bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Nitric oxide modulation of ophthalmic artery blood flow velocity waveform morphology in healthy volunteers
Authors: Lockhart Christopher J. , Gamble Andrew J. , Rea Derrick , Hughes Sinead , McGivern R. Canice , Wolsley Clive , Stevenson Michael , Harbinson Mark T. , Plumb Richard D. , McVeigh Gary E. 
Published: June 2006

Quantitative analysis of the arterial pressure pulse waveform recorded by applanation tonometry of the radial artery can track NO (nitric oxide)-mediated modulation of arterial smooth muscle tone. The changes in pressure pulse waveform morphology result from pulse wave reflection arising predominantly from smaller arteries and arterioles. Employing Doppler ultrasound to record the spectral flow velocity waveform in the ophthalmic artery, we studied the effects of NO modulation on waveforms recorded in the proximity of the terminal ocular microcirculatory bed. In healthy young men (n=10; age 18–26 years), recordings were made at baseline, following 300 μg of sublingual GTN (glyceryl trinitrate) and during the intravenous infusion of 0.25 and 0.5 mg/kg of L-NAME (NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester). Peaks (P1, P2 and P3) and nodes (N1, N2 and N3) on the arterial flow velocity waveform were identified during the cardiac cycle and employed to quantify waveshape change in response to the haemodynamic actions of the pharmacological interventions. The administration of GTN resulted in a significant (P&lt;0.05) increase in heart rate without significant alteration in blood pressure. At the doses employed, L-NAME did not significantly alter systemic haemodynamics. With the exception of peak Doppler systolic velocity, all other peaks and nodes decreased significantly in response to GTN (P&lt;0.05 for all points compared with baseline). In response to the administration of L-NAME, all peaks and nodes decreased significantly (P&lt;0.05 for all points compared with baseline). The resistive index, a ratio calculated from the peak and trough flow velocities employed to assess change in flow resistance, increased significantly in response to GTN (0.77 at baseline compared with 0.85; P&lt;0.05). Quantification of changes in the flow velocity spectral waveform during the cardiac cycle sensitively identified NO modulation of smooth muscle tone prior to alteration in systemic haemodynamics. Focusing on the resistive index, which identifies isolated points on the waveform describing the excursions of flow, may provide misleading information in relation to the haemodynamic effects of drug interventions.
Characterization of the Class IV Homeodomain-Leucine Zipper Gene Family in Arabidopsis
Authors: Nakamura Miyuki , Katsumata Hiroshi , Abe Mitsutomo , Yabe Naoto , Komeda Yoshibumi , Yamamoto Kotaro T. , Takahashi Taku 
Published: June 2006

Abstract
The Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) genome contains 16 genes belonging to the class IV homeodomain-Leucine zipper gene family. These include GLABRA2, ANTHOCYANINLESS2, FWA, ARABIDOPSIS THALIANA MERISTEM LAYER1 (ATML1), and PROTODERMAL FACTOR2 (PDF2). Our previous study revealed that atml1 pdf2 double mutants have severe defects in the shoot epidermal cell differentiation. Here, we have characterized additional members of this gene family, which we designated HOMEODOMAIN GLABROUS1 (HDG1) through HDG12. Analyses of transgenic Arabidopsis plants carrying the gene-specific promoter fused to the bacterial β-glucuronidase reporter gene revealed that some of the promoters have high activities in the epidermal layer of the shoot apical meristem and developing shoot organs, while others are temporarily active during reproductive organ development. Expression profiles of highly conserved paralogous gene pairs within the family were found to be not necessarily overlapping. Analyses of T-DNA insertion mutants of these HDG genes revealed that all mutants except hdg11 alleles exhibit no abnormal phenotypes. hdg11 mutants show excess branching of the trichome. This phenotype is enhanced in hdg11 hdg12 double mutants. Double mutants were constructed for other paralogous gene pairs and genes within the same subfamily. However, novel phenotypes were observed only for hdg3 atml1 and hdg3 pdf2 mutants that both exhibited defects in cotyledon development. These observations suggest that some of the class IV homeodomain-Leucine zipper members act redundantly with other members of the family during various aspects of cell differentiation. DNA-binding sites were determined for two of the family members using polymerase chain reaction-assisted DNA selection from random oligonucleotides with their recombinant proteins. The binding sites were found to be similar to those previously identified for ATML1 and PDF2, which correspond to the pseudopalindromic sequence 5′-GCATTAAATGC-3′ as the preferential binding site.
Feminism Spoken Here: Epistemologies for Interdisciplinary Development Research
Authors: Jackson Cecile 
Published: June 2006

