bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Headache‐attributed burden and its impact on productivity and quality of life in Russia: structured healthcare for headache is urgently needed
Authors: Ayzenberg I. , Katsarava Z. , Sborowski A. , Chernysh M. , Osipova V. , Tabeeva G. , Steiner T. J.
Published: February 2014

Background and purpose

The study evaluated headache‐attributed burden and its impact on productivity and quality of life (QoL) in Russia. Its purpose was to support recommendations for change.

Methods

A countrywide population‐based random sample of 2725 biologically unrelated adults (aged 18–65 years) in 35 cities and nine rural areas of Russia were interviewed in a door‐to‐door survey. The structured questionnaire enquired into symptom burden, functional disability, lost productive time and QoL (applying the WHOQoL‐8 question set), as well as willingness to pay (WTP) for adequate headache treatment, if it were available.

Results

Mean lost paid‐work days due to headache in the previous 3 months were 1.9 ± 4.2, and mean lost household work days were 3.4 ± 5.7. The estimated annual indirect cost of primary headache disorders was USD 22.8 billion, accounting for 1.75% of gross domestic product. QoL was reduced by all types of primary headaches. According to WHOQoL‐8, it was significantly lower in those with headache on ≥15 days/month than in those with episodic headache (24.7 ± 4.6 vs. 28.1 ± 5.0; P < 0.05) and lower in those with migraine than in those with tension‐type headache (TTH) (27.1 ± 4.9 vs. 28.8 ± 5.0; P < 0.05). Average WTP for adequate headache treatment was RUB 455 ± 494 per month (median RUB 300), a sum sufficient in most cases, and correlated with illness severity (higher for headache on ≥15 days/month than for migraine, and for migraine than for TTH).

Conclusions

Headache is common, burdensome and costly in Russia and, manifestly, poorly mitigated by existing healthcare. Structured healthcare services for headache need to be urgently put in place.
Congenital hypothyroidism and dysmaturity syndrome in foals: First reported cases inEurope
Authors: Koikkalainen K. , Knuuttila A. , Karikoski N. , Syrjä P. , Hewetson M.
Published: February 2014

Congenital hypothyroidism and dysmaturity syndrome (CHD) in neonatal foals was first described in westernCanada in 1981 and remains an important problem for the westernCanadian horse industry. This syndrome is characterised by hyperplasia of the thyroid gland, increased gestational length and multiple congenital musculoskeletal abnormalities. This case series describes the first confirmed cases ofCHDinEurope and challenges contemporary opinion which suggests that this syndrome is distinct from congenital hypothyroidism associated with visible goitre.
Structure, diversity and evolution of myriapod hemocyanins
Authors: Pick Christian , Scherbaum Samantha , Hegedüs Elöd , Meyer Andreas , Saur Michael , Neumann Ruben , Markl Jürgen , Burmester Thorsten
Published: February 2014

Oxygen transport in the hemolymph of many arthropods is mediated by hemocyanins, large copper‐containing proteins that are well‐studied in Chelicerata and Crustacea, but had long been considered unnecessary in the subphylum of Myriapoda. Only recently has it become evident that hemocyanins are present in Scutigeromorpha (Chilopoda) and Spirostreptida (Diplopoda). Here we present evidence for a more widespread occurrence of hemocyanin in the myriapods. By means of RT‐PCR, western blotting and database searches, hemocyanins were identified in the symphylansHanseniella audaxandSymphylella vulgaris, the chilopodScolopendra subspinipes dehaaniand the diplopodPolydesmus angustus. No hemocyanins were found in the diplopodsPolyxenus lagurus,Cylindroiulus punctatus,Glomeris marginata,Glomeris pustulataandArthrosphaera brandtii, or the chilopodsLithobius forficatus,Geophilus flavusandStrigamia maritima. This suggests multiple independent losses in myriapod taxa. Two independent hemocyanin subunits were found that were already present in the myriapod stem line. We specifically investigated the structure of the hemocyanin ofP. angustus, which consists of three distinct subunits that occur in an approximately equimolar ratio. As deduced by 3D electron microscopy, the quaternary structure is a 3 × 6‐mer that resembles the half structure of the 6 × 6‐mer hemocyanin fromScutigera coleoptrata. It was analyzed more closely by homology modeling of 1 × 6‐mers and their rigid‐body fitting to the electron density map of the 3 × 6‐mer. In addition, we obtained thecDNAsequence of a putative myriapod phenoloxidase. Phenoloxidases are related to the arthropod hemocyanins, but diverged before radiation of the arthropod subphyla.
Balance between climate change mitigation benefits and land use impacts of bioenergy: conservation implications for European birds
Authors: Meller Laura , Thuiller Wilfried , Pironon Samuel , Barbet‐Massin Morgane , Hof Andries , Cabeza Mar
Published: February 2014

