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A study was conducted to evaluate the relationship if any between burnout and professional conduct and attitudes among medical students in the United States. Results indicated that a relationship did exist between the two and that in the case of such students, burnout was associated with self-reported professional misconduct and less altruistic professional values.

The ultrasensitive energy sensor AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) orchestrates the regulation of energy-generating and energy-consuming pathways. AMPK is highly expressed in the kidney where it is reported to be involved in a variety of physiological and pathological processes including ion transport, podocyte function, and diabetic renal hypertrophy. Sodium transport is the major energy-consuming process in the kidney, and AMPK has been proposed to contribute to the coupling of ion transport with cellular energy metabolism. Specifically, AMPK has been identified as a regulator of several ion transporters of significance in renal physiology, including the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC), the [Na.sup.+]-[K.sup.+]-[2Cl.sup.-] cotransporter (NKCC), and the vacuolar [H.sup.+]-ATPase (V-ATPase). Identified regulators of AMPK in the kidney include dietary salt, diabetes, adiponectin, and ischemia. Activation of AMPK in response to adiponectin is described in podocytes, where it reduces albuminuria, and in tubular cells, where it reduces glycogen accumulation. Reduced AMPK activity in the diabetic kidney is associated with renal accumulation of triglyceride arid glycogen and the pathogenesis of diabetic renal hypertrophy. Acute renal ischemia causes a rapid and powerful activation of AMPK, but the functional significance of this observation remains unclear. Despite the recent advances, there remain significant gaps in the present understanding of both the upstream regulating pathways and the downstream substrates for AMPK in the kidney. A more complete understanding of the AMPK pathway in the kidney offers potential for improved therapies for several renal diseases including diabetic nephropathy, polycystic kidney disease, and ischemia-reperfusion injury. CFTR; ENaC; NKCC; adiponectin doi: 10.1152/ajprena.00005.2010.

The energy-sensing kinase AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is associated with the sodium-potassium-chloride cotransporter NKCC2 in the kidney and phosphorylates it on a regulatory site in vitro. To identify a potential role for AMPK in salt sensing at the macula densa, we have used the murine macula densa cell line MMDD1. In this cell line, AMPK was rapidly activated by isosmolar low-salt conditions. In contrast to the known salt-sensing pathway in the macula densa, AMPK activation occurred in the presence of either low sodium or low chloride and was unaffected by inhibition of NKCC2 with bumetanide. Assays using recombinant AMPK demonstrated activation of an upstream kinase by isosmolar low salt. The specific calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase kinase inhibitor STO-609 failed to suppress AMPK activation, suggesting that it was not part of the signal pathway. AMPK activation was associated with increased phosphorylation of the specific substrate acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) at [Ser.sup.79], as well as increased NKCC2 phosphorylation at [Ser.sup.126]. AMPK activation due to low salt concentrations was inhibited by an adenovirus construct encoding a kinase dead mutant of AMPK, leading to reduced ACC [Ser.sup.79] and NKCC2 [Ser.sup.126] phosphorylation. This work demonstrates that AMPK activation in macula densa-like cells occurs via isosmolar changes in sodium or chloride concentration, leading to phosphorylation of ACC and NKCC2. Phosphorylation of these substrates in vivo is predicted to increase intracellular chloride and so reduce the effect of salt restriction on tubuloglomerular feedback and renin secretion. AMPK; NKCC2; phosphorylation; sodium reabsorption

Array-based molecular strategies are employed to identify the gene responsible for the onset of action myoclonus-renal failure syndrome (AMRF). The myoclonus epilepsy and focal glomerulosclerosis is usually caused due to the deficiency of SCARB2/LIMP-2 protein in humans.

Author(s): Joshua D. Ooi [1]; Jan Petersen [2, 3]; Yu H. Tan [2]; Megan Huynh [1]; Zoe J. Willett [1]; Sri H. Ramarathinam [2]; Peter J. Eggenhuizen [1]; Khai L. [...]

The article explores the relation between the celebration of the Eucharist and the church's mission to promote justice. The Eucharist's eschatological orientation has profound implications both for understanding the eucharistic tradition and for developing inculturated and contextually appropriate forms of eucharistic celebration. Some implications impinge directly on the church's mission to promote justice., SOME YEARS AGO I DEDICATED a book of liturgical essays to Archbishop Denis Hurley of Durban, South Africa, honoring his ability to connect the promotion of liturgy with a zeal [...]

The Eucharist. By Edward Schillebeeckx. (New York: Burns and Oates, a Continuum imprint. 2005. Originally published 1968. Pp. 160. $18.95 paperback.) The Eucharist in the Reformation. Incarnation and Liturgy. By [...]

Purpose: This investigation was undertaken to examine the status of the velopharyngeal (VP) port during classical singing. Method: Using aeromechanical instrumentation, nasal airflow (mL/s), oral pressure (cm [H.sub.2]O), and VP orifice area estimates ([cm.sup.2]) were studied in 10 classically trained sopranos during singing and speaking. Each participant sang and spake 3 nonsense words--/hampa/, /himpi/, and /humpu/--at 3 loudness levels (loud vs. comfortable vs. soft) and 3 pitches (high vs. comfortable vs. low), using a within-subject experimental design including all possible combinations. Results: In general, nasal airflow, oral pressure, and VP area estimates were significantly greater for singing as compared to speech, and nasal airflow was observed during non-nasal sounds in all participants. Anticipatory nasal airflow was observed in 9 of 10 participants for singing and speaking and was significantly greater during the first vowel in /hampa/ versus /himpi/ and /humpu/. The effect of vowel height on nasal airflow was also significantly influenced by loudness and pitch. Conclusions: The results from this investigation indicate that at least some trained singers experience regular VP opening during classical singing. Vowel height seems to influence this effect. Future research should consider the effects of voice type, gender, experience level, performance ability, and singing style on VP valving in singers. KEY WORDS: singing, nasal airflow, velopharyngeal opening, pressure-flaw measurement, Vocal pedagogists often emphasize midfacial vibratory sensations as a desirable aspect of the classical singing voice. Techniques such as the "resonant hum," nasal-vowel repetitions, and "singing into the mask" are [...]

