The clinical significance of GB virus C (GBV-C E2) antibody is under investigation. The prevalence rates of GBV-C RNA and antibody to GBV-C E2 glycoprotein were determined in a population of 123 Egyptian anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV)-positive patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) who had not been treated previously with interferon. Sera were tested for GBV-C RNA by the LCx assay (Abbott Laboratories, North Chicago, IL), and for GBV-C E2 antibody by enzyme immunoassay. GBV-C RNA was present in 11.4% of patients. GBV-C E2 antibody was detected in 55.9% of GBV-C RNA-negative patients and in 2.2% of GBV-C RNA-positive patients (P = 0.006). GBV-C RNA was associated significantly with a history of schistosomiasis (relative risk [RR] = 5.83, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.99-17.14, P < 0.005) but not with parenteral risk factors. The presence of GBV-C E2 antibody was not associated with age, gender, parenteral risk factors, schistosomal infection, or HCV viremia. The HCV genotype and level of viremia were similar in GBV-C anti-E2-positive and negative patients. There was a trend toward more severe histological disease with anti-E2 seropositivity (RR = 1.45, 95% CI 0.89-2.45, P = 0.11), an association which was independent of the evidence of schistosomiasis. It is concluded that GBV-C infection is common among HCV-infected Egyptian patients with CLD due to HCV infection. A significant negative correlation between the GBV-C viremia and GBV-C E2 antibody suggests that an antibody response is associated with viral clearance. This antibody response presumably occurs spontaneously, as none of the patients had received antiviral therapy. The unexpected association between GBV-C RNA and schistosomiasis suggests that nonparenteral or occult parenteral routes of GBV-C infection are likely to be important.

This book examines in detail the Florentine system of criminal justice under the reign of the first three Medici grand dukes, from 1537 to 1609. The author discusses the structure and functions of the court, the operation of the two city prisons, and the definition and treatment of the major categories of crime. His main purpose is to shed light on the character of the Medicean state by examining the effectiveness of its main instrument of social control. The study is important for the amount of detail that it offers for such an early period, and it helps to vitiate the usefulness of the term 'absolutist,' which conveys a misleading picture of the early modern state.

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john bracket t 'Hand in Glove' and the Development of The Smiths' Sound The Smiths are one of the most commercially successful and influential bands to emerge from the British post-punk movement in the 1980s. Along with elements such as lyrics, harmony, and musical form, a key component of The Smiths' distinctive musical style involves their sound and, in particular, their sound as represented on studio recordings. Drawing upon the work and insights of scholars such as Albin Zak, Allan F. Moore and Ruth Dockwray, this paper details the complex recording history of the band's first single 'Hand in Glove' in an attempt to trace the development of The Smiths' unique recorded sound. The Smiths are one of the most commercially successful and influential bands to emerge from the British post-punk movement in the 1980s. Despite never having a number one single in the UK and never even cracking the Top 50 singles or album charts in the US, the band quickly acquired a devoted (some would say rabid) fan base following supportive reviews within the British press. 1 Early performances by the band on the John Peel and David Jensen radio shows on BBC Radio 1 in 1983 were enormously important for the band in reaching a larger audience. 2 Between the release of their first single ('Hand in Glove') in May 1983 until The Smiths disbanded in 1987 following the release of their fourth full-length album Strangeways, Here We Come, the band's popularity continued to grow, spurred on by their dynamic and energetic live shows and their exposure on college radio. The release of The Sound of The Smiths in 2008 by Rhino Records is the third greatest hits compilation to be released since 1992, a fact that points to the band's continued appeal amongst older and newer fans (and, of course, the commercial opportunities that present themselves-or are exploited-given such a devoted fan base). Journalists, critics, and, more recently, academics often focus on the lyrics of lead singer and songwriter Morrissey as a key element of the band's appeal. Intelligent, witty, critical, sometimes risqué, and typically sarcastic, Morrissey's lyrics stand in stark contrast to those typically heard in many songs by 'New Romantic' bands that dominated the UK charts during the 1980s, bands such as Culture Club, Human League, Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), and many others. Morrissey's lyrics address (or, given the often ambiguous nature of his lyrics, suggest) a diverse range of topics uncommon to pop and rock traditions including pedophilia ('The Hand That Rocks the Cradle'), the serial murder of children ('Suffer Little Children'), unequal relationships of power (tinged with homoeroticism in 'Handsome Devil' and 'This Charming Man'), vegetarianism vis-à-vis animal cruelty ('Meat Is Murder'), regicide ('The Queen Is Dead'), and suicide pacts ('There Is A Light That Never Goes Out'). Compared to the puppy-love pop of Culture Club's 'I'll Tumble 4 Ya' , the blatant sexism of Duran Duran's 'Girls on Film' or 'Hungry Like the W...