Both climate change and habitat modification exert serious pressure on biodiversity. Although climate change mitigation has been identified as an important strategy for biodiversity conservation, bioenergy remains a controversial mitigation action due to its potential negative ecological and socio‐economic impacts which arise through habitat modification by land use change. While the debate continues, the separate or simultaneous impacts of both climate change and bioenergy on biodiversity have not yet been compared. We assess projected range shifts of 156 European bird species by 2050 under two alternative climate change trajectories: a baseline scenario, where the global mean temperature increases by 4 °C by the end of the century, and a 2 degrees scenario, where global concerted effort limits the temperature increase to below 2 °C. For the latter scenario, we also quantify the pressure exerted by increased cultivation of energy biomass as modelled byIMAGE2.4, an integrated land use model. The global bioenergy use in this scenario is in the lower end of the range of previously estimated sustainable potential. Under the assumptions of these scenarios, we find that the magnitude of range shifts due to climate change is far greater than the impact of land conversion to woody bioenergy plantations within the European Union, and that mitigation of climate change reduces the exposure experienced by species. However, we identified potential for local conservation conflict between priority areas for conservation and bioenergy production. These conflicts must be addressed by strict bioenergy sustainability criteria that acknowledge biodiversity conservation needs beyond existing protected areas and apply also to biomass imported from outside the European Union.
Ich und die Vögel: Subjekt und Raum in vier Gedichten
Authors: Ziolkowski Theodore
Published: February 2014

In diesem Aufsatz wird die räumliche Beziehung zwischen dem dichtenden Subjekt und dem Vogel in vier bekannten Gedichten analysiert: Goethes “Ein gleiches,” Hölderlins “Hälfte des Lebens,” Eichendorffs “Mondnacht” und Rilkes “Es winkt zu Fühlung.” Aus der Analyse geht hervor, dass die Beziehung zwischen Ich und Vogel in den Gedichten jeweils dem Verhältnis zwischen Subjekt und Natur im philosophischen Denken bzw. in der ästhetischen Auffassung der Zeit genau entspricht. So lassen sich deutliche Parallelen feststellen: einerseits etwa zur Kunst von Claude Lorrain, Caspar David Friedrich, Philipp Otto Runge und den Expressionisten; sowie andererseits zur Objektivität der Aufklärung, zum Fichte'schen Gegenüber von Ich und Nicht‐Ich, zu Schellings Identitätsphilosophie und zum Raum‐Zeit‐Kontinuum der nach‐Einstein'schen Physik. Die vier Gedichte enthüllen sich letzten Endes als adäquate Seismographen der Geistesgeschichte.
German Women's Poetry Circa 1900: A Forgotten Anthology
Authors: Melin Charlotte A.
Published: February 2014

The anthology Frauenlyrik unserer Zeit (1907), edited by the artist‐writer Julia Virginia Scheuermann, appeared at a pivotal moment in literary history when the economic conditions for poetry, aesthetic tastes, and women's roles in society were in dramatic flux. In this article, I examine those dynamic conditions and the influence such anthologies once attained as quintessential social and cultural projects. I propose that the intermediality of this unique collection marks it as a transitional project that bridged the private and public spheres and illustrated the expansion of women's writing. I argue that the author's rights movement, advanced by the Kartell lyrischer Autoren, influenced the stylistic and ideological heterogeneity of the collection. By boldly defining the emergence of women's writing in the early twentieth century in terms of universal human history (Menschheitsgeschichte), Scheuermann proposes a narrative rationale for the lyric genre that endures in later modernist projects.
Ottilie's Echo: Vocality in Goethe's Wahlverwandtschaften
Authors: Dupree Mary Helen
Published: February 2014

Although much prior scholarship has been focused on visuality in Goethe's novel from 1809, Die Wahlverwandtschaften, I argue that, in his novel, Goethe engages in an equally important exploration of the acoustic dimension and the voice in particular. Through representations of vocal performances such as recitation, declamation, and singing, Goethe not only reflects on the popularity of acoustic media in Geselligkeitskultur around 1800, he also explores how individual identities are negotiated and relationships formed through vocal exchanges and performances. Through a specific focus on acoustic performances by women, Goethe also investigates the relationship of gender to vocality. The comic and tragic outcomes of acoustic performances by male and female characters in the novel reveal the risky and intimate nature of vocal communication. The connection of the voice to individuality and the social is revealed most poignantly through references to the myth of Echo and Narcissus, which Goethe interweaves into the narrative of the tragic love affair between two of the main characters, Ottilie and Eduard.
Shifting Forms of Mimesis in Johann Christoph Gottsched's Dichtkunst
Authors: Lorenz Sarah Ruth
Published: February 2014

Johann Christoph Gottsched's Dichtkunst, the most prominent poetic handbook in early eighteenth‐century Germany, is a more theoretically fluid text than is usually recognized. The handbook is shaped by the interaction of two conflicting doctrines, one mimetic or world‐reflecting and the other didactic or world‐transforming. In this paper, I trace how the presentation of the “imitation of nature” in the text shifts continually in order to accommodate the desired didactic function of literature. After opening with a semi‐empirical approach, Gottsched turns to more abstract “structural” and “subjective” understandings of verisimilitude, as well as to a theory of the imitation of exceptional cases, all while maintaining the impression that he has never abandoned the notion of “following nature step by step.” An analysis of his argumentative strategies improves our understanding of Gottsched's place in Enlightenment‐era poetics and also illustrates the benefits of closer attention to the neglected concept of literary mimesis.
Poverty in Canada: Does Manufacturing Matter?
Authors: Deaton B. James , Hailu Getu , Zhou Xiaoye
Published: February 2014

We focus our research on this question: Does an expansion in the percentage of labour employed in the manufacturing sector lead to reductions in the poverty rate? While some research suggests that regional differences in the employment share of the manufacturing sector explain variation in poverty rates, we do not find empirical evidence of this poverty‐ameliorating effect in our regression analysis of Canadian Census Districts between the years 2001 and 2006.
Neurological events related to influenza A (H1N1) pdm09
Authors: Cárdenas Graciela , Soto‐Hernández José Luis , Díaz‐Alba Alexandra , Ugalde Yair , Mérida‐Puga Jorge , Rosetti Marcos , Sciutto Edda
Published: February 2014

Objectives

To review neurological complications after the influenza A (H1N1) pdm09, highlighting the clinical differences between patients with post‐vaccine or viral infection.

