bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Depressive symptoms and C-reactive protein: The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study
Authors: ELOVAINIO MARKO , KELTIKANGAS-JÄRVINEN LIISA , PULKKI-RÅBACK LAURA , KIVIMÄKI MIKA , PUTTONEN SAMPSA , VIIKARI LIISA , RÄSÄNEN LEENA , MANSIKKANIEMI KRISTIINA , VIIKARI JORMA , RAITAKARI OLLI T
Published: April 2006

Background. We tested the hypothesis that depressive symptoms in healthy young adults would be associated with elevated levels of C-reactive proteins (CRP).

Method. We studied the association between depressive symptoms and CRP in 1201 young adults, as a part of the on-going population-based Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study. Depressive symptoms were determined by responses to a revised version of Beck's Depression Inventory in 1992 and 2001. CRP and other known cardiac risk factors were measured in 2001.

Results. Higher depressive symptomatology in 1992 and in 2001 and their means score were related to higher CRP levels (B's range from 0·24 to 0·21, p<0·001). These relationships persisted after separate adjustments for various risk factors including sex, age, education, oral contraceptive use, dietary fat, physical activity, alcohol consumption, smoking status, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, systolic blood pressure and history of acute infectious disease. Adjustments for obesity and triglycerides levels, however, somewhat attenuated the relationship between depressive symptoms and CRP.

Conclusions. We concluded that higher levels of depressive symptoms are associated with higher levels of CRP, but this association may largely be attributable to obesity or triglycerides.
Decay of semi‐diurnal internal‐tide beams due to subharmonic resonance
Authors: Gerkema Theo , Staquet Chantal , Bouruet‐Aubertot Pascale
Published: April 2006

Results of a numerical study on internal‐tide generation are presented, using the nonlinear nonhydrostatic MIT‐GCM. In the model runs, a lunar semidiurnal (M2) internal tide beam is generated over the continental shelf break. Its further nonlinear evolution is analysed, in particular the generation of M1 internal tides by Subharmonic Resonance (SR). This is done for three different latitudes: at a mid‐latitude, slightly below (i.e., equatorward of) the critical latitude (poleward of which the M1 internal tide cannot propagate as a free wave), and at the equator. In the second case the M2 beam loses much energy to M1 already over the continental slope, yielding a pronounced spectral peak at M1, as well as a distinct M1 signal in the current velocity field. At the equator, the transfer to M1 is less pronounced, but still noticeable. Analysis of the growth rate of M1 yields a timescale of two days.
Pacific Ocean inflow: Influence on catastrophic reduction of sea ice cover in the Arctic Ocean
Authors: Shimada Koji , Kamoshida Takashi , Itoh Motoyo , Nishino Shigeto , Carmack Eddy , McLaughlin Fiona , Zimmermann Sarah , Proshutinsky Andrey
Published: April 2006

The spatial pattern of recent ice reduction in the Arctic Ocean is similar to the distribution of warm Pacific Summer Water (PSW) that interflows the upper portion of halocline in the southern Canada Basin. Increases in PSW temperature in the basin are also well‐correlated with the onset of sea‐ice reduction that began in the late 1990s. However, increases in PSW temperature in the basin do not correlate with the temperature of upstream source water in the northeastern Bering Sea, suggesting that there is another mechanism which controls these concurrent changes in ice cover and upper ocean temperature. We propose a feedback mechanism whereby the delayed sea‐ice formation in early winter, which began in 1997/1998, reduced internal ice stresses and thus allowed a more efficient coupling of anticyclonic wind forcing to the upper ocean. This, in turn, increased the flux of warm PSW into the basin and caused the catastrophic changes.
Correlated ab initio study of the ground electronic state of the O2–HF complex
Authors: Fawzy Wafaa M.
Published: April 2006

In this paper, we present the first correlated ab initio investigations on the ground electronic state of the O2–HF complex. Calculations were performed using the CCSD(T) method with the aug-cc-pVDZ and aug-cc-pVTZ basis sets. The results show that there are two equivalent minimum energy hydrogen-bonded structures of planar bent geometry, where the minima correspond to exchange of the oxygen atoms. For each minimum the length of the O–H hydrogen bond is 2.16Å. The best calculated value of De of the equivalent minima is 271cm−1. The T-shaped geometry of the complex, with oxygen perpendicular to the axis connecting the center of masses of O2 and the HF molecule, represents a barrier to tunneling between the equivalent minima. The best estimated value of that barrier height is 217cm−1. The linear O–O–HF geometry of the complex represents a saddle point. The calculated geometrical parameters of the minimum energy structure of the complex are in reasonable agreement with the previously reported spectroscopic results. However, results of the current calculations suggest that a full understanding of the fine structures of the observed infrared spectrum of the complex requires the development of an effective Hamiltonian that takes the effects of tunneling into account.
Stimulated scattering instabilities of electromagnetic waves in an ultracold quantum plasma
Authors: Shukla P. K. , Stenflo L.
Published: April 2006

The nonlinear interaction between a large-amplitude electromagnetic wave (EMW) and low-frequency electron and ion plasma oscillations in a quantum plasma is considered. By using the Maxwell equations and the quantum hydrodynamic equations, a system of equations, which shows the nonlinear couplings between the EMWs and the electrostatic plasma oscillations, is derived. The nonlinear mode coupled equations are then Fourier analyzed to obtain the dispersion relation which exhibits decay and modulational instabilities. The relevance of such an investigation of stimulated scattering of light off plasmons in ultracold quantum plasmas is noted.
Sandarakinotalea sediminis gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel member of the family Flavobacteriaceae
Authors: Khan Shams Tabrez , Nakagawa Yasuyoshi , Harayama Shigeaki
Published: April 2006

