bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Analytic Measures for Evaluating Managerial Writing
Authors: ROGERS PRISCILLA S.
Published: March 2007

The recent addition of a writing performance assessment to the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) means that many students now enter business school with a writing assessment score and perhaps even a heightened awareness that writing matters in some way to the successful completion of an MBA degree. This situation presents teachers of business and managerial writing with a new opportunity and pressure to provide students with writing tools that are directly relevant to their business studies and professional careers. The Analysis of Argument Measure and the Persuasive Adaptiveness Measure introduced here are assessment tools that may be used to explain holistic assessment scores (which students receive on the GMAT writing component) and may assist students in understanding and evaluating their writing, both in school and in the workplace. Designed to evaluate managerial documents that are persuasive and directorial in nature, these measures were developed through a series of pilots and used to assess a selected sample of managerial memorandums that were also scored holistically. Correlating the holistic and analytic scores revealed a positive association, and interrater reliability achieved good agreement beyond chance. These results suggest that the measures may be reliably employed to assess characteristics valued in managerial writing. Examples of how these analytic measures may be employed for teaching and research are also described.
Product Family Manufacturing Plan Generation and Classification
Authors: Martinez M.T. , Favrel J. , Ghodous P.
Published: March 2007

In the concurrent engineering approach, the problems related to product fabrication are taken into account as early as possi ble in design process. Manufacturing and assembly process design are decisive and expensive processes conditioning all the future steps of industrialisation and fabrication. In this paper a new method for assembly plan generation, based on the concept of meta-prod uct, is presented. This method is designed for modern production environments that are organised in product families with multiple op tions and variants. Facing the combinatory explosion problem, the method proposes an original representation of assembly sequences allowing the generation of a minimal list of non-redundant assembly plans called meta-sequences. In this method, an optimal assembly sequence class is selected. Then, for each product variant an optimal specific plan class is deduced from a simple analysis of product variant's components. An assembly reactive control system, adapting this optimal solution to the real assembly workshop conditions is also proposed.

Another competitive problem is the case of production of old or short-series products. To rationalise their manufacturing, a solution consists in classifying products into classes, on the basis of similarity of required manufacturing processes. This technique called group technology (GT) helps to minimize unnecessary variety of products in a manufacturing plant by making designers aware of existing simi lar components. In this paper a new GT method is presented. It allows the classification of sequential manufacturing sequences as well as tree-like manufacturing plans. The method is based on an adapted representation of tree-like manufacturing plans, the distance adapted to this special case, efficient heuristics, and hierarchical bottom-up classification. Then, each product class can be managed in accordance to our family product generation method, or can be served as a base for reengineering process of firm's range of products.
Institutions, Economic Structure and Poverty in Pakistan
Authors: Hussain Akmal
Published: March 2007

This paper argues that the tendencies for slow growth, high budget deficits and growing poverty, which were manifested in the eruption of an economic crisis in Pakistan during the 1990s, are rooted in the structure of Pakistan's economy. The emergence of such a structure is traced through a historical analysis, which examines the relationship between the processes of institutional decay, the policy of successive political regimes, the role of individual leaders and the architecture of the economy

The paper shows how various military regimes laid the structural basis for the deterioration in both the polity and economy of Pakistan. It is also shown how the various democratically elected regimes not only sought authoritarian forms of power within formally democratic structures but also accelerated the process of economic decline. Thus, the crisis of growth and poverty is located as much in the deterioration of institutions, as it is in the failure of individual leaders to pursue public interest rather than their own.
Oxygen dynamics around buried lesser sandeelsAmmodytes tobianus(Linnaeus 1785): mode of ventilation and oxygen requirements
Authors: Behrens Jane W. , Stahl Henrik J. , Steffensen John F. , Glud Ronnie N.
Published: March 2007

The oxygen environment around buried sandeels (Ammodytes tobianus)was monitored by planar optodes. The oxygen penetration depth at the sediment interface was only a few mm. Thus fish, typically buried at 1–4 cm depth, were generally in anoxic sediment. However, they induced an advective transport through the permeable interstice and formed an inverted cone of porewater with 93% air saturation in front of the mouth. From dye experiments the mean ventilatory flow rate was estimated at 0.26±0.02 ml min–1 (86.9±7.3 ml min–1kg–1) (N=3). Expelled water from the gills induced a 1 cm circular plume with <15% air saturation around the gills. During this quasi-steady ventilation mode, fish extracted 86.2±4.8% (N=7)of the oxygen from the inspired water. However, 13% of the investigated fish(2 of 15) occasionally wriggled their bodies and thereby transported almost fully air-saturated water down along the body, referred to as `plume ventilation'. Yet, within ∼30 min the oxic plume was replenished by oxygen-depleted water from the gills. The potential for cutaneous respiration by the buried fish was thus of no quantitative importance. Calculations derived by three independent methods (each with N=3) revealed that the oxygen uptake of sandeel buried for 6–7 h was 40–50% of previous estimates on resting respirometry of non-buried fish, indicating lower O2 requirements during burial on a diurnal timescale. Buried fish exposed to decreasing oxygen tensions gradually approached the sediment surface, but remained in the sediment until the inspired water reached 5–10% air saturation.
Activation and nuclear translocation of ERK in response to ligand-dependent and -independent stimuli in liver and gill cells from rainbow trout
Authors: Ebner Hannes L. , Blatzer Michael , Nawaz Muhammad , Krumschnabel Gerhard
Published: March 2007

