The canonical approach of Childs : a paradigm shift?

It is said that the canonical approach by Childs represents a paradigm shift. Accordingly it is stated that Childs operates a-historically. This article hypothesised that the canonical approach still finds itself in the mainstream of historical criticism. Childs depends on the result of the historical critical method for the implementation of his approach. Childs still finds himself in the same cadre as his mentors Karl Barth and Gerhard von Rad. He can therefore not be labelled as a-historical.Continued 2001 as 'Verbum et Ecclesia'http://explore.up.ac.za/record=b102527

Differential susceptibility to motor impulsivity among functional subtypes of Parkinson's disease

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Parkinson's disease patients with predominant postural instability and gait difficulties (PIGD) may experience unique cognitive difficulties compared to patients with tremor predominant (TD) symptoms. PIGD patients are also at high risk for falling, and some of the worst fallers seem to react impulsively to their environment. We tested the hypothesis that PIGD patients show poorer control over motor impulses compared to TD patients. METHODS: 34 PD participants were divided into predominant PIGD (n=17) or TD (n=17) functional subtypes based on their presenting symptoms in their optimally treated motor state. All participants performed a speeded reaction task that quantified motor impulsivity and the proficiency of inhibiting prepotent motor impulses. RESULTS: The groups showed similar reaction times, but compared to TD patients, PIGD patients made significantly more impulsive motor errors. Notably, when the initial impulsive erroneous response was avoided, PIGD and TD groups were similar in their ability to suppress the incorrect motor impulse from further interfering with the selection of a correct action. CONCLUSIONS: PD patients with PIGD predominant symptoms show greater susceptibility to acting on prepotent motor impulses compared to TD patients. This finding may have direct implications for fall risk and also points to dissociable neurocognitive pathologies in TD and PIGD subtypes. Clinically, the use of specific cognitive instruments to assess the expression and inhibition of motor impulses may help identify PD patients who have difficulty 'thinking before they leap' and are at high risk of falling

The risky business of dopamine agonists in Parkinson disease and impulse control disorders

Risk-taking behavior is characterized by pursuit of reward in spite of potential negative consequences. Dopamine neurotransmission along the mesocorticolimbic pathway is a potential modulator of risk behavior. In patients with Parkinson's Disease (PD), impulse control disorder (ICD) can result from dopaminergic medication use, particularly Dopamine Agonists (DAA). Behaviors associated with ICD include hypersexuality as well as compulsive gambling, shopping, and eating, and are potentially linked to alterations to risk processing. Using the Balloon Analogue Risk task, we assessed the role of agonist therapy on risk-taking behavior in PD patients with (n=22) and without (n=19) active ICD symptoms. Patients performed the task both ‘on’ and ‘off’ DAA. DAA increased risk-taking in PD patients with active ICD symptoms, but did not affect risk behavior of PD controls. DAA dose was also important in explaining risk behavior. Both groups similarly reduced their risk-taking in high compared to low risk conditions and following the occurrence of a negative consequence, suggesting that ICD patients do not necessarily differ in their ability to process and adjust to some aspects of negative consequences. Our findings suggest dopaminergic augmentation of risk-taking behavior as a potential contributing mechanism for the emergence of ICD in PD patients

Berbamine inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis of KU812 cells by increasing Smad3 activity*

Objective: The cytotoxic effect of berbamine on chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) cell line KU812 was evaluated, and the mechanisms of its action were explored. Methods: The effect of berbamine on the KU812 cell growth was determined by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay. Flow cytometry was used to profile cell cycle alteration upon berbamine treatment. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was carried out to determine the transcripts of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) receptors (TβRs), Smad3, c-Myc, cyclin D1, p21Cip1(p21), and p27Kip1(p27). Changes in the protein levels of total Smad3, phosphorylated Smad3, the downstream targets of Smad3, and specific apoptosis-related factors were evaluated by Western blotting. Results: Berbamine inhibited KU812 cell proliferation in a dose- and time-dependent manner, and the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values for treatments of 24, 48, and 72 h were 5.83, 3.43, and 0.75 μg/ml, respectively. Berbamine induced G1 arrest as well as apoptosis in KU812 cells. Transcriptions of Smad3 and p21 were up-regulated, while those of TβRI, TβRII, c-Myc, cyclin D1 and p27 were not changed significantly. The protein levels of both total Smad3 and phosphorylated Smad3 were both up-regulated after berbamine treatment, together with decreased c-Myc and cyclin D1 and increased p21. Meanwhile, the levels of the anti-apoptotic proteins, such as Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL, were decreased, whereas pro-apoptotic Bax was increased. Conclusions: Berbamine suppresses KU812 cell proliferation through induction of cell cycle arrest in G1 and apoptosis. It activates Smad3 without additional stimulation of TGF-β, and alters the levels of the Smad3 downstream targets, including c-Myc, cyclin D1 and p21. Our findings suggest that berbamine is a promising drug in the treatment of advanced stage patients with CML