bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Point-of-care testing of the international normalized ratio in patients with antiphospholipid antibodies
Authors: Samsa Gregory P. , Ortel Thomas L. , Perry Stephanie L. 
Published: November 2005

SummaryAntiphospholipid antibodies can influence the results of clotting tests in a subset of patients, which can be a major obstacle in monitoring warfarin. The aim was to determine if point-of-care testing of the International Normalized Ratio (INR) is influenced by antiphospholipid antibodies. We compared 59 patients receiving warfarin for a diagnosis of antiphosphoipid antibody syndrome (APS) to 49 patients receiving warfarin for atrial fibrillation to evaluate the consistency between INR results obtained by different methods. INR results obtained by finger stick (capillary whole-blood) and venipuncture (non-citrated and citrated whole-blood) were compared with our laboratory plasma-based prothrombin time assay. Five patients (8%) with APS and both elevated anti-β2glycoprotein I levels and positive lupus anticoagulants had non-measurable ProTime® INR results and generally higher Hemochron® Signature INR results than the plasma-based method, but the corresponding chromogenic factor X results were not supratherapeutic. For the remaining patients, differences between the plasma-based INR and the point-of-care INR results ranged from 0.2±0.2 to 0.4±0.3. The differences were similar for patients with APS and atrial fibrillation for all INR comparisons with the exception of the plasma-based method compared with the ProTime, which showed a mean absolute difference of 0.4±0.3 for APS patients and of 0.2±0.2 for atrial fibrillation patients (p=0.02). In a subset ofAPS patients, the ProTime® system will not yield an INR result and the HEMochron Signature (citrate and non-citrate whole-blood) INR results will exhibit elevated INR results. For this subset of APS patients, we suggest using an alternative method to monitor warfarin.
D-dimer, P-selectin, and microparticles: Novel markers to predict deep venous thrombosis
Authors: Myers Daniel D. , Hawley Angela E. , Longo Christopher , Henke Peter K. , Guire Kenneth E. , Schmaier Alvin H. , Wakefield Thomas W. , Rectenwald John E. 
Published: November 2005

SummaryCurrent plasma markers for diagnosis of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) allow for exclusion of the diagnosis, but lack adequate specificity to establish the diagnosis. Thus, a prospective study was performed to determine the sensitivity and specificity of plasma assays for D-dimer, soluble P-selectin (P-selectin), and total microparticles in patients with documented DVT by duplex ultrasound. Three groups of individuals were examined: 30 normals; 22 positive for DVT on duplex ultrasound (Group 2); and 21 symptomatic, but negative on duplex ultrasound for DVT (Group 3). Group 1 individuals had D-dimer values of 1.53±0.12 mg/l and P-selectin values of 0.34±0.05 ng/mg total protein. Group 2 vs. Group 3 individuals had D-dimer values of 7.57±2.03 vs. 3.19±0.79 mg/l, p=0.02; P-selectin values of 0.98±0.11 vs. 0.55±0.08 ng/mg total protein, p<0.01; and microparticle values of 129±17% vs. 99±12% of control, p=ns. Using a logistic regression model with dichotomous variables, we determined a sensitivity of 73%, specificity of 81%, and accuracy of 77% when combining D-dimer, soluble P-selectin, and total microparticles to differentiate Group 2 from Group 3 patients. Logistic regression using continuous variables yielded similar results (p=0.05).This study demonstrates that plasma markers for DVT can be developed and achieve moderate sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing DVT. However for clinical applicability, the sensitivity/specificity will need to be improved. These studies also suggest the importance of soluble P-selectin in assessing DVT in humans.
Synergistic association between hypercholesterolemia and the C46T factor XII polymorphism for developing premature myocardial infarction
Authors: Roldán Vanessa , Corral Javier , Marín Francisco , Pineda Javier , Vicente Vicente , González-Conejero Rocío 
Published: November 2005