The mitogen-activated protein kinase ERK is an important signalling molecule involved in the control of cell proliferation, differentiation and cell death, targeting molecules at the cell membrane, in the cytosol, and in the nucleus. This study investigated the activation pattern and subcellular distribution of ERK in liver and gill cells of rainbow trout upon hypo-osmotic shock, addition of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and copper treatment. It further set out to characterize the hypothetical role of nuclear-export signal(NES)-dependent relocation of ERK after nuclear entry and the potential involvement of the ERK activator MEK. Although, in primary hepatocytes, ERK was activated in all conditions in a stimulus-specific manner, it did not accumulate in the nucleus, irrespective of the absence or presence of the inhibitor of NES-dependent export leptomycin B (LB). Similarly, in trout hepatoma cells, where pERK levels increased upon osmotic and mitotic stimulation, but not after toxic insult, no significant nuclear translocation was observed. In a gill cell line, levels of pERK increased after osmotic and mitotic stimulation and showed a decrease during incubation with a toxicant. Again, none of these conditions triggered nuclear accumulation of pERK in the gill cells in the absence of LB, but in contrast to the observation in liver cells, both osmotic and mitotic stimulation caused nuclear accumulation in the presence of the inhibitor. The ERK activator MEK, which possesses a NES-sequence, was apparently not involved in nuclear export, as it did not seem to enter the nucleus. Altogether, ERK is activated in trout cells in a stimulus- and cell type-specific manner, and our data suggest that it acutely acts primarily on cytoplasmic or membrane-situated targets in liver cells,whereas it presumably triggers rapid transcriptional activities in gill cells.)
The extensor tibiae muscle of the stick insect: biomechanical properties of an insect walking leg muscle
Authors: Guschlbauer Christoph , Scharstein Hans , Büschges Ansgar
Published: March 2007

We investigated the properties of the extensor tibiae muscle of the stick insect (Carausius morosus) middle leg. Muscle geometry of the middle leg was compared to that of the front and hind legs and to the flexor tibiae,respectively. The mean length of the extensor tibiae fibres is 1.41±0.23 mm and flexor fibres are 2.11±0.30 mm long. The change of fibre length with joint angle was measured and closely follows a cosine function. Its amplitude gives effective moment arm lengths of 0.28±0.02 mm for the extensor and 0.56±0.04 mm for the flexor. Resting extensor tibiae muscle passive tonic force increased from 2 to 5 mN in the maximum femur–tibia (FT)-joint working range when stretched by ramps.

Active muscle properties were measured with simultaneous activation (up to 200 pulses s–1) of all three motoneurons innervating the extensor tibiae, because this reflects most closely physiological muscle activation during leg swing. The force–length relationship corresponds closely to the typical characteristic according to the sliding filament hypothesis: it has a plateau at medium fibre lengths, declines nearly linearly in force at both longer and shorter fibre lengths, and the muscle's working range lies in the short to medium fibre length range. Maximum contraction velocity showed a similar relationship. The force–velocity relationship was the traditional Hill curve hyperbola, but deviated from the hyperbolic shape in the region of maximum contraction force close to the isometric contraction.

Step-like changes in muscle length induced by loaded release experiments characterised the non-linear series elasticity as a quadratic spring.
A Comparative Study of Root Coverage Using Acellular Dermal Matrix With and Without Enamel Matrix Derivative
Authors: Shin Sang Ho , Cueva Marco A. , Kerns David G. , Hallmon William W. , Rivera‐Hidalgo Francisco , Nunn Martha E.
Published: March 2007

Background: The aim of this study was to compare root coverage using acellular dermal matrix (ADM) with and without enamel matrix derivative (EMD) on the percentage of root coverage, probing attachment level, and the amount of keratinized tissue in the treatment of localized recession.

Methods: Eighty‐two contralateral sites in 14 patients with ≥2 mm of Miller Class I or III buccal tissue recession were treated. Forty‐one test sites were treated with coronally advanced flap (CAF) using ADM in conjunction with EMD, whereas 41 control sites were treated with CAF using ADM alone. A split‐mouth design was used for this study with 82 sites. Patients were followed for 3 and 6 months. A paired t test was conducted with the subject as the unit of analysis.

Results: Based on paired t tests, both groups had significant improvement in the percentage of root coverage, probing attachment levels, and increased keratinized tissue. Only keratinized tissue in the test group demonstrated a statistically significant greater increase compared to controls at the 6‐month evaluation (P = 0.006).