Design

A search on Medline, Ovid, EMBASE, and PubMed databases using the keywords “neurological complications of Influenza AH1N1” or “post‐vaccine Influenza AH1N1.”

Setting

Only papers written in English, Spanish, German, French, Portuguese, and Italian published from March 2009 to December 2012 were included.

Sample

We included 104 articles presenting a total of 1636 patient cases. In addition, two cases of influenza vaccine‐related neurological events from our neurological care center, arising during the period of study, were also included.

Main outcome measures

Demographic data and clinical diagnosis of neurological complications and outcomes: death, neurological sequelae or recovery after influenza A (H1N1) pdm09 vaccine or infection.

Results

The retrieved cases were divided into two groups: the post‐vaccination group, with 287 patients, and the viral infection group, with 1349 patients. Most patients in the first group were adults. The main neurological complications were Guillain‐Barre syndrome (GBS) or polyneuropathy (125), and seizures (23). All patients survived. Pediatric patients were predominant in the viral infection group. In this group, 60 patients (4.7%) died and 52 (30.1%) developed permanent sequelae. A wide spectrum of neurological complications was observed.

Conclusions

Fatal cases and severe, permanent, neurological sequelae were observed in the infection group only. Clinical outcome was more favorable in the post‐vaccination group. In this context, the relevance of an accurate neurological evaluation is demonstrated for all suspicious cases, as well as the need of an appropriate long‐term clinical and imaging follow‐up of infection and post‐vaccination events related to influenza A (H1N1) pdm09, to clearly estimate the magnitude of neurological complications leading to permanent disability.
Clinical studies on the effects of n‐3 fatty acids on cells and eicosanoids in the cardiovascular system
Authors: WEBER P. C.
Published: February 2014

Abstract. Epidemiological, clinical and experimental studies suggest that dietary fatty acids belonging to two different families, the n‐6 and n‐3 fatty acids, might be important nutritional factors contributing to the natural history of atherothrombotic and inflammatory disorders. The relationship of these dietary fatty acids to plasma and cell membrane phospholipid composition, the eicosanoid system and related lipid mediators. and the mechanisms involved in cell stimulus‐response coupling (such as phospholipase C and phospolipase A2 activation and Ca2+ release) might reveal and modify processes underlying those disorders. It may thus open the development of new approaches to prevention and therapy.
Eicosapentaenoic acid and adult diseases in Japan: epidemiological and clinical aspects
Authors: HIRAI A. , TERANO T. , TAMURA Y. , YOSHIDA S.
Published: February 2014

Abstract. Residents of a coastal fishing village in Japan consume larger amounts of fresh fish rich in eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) than those in inland farming villages. A higher content of EPA and DHA in the plasma and reduced platelet aggregability was observed in the residents of the fishing village than in farmers. Incidence of thrombotic cardiovascular disorders was lower in the fishing area than in the farming area. Oral ingestion of highly purified EPA or DHA reduced platelet aggregability and improved serum lipid profile in healthy subjects and in hyperlipidaemic patients, though DHA seems to be much less potent. In clinical studies with highly purified EPA, improvement of clinical features was noted in patients with thrombotic cardiovascular disorders. It is also shown that EPA and DHA have an anti‐inflammatory effect in man although EPA is far more active than DHA.
Influence of n‐3 fatty acids on blood lipids in normal subjects
Authors: SANDERS T. A. B. , HINDS A. , PEREIRA C. C.
Published: February 2014

Abstract. The effects of consuming oils providing alpha‐linolenic (ALA), eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids were studied in healthy volunteers. A blunted increase in plasma triglyceride was observed in subjects given a test meal containing fish oil compared with olive oil; cholesterol concentrations were not increased; increases in EPA and DHA were seen in all lipid fractions. In longer term supplementation studies, ALA increased EPA, but not DHA in plasma phospholipids; preformed EPA was more effective. The proportion of EPA in platelet lipids increased in a dose dependent manner. EPA or DHA, but not ALA, decreased plasma triglyceride and VLDL cholesterol concentrations. Supplements containing DHA increased HDL and HDL2 cholesterol and LDL apoB. Total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol concentrations were unaltered.
Effects of n‐3 fatty acids on blood rheology
Authors: ERNST E.
Published: February 2014

Abstract. In spite of the recent flurry of interest in n‐3 fatty acids, haemorheological effects have been somewhat neglected. When quantifying blood rheology by means of blood viscosity, plasma viscosity, haematocrit, red cell deformability and red cell aggregation measurements, it is observed that all these parameters (except for haematocrit) are altered significantly when an increasing dose of n‐3 fatty acids is given to volunteers. In patients with hyperlipoproteinaemias similar effects are seen during an 8‐week medication period, n‐3 fatty acids seem to increase blood fluidity by at least two independent mechanisms: changing red cell deformability possibly by altering the cell membrane composition, and lowering plasma viscosity possibly by altering the protein pattern of the plasma. The therapeutic potential of the observed changes lies in increasing blood flow in ischaemic tissues and needs to be explored more thoroughly.
Effects of dietary supplementation with cod liver oil on monocyte thromboplastin synthesis, coagulation and fibrinolysis
Authors: HANSEN J.‐B. , OLSEN J. O. , WILSGÅRD L. , ØSTERUD B.
Published: February 2014