Four Gram-negative, orange-coloured, aerobic, heterotrophic bacteria were isolated from sediment samples collected on the Pacific coast of Japan near the cities of Toyohashi and Katsuura. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that these strains form a distinct lineage within the family Flavobacteriaceae. The four isolates shared 99.9–100 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with each other and showed 88–90.9 % similarity with their neighbours in the family Flavobacteriaceae. The four strains also shared high DNA–DNA reassociation values of 67–99 % with each other. All the strains grew at 37 °C but not at 4 °C, and degraded gelatin, starch and DNA. The major fatty acids were i-C15 : 0, a-C15 : 0, i-C16 : 0 and i-C17 : 0 3-OH. However, two common fatty acids of members of the Flavobacteriaceae, i-C15 : 1 and a-C15 : 1, were absent in these strains. The DNA G+C contents of the four strains were in the range 35–37 mol%. On the basis of the polyphasic evidence, it was concluded that these strains should be classified as a novel genus and a novel species in the family Flavobacteriaceae, for which the name Sandarakinotalea sediminis gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Sandarakinotalea sediminis is CKA-5T (=NBRC 100970T=LMG 23247T).
Williamsia marianensis sp. nov., a novel actinomycete isolated from the Mariana Trench
Authors: Pathom-aree Wasu , Nogi Yuichi , Sutcliffe Iain C. , Ward Alan C. , Horikoshi Koki , Bull Alan T. , Goodfellow Michael
Published: April 2006

The taxonomic status of an actinomycete isolated from sediment collected from the Mariana Trench was established using a combination of genotypic and phenotypic data. Isolate MT8T had chemotaxonomic and morphological properties consistent with its classification in the genus Williamsia, and formed a distinct phyletic line in the 16S rRNA gene tree together with the type strain of Williamsia muralis. The isolate was readily distinguished from the latter, and from representatives of other Williamsia species, using DNA–DNA relatedness and phenotypic criteria. Predominant cellular fatty acids were oleic, palmitic and tuberculostearic acids and a hexadecenoic acid. The DNA G+C content was 65.2 mol%. It is apparent that the isolate belongs to a novel species of Williamsia. Strain MT8T (=DSM 44944T=NCIMB 14085T) was thus considered to be the type strain of a novel species in the genus Williamsia, for which the name Williamsia marianensis sp. nov. is proposed.
The apoB/apoA‐I ratio: a strong, new risk factor for cardiovascular disease and a target for lipid‐lowering therapy – a review of the evidence
Authors: WALLDIUS G. , JUNGNER I.
Published: April 2006

During the last several years interest has focused on the importance of the lipid‐transporting apolipoproteins – apoB transports all potentially atherogenic very low‐density lipoprotein (VLDL), intermediate‐density lipoprotein (IDL) and LDL particles, and apoA‐I transports and acts as the major antiatherogenic protein in the HDL particles. The evidence for the apoB/apoA‐I ratio being a strong, new risk factor for cardiovascular (CV) disease and a target for lipid‐lowering therapy is reviewed. Results from clinical prospective studies and lipid‐lowering trials in healthy subjects and in patients with different clinical manifestations of atherosclerosis are reported. Risk of nonfatal and fatal myocardial infarction and stroke, and manifestations of atherosclerosis documented by angiographic, ultrasound and other techniques has been related to conventional lipids and apolipoproteins (apo). The cholesterol balance determined as the apoB/apoA‐I ratio has repeatedly been shown to be a better marker than lipids, lipoproteins and lipid ratios. The results indicate that the apoB/apoA‐I ratio is a simple, accurate and new risk factor for CV disease – the lower the apoB/apoA‐I ratio, the lower is the risk. Guidelines should be developed in order to recognize the important clinical risk information embedded in the apoB/apoA‐I ratio.
Assessment of abnormal glucose homeostasis and insulin resistance in Turkish obese children and adolescents
Authors: Atabek M. E. , Pirgon O. , Kurtoglu S.
Published: April 2006

Background:  The worldwide increase in the prevalence of childhood obesity is reaching epidemic proportions and is associated with a dramatic rise in cases of type 2 diabetes. We determined the prevalence of impaired glucose regulation and insulin resistance in obese children and adolescents.

Methods:  A total of 196 obese children [SD score (SDS) of body mass index (BMI): 2.17 ± 0.03], aged 7–18 years, including 86 male subjects, underwent an oral glucose tolerance test (1.75 g glucose/kg body weight). We used the modified WHO criteria adapted for children for abnormal glucose homeostasis. Homeostasis model assessment was used to estimate insulin resistance in all subjects. The insulin sensitivity index was also determined in subjects.

Results:  Of the total of 196 obese children, 15 (6.6%) had an abnormal fasting glucose level. Of the 196 obese children, 35 (18%) had impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and 83 (43%) had insulin resistance. Of the 196 obese children were six (3%) diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Insulin resistance indices were correlated well with the degree of abnormal glucose tolerance.