Conclusion: The use of EMD in conjunction with ADM resulted in a statistically significant effect on keratinized tissue increase, but no significant effects on probing attachment level or percentage of root surface coverage.
The Need for Glycemic Trials in Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Abraira Carlos , Duckworth William
Published: March 2007

In Brief

Glycemic control is a well-established treatment objective in diabetes care. However, the effectiveness and specific goals of glycemic control are not yet known for older type 2 diabetic patients with advanced complications and suboptimal response to current treatments. Therefore, current glycemic guidelines for such patients are variable. This article presents the rationale for ongoing long-term clinical trials to answer these questions and reviews the demonstrated effectiveness of hypertension and dyslipidemia control in reducing both microvascular and macrovascular complications.
External Barriers to Diabetes Care: Addressing Personal and Health Systems Issues
Authors: Zgibor Janice C. , Songer Thomas J.
Published: March 2007

In Brief

Existing knowledge from the literature demonstrates that primary prevention of diabetes complications is possible. However, patient-, provider-, and health system-based barriers may prevent implementation of evidence-based practices. This article explores barriers to diabetes care that are external to the patient and that may require particular attention when attempting to translate primary prevention strategies into clinical care in the community.
Fine-Tuning Control: Pattern Management Versus Supplementation
Authors: Pearson Jan , Bergenstal Richard
Published: March 2007

In Brief

Research shows that near-normoglycemia is crucial for preventing complications and improving the health of individuals with diabetes. The majority of people with diabetes need insulin therapy. Just injecting insulin is not enough, however. Patient-centered team care is vital to success. Individuals need to build their self-management skills beginning with the foundation of pattern management and progressing to advanced insulin management. Sliding-scale, or supplemental, insulin therapy can only be fully effective with pattern management as the underlying strategy.
Pump Therapy for Children: Weighing the Risks and Benefits
Authors: Kaufman Francine Ratner , Halvorson Mary , Carpenter Sue , Devoe Debra , Pitukcheewanont Pisit
Published: March 2007

In Brief

Insulin pump therapy has been shown to be beneficial in pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes; however, there is little data on very young children with regards to the risk/benefit ratio of pump therapy. This article describes the outcomes of insulin pump therapy in young children in our center at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and the criteria for patient selection.
Interview With an Expert in Complementary Therapy: James Gordon, MD
Authors: Payne Cynthia
Published: March 2007

In Brief

This article offers excerpts from a discussion with James Gordon, MD, director of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine in Washington, D.C. Dr. Gordon is one of the key figures in the field of complementary and alternative medicine. He is chairman of the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy and is the author of 10 books including Manifesto for a New Medicine: Your Guide to Healing Partnerships and the Wise Use of Alternative Therapies.
Mind-Body Interventions
Authors: Rice Birgitta I.
Published: March 2007

In Brief

Mind-body interventions utilize the mind’s capacity to affect the body and its physiological responses. They thereby influence health. The response to stress (the “fight or flight” reaction) may be automatic, but recovery toward relaxed parameters (“the relaxation response”) can be learned through self-regulation and the regular use of mind-body interventions. Many of these interventions originate from Eastern healing practices. Western science has found some of them to be helpful as adjunct modalities in the treatment of disease, and their use is increasing.
Improving Diabetes Care in the Hospital Using Guideline-Directed Orders
Authors: Quevedo Stephen F. , Sullivan Elaine , Kington Randi , Rogers Warren
Published: March 2007

Improving glycemic control for inpatients with diabetes remains a formidable challenge. While the use of inadequate and nonphysiological insulin regimens is widespread, there are many potential barriers to improving physician and nursing hospital practices in this area. This article describes an integrated program that utilizes subcutaneous and intravenous insulin order forms incorporating guidelines that encourage more appropriate insulin therapy in the hospital. This approach has resulted in a significant decrease in one factor associated with suboptimal insulin use for inpatients: reliance on sliding-scale short-acting insulin alone for blood glucose control.
Toxins and Diabetes Mellitus: An Environmental Connection?
Authors: Parker Veronica G. , Mayo Rachel M. , Logan Barbara N. , Holder Barbara J. , Smart Patricia T.
Published: March 2007

Several international studies have examined the relationship between environmental influences and diabetes mellitus. The purpose of this study was to provide a comprehensive review of those findings from the scientific literature of the past 30 years. Literature relevant to the relationship between diabetes and environmental toxins was reviewed. The literature search was conducted using the National Library of Medicine, Expanded Academic, Health Reference Center, and PubMed (Medline) search mechanisms. The Internet (World Wide Web) was also used to obtain general information.

The findings suggest that two environmental toxins, arsenic and dioxin (dibenzo-p-dioxins), may have some relationship to an increased risk for diabetes. It should be noted that results only indicate a possible relationship between diabetes and environmental toxins. The authors strongly suggest that further studies be conducted to determine the true nature and extent of the relationships reported in the literature.
Outpatient Technologies for the Treatment and Prevention of Diabetes
Authors: Marcus Alan O.
Published: March 2007

Diabetes care has undergone dramatic changes throughout time that can be attributed to breakthroughs in either pharmacotherapy or technology. These breakthroughs were aimed at either improving outcomes in terms of reduction or prevention of complications or enhancing our capacity to diagnose the disease because of the human and economic impact of failing to diagnose and intervene appropriately.