AbstractDevelopment studies is a field characterized by an unusual degree of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research, and therefore is constantly subject both to pressures for the reproduction of disciplines as autonomous and self‐sufficient, and to an increasing steer from public funders of research for interdisciplinary work which is valued for its problem‐solving character and more apparent relevance, in an era greatly exercised by accountability. At a moment when the need to renew disciplinary interchange has intensified it is therefore instructive to consider the social relations which facilitate interdisciplinarity. This article does this through an argument that feminist cross‐disciplinary research shows how important shared values are to motivate and sustain these kinds of learning, and that an explicit focus on social justice as the core of development research can be the basis of such a renewal. If feminist interactions and solidarity provide the motivation, feminist epistemologies provide arguments for why socially engaged research is not ‘biased’, but stronger than research with narrower ideas of objectivity; why reflexivities and subjectivities are crucial to the conduct of research; and how these, and the convergence of concepts of individuals and persons favoured within different disciplines, might build the common ground required for greater disciplinary interchange.
Providence and Sympathy: Consoling the Bereaved in the Late Eighteenth Century
Authors: Richards Anna 
Published: June 2006

AbstractIn the Enlightenment period restrictions were imposed on mourning practices but grief was valued as a sign of natural humanity, as long as it remained moderate. Consolation was offered to the bereaved to help them temper excessive sadness. In the second half of the eighteenth century, influenced by the period's psychological thinking, the theory and the practice of consolation became more secular and more individualised than they had previously been; consolers took the demands of self‐interest and of the emotions into account to a greater extent. This meant an emphasis on the role of providence in the death of the loved one and on the need for sympathy. This article discusses the consequences and the challenges of these developments for consolatory texts. It suggests that they called for narrative strategies and concludes that the ‘Trostschrift’ and the sentimental novel began to occupy some of the same ground at this period.
Visions of the New World: Photography in Kafka's Der Verschollene
Authors: Duttlinger Carolin 
Published: June 2006

AbstractPhotography plays a central role in Franz Kafka's fictional travelogue Der Verschollene (1912–14), where it features as both explicit motif and implicit source material. Having never visited the United States, Kafka drew on genuine travel photographs as inspiration for his novel, assimilating them into his depiction of an imaginary America. While some scenes maintain the photographic stasis of their originals, others are animated to express the dynamism of modern life and the disorientation this can produce in the viewer's mind. Alongside such public travel photographs, however, Kafka also makes use of private pictures taken from his own family album. These traditional studio portraits act as models for the photographs featured within the plot, which illustrate the protagonist's continued attachment to his European origins. The latent sense of oppression inherent in these bourgeois portraits finds more brutal expression in the photographic source material which underlies the novel's unfinished conclusion. In the Oklahoma theatre episode photographic scenes of assassination and lynching invade the narrative, undermining its images of modernity and progress. In its diverse manifestations (both literal and intertextual) photography in Der Verschollene establishes a link between traditional and modern forms of visuality, thereby illustrating the circular, regressive character of the protagonist's journey.
The Author, The Novel, The Reader and The Perils of ‘Neue Lesbarkeit’: A Comparative Analysis of Bernhard Schlink's Selbs Justiz and Der Vorleser
Authors: Hall Katharina 
Published: June 2006

