Cultural Diversity in Crossing the Boundaries Between Human and Animal in Language – Germanic and Slavic Similes and Metaphors

The paper is concerned with the occurrence and the functions of nouns referring to animals in the context of similes and metaphors implementing the metaphoric scheme »Human is an Animal«. These phraseological units are the result of repressing the boundary percepts lying between a Human and a Non-Human. The data (5500 entries) is excerpted from English, German, Czech, and Russian phraseological lexicons and texts. The paper deals with the following: classification of animals appearing in the data; the classes are defined as the cross-section between zones of social distance, e.g. relatives, servants, strangers, etc., and zones of physical distance, e.g. house, farm, remote, etc.; establishing indices of popularity of animals; discussion of Sus srofa (the pig) in terms of its symbolic values in Germanic and Slavic cultures. The functional analysis of animal nouns and their referents is supported by quantitative statements

MR study of postnatal development of myocardial structure and left ventricular function

Purpose: To investigate postnatal development of left ventricular (LV) cardiac function and myocardium structure. Materials and Methods: In vivo cardiac MR and ex vivo diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) were performed in normal Sprague-Dawley rats at postnatal day 2, 4, 7, 14, 21, 28, and 56 (N = 6 per group). Results: Morphologically, LV size increased with age. Functionally, stroke volume and cardiac output increased. Heart rate increased gradually and became stable after day 14. On average, ejection fraction increased within the first 4 days, decreased at day 7, gradually increased until day 21, and became stable afterward. Structurally, double-helical myocardial structure was found as early as day 2. Myocardial fiber parameters, described by fractional anisotropy, mean apparent diffusion coefficient, and axial diffusivity, increased within the first 4 days. Then radial diffusivity increased until day 7 while other parameters decreased up to day 56. Conclusion: Postnatal heart development was documented by MRI. DTI findings are in agreement with the two known stages of early postnatal growth: hyperplasia and hypertrophy. These results can serve as the baselines for study of postnatal heart developmental abnormalities. They also demonstrate the ability of DTI to reveal microstructural alterations in myocardium. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Direct Renin Inhibition With Aliskiren Normalizes Blood Pressure in Cyp1a1-Ren2 Transgenic Rats With Inducible Angiotensin II-Dependent Malignant Hypertension

BACKGROUND: Cyp1a1-Ren2 transgenic rats [strain name: TGR(Cyp1a1Ren2)], administered indole-3-carbinol (I3C) develop angiotensin (ANG) II-dependent hypertension due to hepatic expression of the Ren2 renin gene. Although AT(1) receptor blockade prevents the development of hypertension and normalizes the elevated arterial blood pressure of Cyp1-Ren2 rats, little information is available regarding the blood pressure and renal functional responses to direct inhibition of renin in this high circulating renin model of ANG II-dependent hypertension. The present study was performed to determine the effects of acute direct renin inhibition with aliskiren on blood pressure and renal hemodynamics in Cyp1a1-Ren2 rats with ANG II-dependent malignant hypertension. METHODS: Mean arterial pressure (MAP) and renal hemodynamics were measured in pentobarbital-anesthetized male Cyp1a1-Ren2 rats during control conditions and following administration of the renin inhibitor, aliskiren (10 mg/kg, iv). RESULTS: Rats induced with I3C had higher MAP (194±7 vs. 141±2 mmHg, P<0.001), lower renal plasma flow (RPF; 2.47±0.23 vs. 4.17±0.35 ml/min.g, P<0.001), and lower glomerular filtration rate (GFR; 1.01±0.07 vs. 1.34±0.06 ml/min.g, P=0.01) than noninduced Cyp1a1-Ren2 rats (n=5). Aliskiren administration decreased MAP (194±7 to 136±2 mmHg, P<0.001) and increased RPF (2.47±0.23 vs. 4.31±0.20 ml/min.g, P<0.001) in hypertensive but not in normotensive rats, without altering GFR. CONCLUSIONS: Acute renin inhibition with aliskiren normalizes MAP and RPF in Cyp1a1-Ren2 rats with malignant hypertension. The normalization of MAP and RPF following acute renin inhibition indicates that renin generated by expression of the Ren2 gene is responsible for the maintenance of malignant hypertension and the associated reduction in renal hemodynamic function in Cyp1a1-Ren2 rats