Conclusions:  IGT, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes are far more common in obese Turkish children than previously thought. Early treatment in obese children and adolescents with IGT constitutes a strategy of reversing the progression to β‐cell failure and preventing type 2 diabetes.
Serum Lipids in the GENECARD Study of Coronary Artery Disease Identify Quantitative Trait Loci and Phenotypic Subsets on Chromosomes 3q and 5q
Authors: Shah S. H. , Kraus W. E. , Crossman D. C. , Granger C. B. , Haines J. L. , Jones C. J. H. , Mooser V. , Huang L. , Haynes C. , Dowdy E. , Vega G. L. , Grundy S. M. , Vance J. M. , Hauser E. R.
Published: April 2006

Coronary artery disease (CAD) and dyslipidemia have strong genetic components. Heterogeneity complicates evaluating genetics of complex diseases such as CAD; incorporating disease‐related phenotypes may help reduce heterogeneity. We hypothesized that incorporating lipoproteins in a study of CAD would increase the power to map genes, narrow linkage peaks, identify phenotypic subsets, and elucidate the contribution of established risk factors to genetic results.

We performed ordered subset analysis (OSA) and quantitative trait linkage (QTL) using serum lipoproteins and microsatellite markers in 346 families with early‐onset CAD. OSA defined homogeneous subsets and calculated lod scores across a chromosome after ranking families by mean lipoprotein values. QTL used variance components analysis. We found significantly increased linkage to chromosome 3q13 (LOD 5.10, p = 0.008) in families with higher HDL cholesterol, lower LDL and total cholesterol, lower triglycerides, and fewer CAD risk factors, possibly due to a concentrated non‐lipoprotein‐related genetic effect. OSA identified linkage on chromosome 5q34 in families with higher cholesterol, possibly representing a hereditary lipoprotein phenotype. Multiple QTLs were identified, with the strongest for: total cholesterol on chromosome 5q14 (LOD 4.3); LDL on 20p12 (LOD 3.97); HDL on 3p14 (LOD 1.65); triglycerides on 18q22 (LOD 1.43); and HDL/TC ratio on 3q27‐28 (LOD 2.06).

Our findings suggest the presence of etiologic heterogeneity in families with early‐onset CAD, potentially due to differential effects of lipoprotein phenotypes. Candidate genes are under investigation.
Preparation of C-5 Substituted Cidofovir Derivatives
Authors: Krečmerová Marcela , Masojídková Milena , Holý Antonín
Published: April 2006

1-[(S)-3-Hydroxy-2-(phosphonomethoxy)propyl]cytosine (HPMPC, cidofovir) was modified by substitution on the base moiety in positions C-5 andN4. Key intermediates of these syntheses, diisopropyl esters of (S)-1-[2-(phosphonomethoxy)-3-(triphenylmethoxy)propyl]-5-alkylcytosines (6and7) prepared from 5-alkyl-4-methoxypyrimidin-2(1H)-ones were transformed to the corresponding 5-substituted cytosine orN4-alkylcytosine derivatives by the action of ammonia or primary amines, respectively. These fully protected phosphonate esters gave by treatment with bromotrimethylsilane followed by hydrolysis free phosphonic acids: 1-[(S)-3-hydroxy-2-(phosphonomethoxy)propyl]-5-methylcytosine (5-methyl-HPMPC,10), 5-ethyl-1-[(S)-3-hydroxy-2-(phosphonomethoxy)propyl]cytosine (5-ethyl-HPMPC,11) and a series of 5-ethyl-HPMPC analogues17-21bearing various substituents inN4position (cyclopropyl, cyclopentyl, 2-hydroxyethyl, allyl, 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl). 5-Ethynyl-1-[(S)-3-hydroxy-2-(phosphonomethoxy)propyl]cytosine (5-ethynyl-HPMPC,26) was prepared from 5-iodocytosine derivative23using Sonogashira coupling with (trimethylsilyl)acetylene, CuI and [PdCl2(Ph3P)2]. None of the prepared compounds exhibited antiviral activity in vitro.
A role for mitochondrial aquaporins in cellular life-and-death decisions?
Authors: Lee Wing-Kee , Thévenod Frank
Published: April 2006

Mitochondria dominate the process of life-and-death decisions of the cell. Continuous generation of ATP is essential for cell sustenance, but, on the other hand, mitochondria play a central role in the orchestra of events that lead to apoptotic cell death. Changes of mitochondrial volume contribute to the modulation of physiological mitochondrial function, and several ion permeability pathways located in the inner mitochondrial membrane have been implicated in the mediation of physiological swelling-contraction reactions, such as the K+ cycle. However, the channels and transporters involved in these processes have not yet been identified. Osmotic swelling is also one of the fundamental characteristics exhibited by mitochondria in pathological situations, which activates downstream cascades, culminating in apoptosis. The permeability transition pore has long been postulated to be the primary mediator for water movement in mitochondrial swelling during cell death, but its molecular identity remains obscure. Inevitably, accumulating evidence shows that mitochondrial swelling induced by apoptotic stimuli can also occur independently of permeability transition pore activation. Recently, a novel mechanism for osmotic swelling of mitochondria has been described. Aquaporin-8 and -9 channels have been identified in the inner mitochondrial membrane of various tissues, including the kidney, liver, and brain, where they may mediate water transport associated with physiological volume changes, contribute to the transport of metabolic substrates, and/or participate in osmotic swelling induced by apoptotic stimuli. Hence, the recent discovery that aquaporins are expressed in mitochondria opens up new areas of investigation in health and disease.
Health status measurement in COPD: the minimal clinically important difference of the clinical COPD questionnaire
Authors: Kocks JWH , Tuinenga MG , Uil SM , van den Berg JWK , Ståhl E , van der Molen T
Published: April 2006

Background

Patient-reported outcomes (PRO) questionnaires are being increasingly used in COPD clinical studies. The challenge facing investigators is to determine what change is significant, ie what is the minimal clinically important difference (MCID). This study aimed to identify the MCID for the clinical COPD questionnaire (CCQ) in terms of patient referencing, criterion referencing, and by the standard error of measurement (SEM).