SummaryFactor XII (FXII) plays a key role in both coagulation and fibrinolysis, thus its role in thrombotic processes is uncertain. Both genetic and environmental factors determine FXII plasma levels. A common C46T polymorphism in the Kozak region of F12 gene disturbs the translation of the protein leading to a significant reduction of FXII levels although its clinical significance is conflictive. We studied the F12 C46T polymorphism in 281 patients who had suffered from an acute myocardial infarction (MI) before 45-year-old and 550 control subjects from the same area. Serum levels of cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides and C reactive protein (CRP) were assayed in the MI group. The 46T allele slightly increased the risk to suffer from premature MI (OR:1.64; 95%CI: 1.14–2.37; p= 0.008). Moreover, patients carrying the 46T allele showed increased levels of CRP (p= 0.002). Interestingly, we found that the simultaneous presence of the 46T allele and hypercholesterolemia increases the risk to develop premature MI 2.26 times. The F12 C46T polymorphism, associated with a reduction of plasma FXII levels, seems to play a deleterious effect, predisposing the development of premature MI, especially in hypercholesterolemic patients. This effect could be associated with an increased pro-inflammatory state, as the 46T allele associates with high levels of CRP.
Discrepancy between tissue factor activity and tissue factor expression in endotoxin-induced monocytes is associated with apoptosis and necrosis
Authors: Klingenberg Olav , Øvstebø Reidun , Joø Gun-Britt , Westvik Åse-Brit , Kierulf Peter , Henriksson Carola E. 
Published: November 2005

SummaryTissue factor (TF), the main initiator of blood coagulation, contributes to the manifestation of disseminated intravascular coagulation following septic shock in meningococcal infection. Since a direct relationship between disease severity and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) concentration in the circulation has been shown, we hypothesized that the procoagulant and cytotoxic effects of endotoxin also in vitro were related to its concentration. In vitro studies, however, have frequently used much higher LPS concentrations than those observed in clinical samples. Using elutriation-purified human monocytes, we observed that LPS up to 1000 ng/ml exerted a concentration-dependent increase in TF activity (tenase activity, fibrin formation in plasma). Although there was a dose-dependent increase in TF activity, there was not a concomitant increase in TF expression at LPS concentrations above 1 ng/ml (flow cytometry, Western blotting, TF mRNA). Flow cytometry revealed that this discrepancy between TF activity and TF expression at endotoxin concentrations above 1 ng/ml, coincided with an LPS dose-dependent increase in cell surface phosphatidylserine (PS), considered to promote coagulation. The increased PS expression was associated with an increased number of 7-AAD-positive cells indicating cell death. We conclude that enhancement of monocyte procoagulant activity in vitro by high concentrations of LPS may result from increased PS exposure due to apoptosis and necrosis. Therefore, the LPS concentrations used to examine monocyte procoagulant activity in vitro, should be carefully chosen.
Presence of endothelial progenitor cells, distinct from mature endothelial cells, within human CD146+ blood cells
Authors: Delorme Bruno , Basire Agnès , Gentile Carla , Sabatier Florence , Monsonis Frédéric , Desouches Christophe , Blot-Chabaud Marcel , Uzan Georges , Sampol José , Dignat-George Françoise 
Published: November 2005

SummaryCD146 is an adhesion molecule present on endothelial cells throughout the vascular tree. CD146 is also expressed by circulating endothelial cells (CECs) widely considered to be mature endothelial cells detached from injured vessels. The discovery of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) originating from bone marrow prompted us to investigate whether CD146 circulating cells could also contains EPCs. We tested this hypothesis using an approach combining elimination of CECs by an adhesion step, followed by immunomagnetic sorting of remaining CD146+ cells from the non adherent fraction of cord blood mononuclear cells. When cultured under endothelial-promoting conditions, these cells differentiated as late outgrowth endothelial colonies: they grew as a cobblestone monolayer, were uniformly positive for endothelial markers and did not express leukocyte antigens. They highly proliferated and were expanded in long-term culture without alterations of their phenotypic and functional properties (DiI-ac-LDL uptake, wound repair, capillary-like network formation, and TNFα response). Moreover, these cells colonized a Matrigel plug in immunodeficient mice (NOD/SCID). Finally, using 4-color flow cytometry analysis of purified CD34+ cells, we clearly discriminated, CD146+ EPCs (CD146+ CD34+ CD45+ CD133+ or CD117+), and CD146+ CECs (CD146+ CD34+, CD45− CD133− or CD117−), both in cord and adult peripheral blood. The relative proportions of the two CD146+ subsets varied in patients with myocardial infarction as compared to healthy subjects. Our study establishes that, beside CECs, CD146+ circulating cells contain a subpopulation of EPCs with potential use in proangiogenic therapy. In addition, the dual measurement of CD146+ CECs and CD146+ EPCs offers a promising tool for monitoring vascular injury/regeneration processes in clinical situations.
Structure, function and biology of tissue factor pathway inhibitor-2
Authors: Chand Hitendra S. , Foster Donald C. , Kisiel Walter 
Published: November 2005