AbstractTen years after the publication of Der Vorleser, this article argues that Schlink's work can only be fully understood when viewed in the commercial contexts that currently shape both German and global literatures. By undertaking a comparative analysis of Schlink's debut detective novel, Selbs Justiz (1987) and his international best‐seller Der Vorleser (1995), the article explores the problematic tensions generated within these texts by the commercial demands of the literary market‐place, and, in a specifically German context, the influence of ‘neue Lesbarkeit’. Special consideration is given to the dynamic between Schlink's works and the reader/consumer, with particular emphasis on the impact of the popular literary codes within the texts. These are explored in conjunction with the reception theory of Wolfgang Iser and Umberto Eco, and through the lens of over two hundred reader responses. The article breaks new ground through its comparative approach, which traces the continuities or ‘narrative patterns’ in Schlink's detective writing and Der Vorleser for the first time. It also offers the first exploration of ‘general’, non‐academic reader responses to the works, allowing new insights into the texts’ operations and the tensions these create in relation to the novels’ treatment of the National Socialist past.
The role of alcohol and drugs in homicides in England and Wales
Authors: Shaw Jenny , Hunt Isabelle M. , Flynn Sandra , Amos Tim , Meehan Janet , Robinson Jo , Bickley Harriet , Parsons Rebecca , McCann Kerry , Burns James , Kapur Nav , Appleby Louis 
Published: June 2006

SUMMARYBackground  The annual number of homicide convictions in England and Wales is increasing. Previous studies have highlighted the aetiological role of alcohol and drugs in homicide.Aims  To examine rates of alcohol and drug misuse and dependence in people convicted of homicide; the role of alcohol and drugs in the offence; the social and clinical characteristics of alcohol‐ and drug‐related homicides; and the social and clinical characteristics of patients with dual diagnosis who commit homicide.Methods  A national clinical survey based on a 3‐year (1996–9) consecutive sample of people convicted of homicide in England and Wales. Information on rates of alcohol and drug misuse/dependence, the role of alcohol and drugs in the offence and social and clinical characteristics of perpetrators were collected from psychiatric reports prepared for the court in homicide convictions. Detailed clinical information was gathered from questionnaires completed by mental health teams for those in contact with mental health services.Results  Of the 1594 homicide perpetrators, more than one‐third (42%) occurred in people with a history of alcohol misuse or dependence and 40% in people with a history of drug misuse or dependence. Alcohol or drug misuse played a contributory role in two‐fifths of homicides. Alcohol played a major role in 52 (6%) and a minor role in 364 (39%) homicides. Drugs played a major role in six (1%) and a minor role in 138 (14%) homicides. Forty‐two homicides (17%) were committed by patients with severe mental illness and substance misuse. Alcohol‐ and drug‐related homicides were generally associated with male perpetrators who had a history of violence, personality disorders, mental health service contact and with stranger victims.Conclusions  Substance misuse contributes to the majority of homicides in England and Wales. A public health approach to homicide would highlight alcohol and drugs before severe mental illness.
Review article: intestinal failure
Authors: LAL S. , TEUBNER A. , SHAFFER J. L. 
Published: June 2006

SummaryIntestinal failure is a specific disease entity resulting from intestinal resection or disease‐associated malabsorption and characterized by the inability to maintain protein‐energy, fluid, electrolyte or micronutrient balance. We performed a MEDLINE search (1966–2006) to identify relevant articles, using keywords intestinal failure, parenteral or enteral nutrition, intestinal fistula and short bowel syndrome.Causes of intestinal failure are varied, with self‐limiting or ‘Type 1’ intestinal failure occurring relatively commonly following abdominal surgery, necessitating short‐term fluid or nutritional support. The rarer, ‘Type 2’ intestinal failure, is associated with septic, metabolic and complex nutritional complications, usually following surgical resection in patients with Crohn's or mesenteric vascular disease. A multidisciplinary approach to the management of patients with Type 2 intestinal failure is crucial: resolution of sepsis is required before adequate nutritional repletion can be achieved, and it is important to optimize nutritional status, not only through enteral or parenteral supplementation, but also by addressing complications of short bowel syndrome, before considering definitive surgical reconstruction.A structured approach to the management of Type 2 intestinal failure should reduce the likelihood of these complex patients developing ‘Type 3’ intestinal failure, which is characterized by the need for long‐term parenteral nutrition.
Sustained virological response to peginterferon plus ribavirin in chronic hepatitis C genotype 1 patients is associated with a persistent Th1 immune response
Authors: TRAPERO‐MARUGÁN M. , GARCÍA‐BUEY L. , MUÑOZ C. , QUINTANA N. E. , MORENO‐MONTEAGUDO J. A. , BORQUE M. J. , FERNÁNDEZ M. J. , SALVANÉS F. R. , MEDINA J. , MORENO‐OTERO R. 
Published: June 2006