Abstract. In a controlled trial 40 healthy persons (20 men and 20 women) were tested before and after a daily supplement with 25 ml cod liver oil for 8 weeks. The diet increased the eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5 n‐3) content in serum and monocytes four‐to five‐fold whereas the arachidonic acid (20:4 n‐6) content decreased 10–20% in both serum and monocytes. Stimulation of blood with a low concentration of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) revealed a 40% suppression of LPS‐induced thromboplastin synthesis in the monocytes after 8 weeks of CLO intake. In the same LPS stimulation system, men were found to generate significantly more thromboxane B2 than women (4.9 ng ml−1 versus 3.4 ng ml−1). After the CLO supplementation for 8 weeks the thromboxane B2 was reduced by a mean of 70% in women and 60% in men. Factor VII and fibrinogen appeared to be unaltered by CLO intake. Determination of whole blood clot lysis time and tissue plasminogen activator (t‐PA) did not indicate any significant influence of n‐3 fatty acids on fibrinolysis.
Dietary supplementation with n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and human platelet function: a review with particular emphasis on implications for cardiovascular disease
Authors: KRISTENSEN S. D. , SCHMIDT E. B. , DYERBERG J.
Published: February 2014

Abstract. The low incidence of myocardial infarction in Greenland Eskimos may be due to their intake of marine food with a high content of n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). In Eskimos the platelet count is lowered, the platelet aggregation is inhibited, the bleeding time is prolonged and the ratio between proaggregatory thromboxanes and antiaggregatory prostacyclins is decreased, when compared to age‐ and sex‐matched Danes. In this review, studies evaluating the effect of a fish diet or fish‐oil supplementation on human platelet function are summarized. Most studies have demonstrated that supplementation with n‐3 PUFAs can cause inhibition of platelet behaviour. The optimal dose of n‐3 PUFAs and the patient groups most likely to profit from supplementation need to be defined. The safety and the clinical effect of the supplementation should be investigated in long‐term studies.
Effects of small concentrations of eicosapentaenoic acid on platelets
Authors: LAGARDE M. , CROSET M. , VÉRICEL E. , CALZADA C.
Published: February 2014

Abstract. Increased platelet functions have been associated with enhanced arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism in diabetics and elderly people. We investigated these parameters in both groups after feeding low doses of pure eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). After such an intake, platelet aggregation induced by various agonists was decreased whereas the oxygenated metabolism of endogenous AA was not substantially altered, and the fatty acid composition of plasma and platelet lipid pools did not change. In the most recent study, the measurement of vitamin E revealed that although its level in plasma was not modified, it was increased in platelets after EPA intake. It is concluded that small amounts of EPA intake do not reduce platelet aggregation in competing with AA metabolism but rather in depressing the peroxide tone of the cell.
n‐3 fatty acids and cancer
Authors: KARMALI R. A.
Published: February 2014

Abstract. Dietary fat has a positive correlation with cancers of the breast and colon and probably other types of cancer. In experimental tumour systems, linoleic acid (LA) has tumour‐promoting effects that are mediated, in part, through eicosanoid production. The feeding of fish oil has resulted in decreased concentrations of LA and arachidonic (AA) and increased concentrations of n‐3 eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Both n‐3 fatty acids antagonize the production of eicosanoids from AA. Recent reports indicate that marine n‐3 fatty acids inhibit the development and growth of several experimental tumours. The effect of n‐3 fatty acids on 16‐α‐hydroxylation of oestradiol, a putative biomarker for risk of breast cancer, was studied in 25 women at enhanced risk. The control group of 2 5 high‐risk women received vegetable oil. After 4 months, the level of oestradiol 16‐α‐hydroxylation was significantly reduced in women receiving fish oil, but no change was detected in the control group. Although the precise mechanism of action is unclear, these data suggest that use of marine n‐3 fatty acids as chemopreventive agents in high‐risk women requires further investigation.
Prospectives on n‐3 fatty acids in medical research
Authors: DYERBERG J. , NORDØY A.
Published: February 2014

The research on n‐3 fatty acids is not any longer sufficiently supported by a few philanthropic funds. The area covers the whole spectrum of medical research, from biochemistry and biology to experimental and clinical medicine, and to pharmacy and nutrition. This necessitates a ranking in priority for the funding bodies. The series of scientific front edge papers included in this volume, is a tool for those who have to consider priority.