SummaryTissue factor pathway inhibitor-2 (TFPI-2) is a 32 kDa matrix-associated Kunitz-type serine proteinase inhibitor consisting of a short amino-terminal region, three tandem Kunitz-type domains and a positively charged carboxy-terminal tail. Human TFPI-2, previously designated as placental protein 5, inhibits a broad spectrum of serine proteinases almost exclusively through its first Kunitz-type domain, and is thought to play an important role in the regulation of extracellular matrix digestion and re-modeling. In this context, reduced synthesis of TFPI-2 has been related to numerous pathophysiological processes such as inflammation, angiogenesis, atherosclerosis, retinal degeneration and tumor growth/metastasis. In this review, we document current information regarding the expression of TFPI-2 by various tissues, its inhibitory activity and proteinase specificity in-vitro, and discuss possible physiological roles for this inhibitor based on in-vivo studies.
Out of Flatland: Deconstruction Revisited
Authors: Argyros Alex 
Published: November 2005

AbstractThis paper seeks to reevaluate deconstruction. The strength of deconstruction lies in its description of human knowledge as a process of decoding. However, deconstruction fails to provide any basis for non-contingent value judgments because the codes it investigates are assumed to exist on the same integrative level. Using J.T. Fraser's hierarchical theory of time, it is possible to salvage the liberating energy of deconstruction while providing it with sufficient foundation to allow it to claim that something is better than something else.
Regarding Homer/Homer Regarding: Odysseus' Scar, Time, and the Origins of Subjectivity in Myth
Authors: Geroux Robert 
Published: November 2005

AbstractAs the historian Martin Jay and others have pointed out, continental thinkers in the twentieth century have been especially critical of the "scopic regime" of modernity: for Sartre, reflexivity emerges under the imaginary gaze of the other, for Hannah Arendt, the rise of the totalitarian "social" means the disappearance of the private, and for Foucault, the quintessentially modern way of seeing is surveillance, which is intimately and inextricably tied to punishment. These critiques imply a predmodern understanding of subjectivity free from the Cartesian grid and Baconian "prevision and control." What I argue for instead is the existence of a totalizing scopic regime present in one of the foundational and consitutive texts of the western tradition, Homer's Odyssey. I do this by way of revisiting and extending Erich Auerbach's wellknown exegesis of a passage from Odyssey 19, wherein the perfect tense and the present are temporally collapsed. Auerbach notes that this collapse - which occurs as a result of the discovery of a scar on Odysseus' body by his nurse Eurykleia - is not a "flashback" like what occurs in modern narratives, but an especially powerful example of a narrative gaze that seeks to expose and illuminate everything, for the sake of rendering a story that is complete and encompassing. I argue that this suggests a tension, and a constitutive moment whereby subjectivity emerges, not in a moment of awareness of the "gaze of the other" (Sartre), but rather as an attempt to "privatize" one's own story against the totalizing power of a narrator. Consciousness of a punctual "present" here means an effort to carve out a subjective space against the narrative power of one who would collapse such distinctions. I conclude with the stor y of Prometheus as a counter-myth, one which points forward to the theologically-important construction of consciousness-as-rebellion.
The Dramatics of Time
Authors: Crittenden Cole 
Published: November 2005