Methods

Patients were ≥40 years of age, diagnosed with COPD, had a smoking history of >10 pack-years, and were participating in a randomized, controlled clinical trial comparing intravenous and oral prednisolone in patients admitted with an acute exacerbation of COPD. The CCQ was completed on Days 1–7 and 42. A Global Rating of Change (GRC) assessment was taken to establish the MCID by patient referencing. For criterion referencing, health events during a period of 1 year after Day 42 were included in this analysis.

Results

210 patients were recruited, 168 completed the CCQ questionnaire on Day42. The MCID of the CCQ total score, as indicated by patient referencing in terms of the GRC, was 0.44. The MCID of the CCQ in terms of criterion referencing for the major outcomes was 0.39, and calculation of the SEM resulted in a value of 0.21.

Conclusion

This investigation, which is the first to determine the MCID of a PRO questionnaire via more than one approach, indicates that the MCID of the CCQ total score is 0.4.
Biologically relevant effects of mRNA amplification on gene expression profiles
Authors: van Haaften Rachel IM , Schroen Blanche , Janssen Ben JA , van Erk Arie , Debets Jacques JM , Smeets Hubert JM , Smits Jos FM , van den Wijngaard Arthur , Pinto Yigal M , Evelo Chris TA
Published: April 2006

Background

Gene expression microarray technology permits the analysis of global gene expression profiles. The amount of sample needed limits the use of small excision biopsies and/or needle biopsies from human or animal tissues. Linear amplification techniques have been developed to increase the amount of sample derived cDNA. These amplified samples can be hybridised on microarrays. However, little information is available whether microarrays based on amplified and unamplified material yield comparable results.

In the present study we compared microarray data obtained from amplified mRNA derived from biopsies of rat cardiac left ventricle and non-amplified mRNA derived from the same organ. Biopsies were linearly amplified to acquire enough material for a microarray experiment. Both amplified and unamplified samples were hybridized to the Rat Expression Set 230 Array of Affymetrix.

Results

Analysis of the microarray data showed that unamplified material of two different left ventricles had 99.6% identical gene expression. Gene expression patterns of two biopsies obtained from the same parental organ were 96.3% identical. Similarly, gene expression pattern of two biopsies from dissimilar organs were 92.8% identical to each other.

Twenty-one percent of reporters called present in parental left ventricular tissue disappeared after amplification in the biopsies. Those reporters were predominantly seen in the low intensity range.

Sequence analysis showed that reporters that disappeared after amplification had a GC-content of 53.7+/-4.0%, while reporters called present in biopsy- and whole LV-samples had an average GC content of 47.8+/-5.5% (P <0.001). Those reporters were also predicted to form significantly more (0.76+/-0.07 versus 0.38+/-0.1) and longer (9.4+/-0.3 versus 8.4+/-0.4) hairpins as compared to representative control reporters present before and after amplification.

Conclusion

This study establishes that the gene expression profile obtained after amplification of mRNA of left ventricular biopsies is representative for the whole left ventricle of the rat heart. However, specific gene transcripts present in parental tissues were undetectable in the minute left ventricular biopsies. Transcripts that were lost due to the amplification process were not randomly distributed, but had higher GC-content and hairpins in the sequence and were mainly found in the lower intensity range which includes many transcription factors from specific signalling pathways.
An integrated system for genetic analysis
Authors: Fiddy Simon , Cattermole David , Xie Dong , Duan Xiao Yuan , Mott Richard
Published: April 2006

Background

Large-scale genetic mapping projects require data management systems that can handle complex phenotypes and detect and correct high-throughput genotyping errors, yet are easy to use.

Description

We have developed an Integrated Genotyping System (IGS) to meet this need. IGS securely stores, edits and analyses genotype and phenotype data. It stores information about DNA samples, plates, primers, markers and genotypes generated by a genotyping laboratory. Data are structured so that statistical genetic analysis of both case-control and pedigree data is straightforward.

Conclusion

IGS can model complex phenotypes and contain genotypes from whole genome association studies. The database makes it possible to integrate genetic analysis with data curation. The IGS web site http://bioinformatics.well.ox.ac.uk/project-igs.shtml contains further information.
Permeabilization of the mycobacterial envelope for protein cytolocalization studies by immunofluorescence microscopy
Authors: Cimino Mena , Alamo Lorenzo , Salazar Leiria
Published: April 2006

Background

The establishment of the cellular localization of proteins in M. tuberculosis will provide of valuable information for the identification of new drug/vaccine/diagnostic targets. Cytolocalization by inmunofluorescence microscopy has been limited in mycobacteria because to difficulties in effectively permeabilize it.

Results

A treatment combining lysozyme with triton X-100 was found to be an effective permeabilization method of the mycobacterial envelope.

Conclusion

A rapid and simple permeabilization protocol has been successfully assessed in pure cultures of both Mycobacterium smegmatis and Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv. This method can be successful used in the cytolocalization of proteins by immunolabeling.
An unusual cause of acute abdominal pain – A case presentation
Authors: Wunnava Rao V , Hunt Trevor M
Published: April 2006

Background

In 1983, Graham Hughes described a condition of Antiphospholipid Syndrome in which there was a danger of thrombosis. The condition is readily detectable by blood tests and, once diagnosed; the risk of further thrombosis can be significantly reduced by anticoagulation treatments. Affected groups of patients can be distinguished by a specific blood test – the detection of antiphospholipid antibody (Ref-1). Patients with Hughes syndrome have hypercoaguable state with a markedly increased risk of both arterial and venous thrombosis and there is temporal persistence of antibody positivity.

