Wood Street Research Articles

Corrigendum.

Alimentary Pharmacology & TherapeuticsVolume 44, Issue 5 p. 539-539 CorrigendumFree Access Corrigendum This article corrects the following: Clinical trial: the incidence of NSAID-associated endoscopic gastric ulcers in patients treated with PN 400 (naproxen plus esomeprazole magnesium) vs. enteric-coated naproxen alone J. L. Goldstein, M. C. Hochberg, J. G. Fort, Y. Zhang, C. Hwang, M. Sostek, Volume 32Issue 3Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics pages: 401-413 First Published online: May 22, 2010 First published: 03 August 2016 https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.13724AboutSectionsPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL The paper, ‘Clinical trial: the incidence of NSAID-associated endoscopic gastric ulcers in patients treated with PN 400 (naproxen plus esomeprazole magnesium) vs. enteric-coated naproxen alone’ published in Volume 32 Issue 3 (August 2010), refers to two identical clinical trials, designated PN400-301 (‘study 301’) and PN400-302 (‘study 302’). The National Clinical Trial (NCT) identifier number for study 302 was omitted from both the abstract and the main body of the paper; the NCT identifier for this study is NCT01129011. Additionally, the NCT identifier number for study 301 is incorrectly stated in the abstract as NCT00527782. The correct identifier number for this study, as stated elsewhere in the article, is NCT00527787. The authors apologise for these errors. Correspondence to: Dr. J. L. Goldstein, Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, 840 South Wood Street (m/c787), Room 1020 – 10th Floor, Chicago, IL 60612, USA. E-mail: [email protected] Reference 1Goldstein JL, Hochberg MC, Fort JG, Zhang Y, Hwang C, Sostek M. Clinical trial: the incidence of NSAID-associated endoscopic gastric ulcers in patients treated with PN 400 (naproxen plus esomeprazole magnesium) vs. enteric-coated naproxen alone. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2010; 32: 401– 13. Volume44, Issue5September 2016Pages 539-539 ReferencesRelatedInformation

Rozwój przestrzenny wczesnośredniowiecznego Gdańska w świetle źródeł archeologicznych

Gdańsk is situated on Gdańsk Bay at the mouth of the Motława River at the confluence with the Vistula River, about 4.5 km from the Baltic Sea coast. Gdańsk Bay is protected from the open sea by the Hel Peninsula that stretches over 30 km, creating ideal conditions for operating a seaport. The oldest traces of early medieval settlement were recorded in the area of Długi Targ Street under the town hall of the main town. Dendrochronological analyses proved that the oldest wooden structures in this region can be dated to the 930s. In the 1060s, at the confluence of the Motława and the Vistula Rivers a stronghold was built, which was also the seat of the local duke. This stronghold, with a surface area of 2.25 hectares, was surrounded by earthen and wooden ramparts, about 14 meters wide at the base. The results of recent studies indicate that the collapse of this edifice should be dated to the turn of the 12th century or the beginning of the 13th century. Within the Old Town, in the areas of the streets of Podwale Staromiejskie, Oborniki Olejarna, Igielnicka and Tartaczna, compact built-up zones appeared about the mid-12th century. At that time numerous dwellings and craft workshops; mainly shoemaker, tanning and bone and antler production ones were erected. These were built using the log construction, post-and-plank construction methods and, less frequently, the wattle construction one. In the vicinity of the Wielki Młyn (the Great Mill), on the mill islet called Schild, three levels of wooden streets and the remains of houses dated to the years 1230–1301, while under this edifice traces of settlement from the 11th and the 13th centuries were recorded. Settlement from the 12th and the 13th centuries was also discovered in the area of Rajska Street and Heweliusza Street. Near St Nicholas’ church, at the large square, probably of a market place nature, settlements from the 10th century were recorded. Under the building of the Market Hall, the site of a former Dominican monastery, a settlement from the 10th century, a cemetery dated from the second half of the 10th century and the remains of two Romanesque churches were discovered. The older of the churches, 34.5 m long, with a semicircular apse, was built in the 1190s, while the younger one, 40 m long, with a rectangular choir was erected on the older remains in the 1220s. In the second half of the 13th century, the construction of the monastery began, the remains of which survivedunder the present Plac Dominikański (Dominican Square). There was one chamber with a quadripartite vault supported by a central pillar. This was renovated and currently ithouses a subterranean exhibition. In the Main Town, apart from a small settlement in the area of Długi Targ Street, more intense traces of an early medieval settlement were not recorded. In this system, the location of Lübeck town, founded about 1260, should be suspected in the areas of the Old Town.