AbstractArt has as many definitions as it has practitioners, but one function of art is to help us understand the human experience, regardless of how our definitions of that experience differ. And since time is experience, art is particularly well-suited to treat it. Along with space, time, as a basic category of human experience, is, therefore, a basic category of artistic inquiry. Space is the primary focus of the visual arts, whereas music is an art form in time. Literature, however, always deals with both, and nowhere is this more apparent than in drama, where the time and space of the literary text are realized in the real time and real space of the performed text. Yet despite the widespread interest in time in much twentieth-century literary theory, the unique potential for the investigation of experiential time in drama has gone largely ignored. The purpose of this article is to address that curious absence, first by looking at the ways existing theories approach literary time (and largely fail to approach dramatic time), and then by discussing the generic and performative characteristics of drama (especially Russian drama, since that is the tradition with which I am most familiar) that make it in many ways the ideal art form in which to investigate time.
Consolidation of Arbitral and Court Proceedings in Investment Disputes
Authors: Crivellaro Antonio 
Published: November 2005

AbstractThis contribution focuses on consolidation between arbitration and court proceedings in investment (or "investor-to-State") disputes, which are usually referred to arbitration pursuant to the forum selection clauses of the relevant Bilateral Investment Treaties ("BITS"). Before addressing consolidation in investment disputes, the experience gained in the same matter in international commercial arbitration will be considered. After a preliminary analysis, comparative observations will follow.
Towards Integrated Coastal Area Management: A Case Study in Co-operative Governance in South Africa and Australia
Authors: Glazewski Jan , Haward Marcus 
Published: November 2005

AbstractIn Australia and South Africa an ecologically diverse coastline is the focal point for virtually the whole spectrum of human activities. A key to coastal area management in both polities is "co-operative governance", that provides a solution to the dilemmas arising from divided jurisdiction and overlapping or competing claims for responsibility between different units of government. This paper examines the respective roles of national, sub-national and local government in coastal area management in South Africa and Australia focusing on legal and political factors supporting co-operative governance of the coastal area.
Nicholas Bhengu — The Impact of an African Pentecostal on South African Society
Authors: Balcomb Anthony 
Published: November 2005

AbstractNicholas Bhekinkosi Bhengu was founder and leader of the Back to God Crusade in South Africa. This movement started in the mid-1950s and became affiliated with the Assemblies of God in South Africa. But Bhengu's influence went far beyond the confines of the movement he started. His revivals impacted South African society in a profound way and he became internationally recognized as a powerful force for change in South Africa. Controversially, however, he did not enter into the political arena as such, even though he was at one stage of his life a member of the Communist Party of South Africa and even later on in his career continued to affirm the policies of this party. Though apparently apolitical his message had profound political consequences. For example he did much to promote the self-confidence and dignity of his people (despite the dehumanising influences of apartheid which he openly denounced), he insisted on reconciliation between the so-called 'red' people and the so-called 'school' people amongst South African black Africans, and he politely but veryfirmly rejected the standards imposed by white society on blacks. There were also very specific reasons — both theological, philosophical, and pragmatic — why he chose not to become a political activist. His is therefore a very significant case study of the socio-political influences of a ministry that was not overtly political.
Modern Pentecostalism as an Urban Phenomenon: The Case of the Family of God Church in Zimbabwe
Authors: Togarasei Lovemore 
Published: November 2005

AbstractThe past twenty to thirty years in the history of Zimbabwean Christianity have witnessed the emergence of a new breed of Pentecostalism that tends to attract the middle and upper classes urban residents. This paper presentsfindings from a case study of one such movement, the Family of God church. It describes and analyses the origins, growth and development of this church as an urban modern Pentecostal movement. Thefirst section of the paper discusses the origins and development of the church focusing on the life of the founder. The second section focuses on the teaching and practices of the church. The church's doctrines and practices are here analysed tofind out the extent to which these have been influenced by the socio-political and economic challenges in the urban areas. The paper concludes that the modern Pentecostal movement is meant to address urban needs.
Créolité and Theology: A Theology of Créolité in the French West Indies
Authors: Chanson Philippe 
Published: November 2005