Case presentation

A 44-year-old woman was admitted under the acute surgical "take" with left sided abdominal pain radiating to her back. She had a history of borderline thyrotoxicosis in the early 1990s. She was on etonogestrel-releasing implants for contraception and there was no history of previous deep venous thrombosis. She was very tender, locally, over the left side of the abdomen. Investigations showed haemoglobin of 13.2 g/dl, white cell count of 19.9 10*9/L, and platelets 214 10*9/L with neutrophilia. Amylase and renal function tests were found to be normal. Liver function tests were deranged with Gamma GT 244 u/l (twice normal). An abdominal Ultrasound Scan suggested a possible splenic infarction, which was confirmed by a CT scan of her abdomen. Tests were carried out to investigate the possibility of a post thrombotic state. Coagulation risk factors for thrombosis were within the normal limits; Protein S 67 %(60–140), Protein C 103 % (72–146), Antithrombin 3 110 %(80–120) and Activated P C Resistance was 1.9(2.0–4.3). The Hams test was negative but the Anticardiolipin antibody test was positive. IgM level was 52 (normal is up to 10) and IgG was 18.8 (normal is up to 10). She also had border line APC Sensitivity 1.9 (2 to 4.3). Kaolin time 49 sec (70–120) Ktmix 64 sec (70–120), thyroid function test revealed TSH 0.32 mu/L, fT4 20.2 pmol/L (10–25). Subsequent determination of Anticardiolipin antibody was negative. Her symptoms were settled with the use of simple analgesia and she was discharged home with long-term anticoagulation medication. The INR target for long-term anticoagulation was aimed at >3.

Conclusion

This case presented to us as an acute abdominal pain. Subsequent investigations revealed the presence of splenic infarction. Coagulation risk factors for thrombosis proved negative. Haematological investigations revealed the presence of anticardiolipin antibodies at the first instance but subsequent determinations were negative. Hence, it mimicked Hughes syndrome initially but the criteria for temporal persistence of anticardiolipin antibody was not fulfilled. Unusual surgical presentation of a thrombotic abnormality as abdominal pain due to splenic infarction.
Cataract surgery by appointment – a pilot study
Authors: Mavrikakis Ioannis , Georgiou Tassos , Paul Bobby , Liu Christopher SC
Published: April 2006

Background

"Cataract Surgery by Appointment" is a new method of delivery of cataract surgery that reduces the time a patient spends in hospital by their direct arrival at the operating theatre, having self-prepared for surgery, thus avoiding admission to the ward or time spent in the Day Case Unit. The patient can stay as little as 20 minutes from their arrival to going home. We describe the process in detail, and seek to evaluate the visual outcome, safety and patient satisfaction of same.

Methods

Visual outcome and safety data were obtained from patients' medical records, prospectively. Patients were also surveyed by a questionnaire to determine their satisfaction with the service and viability as a prospect for providing a more efficient cataract surgery service.

Results

In 2002, fifty-one eyes of 39 consecutive patients underwent "Cataract Surgery by Appointment". There were 16 male and 23 female. The pre-operative best-corrected visual acuity was 6/9 or better in 17 (33%) eyes. The post-operative best-corrected visual acuity was 6/9 or better in 44 (86%) eyes. There were no per-operative complications. Post-operative complications occurred in 3 (6%) eyes. The average number of days from surgery to final discharge was 14.5 days.

Twenty-eight (72%) completed questionnaires were returned. The results show that the majority of patients were satisfied with their overall experience of this mode of delivery for cataract surgery.

Conclusion

"Cataract Surgery by Appointment" performed under local anaesthesia by a skilled ophthalmic surgeon appears to be safe and effective for highly selected cases. This method of delivery gave a high level of patient satisfaction, and is the ultimate form of day case cataract surgery. The method may gain widespread use should per-operative intracameral pupil dilatation prove to be effective and acceptable. Attention should be paid to risk-stratification, so complex cases are allocated more time on the operating list.
The North West Adelaide Health Study: detailed methods and baseline segmentation of a cohort for selected chronic diseases
Authors: Grant Janet F , Chittleborough Catherine R , Taylor Anne W , Dal Grande Eleonora , Wilson David H , Phillips Patrick J , Adams Robert J , Cheek Julianne , Price Kay , Gill Tiffany , Ruffin Richard E ,   the North West Adelaide Health Study Team
Published: April 2006

The North West Adelaide Health Study is a population-based biomedical cohort study investigating the prevalence of a number of chronic conditions and health-related risk factors along a continuum. This methodology may assist with evidence-based decisions for health policy makers and planners, and inform health professionals who are involved in chronic disease prevention and management, by providing a better description of people at risk of developing or already diagnosed with selected chronic conditions for more accurate targeting groups for health gain and improved health outcomes. Longitudinal data will provide information on progression of chronic conditions and allow description of those who move forward and back along the continuum over time.

Detailed methods are provided regarding the random recruitment and examination of a representative sample of participants (n = 4060), including the rationale for various processes and valuable lessons learnt. Self-reported and biomedical data were obtained on risk factors (smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, family history, body mass index, blood pressure, cholesterol) and chronic conditions (asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes) to classify participants according to their status along a continuum. Segmenting this population sample along a continuum showed that 71.5% had at least one risk factor for developing asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or diabetes. Almost one-fifth (18.8%) had been previously diagnosed with at least one of these chronic conditions, and an additional 3.9% had at least one of these conditions but had not been diagnosed.