SWOT Analysis of Safranbolu City in Terms of Tourism

Safranbolu is typical ottoman city with classical wooden houses, buildings and streets. With these characteristics Safranbolu located in world heritage list of UNESCO. Tourism is one of the most important activities in Safranbolu economy. Safranbolu is competing with its rivals to attract more visitors and earn more income from tourism. Though Safranbolu hosts many visitors, we can’t say that it seizes the opportunity to use its potential. Most probably, if Safranbolu uses all of its potential city can host more visitors and earn more from tourism. Our aim is to reveal strong and weak sides of Safranbolu city, opportunities and threads in this competition. By this way, Safranbolu can activate its potential and get more profit from tourism. To this aim, we conducted a survey to owner and administrators of Safranbolu touristic enterprises and analyses the results. We revealed interesting results about Safranbolu Tourism sector.

Cerebral Revascularization

Dr. Hage is Resident Physician, Dr. Amin-Hanjani is Professor and Residency Program Director, and Dr. Charbel is Professor and Head, Department of Neurosurgery, Neuropsychiatric Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago, 912 South Wood Street, Chicago, IL 60612; E-mail: [email protected]. Dr. Hage, Dr. Amin-Hanjani, all staff, and their spouses/life partners (if any) have disclosed that they have no financial relationships with, or financial interests in, any commercial organizations pertaining to this educational activity. Dr. Charbel has disclosed that he is a consultant for Transonic Systems, Inc., and his spouse/life partner (if any) has no financial relationships with, or financial interests in, any commercial organizations pertaining to this educational activity. Lippincott CME Institute has identified and resolved all conflicts of interest concerning this educational activity. This article was published originally in Neurosurg Q 2013;23:13–26 and has been updated to include new data. Category: Cerebrovascular Lippincott Continuing Medical Education Institute, Inc. is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. Lippincott Continuing Medical Education Institute, Inc. designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. To earn CME credit, you must read the CME article and complete the quiz and evaluation on the enclosed form, answering at least 70% of the quiz questions correctly. This activity expires on October 14, 2014.

Breaking through concrete: building an urban farm revival

Foreword by Mark Winne Preface by David Hanson Introduction by Edwin Marty 1. P-Patch Community Garden Program, Seattle, Washington * The Neighborhood Garden HOW TO: Change Your City's Urban Agriculture Zoning Codes 2. Homeless Garden Project, Santa Cruz, California * The Farm as Therapy HOW TO: Grow Good, Safe Food 3. Fairview Gardens and the Center for Urban Agriculture, Santa Barbara, California * The Historic Farm HOW TO: Plant Perennial Fruit Trees in the City 4. Denver Urban Gardens, Denver, Colorado * The Garden as Community HOW TO: Turn Your Waste into Black Gold Compost 5. Kansas City Center for Urban Agriculture, Kansas City, Kansas and Missouri * The Farm for Profit HOW TO: Access Start-Up Capital for Urban Food Projects 6. Versailles Community, New Orleans, Louisiana * Backyards of Bounty HOW TO: Develop a Congregational Urban Farm 7. Jones Valley Urban Farm, Birmingham, Alabama * The Education and Production Farm HOW TO: Engage the Community with Education Programs 8. Greensgrow, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania * The Nonprofit, For-Profit Farm HOW TO: Rehabilitate Contaminated Soils 9. Eagle Street Rooftop Farm, Brooklyn, New York * The Rooftop Farm HOW TO: Convert Rooftops to Residential Gardens and Urban Farms 10. Catherine Ferguson Academy, Detroit, Michigan * The Alternative Curriculum Farm HOW TO: Raise Urban Livestock 11. Growing Home's Wood Street Urban Farm, Chicago, Illinois * The Job Training Farm HOW TO: Extend the Growing Season with Hoop Houses and Greenhouses 12. Sandhill Organics and Prairie Crossing, Grayslake, Illinois * The Peri-urban Farm HOW TO: Start an Urban Farm Conclusion by Edwin Marty Acknowledgments Bibliography