SummaryBackgroundAn impairment of cellular immune response may contribute to the persistency of hepatitis C virus infection.AimTo analyse the Th1/Th2 cytokine profile in peripheral blood CD4+ and CD8+ T cells from patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) during treatment with pegylated interferon‐α2a plus ribavirin and to correlate the Th1/Th2 balance with virological response (SVR).MethodsProspective longitudinal study: 44 naïve genotype 1 CHC patients received PEG‐IFNα2a plus ribavirin for 48 weeks: 26 (59.1%) achieved a SVR, 13 relapsed (29.5%) and 5 (11.4%) were non‐responders. Sixteen healthy controls were analysed. The production of IL‐4, IFNγ and TNFα by CD4+ and CD8+ T cells was measured using flow cytometry, both in resting and phorbol‐ester‐stimulated cells.ResultsFirst three months of treatment: the synthesis of TNFα by phorbol‐ester‐stimulated‐CD4+ T cells was higher in patients with SVR (P < 0.01). At the end of treatment, SVR was associated with higher intracellular expression of IFNγ by stimulated‐CD4+ and CD8+ T cells (P < 0.05). At the end of follow‐up, a higher intracellular expression of IFNγ by CD4+ T cells was associated with a SVR.ConclusionsA Th1‐type immune response was associated with achievement of a SVR, as indicated by the persistent elevation of intracellular IFNγ and TNFα.
Review article: recent advances in the management of bleeding gastric varices
Authors: TRIPATHI D. , FERGUSON J. W. , THERAPONDOS G. , PLEVRIS J. N. , HAYES P. C. 
Published: June 2006

SummaryGastric variceal bleeding can be challenging to the clinician. Tissue adhesives can control acute bleeding in over 80%, with rebleeding rates of 20–30%, and should be first‐line therapy where available. Endoscopic ultrasound can assist in better eradication of varices. The potential risks of damage to equipment and embolic phenomena can be minimized with careful attention to technique.Variceal band ligation is an alternative to tissue adhesives for the management of acute bleeding, but not for secondary prevention due to a higher rate of rebleeding. Endoscopic therapy with human thrombin appears promising, with initial haemostasis rates typically over 90%. The lack of controlled studies for thrombin prevents universal recommendation outside of clinical trials.Balloon occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration is a recent technique for patients with gastrorenal shunts, although its use is limited to clinical trials. Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic stent shunt is an option for refractory bleeding and secondary prophylaxis, with uncontrolled studies demonstrating initial haemostasis obtained in over 90%, and rebleeding rates of 15–30%.Non‐cardioselective β‐blockers are an alternative to transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic stent shunt for secondary prophylaxis, although the evidence is limited.Shunt surgery should be considered in well‐compensated patients. Splenectomy or embolization is an option in patients with segmental portal hypertension.
Clay‐sized organo‐mineral complexes in a cultivation chronosequence: revisiting the concept of the ‘primary organo‐mineral complex’
Authors: Chenu C. , Plante A. F. 
Published: June 2006

SummaryPrimary organo‐mineral complexes are defined as organic matter (OM) bound to primary mineral particles, isolated after complete dispersion of soil. Organic matter present in < 2 μm particle‐size fractions of soils has slow turnover times and it is assumed to be stabilized mainly by interaction with minerals. We aimed to quantify how much of the organic matter in < 2 μm particle‐size fractions was free versus bound to minerals and to describe the nature of the association. Furthermore, we hypothesized that this bound organic matter was more resistant to biodegradation than free organic particles. We tested this by using a cultivation chronosequence on temperate silty soils and quantified free and clay‐bound organic matter using density fractionation coupled with elemental analyses, as well as transmission electron microscopy (TEM) coupled with image analyses. Both methods showed that free organic matter was a minor fraction and that it was more depleted by cultivation than clay‐bound organic matter. We deduced that clay‐bound organic matter was more resistant to biodegradation. TEM showed that the distribution of organic matter in clay‐sized fractions was patchy and that many of the so‐called < 2 μm ‘particles’ were in fact nanometre‐ to micrometre‐sized microaggregates in which OM was encrusted by minerals or coated minerals. We conclude that true primary organo‐mineral complexes do not correspond to reality and must be regarded as conceptual entities. We suggest that the very small microaggregates, which were evidenced here, are major sites of OM stabilization, both by adsorption and by entrapment of organic matter.
A distinct Toll‐like receptor repertoire in human tonsillar B cells, directly activated by Pam3CSK4, R‐837 and CpG‐2006 stimulation
Authors: Månsson Anne , Adner Mikael , Höckerfelt Ulf , Cardell Lars‐Olaf 
Published: June 2006