This paper provides a novel opportunity to examine how a cohort study was born. It presents detailed methodology behind the selection, recruitment and examination of a cohort and how participants with selected chronic conditions can be segmented along a continuum that may assist with health promotion and health services planning.
3-D reconstruction of anterior mantle-field techniques in Hodgkin's disease survivors: doses to cardiac structures
Authors: Vordermark Dirk , Seufert Ines , Schwab Franz , Kölbl Oliver , Kung Margret , Angermann Christiane , Flentje Michael
Published: April 2006

Background

The long-term dose-effect relationship for specific cardiac structures in mediastinal radiotherapy has rarely been investigated. As part of an interdisciplinary project, the 3-D dose distribution within the heart was reconstructed in all long-term Hodgkin's disease survivors (n = 55) treated with mediastinal radiotherapy between 1978 and 1985. For dose reconstruction, original techniques were transferred to the CT data sets of appropriate test patients, in whom left (LV) and right ventricle (RV), left (LA) and right atrium (RA) as well as right (RCA), left anterior descending (LAD) and left circumflex (LCX) coronary arteries were contoured. Dose-volume histograms (DVHs) were generated for these heart structures and results compared between techniques.

Results

Predominant technique was an anterior mantle field (cobalt-60). 26 patients (47%) were treated with anterior mantle field alone (MF), 18 (33%) with anterior mantle field and monoaxial, bisegmental rotation boost (MF+ROT), 7 (13%) with anterior mantle field and dorsal boost (MF+DORS) and 4 (7%) with other techniques. Mean ± SD total mediastinal doses for MF+ROT (41.7 ± 3.5 Gy) and for MF+DORS (42.7 ± 7.4) were significantly higher than for MF (36.7 ± 5.2 Gy). DVH analysis documented relative overdosage to right heart structures with MF (median maximal dose to RV 129%, to RCA 127%) which was siginificantly reduced to 117% and 112%, respectively, in MF+ROT. Absolute doses in right heart structures, however, did not differ between techniques. Absolute LA doses were significantly higher in MF+ROT patients than in MF patients where large parts of LA were blocked. Median maximal doses for all techniques ranged between 48 and 52 Gy (RV), 44 and 46 Gy (LV), 47 and 49 Gy (RA), 38 and 45 Gy (LA), 46 and 50 Gy (RCA), 39 and 44 Gy (LAD) and 34 and 42 Gy (LCX).

Conclusion

In patients irradiated with anterior mantle-field techniques, high doses to anterior heart portions were partly compensated by boost treatment from non-anterior angles. As the threshold doses for coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, pericarditis and valvular changes are assumed to be 30 to 40 Gy, cardiac toxicity must be anticipated in these patients. Thus, dose distributions in individual subjects should be correlated to the corresponding cardiovascular findings in these long-term survivors, e. g. by cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging.
Should Young People Involved in the Sex Industry Be Seen as Victims?
Authors: Moore Marianne
Published: April 2006

This article highlights the contradictions in government legislation that simultaneously see young people involved in prostitution as innocent victims and willing criminals. It challenges the recent victim theory that is not only contradictory when we look at other government policy, but by being accepted as the government line on prostitution it has negatively defined young prostitutes as naïve and helpless. This female-focused victim philosophy excludes males and doesn't account for the reality of the situation for many girls who don't see themselves in this passive way. By hiding behind the victim philosophy the government ignores societal factors that deny young people legitimate economic subsistence and sexualise them in the media. The article thus argues for a theory of empowerment for young people in contradiction to the victim philosophy so that they are seen as survivors rather than victims without making them penalised in the criminal justice system.
Complex Inheritance of the 5-Lipoxygenase Locus Influencing Atherosclerosis in Mice
Authors: Ghazalpour Anatole , Wang Xuping , Lusis Aldons J , Mehrabian Margarete
Published: April 2006

We previously mapped a locus on chromosome 6 with a large effect (LOD > 6) on aortic lesion size in a (C57BL/6J × CAST/Ei) F2 cross and identified arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase (5LO) as a candidate gene in this region. Subsequent studies with the 5LO knockout model showed effects on atherosclerosis and aortic aneurysms. We now report detailed genetic analysis of the chromosome 6 locus. We created a panel of overlapping and reciprocal subcongenic lines from the B6.CAST Ldlr−/− chromosome 6 congenic strain (CON6.Ldlr−/−) and analyzed aortic lesion size in different subcongenic lines. Our results revealed that there are at least two subregions, designated as Ath37 and Ath38 that affect the size of aortic lesions independently of 5LO. We also showed that homozygote 5LO null mice develop smaller atherosclerotic lesions. We conclude that the relation between the mouse chromosome 6 locus and atherosclerosis is complex and is due to at least two genes with large effects within this region. This complexity should be considered when interpreting results of knockout studies.
Measured and Predicted Solute Transport in a Tile Drained Field
Authors: Gaur Anju , Horton Robert , Jaynes Dan B. , Baker James L.
Published: April 2006