Research Highlights: Highlights From The Latest Articles in Nanomedicine

NanomedicineVol. 7, No. 5 News & ViewsResearch Highlights: Highlights from the latest articles in NanomedicineIsrael RubinsteinIsrael RubinsteinDepartment of Medicine (M/C 719), College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago & Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, 840 South Wood Street, Room 913-N, Chicago, IL 60612, USA. Search for more papers by this authorEmail the corresponding author at irubinst@uic.eduPublished Online:25 May 2012https://doi.org/10.2217/nnm.12.38AboutSectionsView ArticleView Full TextPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail View articleFiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsCited ByStrategies to assemble therapeutic and imaging molecules into inorganic nanocarriers12 September 2022 | Frontiers of Materials Science, Vol. 16, No. 3Recent advances in SiC biomedical devicesInfluence of nanoparticles on the haemostatic balance: between thrombosis and haemorrhage1 January 2022 | Biomaterials Science, Vol. 10, No. 1Immunocompatibility of a new dual modality contrast agent based on radiolabeled iron-oxide nanoparticles7 May 2021 | Scientific Reports, Vol. 11, No. 1Systemic Nanotoxicity and Its Assessment in Animal Models20 August 2020In situ accurate deposition of electrospun medical glue fibers on kidney with auxiliary electrode method for fast hemostasisMaterials Science and Engineering: C, Vol. 101Nanomaterials in Cosmetic Products: the Challenges with regard to Current Legal Frameworks and Consumer Exposure19 May 2018 | NanoEthics, Vol. 12, No. 2The Toxicology of Silica Nanoparticles: A Review1 October 2018 | Toxicological & Environmental Chemistry, Vol. 100, No. 3Preliminary studies for the development of intranasal nanoemulsion containing CNS agent: emphasizing the utilization of cut and weigh method23 March 2016 | Artificial Cells, Nanomedicine, and Biotechnology, Vol. 45, No. 3The thrombogenic activity of POSS silanols1 January 2017 | Dalton Transactions, Vol. 46, No. 27Oxidative Damage and Energy Metabolism Disorder Contribute to the Hemolytic Effect of Amorphous Silica Nanoparticles2 February 2016 | Nanoscale Research Letters, Vol. 11, No. 1The influence of silica nanoparticles on small mesenteric arterial functionAli Shukur, Debra Whitehead, Alexander Seifalian & May Azzawi2 August 2016 | Nanomedicine, Vol. 11, No. 16The biological effects upon the cardiovascular system consequent to exposure to particulates of less than 500 nm in size8 December 2015 | Biomarkers, Vol. 21, No. 1Ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles acutely promote thrombosis and cardiac oxidative stress and DNA damage in mice30 April 2016 | Particle and Fibre Toxicology, Vol. 13, No. 1Sleep Deprivation-Induced Blood-Brain Barrier Breakdown and Brain Dysfunction are Exacerbated by Size-Related Exposure to Ag and Cu Nanoparticles. Neuroprotective Effects of a 5-HT3 Receptor Antagonist Ondansetron2 July 2015 | Molecular Neurobiology, Vol. 52, No. 2Nanodiagnostics, nanopharmacology and nanotoxicology of platelet–vessel wall interactionsKrzysztof A Tomaszewski, Marek W Radomski & Maria Jose Santos-Martinez21 May 2015 | Nanomedicine, Vol. 10, No. 9Synthesis and Organic Surface Modification of Luminescent, Lanthanide-Doped Core/Shell Nanomaterials (LnF 3 @SiO 2 @NH 2 @Organic Acid) for Potential Bioapplications: Spectroscopic, Structural, and in Vitro Cytotoxicity Evaluation30 July 2014 | Langmuir, Vol. 30, No. 31Effect of pH and Salinity on Silica–Lysozyme Hetero-Aggregation18 June 2014Perturbation of physiological systems by nanoparticles1 January 2014 | Chem. Soc. Rev., Vol. 43, No. 10Nanoparticles and the blood coagulation system. Part II: safety concernsAnna N Ilinskaya & Marina A Dobrovolskaia4 June 2013 | Nanomedicine, Vol. 8, No. 6Approaches for enhancing oral bioavailability of peptides and proteinsInternational Journal of Pharmaceutics, Vol. 447, No. 1-2Nanoparticles and the cardiovascular system: a critical reviewKen Donaldson, Rodger Duffin, Jeremy P Langrish, Mark R Miller, Nicholas L Mills, Craig A Poland, Jennifer Raftis, Anoop Shah, Catherine A Shaw & David E Newby11 March 2013 | Nanomedicine, Vol. 8, No. 3Microfluidic impedance cytometer for platelet analysisLab on a Chip, Vol. 13, No. 4Biocompatibility of Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles10 August 2012 | Chemical Research in Toxicology, Vol. 25, No. 11 Vol. 7, No. 5 Follow us on social media for the latest updates Metrics Downloaded 225 times History Published online 25 May 2012 Published in print May 2012 Information© Future Medicine LtdPDF download

Hepatic fibrosis developing in morbid obesity independent of steatohepatitis: new mechanism or the Rube Goldberg machine?