SummaryToll‐like receptors (TLRs) recognize specific pathogen‐associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), which subsequently trigger innate immunity. Recent data also suggest a role for TLRs in the direct activation of adaptive immune cells. In the present study, the expression and function of TLR1–TLR10 were characterized in purified human tonsillar B cells, focusing on differences among CD19+ CD38– CD27– (naïve B cells), CD19+ IgD– CD27–[germinal centre (GC) B cells] and CD19+ CD38– CD27+ (memory B cells) cells. The study was also designed to compare the TLR expression in B cells obtained from infected and hyperplastic tonsils that served as controls. The results demonstrated a distinct repertoire of TLRs, in which TLR1, TLR2, TLR7, TLR9 and TLR10 predominated. No differences were found among naïve, GC and memory B cells. Tonsillar infection did not substantially alter the TLR expression profile in ex vivo‐isolated B‐cell subsets. Purified CD19+ B cells stimulated with Pam3CSK4, R‐837 and CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) 2006, via TLR1/TLR2, TLR7 and TLR9, respectively, showed an induction of interleukin‐6 secretion and an up‐regulated expression of human leucocyte antigen (HLA)‐DR. Collectively, the present study demonstrates that B cells exhibit constitutively high levels of specific TLRs, which are not developmentally regulated during the B‐cell differentiation process. Ongoing microbial infections, such as chronic tonsillitis, do not appear to affect the TLR profile in B cells. Furthermore, the distinct expression of TLRs allows B cells to respond directly to the cognate PAMPs. This further emphasizes the role of TLRs in directly activating adaptive immune cells.
Vitamin D and fractures in people with intellectual disability
Authors: Vanlint S. , Nugent M. 
Published: June 2006

AbstractBackground  People with intellectual disability (ID) are thought to be at an increased risk of fractures. The extent of this increase in risk has been incompletely documented in the literature, and the underlying reasons remain to be elucidated.Methods  The aims of our study were to document the vitamin D status and fracture incidence in an intellectually disabled population, to test for associations between vitamin D status and possible risk factors for reduced vitamin D levels, and to determine the efficacy of oral vitamin D supplementation in restoring appropriate vitamin D levels in those found to be vitamin D insufficient. A 5‐year retrospective audit of fractures in 337 individuals with ID receiving health care at a residential facility was performed. Data analysed included age, gender, mobility, dietary status, incident fractures, medications and 25‐hydroxyvitamin D levels. Vitamin D insufficient individuals received oral vitamin D supplementation, and had repeat testing to assess treatment efficacy.Results  In total, 57% of individuals tested were found to be vitamin D insufficient. Vitamin D insufficiency was strongly correlated with reduced mobility (P < 0.001) and difficulty with consuming solids (P < 0.001). However, the correlation between vitamin D levels and fractures was not significant (P = 0.3). Oral vitamin D supplementation using cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) 100 000 IU every 4 months was effective in correcting vitamin D insufficiency. Sixty‐eight fractures occurred over the study period in 52 individuals, a rate of 1 fracture every 23.8 person years. A total of 55% of these fractures involved the extremities. Fractures were more common in men than in women. Peripheral fractures (hand, foot, wrist, ankle) accounted for 54% of all fractures, and were particularly prevalent in the most mobile individuals.Conclusions  Fractures and vitamin D insufficiency are relatively common in people with ID. This study did not find a significant association between vitamin D insufficiency and fractures in the study population. Oral vitamin D supplementation is effective in restoring normal vitamin D levels, and should be considered routinely for those at the highest risk.