AbstractAdopting 'Négritude', the Negro cultural and spiritual values of Aimé Césaire, the recent emergence of 'Créolité' (French for Creolity or Creoleness), the Creole movement led by brilliant French West Indies intellectuals, can no longer be ignored by a Creole Christianity that is much too far removed from its own culture. Créolité and theology must, however, come to terms with a difficult inheritance — that of the past colonial slavery to which the church was an accessory. The Créolité movement, by intercepting and reinterpreting the whole of the Christian theological vocabulary and its Bible-based concepts, has overcome this obstacle in a truly remarkable way. Theological thought must now, however, take note of this and seek a dialogue. Given that their aims are ultimately identical this could only be fruitful and would enable a genuine Creole theology to become a reality.
Interferon-γ-stimulated marrow stromal cells: a new type of nonhematopoietic antigen-presenting cell
Authors: Stagg John , Pommey Sandra , Eliopoulos Nicoletta , Galipeau Jacques 
Published: November 2005

AbstractSeveral studies have demonstrated that marrow stromal cells (MSCs) can suppress allogeneic T-cell responses. However, the effect of MSCs on syngeneic immune responses has been largely overlooked. We describe here that primary MSCs derived from C57BL/6 mice behave as conditional antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and can induce antigen-specific protective immunity. Interferon gamma (IFNγ)-treated C57BL/6 MSCs, but not unstimulated MSCs, cocultured with ovalbumin-specific major histocompatibility (MHC) class II-restricted hybridomas in the presence of soluble ovalbumin-induced significant production of interleukin-2 (IL-2) in an antigen dose-dependent manner (P < .005). IFNγ-treated MSCs could further activate in vitro ovalbumin-specific primary transgenic CD4+ T cells. C57BL/6 MSCs, however, were unable to induce antigen cross-presentation via the MHC class I pathway. When syngeneic mice were immunized intraperitoneally with ovalbumin-pulsed IFNγ-treated MSCs, they developed antigen-specific cytotoxic CD8+ T cells and became fully protected (10 of 10 mice) against ovalbumin-expressing E.G7 tumors. Human MSCs were also studied for antigen-presenting functions. IFNγ-treated DR1-positive human MSCs, but not unstimulated human MSCs, induced significant production of IL-2 when cocultured with DR1-restricted influenza-specific humanized T-cell hybridomas in the presence of purified influenza matrix protein 1. Taken together, our data strongly suggest that MSCs behave as conditional APCs in syngeneic immune responses. (Blood. 2006;107:2570-2577)
Principal component analysis for predicting transcription-factor binding motifs from array-derived data
Authors: Liu Yunlong , Vincenti Matthew P , Yokota Hiroki 
Published: November 2005

Abstract
Background
The responses to interleukin 1 (IL-1) in human chondrocytes constitute a complex regulatory mechanism, where multiple transcription factors interact combinatorially to transcription-factor binding motifs (TFBMs). In order to select a critical set of TFBMs from genomic DNA information and an array-derived data, an efficient algorithm to solve a combinatorial optimization problem is required. Although computational approaches based on evolutionary algorithms are commonly employed, an analytical algorithm would be useful to predict TFBMs at nearly no computational cost and evaluate varying modelling conditions. Singular value decomposition (SVD) is a powerful method to derive primary components of a given matrix. Applying SVD to a promoter matrix defined from regulatory DNA sequences, we derived a novel method to predict the critical set of TFBMs.

Results
The promoter matrix was defined to establish a quantitative relationship between the IL-1-driven mRNA alteration and genomic DNA sequences of the IL-1 responsive genes. The matrix was decomposed with SVD, and the effects of 8 potential TFBMs (5'-CAGGC-3', 5'-CGCCC-3', 5'-CCGCC-3', 5'-ATGGG-3', 5'-GGGAA-3', 5'-CGTCC-3', 5'-AAAGG-3', and 5'-ACCCA-3') were predicted from a pool of 512 random DNA sequences. The prediction included matches to the core binding motifs of biologically known TFBMs such as AP2, SP1, EGR1, KROX, GC-BOX, ABI4, ETF, E2F, SRF, STAT, IK-1, PPARγ, STAF, ROAZ, and NFκB, and their significance was evaluated numerically using Monte Carlo simulation and genetic algorithm.

Conclusion
The described SVD-based prediction is an analytical method to provide a set of potential TFBMs involved in transcriptional regulation. The results would be useful to evaluate analytically a contribution of individual DNA sequences.