Obesity represents a major health burden. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is strongly associated with visceral obesity. NAFLD encompasses a broad spectrum of pathology from steatosis alone, to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), with or without fibrosis. As the prevalence of steatosis and NASH was recently estimated to be 46 and 12 % [1], respectively, understanding the mechanism of fibrosis that leads to hepatic complications is crucial. In the current issue of Hepatology International, Ciupinska-Kajor et al. [2] present data suggesting the mechanism of fibrosis in NAFLD might differ based on the degree of adiposity, and that early angiogenesis could be the distinguishing feature. Prognosis in NAFLD is variable, dependent on histologic findings. Bland steatosis alone has a benign prognosis, whereas NASH leads to increased fibrosis and mortality. A recent review of natural history data spanning a mean follow-up of 15 years found a 0.7 % prevalence of cirrhosis in cohorts with steatosis alone, compared to a 10.8 % prevalence of cirrhosis in cohorts with NASH [3]. Steatohepatitis was also shown to be associated with increased mortality. When 118 persons with NAFLD were followed up for a mean period of over 20 years, persons with NASH had a significant increase in mortality, whereas those with steatosis alone did not [4]. With different prognostic ramifications, it is important to understand the pathophysiologic mechanisms that distinguish bland steatosis from NASH. Unfortunately, events that differentiate NASH from steatosis are not well defined. Theories do exist. The ‘‘two-hit’’ hypothesis involves a sequential process where first steatosis develops and a second hit is caused by oxidative stress resulting in lipid peroxidation and steatohepatitis [5]. A second theory involves ‘‘multiple parallel hits’’ [6]. These multiple hits include gut-derived signals such as endotoxin, adiposederived signals such as adipocytokines, innate immunity, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and genetic differences. Important to this hypothesis is the potential for inflammation to precede steatosis in some cases. Different theories highlight the concept that NAFLD and NASH represent a heterogenous group of disorders where a histologic endpoint can be represented by numerous contributing pathogenic mechanisms. One pathophysiologic mechanism of progressive liver disease in NAFLD is angiogenesis. Angiogenesis is associated with hepatic inflammation [7], hepatic fibrosis [8], the formation of portosystemic collateral vessels [9], and hepatic carcinogenesis [10]. In animal models of steatohepatitis, the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and angiogenesis occurred in parallel to fibrosis and carcinogenesis [11]. In human tissue, angiogenesis, measured by CD 34-positive staining cells, occurred in NASH, but not normal liver or bland steatosis [12, 13]. Angiogenesis in NASH was associated with both hepatocellular apoptosis and insulin resistance [13]. The association between hepatic inflammation and angiogenesis is not unique to NAFLD. In persons with chronic hepatitis C, serum levels of proangiogenic markers, VEGF and angiopoietin-2, were elevated at baseline and decreased after interferon-based therapy [14]. The study by Ciupinska-Kajor et al. [2] mirrors the potential heterogeneity seen in the pathogenesis of NAFLD. The authors examined angiogenic markers, including VEGF A and CD 34 staining, in a population of morbidly E. R. Kallwitz (&) Section of Hepatology, University of Illinois, 840 S Wood Street MC 787, Chicago, IL 60612, USA e-mail: Kallwitz@uic.edu

The Wood Street Cake

The Wood Street Cake

Urban Cellular Network Planning Imbalances in Wooded Streets and Parks [Wireless Corner

Although the propagation of radio waves in vegetation environments has been widely studied, the actual situation is that the coverage of mobile-phone systems in vegetation areas still appears to be clearly poorer than in open places within our cities. The results of large measurement campaigns are presented in this work, providing numerical data that could be useful for correcting radio-network planning when parks or groves are around the base stations. An estimation of the reduction of coverage radius is provided based on such measurements, as well as various statistics, the behaviors of which seem to depend on the presence of vegetation in the environment. Finally, a proposal for improving the predictions by using a combined deterministic and probabilistic method is presented.

FLORESTAS URBANAS: MÉTODO DE AVALIAÇÃO PARA GESTÃO DAS ÁREAS VERDES

O método proposto neste trabalho tem como objetivo avaliar, pela interação e ponderação, um grupo de indicadores que consideram aspectos quali-quantitativos das florestas urbanas, considerando a arborização em ruas, as praças e os bosques. Para esta proposta, foram levantados indicadores segundo critérios de representatividade na contribuição das florestas urbanas à sociedade quanto aos aspectos estéticos, qualidade do ar, controle de enchentes e temperatura. Estes foram atestados em sua confiabilidade e representatividade e agrupados em dois conjuntos: macro e microambientais. O primeiro é composto por aspectos capazes de avaliar características mais amplas, inerentes a um conjunto de indivíduos, e o segundo, por características do próprio indivíduo vegetal, como aspecto da raiz. Aos indicadores foram atribuídos pesos, diferenciando-os em suas representatividades dentro do método. Como resultado, obteve-se um método que utiliza o barômetro da sustentabilidade para a interseção de suas respostas em dois eixos (macro e microambientais), fornecendo um diagnóstico da sua condição de sustentabilidade. Como exemplo de aplicação, a proposta foi testada nas áreas do campus da Universidade Positivo e do Jardim Botânico, ambas localizadas na cidade de Curitiba, Paraná, e mostrou-se adequada para diagnosticar as condições de sustentabilidade.Palavras chave: Arborização; indicadores ambientais; barômetro da sustentabilidade. AbstractUrban forests: evaluation method to management of green area.This method aims to evaluate a group of indices by interaction and balance; it considers qualitative as well as quantitative aspects of Urban Forests for evaluation of elements such as: forests, wooden streets and wooden squares. In order to develop such proposal, several indices had been selected from specialized literature, mainly the ones that reveal the contribution of Urban Forests to society in relation to aesthetic aspects, quality of air, as well as flood and temperature control. Such indices had been certified in relation to their trustworthiness and relevance and they had been grouped in two sets: macro and micro ambient. The first group was composed to evaluate wider characteristics that are inherent to a set of individuals; the second one was proposed to evaluate characteristics of the vegetal individual itself, such as aspects of the root. Different weight had been attributed to the indices, in order to differentiate them by their relevance up to the method. As result it produced a method that uses a sustainability barometer for intersection of two axes, macro and micro ambient, in order to diagnose sustainability condition. It had been tested in two different areas, campus of Positivo University and Botanical Garden, both located in Curitiba, Paraná, and it proves as able to the sustainability condition.Keywords: Arborization; environment pointers; sustainability barometer.