Recent advances in outpatient technology for glucose measurement have brought to the field of diabetes the capacity to better achieve both of these necessary goals: detection and effective intervention. These new technologies are extending the capabilities of both physicians and patients to diagnose diabetes and effectively control blood glucose. They are also increasing awareness and diagnosis of states of elevated glucose that may be associated with an increased risk of diabetes. This allows patients with elevated glucose to be targeted for prevention strategies before the development of diabetes.
Prescribed Medications and OTCs: Interactions and Timing Issues
Authors: Rhoades Kimberly R.
Published: March 2007

In Brief

This article describes some common drug-drug interactions between prescription medications and over-the-counter medications that people with diabetes might encounter. With each interaction listed, there is a description of how to appropriately manage it. Also, proper timing of the medications in relation to food intake is described. The data presented are not all-inclusive but do detail the common medications used in people with diabetes.
Osteoporosis Among Patients With Diabetes: An Overlooked Disease
Authors: Chau Diane L. , Goldstein-Fuchs Jordi , Edelman Steven V.
Published: March 2007

Although osteoporosis is the most prevalent metabolic bone disease in the United States, its impact in a people with diabetes is not often considered. Routine screening or initiation of preventive medications for osteoporosis in all patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes is not recommended at this time. However, all patients with diabetes, and particularly those with fractures, should be given general recommendations regarding adequate dietary calcium intake, regular exercise, and avoidance of other potential risk factors. Consideration of bone density evaluation should be part of the fracture evaluation, and respective preventive or therapeutic interventions should be applied.
It Takes a Village: Helping Families Live With Diabetes
Authors: Butler Deborah A. , Lawlor Margaret T.
Published: March 2007

In Brief

To develop individualized goals of therapy for youth with diabetes, an awareness is needed that diabetes both affects and is affected by normal child and adolescent growth and development, as well as by family functioning and dynamics. However, it takes more than the health care team and family members to succeed at managing a child’s or adolescent’s diabetes. This article offers ideas to empower the families of young people with diabetes through multidisciplinary community support from schools, camps, health care teams, and research-driven programs.
Transforming Diabetes Health Care
Authors: Hupke Cindy , Camp Anne W. , Chaufournier Roger , Langley Gerald J. , Little Kevin
Published: March 2007

In Brief

The Health Disparities Collaboratives initiative of the Department of Health and Human Services Bureau of Primary Health Care (described in the article on p. 102) has allowed hundreds of health centers around the country to improve process and clinical outcomes for people with diabetes. This article reports on the results of these efforts from facilities participating in the collaboratives.
Case Study: Alteration in Run Performance and Aerobic Power in a Runner With Type 1 Diabetes
Authors: Berg Kris
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this case study was to compare the decrement in distance running performance and peak VO2 over ∼25 years in a runner with type 1 diabetes with those of runners who do not have diabetes. A 58-year-old man was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 12. His blood glucose (BG) management has been tightly controlled, with glycated hemoglobin values averaging just above normal (mean: 6.18%; normal: 4.0–6.0%) for over a 21-year period. His decline in running performance at three distances (800 m, 3 miles, and 10 km), as well as his decrement in relative oxygen uptake (VO2) peak were compared to active runners not having type 1 diabetes.

All distances run were certified, and his peak VO2 was assessed in the same laboratory 12 times over a 23-year period. Values for peak VO2 in all 12 tests across time were at or above the 90th percentile rank in age-matched people without diabetes. The rate of decline in peak VO2 averaged 0.6% per year. The decrement in run performance per year ranged from 1.0 to 1.5% at the three distances. These values are typical of competitive runners over age 30 who do not have type 1 diabetes.

These results suggest that with vigorous effort to monitor and maintain normal BG levels, a good level of aerobic fitness may be maintained for several decades in people with type 1 diabetes. Also, the decline in running performance with age appears typical of runners not having type 1 diabetes. Consequently, no apparent limitation to peak VO2 or running performance seems to have occurred over several decades because of the presence of type 1 diabetes.
An Epidemiological Perspective on Type 2 Diabetes Among Adult Men
Authors: Hardy Lynda R. , Bell Ronny A.
Published: March 2007

In Brief Diabetes prevalence, costs, and complications are growing at alarming rates in the United States. The prevalence of diabetes is increasing at similar rates for men and women. Some complications, such as lower-extremity amputation and end-stage renal disease, are more prevalent among men, particularly among ethnic minority groups. Diabetes is also a significant contributor to erectile dysfunction. Because men are less likely to engage in the health care system, primary and secondary prevention efforts need to be implemented in culturally appropriate, male-oriented venues.
Erectile Dysfunction in Diabetic Patients
Authors: Penson David F. , Wessells Hunter
Published: March 2007

In Brief Erectile dysfunction is one of the most common complications of diabetes and also one of the most underdiagnosed. Providers need to understand the pathophysiology of this condition in their diabetic patients and make an effort to diagnose and treat it. By doing so, they will improve their patients' quality of life.
Fishes, Whales, and Fishing Tips: Hooking an Active Lifestyle
Authors: Kriska Andrea , Delahanty Linda , Hoskin Mary , Matulik Margie , Otto Amy , Pepe Connie , Pettee Kelley , Pomeroy Jeremy , Nelson Semler Linda , Testaverde Lisa , Venditti Elizabeth M. , Wolf Donna
Published: March 2007

