bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Pain, oedema and healing in venous ulcer patients treated with lymphotherapy
Authors: Azoubel Roberta , Torres Gilson de Vasconcelos , Salvetti Marina de Góes , Santos Washington da Silva , Xavier Thaiza Teixeira , Gomes Fabiano Veloso 
Published: May 2014

AbstractBackgroundPain and oedema are common symptoms in patients with venous ulcers.ObjectivesTo evaluate the benefits of lymphotherapy as an additional intervention to compression therapy in venous ulcer treatment.MethodsQuasi‐experimental study comparing lymphotherapy in combination with compression therapy (intervention) to dressings alone (control) for venous ulcer treatment. The outcomes of the study were pain, oedema and healing. The sample comprised of 67 venous ulcer patients in total, with 31 allocated to the intervention group and 36 to the control group. The instruments included a sociodemographic form, physiotherapy assessment, numerical pain rating scale, Godet test and a wound contraction measurement.ResultsThe intervention group demonstrated a significant reduction in pain intensity (P>0.001), oedema (P>0.001) and ulcer area (P=0.004), and a significant increase in ulcer contraction (P>0.001) when compared with the control group at the end of 6 months.ConclusionsThe intervention group showed a significant reduction in pain and oedema, and a significant improvement in wound healing when compared to the control group from the third month of treatment, thus confirming the benefits of this therapy.
Ethnic or Political Fractionalisation? A District Level Analysis of the Provision of Public Goods in Sri Lanka
Authors: Cooray Arusha 
Published: May 2014

AbstractThis study investigates the influence of ethnic and political fractionalisation on the provision of public goods at a district level in Sri Lanka. Evidence shows that political fractionalisation has a greater negative impact on the provision of public goods compared with ethnic fractionalisation. Similarly, political polarisation has a greater negative effect on the provision of public goods compared with ethnic polarisation. The interaction between ethnic and political measures suggests that political fractionalisation (political polarisation) exacerbates the negative effects of ethnic fractionalisation (ethnic polarisation) on the provision of public goods. The ethnolinguistic fractionalisation (ELF) index assumes greater statistical significance under fixed effects estimation suggesting greater within district effects in the relationship between ELF and public good provision.
Field Observation of Diurnal Dissolved Oxygen Fluctuations in Shallow Groundwater
Authors: Schilling Keith E. , Jacobson Peter 
Published: May 2014

AbstractDissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations influence many biogeochemical processes in groundwater systems but studies of temporal variability in DO are lacking. In this study, we used an optical DO probe to measure rapid changes in concentration due to plant‐groundwater interaction at an alluvial aquifer field site in Iowa. Diurnal DO concentrations were observed during mid‐ to late‐summer when soil conditions were dry, fluctuating approximately 0.2 to 0.3 mg/L on a daily basis. DO fluctuations in groundwater were out‐of‐phase with diurnal water table fluctuations, increasing during the day and decreasing at night. DO consumption at night is likely due to increased soil autotrophic and heterotrophic respiration linked with patterns of carbon supply derived from daytime photosynthetic activity, and consistent with available literature on diurnal soil respiration patterns. Although more work is needed to quantify specific processes, our results indicate the potential usefulness of the new optical DO technology to reveal insights regarding many ecohydrological processes.
Increased cancer risk in patients with haemophilia A: a nationwide population‐based 14‐year study in Taiwan
Authors: Liu C.‐J. , Yu Y.‐B. , Teng C.‐J. , Hung Y.‐P. , Hu Y.‐W. , Hong Y.‐C. , Chen T.‐J. , Chiou T.‐J. , Tzeng C.‐H. , Hsu H.‐C. , Gau J.‐P. 
Published: May 2014

SummaryHaemostasis is associated with the development and dissemination of cancer. Whether cancer incidence is increased in haemophiliacs remains uncertain; thus, we aimed to further examine this issue. By using data from the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan, we obtained a cohort of 683 patients with haemophilia A, and compared the incidence rate ratio (IRR) of cancer in this cohort with an age‐ and sex‐matched control of 6830 patients. The log‐rank test was used to compare Kaplan–Meier curve of the cumulative cancer incidence between two cohorts. Cox regressions were used to identify independent risk factors of cancer in the study patients. The cancer incidence of patients with haemophilia A was significantly higher compared to the control group (IRR 1.95, 95% CI 1.18–3.09, P = 0.008) during the 14‐year follow‐up period. The non‐lymphoma and non‐liver cancer incidence in the haemophilia A cohort remained higher than that of the matched control (P = 0.050 by the log‐rank test). The multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis indicated that age (per year, HR 1.09, 95% CI 1.06–1.12, P < 0.001) was the only significant risk factor for cancer development in haemophilia patients. Patients with haemophilia A had higher cancer incidence than the age‐ and sex‐matched patients, especially for the elderly. With increasing life expectancy for haemophiliacs, physicians should be aware of their cancer development.
Geology and age model of the Lower Pleistocene Nojima, Ofuna, and Koshiba Formations of the middle Kazusa Group, a forearc basin‐fill sequence on the Miura Peninsula, the Pacific side of central Japan
Authors: Nozaki Atsushi , Majima Ryuichi , Kameo Koji , Sakai Saburo , Kouda Atsuro , Kawagata Shungo , Wada Hideki , Kitazato Hiroshi 
Published: May 2014