Dabigatran and other oral antithrombotic agents for the prevention of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation

Correspondence: Fernando D Testai Section of Neurological Critical Care and Stroke, Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation, Center for Stroke Research, University of illinois College of Medicine, 912 S. wood Street, Room 855N, Chicago, iL 60612, USA Tel +1 312 996 1047 Fax +1 312 413 8215 email testai@uic.edu Abstract: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is considered to be one of the most prevalent abnormal heart rhythm disorders and a leading cause of cerebral ischemia. The risk of stroke in AF is associated with vascular risk factors including advancing age, hypertension, congestive heart disease, diabetes mellitus, vascular disease, and prior history of stroke or transient ischemic attack. The classic management of patients with AF at risk of suffering stroke includes the use of warfarin. The use of this medication in clinical practice is, however, limited owing to its narrow therapeutic window, multiple drug and food interactions, prolonged half-life, and the need for periodic anticoagulation monitoring. Recently, newer oral anticoagulants with better pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles have been developed and compared to warfarin in phase III trials for the prevention of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with AF. Dabigatran stands out from these studies as a safe and efficacious alternative to warfarin for treating patients with AF at risk of stroke. In this article we review classic and novel approaches for stroke prevention in AF with special emphasis on dabigatran.

Fibroblast Growth Factor, A Review

The recent identification of fibroblast growth factor (FGF)23 has filled in the gaps of our understanding of calcium– phosphate regulation. Together with its cofactor Klotho, FGF-23 is a phosphaturic factor that influences vitamin D metabolism and renal re-absorption of phosphorus in order to maintain serum phosphate levels within the normal range. In chronic kidney disease (CKD), FGF-23 levels rise in parallel with declining kidney function before any significant rise is perceived in serum phosphate concentration. Increased serum FGF-23 levels in CKD patients were found to be independently associated with ventricular hypertrophy and endothelial dysfunction after correcting for traditional markers of calcium–phosphate metabolism. FGF-23 has been implicated in various human diseases including autosomal dominant hypophosphatemic rickets (ADHR), X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH), tumor induced osteomalacia and familial tumoral calcinosis. Lastly, in prospective studies, elevated serum FGF-23 levels predicted rapid disease progression in non-dialysis dependent CKD patients and increased mortality in chronic hemodialysis patients. The growing knowledge and understanding of FGF-23 may provide potential answers with regards to prevention and management of CKD [1]. The FGF family is comprised of polypeptides that share a common region of amino peptide residues. Seven human FGF subfamilies have been identified; FGF-23 belongs to the FGF19 subgroup including FGF 19, 21 and 23 having very different physiological functions despite sharing a similar disulphide bond which is absent in most other families. FGF23 is a central regulator of phosphate homeostasis, enhancing phosphorus excretion and suppressing1-alpha hydroxylase activity in the kidney [2, 3], whereas FGF-19 is involved in bile acid synthesis and FGF-21 stimulates insulinindependent glucose uptake in adipocytes and reduces triglyceride levels. The active form of FGF-23 is an approximately 32-kD (251 amino acids) protein with its gene located on chromosome 12 [4, 5]. It is mainly expressed in osteocytes [6, 7], and also expressed in pericyte-like cells around the venous sinuses, the ventrolateral thalamic nucleus, and in the thymus. The contribution of sites other than bone to circulating FGF-23 levels is still unclear. It is clear, however that there are high levels of expression in the osteocytes and that because osteocytes are the most abundant cell in bone, this suggests that the serum levels of FGF-23 are derived mainly from bone [8]. FGF-23 exerts its biological effects through activation of FGF receptors in a Klotho dependent manner, as a Klotho/ FGF-Receptor complex binds to FGF-23. Klotho is a transmembrane protein, the gene expression of which was detected in distal renal tubular cells, parathyroid gland, the pituitary gland, ovary, testis, skeletal muscle, duodenum, pancreas and choroid plexus. It is unclear why Klotho is G. C. Chibesakunda (*) :C. S. Brecklin Department of Medicine/Section of Nephrology, University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago, 820 S Wood Street (MC 793), Chicago, IL 60612, USA e-mail: gracecc@uic.edu