In Brief Given that a physically active lifestyle is important to health and quality of life, health care professionals are faced with the challenge of guiding individuals as they attempt to increase their level of physical activity. To provide some insight into this challenge, several lifestyle interventionists (many of whom were part of the Diabetes Prevention Program) have shared stories of participants and patients whom they have encountered through the years. This collection of “fishing tips”is meant to help in the challenge of hooking an active, healthy lifestyle.
Unique Challenges for Pediatric Patients With Diabetes
Authors: Halvorson Mary , Yasuda Patrice , Carpenter Sue , Kaiserman Kevin
Published: March 2007

In Brief This article identifies many of the special challenges encountered by anyone caring for and managing children and adolescents with diabetes. It uses a case study methodology to provide tools to clarify and explore developmental considerations and contributing factors for this population.
The Role of Health Care Providers in the Prevention of Overweight and Type 2 Diabetes in Children and Adolescents
Authors: Stender Sarah R.S. , Burghen George A. , Mallare Johanna T.
Published: March 2007

In Brief In the midst of the global obesity epidemic, health care providers face the daunting challenge of prevention. Because of the complex interaction between the environment and genetics, individualized care plans for prevention and treatment of emerging premorbid and comorbid conditions must be formulated by a multidisciplinary team that ideally embraces the entire community in the promotion and maintenance of healthy lifestyles. Special attention must be given to multigenerational medical and psychosocial/spiritual history, coupled with a comprehensive physical and psychological (including family dynamics) assessment. The healing relationship between providers and patients can have a profound effect in encouraging sometimes radical lifestyle modifications, which can only be achieved by motivating and empowering children in the context of the family and community in which they live.
Experimental validation of a rigorous absorber model for CO2 postcombustion capture
Authors: Tobiesen Finn Andrew , Svendsen Hallvard F. , Juliussen Olav
Published: March 2007

A rigorous rate‐based model for acid gas absorption was developed and validated against mass‐transfer data obtained from a 3‐month campaign in a laboratory pilot‐plant absorber in which the experimental gas–liquid material balance was within an average of 6%. The mass‐transfer model is based on the penetration theory where the liquid film is discretized using an adaptive grid. The model was validated against all data and the deviation between simulated and averaged gas and liquid side experimental mass‐transfer rates yielded a total variability of 6.26%, while the total average deviation was 6.16%. Simpler enhancement factor mass‐transfer models were also tested, but showed slight over‐prediction of mass‐transfer rates. A sensitivity analysis shows that the accuracy of the equilibrium model is the single most important source of deviation between experiments and model, in particular at high loadings. Experimental data for the absorber in the integrated pilot plant are included. © 2007 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2007
Aortic and ventricular dilation and myocardial reduction in gestation day 17 ICR mouse fetuses of diabetic mothers
Authors: Gutierrez J. Claudio , Hrubec Terry C. , Prater M. Renee , Smith Bonnie J. , Freeman Larry E. , Holladay Steven D.
Published: March 2007

BACKGROUND:

Maternal diabetes mellitus is associated with increased fetal teratogenesis, including cardiovascular defects. Information regarding cardiovascular changes in late‐gestation fetal mice, related to maternal hyperglycemia, is not present in the literature.

METHODS:

Late‐gestation fetal heart and great vessel morphology were analyzed in fetuses from control and diabetic mice. Female ICR mice were injected with streptozocin (200 mg/kg IP) prior to mating to induce diabetes (n = 8). Nonhyperglycemic females were used as controls (n = 8). At day 17 of gestation, females were euthanized and one fetus was arbitrarily selected per litter to analyze the heart and great vessels. Six additional fetuses from different litters, showing external malformations (spina bifida and/or exencephaly), were also evaluated from the diabetic group. Fetal thoraxes were processed using routine histopathologic techniques, and 7‐μm transversal sections were stained with hematoxylin‐eosin. Digital images of sections were made and analyzed using NIH Image J software to compare regional cardiac development. Student's t tests for means were performed to determine differences between groups (p < .05).

RESULTS:

Maternal hyperglycemia caused a dilation of late‐gestation fetal ventricular chambers, a reduction of total ventricular myocardial area, and an increase in transversal ascending thoracic aortic area. Three of six fetuses that displayed external malformations showed an overt cardiac defect, beyond the ventricular and myocardial changes.

CONCLUSIONS:

Maternal hyperglycemia altered morphology of the late‐gestation fetal mouse heart. Postnatal persistence or consequences of late‐gestation heart chamber dilation and myocardial reduction are not yet known. Birth Defects Research (Part A) 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss,
Altered localization of gene expression in both ectoderm and mesoderm is associated with a murine strain difference in retinoic acid–induced forelimb ectrodactyly
Authors: Shimizu Hirohito , Lee Grace S. , Beedanagari Sudheer R. , Collins Michael D.
Published: March 2007

BACKGROUND:

Defects in digit number or fusion as a teratogenic response are well documented in humans and intensively studied in various mouse models. Maternal exposure to excess levels of all‐trans‐retinoic acid (RA) at gestational day 9.5 induces postaxial ectrodactyly (digit loss) in the murine C57BL/6N strain but not in the SWV/Fnn strain.