Most solute transport measurement techniques are tedious and require extensive soil excavation. A field experiment was conducted to evaluate whether surface transport properties determined by a nondestructive time domain reflectometry (TDR) technique could be used to accurately predict tile flux concentrations. A 14 by 14 m field plot selected above a 1.1‐m deep tile drain was studied. Low electrical conductivity (EC) water was sprinkled on the plot surface, and after reaching a steady‐state condition, a pulse of calcium chloride solution (16.3 cm) with an EC of 23 dS m−1 was applied through the same sprinklers. Time domain reflectometry equipment was used to record the change in EC of surface (∼ top 2 cm) soil at 45 locations. The EC of the tile drainage flow was measured continuously with an EC probe. The surface convective lognormal transfer (CLT) function parameters, log mean irrigation depth, μI, and its standard deviation, σI, were found to be 3.44 and 0.94 [ln(cm)], respectively, for a reference depth of 110 cm. These surface parameters were used in a one‐dimensional (1‐D) CLT model and in a two‐dimensional (2‐D) model (CLT vertical function combined with exponential horizontal transfer function) to predict the tile flux concentrations. The 1‐D CLT model predicted an earlier arrival time of chemicals to the tile drain than observed values. The root mean square error, RMSE, of the 1‐D CLT predictions was 0.123, and the coefficient of efficiency, E, was −0.47. The 2‐D model predictions of tile flux concentrations were similar to the observed values. The root mean squared errors (RMSE) and E were 0.023 and 0.94, respectively. The findings suggest that in this field soil, the surface solute transport properties determined by TDR could be combined with a 2‐D transport model to make reasonable predictions of tile flux concentrations.
Some Common Aspects of the Thought of Seneca and Machiavelli
Authors: Wood Neal
Published: April 2006

Seneca's stoic philosophy of the universal moral community of man has little in common with Machiavelli's very practical theory of the ways and means of political power. Ignoring the question of moral obligation, the Florentine often gives to virtù a special prudential meaning apparently quite different in spirit from the Roman's ethical ideal of virtus. That their intellectual perspectives are in opposition is the judgment of modern scholars, who find Seneca's influence on Machiavelli of no great significance. Nevertheless a rereading of Seneca's moral essays and epistles with Machiavelli in mind reveals neglected parallels in their thought almost as striking as the more obvious differences and which suggest the need of a reappraisal of the relation between the two thinkers. What follows, therefore, is an effort to ascertain the nature of the elements common to their respective outlooks.
Paradise Regained and Spenser's Legend of Holiness
Authors: Major John M.
Published: April 2006

One of the works said to have been in Milton's mind when he wrote Paradise Regained is Book n of The Faerie Queene. According to Edwin Greenlaw, ‘the three days of temptation of Guyon concludes a series of incidents that pretty certainly influenced Paradise Regained— Mammon's proffer of riches, worldly power, fame; the three days without sleep or food, followed by exhaustion; the angel sent to care for Guyon after the trial is over; even the debates between Mammon and Guyon, which parallel Christ's rebukes of Satan.’ These likenesses seem real enough, and the evidence has support from the wellknown passage on Guyon in Areopagitica. Still I should like to suggest here—and I have not seen the idea mentioned elsewhere—that Milton's poem was also influenced, and more strongly perhaps, by the first book of The Faerie Queene, Spenser's Legend of Holiness.

A good place to begin the argument is with the fact that Books i and n of The Faerie Queene themselves have many similarities of structure and episode—a fact which so admiring a reader of Spenser as John Milton would surely have noticed.
New Evidence about Burton's Melancholy
Authors: Traister Barbara H.
Published: April 2006

I write of melancholy, by being busy to avoid melancholy… . I was not a little offended with this malady, shall I say my mistress Melancholy, my Egeria, or my malus genius [evil genius]? and for that cause, … make an antidote out of that which was the prime cause of my disease.

Such teasingly self-referential passages as that quoted above have long led scholars to speculate as to the real physical and mental condition of Robert Burton. Did he suffer, as he claimed, the ravages of melancholy, or was he as a scholar simply assuming the fashionable scholars’ disease as a peg upon which to hang his encyclopedic treatise? Much of this uncertainty arises from gaps in our knowledge of Burton's biography.
Art and Artifice in Erasmus’ Convivium Profanum
Authors: Ryan Lawrence V.
Published: April 2006

Of Erasmus’ six banquet pieces, the Convivium Profanum was the only one to appear in the earliest versions of the Colloquia. Unlike the others, therefore, it always retained much of the formulary quality that characterized the slender original collection, primarily a series of models after which schoolboys might fashion their conversational Latin. Yet even in Johannes Froben's unauthorized first printing of the pedagogical materials that Erasmus had composed twenty years earlier for use by his pupils at Paris, the purely formulaic matter is interspersed with considerable stretches of lively table talk, the full cast of participants in the convivium is introduced, and distinguishable personalities for the principal interlocutors have begun to be fashioned.
Ficino's Lecture on the Good
Authors: Allen Michael J. B.
Published: April 2006

Diogenes Laertius has Plato reading the Phaedo and Lysis aloud to his students, but the only true lecture or series of lectures attributed to him by ancient sources was entitled On the Good, Aristotle's disciple the musical theorist Aristoxenus records that Aristotle attended the Lecture or Lectures (I shall henceforth refer to it in the singular); and Simplicius, writing in the sixth century A.D., notes first that the Lecture was also attended by Speusippus, Xenocrates, and others and later that Hestiaios and Heraclides Ponticus were there too. According to both Aristoxenus and Simplicius, Aristotle maintained the Lecture was delivered relatively late in Plato's career.
Ptolemy and Strabo and Their Conversation with Appelles and Protogenes: Cosmography and Painting in Raphael's School of Athens
Authors: Joost-Gaugier Christiane L.
Published: April 2006