Botulinum toxin and urinary bladder disorders in women: new insight into an old problem

The overactive bladder (OAB) and painful bladder (bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis) syndromes are common urological problems that frequently co-exist and severely affect the quality of life of many women. As yet, the pathophysiology of both conditions is incompletely understood, and therefore the results of available treatment including drug therapy are usually disappointing. Botulinum neurotoxin type A (BoNT-A) is increasingly used in humans for pharmaceutical and cosmetic purposes. The toxin is produced from fermentation of the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. Due to ease of administration and relatively long-lasting effects, BoNT-A is now widely used in clinical practice amongst several medical specialties, particularly in dermatology and plastic surgery mainly for cosmeceutical rejuvenation [1]. More recently, there is abundant literature supporting the use of BoNT-A in urology and urogynecology, and the off-label use of this drug continues to grow in both disciplines worldwide. Although the first use of BoNT-A in lower urinary tract disorders was reported 22 years ago [2], evidence-based information to guide current urogynecologic practice is still lacking. BoNT-A has unique physio-pharmacological properties that includes a muscle-paralyzing effect via inhibition of acetyl-choline release from motor nerves into the neuromuscular junction. This induces temporary chemodenervation that produces relaxation of both skeletal and smooth muscles. Another potentially very important property of BoNT-A is the ability to inhibit afferent neurotransmission inhibition. This leads to a very potent analgesic effect by inhibition of ATP secretion, reduced production of substance P, and reduced axonal expression of capsaicin, purinergic receptors, and nerve growth factors [3]. The therapeutic rationale for using BoNT-A in lower urinary tract disorders in women is primarily based on both the muscle relaxant and analgesic actions. Anticholinergic agents are the mainstay of pharmacologic treatment of OAB because of the ability to reduce bladder contractions and associated symptoms in most patients. These drugs are, however, associated with poor tolerability and relatively poor patients’ compliance because of the high incidence of anticholinergic adverse effects such as dry mouth, blurred vision, and constipation. In fact, almost 17% of participants withdrew from clinical trials of anticholinergic drugs because of this reason alone [4]. Over the past two decades, the use of cystoscopic intra-detrusor injection of BoNT-A has revolutionized the treatment of OAB, particularly the intractable symptoms associated with neurogenic OAB induced by spinal cord lesions and diseases [5]. Challenging cases of neurogenic OAB that are often associated with poor control of symptoms on standard E. Kocjancic (*) Department of Urology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, 840 S Wood Street, Chicago, IL 60612, USA e-mail: ekocjanc@uic.edu

Heat Shock Protein Expression During Cardiac Surgery

There has been a great deal of interest in a group of cellular proteins collectively called heat shock proteins (HSPs) to identify their role in the inflammatory and cell-mediated responses that occur during heart surgery [1]. Although most patients do fine after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), some develop an inflammatory response clinically resembling a sepsis-like state. At the cellular level, several stressrelated proteins, clustered as HSPs, participate in the inflammatory cascade mostly by acting as chaperons. Their basic role is to maintain the structural integrity of proteins under stress states by keeping them in their folded state, but their overexpression can lead to an inflammatory response. The ex vivo environment created during CPB exposes blood to nonendothelial circuitry, thereby triggering responses in the complement, coagulation, and humoral cascades. Chaperone HSPs play a significant role in inciting and modulating these triggers and responses. HSP-60, for example, is mostly intracellular; but in stress states it is overexpressed on endothelial cells. This protein is taken up by macrophages, which in turn cause it to trigger the immune system by signaling T and B lymphocytes. An HSP-60 lipopolysaccharide (LPS) complex then activates dendritic cells, causing release of interferon-c (INFc) and interleukin-12 (IL-12). This complex depends on toll-like receptors (TLRs) to gain entry into the cell via CD14 receptors. TLR 2, along with HSP-60, causes a T-cell response that down-regulates the secretion of tumor necrosis factor-a (TNFa) and INF c and up-regulates the secretion of transforming growth factor-b (TGFb) and IL-10. Intracellularly, the HSP60–LPS complex assembles nuclear factor jB (NF-jB) components, which in turn lead to initiation of cytokines, chemokines, and growth factor synthesis. This cascade leads to the hyperdynamic sepsislike syndrome sometimes seen following CPB. The HSP-70s are yet another complex set of proteins that include HSP-73, HSP-72, HSP-70 (which is stress inducible), and HSP70L1. This HSP family, however, is protective in nature. In stress states, HSP-70 enters the nucleus and activates poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase enzyme, involved in DNA repair. Overexpression of the latter enzyme can cause cellular energy depletion by overconsumption of ATP and NAD? often seen after rapid reperfusion. The deleterious effects of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase can be neutralized by HSP-70 synthesized by inducing heat shock. This family of proteins also stabilizes the membranes of lysosomes, thereby preventing autolysis and apoptosis. HSP-70 is released into the extracellular compartment and also uses the CD-14 receptor along with TLR-2 and TLR-4 to stimulate nucleic synthesis of NK-jB, ultimately leading to monocyte stimulation. HSP70 is detected after cardiac surgery and more so during myocardial damage wherein high expression correlates with high creatine kinase, myocardial bound (CK-MB) and troponin-T levels. Its expression peaks 2 h after surgery and is fourfold lower during off-pump heart surgery compared to on-pump heart surgery. This is unlike HSP-60 levels, which seem to be unaffected regardless of whether CPB is used [2]. Other proteins that are increased during CPB include HSP-27, which prevents apoptosis by halting activation of caspase through sequestering cytochrome c and procaspase 3 and by stabilizing the cytoskeleton. Its levels rise with stress and decline when stress is attenuated; and it is increased twofold with use of CPB. HSP-90a is another A. Z. Chaudhry M. D. Diodato M. G. Massad (&) Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Illinois at Chicago, 840 S. Wood Street, CSB Suite 417(MC 958), Chicago, IL 60612, USA e-mail: mmassad@uic.edu