At present, there is an increasing demand for well‐conducted clinical trials to explore the effects of these fatty acids on a variety of diseases. Irrespective of the need for basic research and animal studies, the question of whether or not n‐3 fatty acids have a role in the prevention and cure of diseases can be answered only by human studies. If, and hopefully when, such studies provide definite evidence for beneficial effects of dietary n‐3 fatty acids, then a preferential investment by granting institutions to perform basic n‐3 lipid research in the broad spectrum of lipid nutrition may be justified. If not, this research should be judged by its appropriate relation to other pressing and important areas of medical research and not be the subject of special solicitations [4].
The gastric H+,K+‐ATPase
Authors: WALLMARK B. , LORENTZON P. , SACHS G.
Published: February 2014

Abstract. Mammalian extramitochondrial pumps can be divided into two different classes: the vacuolar H+‐ATPases, which are responsible for acidification of intracellular compartments, and the E1E2‐type of ATPases, which are represented by the Na+,K+‐ATPase, the Ca2+‐ATPase and the gastric H+,K+‐ATPase. The latter enzyme is confined to the tubulovesicles and to the secretory membranes of the parietal cell and has been shown to be the proton pump of the gastric mucosa. The H+,K+‐ATPase carries out the electroneutral exchange of H+ and K+ and thereby generates a pH of less than 1 in the secretory canaliculus. For this process to occur, the enzyme must be activated by extracytosolic potassium ions. These ions reach the parietal cell luminal space by a secretagogue‐induced stimulation of a KCl pathway in the secretory membrane of the parietal cell. Kinetic studies in isolated ion‐tight and ion‐permeable gastric vesicles have shown that intravesicular K+ stimulates the ATPase activity and accelerates the breakdown of the phosphorylenzyme intermediate formed during the catalytic cycle of the H+,K+‐ATPase.

Thus the stimulation of the ATPase activity by K+ is due to an increased rate of hydrolysis of phosphoenzyme. When the ATPase activity was analysed in permeable vesicles and at high K+ concentrations, the ATPase activity was inhibited. In contrast, when the overall ATPase activity was analysed in ion‐tight vesicles, which developed an intravesicular positive potential in the presence of valinomycin, no inhibition of the ATPase activity was observed. This finding was interpreted as being due to the presence of a potential sensitive step in the K+‐limb of the enzyme cycle, as dissipation of the potential by the protonophore 3,3,4,5‐tetrachlorosalicylanilide (TCS) reinduced the K+ inhibition. This observation indicated that, although the overall H+,K+‐ATPase transport cycle is electroneutral, intermediary steps such as the hydrogen and the potassium ion transport limbs are sensitive to potential, and are therefore charge carrying.
Comparison of the basolateral K+ conductance of the epithelial cells in frog gastric fundus mucosa
Authors: CURCI S. , DEBELLIS L. , FRÖMTER E.
Published: February 2014

Abstract. Frog stomach transepithelial potential difference (Vt) and resistance (Rt), as well as the voltage divider ratio (VDR) and serosal membrane potential (Vs) of surface epithelial (SEC) and oxyntic (OC) cells were recorded at rest and during stimulation with histamine. Serosal membrane K+ permeability was tested by sudden elevation of serosal K+ concentration from 4 to 13 mmol l−1. Stimulation decreased both Vt and Rt and increased VDR of the OC (from 9.4 ± SD 3.0 to 14.4 ± 4.1, n = 10, P < 0.001), while Vs remained virtually unchanged (‐66.3 ± 4.5 mV, n = 10); in SEC, however, VDR as well as Vs increased, the latter from −67.3 ± 5.9 to – 75.7 ± 7.3 mV, n = 9, P < 0.001. Elevation of serosal K+ reversibly diminished Vt and VS in both cell types. The transepithelial response to K+ increased after stimulation. However, the cell potential response ΔVsK increased only in the SEC (from +16.0 ± 2.9 to + 18.5 ± 2.6 mV, n = 9, P < 0.001) but not significantly in the OC. We conclude that in frog stomach both OC and SEC are stimulated by histamine: the SEC respond with a hyperpolarization, which reflects an increase in their basolateral K+ conductance: the OC do not respond with a hyperpolarization, possibly because histamine increases the basolateral membrane K+ conductance as well as other ion conductances which have not yet been identified.
Mechanisms of acid damage to oesophageal epithelium: role of the paracellular pathway
Authors: ORLANDO R. C.
Published: February 2014

Abstract. The mechanisms of acid damage to oesophageal epithelium are incompletely understood. In particular, it is unclear whether luminal acid enters and damages the oesophageal epithelium by traversing the paracellular and/or transcellular route. The present paper describes studies of the role of serosal bicarbonate ions (HCO3−) in oesophageal protection against acid damage, the results of which have direct implications regarding the route of H+ entry. The results indicate that HCO3− protects by buffering H+ within the intercellular compartment of the extracellular space, and that this protection can be mimicked almost completely by replacement of serosal HCO3− with HEPES (N‐2‐hydroxyethylpiperazine‐N′‐2‐ethane sulphonic acid), a buffer that cannot permeate cells. These findings support the hypothesis that luminal acid damages oesophageal epithelium primarily by H+ diffusion through the paracellular pathway.
The adherent gastric mucus gel barrier in man and changes in peptic ulceration
Authors: ALLEN A. , CUNLIFFE W. J. , PEARSON J. P. , VENABLES C. W.
Published: February 2014

Abstract. The mucus barrier is a layer of water‐insoluble gel adherent to the gastroduodenal epithelium. In man most previous studies have focused on luminal mucus or histological assessment of presecreted, intracellular mucus—neither of which can be directly correlated with the protective capacity of the adherent mucus barrier. We here describe direct observation of adherent mucus thickness in man, and changes in peptic ulceration.