METHODS:

Whole‐mount in situ hybridization was used to examine the differential expression of limb patterning genes at the transcriptional level between the two mouse strains following the maternal exposure to a teratogenic level of RA. The detection of a gene with altered expression was followed by either the evaluation of other genes that were synexpressed or with an assessment of downstream genes.

RESULTS:

In the C57BL/6N limb bud following maternal RA administration, gene‐specific perturbations were observed within hours of the RA injection in the posterior pre‐AER (apical ectodermal ridge) (Fgf8, Dlx3, Bmp4, Sp8, but not Dlx2 or p63), whereas these genes were normally expressed in the SWV/Fnn limb bud. Furthermore, although RA caused comparable reductions of Shh expression between the strains in the 12 h after administration, some Shh downstream genes were differentially expressed (e.g., Gli1, Ptc, and Hoxd13), whereas others were not (e.g., Fgf4, Bmp4, and Gremlin).

CONCLUSIONS:

It is proposed that altered gene expression in both pre‐AER and mesoderm is involved in the pathogenesis of postaxial digit loss, and that because the alterations in the pre‐AER occur relatively early in the temporal sequence of events, those changes are candidates for an initiating factor in the malformation. Birth Defects Research (Part A) 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Development of an automated SNP analysis method using a paramagnetic beads handling robot
Authors: Hagiwara Hiroko , Sawakami‐Kobayashi Kazumi , Yamamoto Midori , Iwasaki Shoji , Sugiura Mika , Abe Hatsumi , Kunihiro‐Ohashi Sumiko , Takase Kumiko , Yamane Noriko , Kato Kaoru , Son Renkon , Nakamura Michihiro , Segawa Osamu , Yoshida Mamiko , Yohda Masafumi , Tajima Hideji , Kobori Masato , Takahama Yousuke , Itakura Mitsuo , Machida Masayuki
Published: March 2007

Biological and medical importance of the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) has led to development of a wide variety of methods for SNP typing. Aiming for establishing highly reliable and fully automated SNP typing, we have developed the adapter ligation method in combination with the paramagnetic beads handling technology, Magtration®. The method utilizes sequence specific ligation between the fluorescently labeled adapter and the sample DNAs at the cohesive end produced by a type IIS restriction enzyme. Evaluation of the method using human genomic DNA showed clear discrimination of the three genotypes without ambiguity using the same reaction condition for any SNPs examined. The operations following PCR amplification were automatically performed by the Magtration®‐based robot that we have previously developed. Multiplex typing of two SNPs in a single reaction by using four fluorescent dyes was successfully preformed at the almost same sensitivity and reliability as the single typing. These results demonstrate that the automated paramagnetic beads handling technology, Magtration®, is highly adaptable to the automated SNP analysis and that our method best fits to an automated in‐house SNP typing for laboratory and medical uses. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2007;98; 420–428. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Physiological characterization of xylose metabolism in Aspergillus niger under oxygen‐limited conditions
Authors: Meijer S. , Panagiotou G. , Olsson L. , Nielsen J.
Published: March 2007

The physiology of Aspergillus niger was studied under different aeration conditions. Five different aeration rates were investigated in batch cultivations of A. niger grown on xylose. Biomass, intra‐ and extra‐cellular metabolites profiles were determined and ten different enzyme activities in the central carbon metabolism were assessed. The focus was on organic acid production with a special interest in succinate production. The fermentations revealed that oxygen limitation significantly changes the physiology of the micro‐organism. Changes in extra cellular metabolite profiles were observed, that is, there was a drastic increase in polyol production (erythritol, xylitol, glycerol, arabitol, and mannitol) and to a lesser extent in the production of reduced acids (malate and succinate). The intracellular metabolite profiles indicated changes in fluxes, since several primary metabolites, like the intermediates of the TCA cycle accumulated during oxygen limitation (on average three fold increase). Also the enzyme activities showed changes between the exponential growth phase and the oxygen limitation phase. In general, the oxygen availability has a significant impact on the physiology of this fungus causing dramatic alterations in the central carbon metabolism that should be taken into account in the design of A. niger as a succinate cell factory. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2007;98; 462–472. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Quantification of magnetic susceptibility in several strains of Bacillus spores: Implications for separation and detection
Authors: Melnik Kristie , Sun Jianxin , Fleischman Aaron , Roy Shuvo , Zborowski Maciej , Chalmers Jeffrey J.
Published: March 2007

Three strains of Bacillus: Bacillus atrophaeus (formally Bacillus globigii), Bacillus thuringiensis, and Bacillus cereus were tested for their intrinsic magnetic susceptibility. All three strains when sporulated demonstrated significant magnetic susceptibility using an instrument referred to as Cell Tracking Velocimetry. Energy dispersive spectroscopy also confirmed the presence of paramagnetic elements, Fe and Mn, in the spore form of the bacteria. It was demonstrated that this magnetic susceptibility is sufficient to separate and deposit these spores on glass slides in a magnetic deposition system. These results indicate the potential to separate spores with intrinsic magnetic susceptibility directly out of water or air samples. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2007; 98: 186–192. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Continuous fermentation of wheat‐supplemented lignocellulose hydrolysate with different types of cell retention
Authors: Brandberg Tomas , Karimi Keikhosro , Taherzadeh Mohammad J. , Franzén Carl Johan , Gustafsson Lena
Published: March 2007

