en dehors de la grille du concept occidental de « couleur », et pour révéler « le point de vue indigène ».
Smoke exposure increases the risk for multiple sclerosis
Authors: Sundström P. , Nyström L. , Hallmans G. 
Published: May 2008

Purpose and methods:  To estimate the effect of exposure to smoking on the risk for multiple sclerosis (MS), we analyzed nicotine metabolite (cotinine) levels in biobank samples from 109 MS cases and 218 matched referents.Results:  Elevated cotinine levels, even modest elevations, were associated with an increased risk for MS (all other categories versus lowest: OR = 2.9; 95% CI: 1.3–6.3). A similar but non‐significant risk increase was observed also in the small subset of individuals with samples collected before the onset of MS (all other categories versus lowest: OR = 2.4; 95% CI: 0.26–21). Elevated cotinine was associated with an increased risk for MS predominantly in women (all other categories versus lowest category: OR = 3.9; 95% CI: 1.3–12), whereas the risk increase in men was smaller and non‐significant.Discussion:  Smoke exposure is associated with a higher risk for MS than previously estimated. There seems to be a threshold effect present in the lower range of cotinine in its relation to MS. Modestly elevated cotinine levels suggestive of passive smoking are associated with an increased risk for MS. Smoke exposure may explain the higher incidence of MS in women. These preliminary findings need to be confirmed in an expanded material of prospectively collected samples.