Adherent mucus gel on human antral mucosa is a continuous homogeneous layer of variable thickness, in the range 50–450 μm (median 180 μm), comprising 67% polymeric mucin. In gastric ulcer patients, adherent antral mucus is significantly increased in thickness (median 240 μm), but is very heterogeneous and structurally a substantially weaker gel, comprising only 35% polymeric mucin. Adherent antral mucus from duodenal ulcer patients is homogeneous, significantly thinner (median 110 μm), and structurally a weaker gel, comprising 50% polymeric mucin. The adherent mucus layer from patients with gastric carcinoma resembled that from subjects with gastric ulcer in that it was very heterogeneous, of significantly increased thickness (median 240 μm) and structurally a very weak gel (23% polymeric mucin). These results are discussed in the context of gastroduodenal mucosal protection against acid and pepsin in the gastric juice.
New drug treatments for diarrhoea
Authors: DONOWITZ M. , LEVINE S. , WATSON A.
Published: February 2014

Abstract. This paper reviews the scientific background to the development of new drugs for the treatment of diarrhoeal diseases, and it includes an update of three classes of drugs which may prove useful; gut specific α2‐adrenergic agonists, intestinal Cl− channel blockers, and somatostatin analogues.
Systematic review of diet quality indices and their associations with health‐related outcomes in children and adolescents
Authors: Marshall S. , Burrows T. , Collins C. E.
Published: February 2014

Background

Diet quality indices add an important dimension to dietary assessment. The aim of this systematic review was to: (i) identify and describe the attributes and applications of diet quality indices developed for use or used in paediatric populations; (ii) describe associations between these diet quality indices and health‐related variables in paediatric populations; and (iii) identify factors that are associated with diet quality in paediatric populations worldwide.

Methods

Studies were identified by searching electronic databases for relevant papers from 1980 to October 2013 using keywords. Inclusion criteria were original studies that utilised a quantitative measure of diet quality in children and adolescents aged 0–18 years.

Results

One hundred and nineteen studies met the inclusion criteria, from which 80 different diet quality indices were identified. The majority of studies had >1000 participants and were of acceptable quality. Of the 56 studies that investigated health‐related outcomes, weight status was the most researched. Europe produced the most number of diet quality indices (n = 27 indices). Of the 119 studies, seven intervention studies were identified. Paediatric diet quality indices were found to be associated with environmental, behavioural and maternal factors.

Conclusions

The use of diet quality indices in paediatric populations is a rapidly expanding area of research in diverse populations internationally. In economically disadvantaged countries, diet quality indices may be predictive of child growth. However, prospective cohort, intervention and validation studies are required to draw stronger conclusions concerning risk of future disease in paediatric populations in general.
Comparison of computed tomography pulmonary angiography and point‐of‐care tests for pulmonary thromboembolism diagnosis in dogs
Authors: Goggs R. , Chan D. L. , Benigni L. , Hirst C. , Kellett‐Gregory L. , Fuentes V. L.
Published: February 2014

Objectives

To evaluate the feasibility of CT pulmonary angiography for identification of naturally occurring pulmonary thromboembolism in dogs using predefined diagnostic criteria and to assess the ability of echocardiography, cardiac troponins, D‐dimers and kaolin‐activated thromboelastography to predict the presence of pulmonary thromboembolism in dogs.

Methods

Twelve dogs with immune‐mediated haemolytic anaemia and evidence of respiratory distress were prospectively evaluated. Dogs were sedated immediately before CT pulmonary angiography using intravenous butorphanol. Spiral CT pulmonary angiography was performed with a 16 detector‐row CT scanner using a pressure injector to infuse contrast media through peripheral intravenous catheters. Pulmonary thromboembolism was diagnosed using predefined criteria. Contemporaneous tests included echocardiography, arterial blood gas analysis, kaolin‐activated thromboelastography, D‐dimers and cardiac troponins.

Results

Based on predefined criteria, four dogs were classified as pulmonary thromboembolism positive, three dogs were suspected to have pulmonary thromboembolism and the remaining five dogs had negative scans. The four dogs identified with pulmonary thromboembolism all had discrete filling defects in main or lobar pulmonary arteries. None of the contemporaneous tests was discriminant for pulmonary thromboembolism diagnosis, although the small sample size was limiting.

Clinical Significance

CT pulmonary angiography can be successfully performed in dogs under sedation, even in at‐risk patients with respiratory distress and can both confirm and rule out pulmonary thromboembolism in dogs.
Women's Use and Perceptions of Commercial Lubricants: Prevalence and Characteristics in a Nationally Representative Sample of American Adults
Authors: Herbenick Debby , Reece Michael , Schick Vanessa , Sanders Stephanie A. , Fortenberry J. Dennis
Published: February 2014

Introduction

Use of commercial lubricant is common in the United States among adult women. However, little is known about the sexual behaviors for which women use lubricant, women's perceptions of lubricant, or reasons for use, particularly in a nationally representative sample.

Aim

The aim of this study was to document the prevalence and characteristics of lubricant use among adult women in the United States and their perceptions of lubricants in relation to subjective sexual experiences.

Methods

Data are from a subset of individuals who were sampled as part of the 2012 National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior, which involved the administration of an online questionnaire to a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. adults ages 18 and older.

Main Outcome Measures

Sociodemographic characteristics, recent and lifetime commercial lubricant use, lubricant use during specific sexual behaviors, frequency of lubricant use, and reasons for lubricant use of participants were studied for the article.

Results

Of the women who participated in the study, 65.5% (n = 1,021) reported ever having used lubricant and 20% had used a lubricant within the past 30 days. Across age groups, lubricant was most commonly used during intercourse (58.3% of women) or partnered sexual play (49.6%). Common reasons for lubricant use included to make sex more comfortable, fun, and pleasurable and to decrease discomfort/pain.