Medium supplementation and process alternatives for fuel ethanol production from dilute acid lignocellulose hydrolysate were investigated. Dilute acid lignocellulose hydrolysate supplemented with enzymatically hydrolysed wheat flour could sustain continuous anaerobic cultivation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae ATCC 96581 if further supplemented with ammonium sulphate and biotin. This medium composition allowed for a hexose utilisation of 73% and an ethanol production of 36 mmol l−1 h−1 in chemostat cultivation at dilution rate 0.10 h−1. Three different methods for cell retention were compared for improved fermentation of supplemented lignocellulose hydrolysate: cell recirculation by filtration, cell recirculation by sedimentation and cell immobilisation in calcium alginate. All three cell retention methods improved the hexose conversion and increased the volumetric ethanol production rate. Recirculation of 75% of the bioreactor outlet flow by filtration improved the hexose utilisation from 76% to 94%. Sedimentation turned out to be an efficient method for cell separation; the cell concentration in the reactor was 32 times higher than in the outflow after 60 h of substrate feeding. However, chemostat and continuous cell recirculation cultures became severely inhibited when the dilution rate was increased to 0.20 h−1. In contrast, an immobilised system kept producing ethanol at a stable level also at dilution rate 0.30 h−1. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2007; 98: 80–90. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Eversion technique for distal mucosal proctectomy in ulcerative colitis: A preliminary report
Authors: Goligher J C
Published: March 2007

A technique is described for assisting the performance of distal mucosal proctectomy in ulcerative colitis by peranal eversion of the lower rectum. The ease, accuracy and expedition of the mucosal excision have been impressive. In 9 of 16 patients having this procedure as part of an ileo-anal anastomosis (with a pelvic ileal reservoir) the functional results seemed to be similar to those obtained in 14 patients submitted to the same operation but with an endocavitary technique of rectal mucosectomy.
Ischaemic proctitis and adventitial fibromuscular dysplasia of the superior rectal artery
Authors: Quirke P , Campbell I , Talbot I C
Published: March 2007

A case of ischaemic proctitis apparently caused by adventitial fibromuscular dysplasia of the superior rectal artery is reported and the results of a survey of 50 superior rectal and marginal arteries from post mortem and surgical cases are described. Abnormal musculature was demonstrated in varying degree in the adventitia of 28 of 50 asymptomatic patients. Our findings indicate that a spectrum of this vascular abnormality exists in the elderly which is rarely severe enough to contribute to symptomatic large bowel ischaemia.
Carotid artery bruit: Association with internal carotid stenosis and intraluminal turbulence
Authors: Murie J A , Sheldon C D , Quin R O
Published: March 2007

One hundred and ninety-five consecutive referrals to the vascular laboratory for carotid artery investigation have been studied. Carotid bruits were assessed by the referring clinician and documented. All patients underwent bilateral imaging and spectrum analysis of the extra-cranial carotid vessels using a pulsed Doppler ultrasound technique. Eighty-two were further assessed by X-ray contrast angiography. Of 390 internal carotids examined by ultrasound, 65 exhibited intraluminal turbulence of which 49 (75 per cent) had a bruit. In 62 (56 per cent) of 111 internal carotids in the series which were said to have a bruit on clinical examination, no turbulence was found; in 15 instances the external carotid vessel was shown as the true source of turbulence and in the remainder the bruits may have been transmitted from the heart. One hundred and fifty-six vessels were assessed by X-ray and 55 shown to have significant stenosis; 38 (69 per cent) of these exhibited a bruit. Bruit was often absent at high degrees of stenosis and in occluded vessels.

Although a carotid bruit is often a marker of internal carotid intraluminal turbulence and stenosis, this is by no means always so. Cervical bruit may also be due to a diseased external carotid or to sounds transmitted from a more proximal source. Conversely, absence of bruit is a feature not only of normal vessels but of many arteries which are stenosed (especially if this is of high degree) or occluded.
Deep vein thrombosis detection by 99mTc-plasmin test and phlebography
Authors: Husted S E , Nielsen H Krámmer , Krusell L , Fasting H , Nielsen B Ostergaard , Pedersen J Bruun , Dalgaard E , Hansen H Hvid
Published: March 2007

During a 2-year period the diagnostic value of 99mTc-labelled-plasmin test was evaluated in 63 patients admitted with clinical signs of deep vein thrombosis (DVT). In comparison with a conventional phlebography the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the plasmin test was 0·97 and 0·55, respectively. The predictive value in positive cases was 0·79 and in negative 0·92. The sensitivity was highest for thrombosis in the calf and popliteal regions, while the specificity was higher for thrombosis in the femoral veins. It is concluded that the 99mTc-labelled-plasmin test is suitable for DVT-screening in groups of high-risk patients and is simple and rapid. In positive cases the DVT diagnosis must be verified by phlebography.
The surgical treatment of hyperinsulinism in infancy and childhood
Authors: Gough M H
Published: March 2007