This paper studies the group of men on the lower right side of Raphael's School of Athens. While the portrayal of Euclid is undisputed, the figures who are attached to him have not yet been firmly identified. In studying these figures as part of the intellectual fabric of the painting as a whole, it becomes clear that each of these figures has a meaningful role that cannot be deduced by mere guessing. The figure with his back to us is quite clearly the great mathematician-cosmographer Ptolemy of Alexandria. Not only because he wears a particular crown, but more importantly because the globe he holds is terrestrial - a symbol of his scientific contribution to the humanist curriculum - can we be certain of his presence. The man who faces him is most likely Strabo, the most famous geographer known throughout medieval times and one who was also appreciated by humanists, especially for his consideration of the sphere and the celestial aspects of the universe in his Geography. Both Ptolemy and Strabo are well placed next to Euclid, for both are concerned with geometry. The two men to the far right are, it is suggested here, two famous painters of Greek antiquity, Apelles (in the guise of Raphael) and Protogenes (in the guise of Timoteo Viti?), whose presence reflects the interests of artists in the early Cinquecento. All these heroes are appropriately placed on Aristotle's side of the painting.
Pediatric Tracheostomy
Authors: Lam Derek , Tan Grace
Published: February 2024

This Patient Page describes the use of tracheostomy in the pediatric population.
The CK1ε/SIAH1 axis regulates AXIN1 stability in colorectal cancer cells
Authors: Yan Mengfang , Su Zijie , Pang Xiaoyi , Wang Hanbin , Dai Han , Ning Jiong , Liu Shanshan , Sun Qi , Song Jiaxing , Zhao Xibao , Lu Desheng
Published: February 2024

Casein kinase 1ε (CK1ε) and axis inhibitor 1 (AXIN1) are crucial components of the β‐catenin destruction complex in canonical Wnt signaling. CK1ε has been shown to interact with AXIN1, but its physiological function and role in tumorigenesis remain unknown. In this study, we found that CK1δ/ε inhibitors significantly enhanced AXIN1 protein level in colorectal cancer (CRC) cells through targeting CK1ε. Mechanistically, CK1ε promoted AXIN1 degradation by the ubiquitin–proteasome pathway by promoting the interaction of E3 ubiquitin‐protein ligase SIAH1 with AXIN1. Genetic or pharmacological inhibition of CK1ε and knockdown of SIAH1 downregulated the expression of Wnt/β‐catenin‐dependent genes, suppressed the viability of CRC cells, and restrained tumorigenesis and progression of CRC in vitro and in vivo. In summary, our results demonstrate that CK1ε exerted its oncogenic role in CRC occurrence and progression by regulating the stability of AXIN1. These findings reveal a novel mechanism by which CK1ε regulates the Wnt/β‐catenin signaling pathway and highlight the therapeutic potential of targeting the CK1ε/SIAH1 axis in CRC.
Fiber‐Format Dielectric Elastomer Actuators by the Meter
Authors: Kang Zhaoqing , Yu Liyun , Nie Yi , Skowyra Magdalena , Zhang Suojiang , Skov Anne Ladegaard
Published: February 2024

Dielectric elastomers in the shape of thin films are heavily investigated, but they do not produce beneficial strains and forces comparable to that of skeletal muscles without entailing extremely complicated fabrication processes, rendering their practical use limited. Here, a silicone elastomer fiber is reported that can be produced by the meter and turned into an actuator by a simple process entailing the injection of an ionic liquid as the inner electrode and dipping in an ionogel to form the outer electrode. The fibers range from 174 to 439 µm in outer diameter with wall thicknesses from 62 to 108 µm and can be produced by the meter with regular diameter and thickness. The mechanical properties of the fibers are unaffected by the electrodes and actuation strains of 10% can be achieved, in both dry and wet environments. The fiber actuator can be bundled to mimic human skeletal muscle bundles or used in folded configurations, rendering it ideal as a building block for macroscopic actuators that can be used for many products such as body‐compliant actuators and wearables.
Design and Synthesis of Comb‐Like Bisulfonic Acid Proton Exchange Membrane with Regulated Microstructure
Authors: Wang Qian , Sang Linjian , Huang Lei , Guan Jiayu , Yu Huiting , Zheng Jifu , Zhang Qifeng , Qin Guorui , Li Shenghai , Zhang Suobo
Published: February 2024

The design and synthesis of proton exchange membranes (PEMs) with controllable microstructure and sulfonation degree play a crucial role in enhancing their performance and expanding their application. In this study, the disulfonic acid monomer is designed and prepared to synthesize the comb‐like disulfonic PEMs with controllable ion exchange capacity. The results show that the side chain structure and more concentrated sulfonic acid groups facilitate the aggregation of sulfonic acid groups in the polymer, improve the microphase separation morphology of PEMs, and increase the ionic conductivity. The proton conductivity of the DS‐PXIDI‐60 membrane is approximately 300 mS cm−1. The PEMs with controllable microstructure are prepared by introducing comonomers, including 9,9‐dimethylxanthrene, biphenyl, and p‐terphenyl, with different reactivity, spatial structure, and solubility. Biphenyl is copolymerized to form a copolymer with an alternating structure, and 9, 9‐dimethylxanthrene is copolymerized to form a random copolymer. In addition, it is worth noting that p‐terphenyl is copolymerized to form a microblock structure of the copolymer, with more excellent comprehensive properties. DS‐PXITp‐60 exhibits better performance than Nafion 212 in redox­flow batteries and fuel cells. Therefore, such molecular design and synthesis strategies provide a reference guide for the development of high‐performance PEMs.