Conclusions

Most American women have used lubricant. Also, lubricant is more common as part of partnered intercourse and sexual play or foreplay compared with other solo and partnered sexual behaviors. Clinicians may find it helpful to broaden conversations with patients to include questions about their sexual behaviors, comfort and/or pain during sex, and lubricant use and to share, particularly with younger women, that lubricant use is prevalent and commonly used for reasons related to pleasure as well as comfort.
Clitoral Size and Location in Relation to Sexual Function Using Pelvic MRI
Authors: Oakley Susan H. , Vaccaro Christine M. , Crisp Catrina C. , Estanol M. Victoria , Fellner Angela N. , Kleeman Steven D. , Pauls Rachel N.
Published: February 2014

Introduction

The female sexual response is dynamic; anatomic mechanisms may ease or enhance the intensity of orgasm.

Aim

The aim of this study is to evaluate the clitoral size and location with regard to female sexual function.

Methods

This cross-sectional TriHealth Institutional Board Review approved study compared 10 sexually active women with anorgasmia to 20 orgasmic women matched by age and body mass index (BMI). Data included demographics, sexual history, serum hormone levels, Prolapse/Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire-12 (PISQ-12), Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), Body Exposure during Sexual Activity Questionnaire (BESAQ), and Short Form Health Survey-12. All subjects underwent pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) without contrast; measurements of the clitoris were calculated.

Main Outcome Measures

Our primary outcomes were clitoral size and location as measured by noncontrast MRI imaging in sagittal, coronal, and axial planes.

Results

Thirty premenopausal women completed the study. The mean age was 32 years (standard deviation [SD] 7), mean BMI 25 (SD 4). The majority was white (90%) and married (61%). Total PISQ-12 (P < 0.001) and total FSFI (P < 0.001) were higher for orgasmic subjects, indicating better sexual function. On MRI, the area of the clitoral glans in coronal view was significantly smaller for the anorgasmic group (P= 0.005). A larger distance from the clitoral glans (51 vs. 45 mm, P= 0.049) and body (29 vs. 21 mm, P= 0.008) to the vaginal lumen was found in the anorgasmic subjects. For the entire sample, larger distance between the clitoris and the vagina correlated with poorer scores on the PISQ-12 (r = −0.44, P= 0.02), FSFI (r = −0.43, P= 0.02), and BESAQ (r = −0.37, P= 0.04).

Conclusion

Women with anorgasmia possessed a smaller clitoral glans and clitoral components farther from the vaginal lumen than women with normal orgasmic function.
Erectile Hydraulics: Maximizing Inflow While Minimizing Outflow
Authors: Meldrum David R. , Burnett Arthur L. , Dorey Grace , Esposito Katherine , Ignarro Louis J.
Published: February 2014

Introduction

Penile rigidity depends on maximizing inflow while minimizing outflow.

Aim

The aim of this review is to describe the principal factors and mechanisms involved.

Main Outcome Measure

Erectile quality is the main outcome measure.

Methods

Data from the pertinent literature were examined to inform our conclusions.

Results

Nitric oxide (NO) is the principal factor increasing blood flow into the penis. Penile engorgement and the pelvic floor muscles maintain an adequate erection by impeding outflow of blood by exerting pressure on the penile veins from within and from outside of the penile tunica. Extrinsic pressure by the pelvic floor muscles further raises intracavernosal pressure above maximum inflow pressure to achieve full penile rigidity. Aging and poor lifestyle choices are associated with metabolic impediments to NO production. Aging is also associated with fewer smooth muscle cells and increased fibrosis within the corpora cavernosa, preventing adequate penile engorgement and pressure on the penile veins. Those same penile structural changes occur rapidly following the penile nerve injury that accompanies even “nerve-sparing” radical prostatectomy and are largely prevented in animal models by early chronic use of a phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitor. Pelvic floor muscles may also decrease in tone and bulk with age, and pelvic floor muscle exercises have been shown to improve erectile function to a similar degree compared with a PDE5 inhibitor in men with erectile dysfunction (ED).

Conclusions

Because NO is critical for vascular health and ED is strongly associated with cardiovascular disease, maximal attention should be focused on measures known to increase vascular NO production, including the use of PDE5 inhibitors. Attention should also be paid to early, regular use of PDE5 inhibition to reduce the incidence of ED following penile nerve injury and to assuring normal function of the pelvic floor muscles. These approaches to maximizing erectile function are complementary rather than competitive, as they operate on entirely different aspects of erectile hydraulics.
Urethral Plugs in Dogs
Authors: Stiller A.T. , Lulich J.P. , Furrow E.
Published: February 2014

Background

Crystalline‐matrix urethral plugs have not been previously reported in dogs.

Hypothesis/Objectives

To report the composition of urethral plugs in dogs, describe clinical features of the disease, and identify overrepresented breeds.

Methods

Retrospective case series. A Minnesota Urolith Center (MUC) record search was performed for urethral plugs in dogs submitted during a 6‐year period. The composition of the plugs and signalment of affected dogs were recorded. Breed risk analysis was performed using a control group without plugs from the Veterinary Medical Center, University of Minnesota (VMC UMN). Breed risk was also calculated for a group of dogs with struvite (plugs and uroliths). Medical records for the subset of plug cases from the VMC UMN were reviewed and described.