Polyploidization of transplanted cardiac myocytes

Pieces of cardiac ventricular tissue of late embryonic or 1-day postnatal rats, implanted beneath the kidney capsule of adult syngeneic hosts, formed viable, beating transplants. these transplants were investigated over a 40-day postoperative course. In the transplants, cellular binucleation and nuclear polyploidization occurred according to the same schedule as in the heart in situ. The composition of the classes of myocytes was identical both in the hearts in situ and in transplants, but the number of non-diploid myocytes in the intact heart reached 90%, whereas in transplants it varied from 30 to 60%. In contrast to the heart in situ, myocytes in transplants grew feebly after the phase of polyploidization. From these data one can conclude that under conditions of transplantation the temporal sequence of cellular binucleation and nuclear polyploidization follows the normal course, but that a greater number of myocytes remain in a diploid state than is the case in the normal heart. The growth of cardiac myocytes seems to be related to their level of function.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/27027/1/0000015.pd

Myocardial extravascular extracellular volume fraction measurement by gadolinium cardiovascular magnetic resonance in humans: slow infusion versus bolus

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Myocardial extravascular extracellular volume fraction (Ve) measures quantify diffuse fibrosis not readily detectable by conventional late gadolinium (Gd) enhancement (LGE). Ve measurement requires steady state equilibrium between plasma and interstitial Gd contrast. While a constant infusion produces steady state, it is unclear whether a simple bolus can do the same. Given the relatively slow clearance of Gd, we hypothesized that a bolus technique accurately measures Ve, thus facilitating integration of myocardial fibrosis quantification into cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) workflow routines. Assuming equivalence between techniques, we further hypothesized that Ve measures would be reproducible across scans.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In 10 volunteers (ages 20-81, median 33 yr, 3 females), we compared serial Ve measures from a single short axis slice from two scans: first, during a constant infusion, and second, 12-50 min after a bolus (0.2 mmol/kg gadoteridol) on another day. Steady state during infusion was defined when serial blood and myocardial T1 data varied <5%. We measured T1 on a 1.5 T Siemens scanner using a single-shot modified Look Locker inversion recovery sequence (MOLLI) with balanced SSFP. To shorten breath hold times, T1 values were measured with a shorter sampling scheme that was validated with spin echo relaxometry (TR = 15 sec) in CuSO4-Agar phantoms. Serial infusion vs. bolus Ve measures (n = 205) from the 10 subjects were compared with generalized estimating equations (GEE) with exchangeable correlation matrices. LGE images were also acquired 12-30 minutes after the bolus.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>No subject exhibited LGE near the short axis slices where Ve was measured. The Ve range was 19.3-29.2% and 18.4-29.1% by constant infusion and bolus, respectively. In GEE models, serial Ve measures by constant infusion and bolus did not differ significantly (difference = 0.1%, p = 0.38). For both techniques, Ve was strongly related to age (p < 0.01 for both) in GEE models, even after adjusting for heart rate. Both techniques identically sorted older individuals with higher mean Ve values.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Myocardial Ve can be measured reliably and accurately 12-50 minutes after a simple bolus. Ve measures are also reproducible across CMR scans. Ve estimation can be integrated into CMR workflow easily, which may simplify research applications involving the quantification of myocardial fibrosis.</p

The Uptake of Integrated Perinatal Prevention of Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission Programs in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND: The objective of this review was to assess the uptake of WHO recommended integrated perinatal prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV interventions in low- and middle-income countries. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We searched 21 databases for observational studies presenting uptake of integrated PMTCT programs in low- and middle-income countries. Forty-one studies on programs implemented between 1997 and 2006, met inclusion criteria. The proportion of women attending antenatal care who were counseled and who were tested was high; 96% (range 30-100%) and 81% (range 26-100%), respectively. However, the overall median proportion of HIV positive women provided with antiretroviral prophylaxis in antenatal care and attending labor ward was 55% (range 22-99%) and 60% (range 19-100%), respectively. The proportion of women with unknown HIV status, tested for HIV at labor ward was 70%. Overall, 79% (range 44-100%) of infants were tested for HIV and 11% (range 3-18%) of them were HIV positive. We designed two PMTCT cascades using studies with outcomes for all perinatal PMTCT interventions which showed that an estimated 22% of all HIV positive women attending antenatal care and 11% of all HIV positive women delivering at labor ward were not notified about their HIV status and did not participate in PMTCT program. Only 17% of HIV positive antenatal care attendees and their infants are known to have taken antiretroviral prophylaxis. CONCLUSION: The existing evidence provides information only about the initial PMTCT programs which were based on the old WHO PMTCT guidelines. The uptake of counseling and HIV testing among pregnant women attending antenatal care was high, but their retention in PMTCT programs was low. The majority of women in the included studies did not receive ARV prophylaxis in antenatal care; nor did they attend labor ward. More studies evaluating the uptake in current PMTCT programs are urgently needed