Hyperinsulinaemic hypoglycaemia in infancy may be transient or persistent. Persistent hypoglycaemia is caused by nesidioblastosis of the pancreas, a diffuse pancreatic endocrine abnormality involving all the endocrine tissue, or by an islet cell adenoma. The cause of nesidioblastosis is not known but unless controlled its hypoglycaemic effects lead to convulsions, mental retardation or death. Patients with transient hyper-insulinaemic hypoglycaemia, and some with persistent hypoglycaemia, respond to medical therapy but those with an adenoma and many of those with nesidioblastosis will require partial or total pancreatectomy. The surgical treatment of six infants and a child is discussed. Five infants had nesidioblastosis; one infant and one nine-year-old girl had an islet cell adenoma. It is suggested that in the very young when there is no evidence of an insulinoma, resection at the initial operation should be greater — up to 90 per cent — than the previously recommended 75 per cent.
Selective conservative management of penetrating abdominal wounds: A prospective study
Authors: Demetriades D , Rabinowitz B
Published: March 2007

This is a prospective study comprising 156 cases of abdominal stab wounds. The cases were assessed exclusively on clinical grounds: 37.18 per cent of them were treated conservatively without any mortality and minimal complications. Shock, blood on abdominal paracentesis, omentum protruding through the wound, and radiologically free air under the diaphragm, were not absolute indications for surgery. Alcohol consumption did not interfere with the clinical assessment. Of all 130 cases with proved peritoneal penetration, 28.46 per cent had no significant visceral injury. The incidence of negative laparotomies was 7.0 per cent.
Neoplastic invasion of the arterial wall and its modification by surgery: An experimental model
Authors: Moshakis V , Carter R L
Published: March 2007

Fragments of VX2 squamous carcinoma were transplanted into the femoral triangles of rabbits and the growth patterns of tumour invasion were compared in intact femoral arteries, ligated femoral arteries and in femoral arteriovenous (AV) anastomoses. Intact arteries were resistant to tumour; ligated arteries were invaded by tumour and, in most instances, destroyed; AV anastomoses were also invaded but some mural structures remained intact. The relative resistance of systemic arteries to neoplastic invasion appears to be due to a combination of the normal structure of the arterial wall and the normal dynamics of the arterial circulation. Infiltration is facilitated if arterial perfusion falls and/or the normal structure of the arterial wall is modified.
A Danish multicenter study: Cefoxitinversusampicillin + metronidazole in perforated appendicitis
Authors:   The Danish Multicenter Study Group, Jensen N G
Published: March 2007

A prospective controlled randomized-block multicenter study was carried out in 209 patients undergoing surgery for perforated or ruptured appendicitis. The patients received either cefoxitin or ampicillin + metronidazole for 5 days. The treatment was started peroperatively. In both groups wound infections were found to be less than 10 per cent and no difference could be demonstrated. However cefoxitin was significantly superior to ampicillin + metronidazole in preventing intra-abdominal abscesses (P < 0.05). Cefoxitin offers a single drug treatment that adequately reduces postoperative infectious complications in patients undergoing surgery for perforated or ruptured appendicitis.
Randomized prospective trial of Roux-en-Y duodenal diversion versus fundoplication for severe reflux oesophagitis
Authors: Washer G F , Gear M W L , Dowling B L , Gillison E W , Royston C M S , Spencer J
Published: March 2007

It is not widely recognized that duodenal contents are implicated in the causation of severe reflux oesophagitis and stricture formation in patients with hiatus hernia. In a randomized prospective trial, including only patients with severe oesophageal changes, standard Nissen fundoplication has been compared with antrectomy and Roux-en-Y reconstruction. Twenty-two patients were randomized to each group. The 42 surviving trial patients have been followed for an average period of over 5 years. Good results (Visick I or II) have been achieved in 91 per cent of 22 patients having antrectomy and Roux-en-Y anastomosis (Group B), compared with 65 per cent of 20 patients surviving after Nissen fundoplication (Group A). Poor results (Visick III or IV) seen in seven patients (35 per cent) in group A were almost all associated with failure of fundoplication to stop reflux. Two of these patients have subsequently had antrectomy and Roux-en-Y reconstruction with excellent results. Antrectomy with Roux-en-Y gastrojejunostomy appears to be superior to a standard anti-reflux procedure as primary surgical treatment in these patients. The technique is recommended; (1) where the patient has a fixed irreducible hiatus hernia; (2) where previous surgery at the hiatus has failed and rendered reoperation hazardous.
Preference for proximal gastric vagotomy combined with cholecystectomy
Authors: Clark C G , Karamanolis D , Ward M W N
Published: March 2007

The incidence and severity of postvagotomy diarrhoea has been studied in 32 patients who had undergone both vagotomy and cholecystectomy. Sixteen of these patients had had a proximal gastric vagotomy and 16 a truncal vagotomy and pyloroplasty. Diarrhoea was present in 68 per cent of patients in whom the vagotomy was truncal and in 31 per cent of those in whom it was proximal gastric. Matched groups of patients with truncal vagotomy with pyloroplasty and proximal gastric vagotomy without cholecystectomy were also compared. The possible mechanisms of this diarrhoea following combined vagotomy and cholecystectomy have been discussed.