A fundamental aspect of acute renal ischemia is energy depletion, manifest as a falling level of ATP that is associated with a simultaneous rise in AMP. The energy sensor AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is activated by a rising AMP-to-ATP ratio, but its role in acute renal ischemia is unknown. AMPK is activated in the ischemic heart and is reported to phosphorylate both endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase. To study activation of AMPK in acute renal ischemia, the renal pedicle of anesthetized Sprague-Dawley rats was cross-clamped for increasing time intervals. AMPK was strongly activated within 1 min and remained so after 30 min. However, despite the robust activation of AMPK, acute renal ischemia did not increase phosphorylation of the AMPK phosphorylation sites eNOS-[Ser.sup.1177] or acetyl-CoA carboxylase-[Ser.sup.79]. Activation of AMPK in bovine aortic endothelial cells by the ATP-depleting agent antimycin A and the antidiabetic drug phenformin also did not increase phosphorylation of eNOS-[Ser.sup.1177], confirming that AMPK activation and phosphorylation of eNOS are dissociated in some situations. Immunoprecipitation studies demonstrated that the dissociation between AMPK activation and phosphorylation of eNOS-[Ser.sup.1177] was not due to changes in the physical associations between AMPK, eNOS, or heat shock protein 90. In conclusion, acute renal ischemia rapidly activates the energy sensor AMPK, which is known to maintain ATP reserves during energy stress. The substrates it phosphorylates, however, are different from those in other organs such as the heart. AMP-activated protein kinase; endothelial nitric oxide synthase; acetyl-CoA carboxylase; kidney

Abstract: The aim of this article is to propose a Java concurrent program for the Smarandache function based on the equation S([p.sup.[k.sub.1].sub.1] * ... * [p.sup.[k.sub.s].sub.s] = max{S([p.sup.[k.sub.1].sub.1]),..., S([p.sup.[k.sub.s].sub.s])}. Some [...]

IN ECUMENICAL DIALOGUE with representatives of other churches, Roman Catholic participants have generally been able to subscribe to mutually agreed statements on issues such as eucharistic memorial, eucharistic presence, and [...]

4. FEMINIST THEOLOGY The turn to the subject, liberation theology, and postmodernity, all occur in some way within the works of feminist theologians. In a recent chapter of a book, [...]

3. POSTMODERN APPROACHES Postmodern critique is rooted in Heidegger's critique of Western metaphysics and in Nietzsche's critique of the will to power. A critique of ontotheology negates the analogy of [...]

INTRODUCTION The aim of this review, offered in several parts,(*) is to give an overview of studies in Roman Catholic sacramental theology, with enough bibliographical references to facilitate further inquiry [...]

Research is presented concerning the disclosure of environmental and social information in the annual reports prepared by major business enterprises. The size of the company and disclosure policy are compared.

Research on corporate management has led to debates on whether or not poor company performance is closely linked to sudden top management changes. A study was conducted to investigate this subject by scrutinizing a sample of 2,643 UK firms which announced 2,729 board changes over a 48-month time span from Jan 1, 1989, to Dec 31, 1992. The study focused on the link between the probability of a top executive's resignation from the company and company share performance in the period prior to his departure and the link between the firms' shareholdings and the market value of their shares.

This part of the survey has to be brief, but omitting it would be to ignore an important part of the dialogue between local churches, North and South. It is [...]

Kanellis, John, Scott Fraser, Marina Katerelos, and David A. Power. Vascular endothelial growth factor is a survival factor for renal tubular epithelial cells. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 278: F905-F915, 2000.--Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) acts primarily as an endothelial cell mitogen via the 'endothelial cell-specific' receptors VEGFR-1 (flt-1) and VEGFR-2 (flk-1/KDR). Only a few nonendothelial cells have been shown to possess functional VEGF receptors. We therefore examined the rat renal tubular epithelial cell line NRK52-E. NRK52-E expressed VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2 mRNA and protein by RT-PCR, Northern blotting, Western blotting, immunofluorescence, and ligand binding. Serumstarved NRK52-E incubated with VEGF showed a significant increase in [[sup.3]H]thymidine incorporation compared with control (2.3-fold at 1-10 ng/ml, P [is less than] 0.05; 3.3-fold at 50-100 ng/ml, P [is less than] 0.01). VEGF also protected NRK52-E from hydrogen peroxide-induced apoptosis and necrosis compared with control (annexin-V-FITC-positive cells, 39 vs. 54%; viable cells, 50.5 vs. 39.7%). Immunohistochemical staining using a variety of antibodies showed expression of both VEGF receptors in normal rat renal tubules in vivo. Because VEGF induced a proliferative and an antiapoptotic response in renal tubular epithelial cells, these data suggest that VEGF may act as a survival factor for renal tubular epithelium in vivo. vascular endothelial growth factor receptors; flt-1; flk-1; vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1; vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2; apoptosis

Individual capital expenditure projects are examined in the context of stock market reaction to investment announcements.