Cell death in denervated skeletal muscle is distinct from classical apoptosis

Denervation of skeletal muscle is followed by the progressive loss of tissue mass and impairment of its functional properties. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the occurrence of cell death and its mechanism in rat skeletal muscle undergoing post-denervation atrophy. We studied the expression of specific markers of apoptosis and necrosis in experimentally denervated tibialis anterior, extensor digitorum longus and soleus muscles of adult rats. Fluorescent staining of nuclear DNA with propidium iodide revealed the presence of nuclei with hypercondensed chromatin and fragmented nuclei typical of apoptotic cells in the muscle tissue 2, 4 and to a lesser extent 7 months after denervation. This finding was supported by electron microscopy of the denervated muscle. We found clear morphological manifestations of muscle cell death, with ultrastructural characteristics very similar if not identical to those considered as nuclear and cytoplasmic markers of apoptosis. With increasing time of denervation, progressive destabilization of the differentiated phenotype of muscle cells was observed. It included disalignment and spatial disorganization of myofibrils as well as their resorption and formation of myofibril-free zones. These changes initially appeared in subsarcolemmal areas around myonuclei, and by 4 months following nerve transection they were spread throughout the sarcoplasm. Despite an increased number of residual bodies and secondary lysosomes in denervated muscle, we did not find any evidence of involvement of autophagocytosis in the resorption of the contractile system. Dead muscle fibers were usually surrounded by a folded intact basal lamina; they had an intact sarcolemma and highly condensed chromatin and sarcoplasm. Folds of the basal lamina around the dead cells resulted from significant shrinkage of cell volume. Macrophages were occasionally found in close proximity to dead myocytes. We detected no manifestations of inflammation in the denervated tissue. Single myocytes expressing traits of the necrotic phenotype were very rare. A search for another marker of apoptosis, nuclear DNA fragmentation, using terminal deoxyribonucleotidyl transferase mediated dUTP nick end labeling (the TUNEL method) in situ, revealed the presence of multiple DNA fragments in cell nuclei in only a very small number of cell nuclei in 2 and 4 month denervated muscle and to less extent in 7 month denervated muscle. Virtually no TUNEL reactivity was found in normal muscle. Double labeling of tissue denervated for 2 and 4 months for genome fragmentation with the TUNEL method and for total nuclear DNA with propidium iodide demonstrated co-localization of the TUNEL-positive fragmented DNA in some of the nuclei containing condensed chromatin and in fragmented nuclei. However, the numbers of nuclei of abnormal morphology containing condensed and/or irregular patterns of chromatin distribution, as revealed by DNA staining and electron microscopy, exceeded by 33–38 times the numbers of nuclei positive for the TUNEL reaction. Thus, we found a discrepancy between the frequences of expression of morphological markers of apoptosis and DNA fragmentation in denervated muscle. This provides evidence that fragmentation of the genomic DNA is not an obligatory event during atrophy and death of muscle cells, or, alternatively, it may occur only for a short period of time during this process. Unlike classical apoptosis described in mammalian thymocytes and lymphoid cells, non-inflammatory death of muscle fibers in denervated muscle occurs a long time after the removal of myotrophic influence of the nerve and is preceded by the progressive imbalance of the state of terminal differentiation. Our results indicate that apoptosis appears to be represented by a number of distinct isotypes in animals belonging to different taxonomic groups and in different cell lineages of the same organism. Anat Rec 258:305–318, 2000. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/34287/1/10_ftp.pd