Results

Between 2006 and 2011, 42 urethral plugs from dogs were submitted to the MUC. All came from male dogs, and the mineral component of the majority (83%) was struvite. Thirty (71%) samples were from Pugs. Pugs were overrepresented in plug submissions (OR 179; CI 88–389; P < .001), and for struvite in general (OR 14.3; CI 7.9–24.4; P < .001). Nine of the dogs were treated at VMC UMN; all were castrated male Pugs. None of these cases had bacteriuria or positive urine cultures, and no underlying cause of plug formation was identified.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

When evaluating dogs with urethral obstruction, plugs need to be considered, especially in male Pugs. Further investigation into the underlying cause of plug formation in dogs is warranted.
Associations between women's autonomy and child nutritional status: a review of the literature
Authors: Carlson Gwen J. , Kordas Katarzyna , Murray‐Kolb Laura E.
Published: February 2014

Around the world, many women continue to experience low levels of autonomy. Recent literature has reported that the health consequences of low maternal autonomy extend beyond mothers and translate into health consequences for their children, and may be an important causal factor in child malnutrition. This review summarises the current knowledge of the relationship between maternal autonomy and children's nutritional status (defined as any measure that reflects the nutritional state of the body, such as birthweight or anthropometric scores) and child‐feeding practices. The review also includes both discussion of the limitations found in the literature and directions for future research. A systematic review of the literature was conducted. Results of the studies included in the review strongly suggest that raising maternal autonomy is an important goal for improving children's nutritional status, yet gaps in the current knowledge exist, further confounded by issues with how autonomy is measured and limitations of cross‐cultural comparability. A thorough understanding of the consequences of restricting women's autonomy will inform programmes and policy worldwide, and speed progress towards both empowering women and alleviating the global burden of child malnutrition.
Functional analysis of the conserved transcriptional regulator CfWor1 in Cladosporium fulvum reveals diverse roles in the virulence of plant pathogenic fungi
Authors: Ökmen Bilal , Collemare Jérôme , Griffiths Scott , van der Burgt Ate , Cox Russell , de Wit Pierre J. G. M.
Published: February 2014

Fungal Wor1‐like proteins are conserved transcriptional regulators that are reported to regulate the virulence of several plant pathogenic fungi by affecting the expression of virulence genes. Here, we report the functional analysis of CfWor1, the homologue of Wor1 in Cladosporium fulvum. Δcfwor1 mutants produce sclerotium‐like structures and rough hyphae, which are covered with a black extracellular matrix. These mutants do not sporulate and are no longer virulent on tomato. A CE.CfWor1 transformant that constitutively expresses CfWor1 produces fewer spores with altered morphology and is also reduced in virulence. RNA‐seq and RT‐qrtPCR analyses suggest that reduced virulence of Δcfwor1 mutants is due to global downregulation of transcription, translation and mitochondrial respiratory chain. The reduced virulence of the CE.CfWor1 transformant is likely due to downregulation of effector genes. Complementation of a non‐virulent Δfosge1 (Wor1‐homologue) mutant of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici with CfWor1 restored expression of the SIX effector genes in this fungus, but not its virulence. Chimeric proteins of CfWor1/FoSge1 also only partially restored defects of the Δfosge1 mutant, suggesting that these transcriptional regulators have functionally diverged. Altogether, our results suggest that CfWor1 primarily regulates development of C. fulvum, which indirectly affects the expression of a subset of virulence genes.
Transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ1) in breast milk and indicators of infant atopy in a birth cohort
Authors: Joseph Christine L. M. , Havstad Suzanne , Bobbitt Kevin , Woodcroft Kimberley , Zoratti Edward M. , Nageotte Christian , Misiak Rana , Enberg Robert , Nicholas Charlotte , Ezell Jerel M. , Ownby Dennis R. , Johnson Christine Cole
Published: February 2014

Background

The infant gut's ability to suppress immunologic reactions to food proteins could be influenced by levels of TGFβ in breast milk. We hypothesized that lower levels of TGFβ1 in the breast milk (BM) of mothers in the WHEALS birth cohort are associated with atopy at infant age 2–3 yrs.

Methods

We used data collected during infancy in addition to the results of skin prick tests (SPT+) and measures of specific IgE >0.35 IU/ml (spIgE) to milk, egg, and peanut at infant age 2–3 years. Infants were classified as food allergic (FA) based on parental report of infant symptoms/diagnoses and information from clinical assessments.

Results

Data for 304 cohort members were analyzed. Among non‐black infants, BM‐TGFβ1 was lower for those classified as FA (vs. no FA) and those SPT+ (vs., SPT‐), geometric mean = 1100 pg/ml vs. 1417pg/ml, p = 0.081; and 1100 pg/ml vs. 1415pg/ml, p = 0.064, respectively. Among infants of non‐atopic mothers, BM‐TGFβ1 was lower for those with elevated (vs. not elevated) sIgE, geometric mean = 1347 pg/ml vs. 1651 pg/ml, p = 0.047. Using logistic regression, adjusted odds ratios describing the association of BM‐TGFβ1 to the presence of atopic indicators in the infant were in the hypothesized direction only for non‐black infants of non‐atopic mothers: aORs for FA, sIgE and SPT+ were 0.08, 0.34, and 0.26 respectively; p = 0.091, 0.13, and 0.23.

Conclusion

Immune benefit of BM‐TGFβ1 could inform prevention strategies. Evidence of an association appears greatly influenced by infant race and maternal atopy. More research can determine if these relationships represent a modifiable risk factor for the development of food allergy in certain subgroups.