Aged Wine and Symphonic Perfection

In this issue, Lin and Pai evaluate the impact of increasing surgeon age on in-hospital mortality associated with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. They conclude that age and experience afforded to a surgeon by seniority is directly linked to improved outcomes [1]. The concept of experience and improved outcomes is not new, nor is it novel to the operative environment. In many industries, experience has been shown to have an impact on outcomes of performance. Before we analyze the surgical model with age-related outcome bias, let us consider an example in recent aviation history where experience was deemed to lead to a better outcome. The landing of US Air flight 1549 in New York’s Hudson River earlier this year by Captain Sullenberger, who had 19,000 hours of flight experience in the cockpit, was directly related to the fact that he was able to perform an exacting landing in the face of engine failure, thereby saving countless lives. It is no mystery that wine aged to perfection indeed tastes better. It is also amply evident that more experienced surgeons perform complex operations with better outcomes, whereas younger surgeons may have less than desirable outcomes even after routine procedures owing to their lack of experience. One of the underlying reasons is perhaps the quality of training a surgeon receives during residency or fellowship. It has been noted that although trainees may have been exposed to a lot of procedures their skill is commensurate with that of procedures they have actually performed. It is also a duly noted fact that senior surgical faculty are better at training residents because they know that a technical error made by a resident can be rectified by the senior surgeon’s experience. Many skilled professors of surgery with thousands of operations behind them allow the resident to do more in the operating room because they know that they can fix any mistakes made by the resident and still have a good outcome. The junior surgeons are more resistant to such liberality in the teaching setting because they may not be skilled enough to rectify technical mistakes made by the residents. Yet, as mentioned before, most clinical setups have both senior and junior surgeons performing the operations. When a difficult operation is scheduled by a junior surgeon, she or he is afforded the courtesy of being assisted by a ‘‘senior partner,’’ thus ensuring a favorable outcome. This is not to ignore an important argument that must be taken into consideration while analyzing surgeons’ age-related outcomes—the fact that senior surgeons usually have the liberty to be selective about whom they operate on and may have the clout to choose the lowest-risk patients, thus allowing them access to a patient pool that is likely to have better outcomes. Consequently, the ‘‘junior surgeon’’ gets the less favorable cases; and between his or her lack of experience and the high-risk cases, it is a setup staged to result in less than desirable outcomes. It is further noted that senior surgeons, based on their experience, have developed operative logistical maneuvers over the years that allow them greater reproducibility of the technical skills that are required when performing simple or even complex operations. Their movements and operative steps are more consistent and more fluid than those of the junior surgeon, whose technique is still evolving. When considering a CABG procedure, one could view this complex operation as an array of serial successive steps that are added together systematically and that would include opening the chest, harvesting the bypass conduits, A. Chaudhry M. G. Massad (&) Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, The University of Illinois at Chicago, 840 S. Wood Street, CSB 417 (MC 958), Chicago, IL 60612, USA e-mail: mmassad@uic.edu

Management of Blood Pressure for Acute and Recurrent Stroke

Marc Fisher MD Kennedy Lees MD Section Editors: Hypertension is the most important modifiable risk factor for stroke.1,2 It is estimated that 25% or more of strokes may be attributable to hypertension. Because many patients with stroke have mild hypertension or prehypertension, we have shifted our focus and now think of stroke on a continuum of risk based on blood pressure (BP) level rather than on a threshold effect.3 Because high BP may not exist in isolation, a wider definition of hypertension has been proposed that also takes into account the absolute risk of cardiovascular events and associated metabolic factors or early disease markers.3 Lowering BP reduces the risk of stroke. Epidemiological studies have shown that for each 10 mm Hg lower systolic blood pressure (SBP), there is a decrease in risk of stroke of approximately one third in persons aged 60 to 79 years. This association is continuous down to levels of at least 115/75 mm Hg and is consistent across sexes, regions, stroke subtypes, and for fatal and nonfatal events.4 Lowering diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was once the main target to achieve stroke and other cardiovascular event reduction, but SBP has now become the target.3 As recently shown, even the elderly with sustained SBP elevation may gain from BP reduction in relation to less fatal or nonfatal stroke, death, and heart failure.5 Although the role of longer-term BP control to improve outcomes in patients with stroke is undisputed, BP management immediately after a stroke remains controversial. In an effort to resolve this controversy, several pilot clinical trials have been initiated. In this review, we discuss the results of some of these trials and available evidence-based guidelines for BP control in the settings of acute ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke (excluding subarachnoid hemorrhage) and …

Do wooded streets provide connectivity for bats in an urban landscape?

The effects of urbanization on bats are poorly understood, but published data suggests it might be detrimental to them. Even though urban parks provide refuge to native biota, the nature of the urban landscape exacerbates the insularization process. In order to evaluate if wooded streets in an urban landscape provide connectivity for bats, we compared bat community structure in three different types of habitats: urban parks, wooded streets and non-wooded streets. Sampling occurred monthly from August 2006 to July 2007 in the city of Vitoria, southeastern Brazil. Richness, relative abundance and diversity were higher in urban parks and lower in non-wooded streets. Jaccard’s similarity index showed that the wooded streets are more similar to non-wooded streets than to urban parks. Urbanization may benefit generalist species by providing new resources, but for specialist species critical resources may be lost and persistence endangered. There is evidence that wooded streets may provide some degree of connectivity for birds in urban landscapes, but our results suggest that this is not the case, with wooded streets being used by few individuals of a few species. Vegetation cover is important to maintain bat diversity in urban centers. Activities like landscape planning and gardening should include biodiversity data in their outputs in order to better design a landscape that improves the likelihood of persistence of bats.

Sudden infant death syndrome deaths

Associate Professor, Forensic Science Program, Point Park University, Pittsburgh, PA Correspondence Steve A. Koehler Point Park University 201 Wood Street Pittsburgh, PA 15222 E-mail: [email protected]

Non-Urban Noirs: Rural Space in <i>Moonrise</i>, <i>On Dangerous Ground</i>, <i>Thieves’ Highway</i>, and <i>They Live by Night</i>

Despite the now-traditional tendency of noir scholarship to call attention to the retrospective and constructed nature of this genre— James Naremore argues that film noir is best regarded as a “mythology”— one feature that has rarely come under question is its association with the city (2). Despite the existence of numerous rural noirs, the depiction of urban space is associated with this genre more consistently than any other element. Even in critical accounts that attempt to deconstruct the solidity of the noir genre, the city is left as an implicit inclusion, and the country, an implict exclusion. Naremore, for example, does not include the urban environment in a list of the central tenets of film noir that he calls into question: “nothing links together all the things described as noir—not the theme of crime, not a cinematographic technique, not even a resistance to Aristotelian narratives or happy endings” (10). Elizabeth Cowie identifies film noir a “fantasy,” whose “tenuous critical status” has been compensated for “by a tenacity of critical use” (121). As part of Cowie’s project, to revise the assumption that noirs are almost exclusively male-centered, she cites character types, visual style, and narrative tendencies, but never urban spaces, as familiar elements of noir that ought to be reconsidered. If the city is rarely tackled as an unnecessary or part-time element of film noir in discursive studies, it is often the first trait identified by critics in the kind of formative, characteristic-compiling studies that Cowie and Naremore work against.

大阪市中心部の街路樹と越冬期の鳥類の出現状況の関係

I investigated birds from 15 January to 24 February 2004 along 8 wooded streets in central area of Osaka, Japan, in order to determine which environmental factors of wooded street are important as habitat of birds in winter. Eight species of 218 individuals were recorded at 2 times observation of the streets. I used a satellite image to identify the distribution of vegetation in my study area. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) of each grid cell was calculated. The value of NDVI that indicated the threshold value for vegetation cover were 0.3 and more, based on the ground-truthing from December 2003 to February 2004. The proportion of vegetation cover within 50 m from a recording point was calculated in each bird species. The average vegetation cover proportion of Hypsipetes amaurotis and Sturnus cineraceus was more than 25 %, while that of Passer montanus was around 5 %. Almost all individuals of species except Passer montanus were significantly recorded in buffer areas within 100 m, 200 m, 300 m and 400 m from the edge of 2 ha and more woodlot.