AbstractWe present field and core observations, nannofossil biostratigraphy, and stable oxygen isotope fluctuations in foraminiferal tests to describe the geology and to construct an age model of the Lower Pleistocene Nojima, Ofuna, and Koshiba Formations (in ascending order) of the middle Kazusa Group, a forearc basin‐fill succession, exposed on the northern Miura Peninsula on the Pacific side of central Japan. In the study area, the Nojima Formation is composed of sandy mudstone and alternating sandy mudstone and mudstone, the Ofuna Formation of massive mudstone, and the Koshiba Formation of sandy mudstone, muddy sandstone, and sandstone. The Kazusa Group contains many tuff beds that are characteristic of forearc deposits. Thirty‐six of those tuff beds have characteristic lithologies and stratigraphic positions that allow them to be traced over considerable distances. Examination of calcareous nannofossils revealed three nannofossil datum planes in the sequences: datum 10 (first appearance of large Gephyrocapsa), datum 11 (first appearance of Gephyrocapsa oceanica), and datum 12 (first appearance of Gephyrocapsa caribbeanica). Stable oxygen isotope data from the tests of the planktonic foraminifer Globorotalia inflata extracted from cores were measured to identify the stratigraphic fluctuations of oxygen isotope ratios that are controlled by glacial–interglacial cycles. The observed fluctuations were assigned to marine isotope stages (MISs) 49–61 on the basis of correlations of the fluctuations with nannofossil datum planes. Using the age model obtained, we estimated the ages of 24 tuff beds. Among these, the SKT‐11 and SKT‐12 tuff beds have been correlated with the Kd25 and Kd24 tuff beds, respectively, of the Kiwada Formation on the Boso Peninsula. The Kd25 and Kd24 tuff beds are widely recognized in Pleistocene strata in Japan. We used our age model to date SKT‐11 at 1573 ka and SKT‐12 at 1543 ka.
Does output predict unemployment? A look at Okun's law in Greece
Authors: KARFAKIS Costas , KATRAKILIDIS Constantinos , TSANANA Eftychia 
Published: May 2014

AbstractUsing a dynamic specification of Okun's law, the authors examine the relationship between unemployment and output in Greece over the period 2000–12. While Granger causality tests indicate that real output is important to understanding future movements in unemployment, Okun's ratio is found to be 3:1, implying that a 1 per cent increase in unemployment was associated with a 3 per cent decrease in real output during the 13‐year period under study. Also, asymmetric analysis shows that the response of unemployment to real output is stronger during contractions of real economic activity than in expansionary periods.
Prolonged isolation and persistence of a common endemic on granite outcrops in both mesic and semi‐arid environments in south‐western Australia
Authors: Tapper Sarah‐Louise , Byrne Margaret , Yates Colin J. , Keppel Gunnar , Hopper Stephen D. , Van Niel Kimberly , Schut Antonius G. T. , Mucina Laco , Wardell‐Johnson Grant W. 
Published: May 2014

AbstractAimGranite outcrops may be able to act as refugia for species during adverse climate change, owing to their topographic complexity. We assessed this hypothesis by examining phylogeographical patterns in a common, geographically widespread granite endemic, Stypandra glauca (Hemerocallidaceae).LocationGranite outcrops of the Southwest Australian Floristic Region, Western Australia.MethodsTwenty‐four tetraploid individuals of the granite endemic Stypandra glauca were sampled from each of 12 granite outcrops: 7 from a mesic environment and 5 from the semi‐arid region. Phylogenetic reconstruction and divergence‐dating was achieved using Bayesian and parsimony analyses of chloroplast haplotypes from 90 individuals. Nuclear diversity and population differentiation were analysed across all individuals using 10 microsatellite loci.ResultsStypandra glauca exhibited high (chloroplast) or moderate (nuclear) levels of divergence among, and low diversity within, outcrops. Haplotype diversity was high in both sampling regions, and each haplotype was unique to one outcrop. There was little correlation between geographical and genetic distance. Both nuclear and chloroplast diversity were higher in southern (mesic) outcrops than in northern (semi‐arid) outcrops, although the level of chloroplast divergence among outcrops was similar for both climatic regions.Main conclusionsThe levels of divergence and low diversity revealed in S. glauca support a scenario of prolonged isolation and persistence on granite outcrops in both mesic and semi‐arid climatic regions, with no evidence of contraction–expansion dynamics across the outcrop network. The higher levels of diversity in the southern populations may result from the maintenance of a larger effective population size in southern regions, which retained more mesic climates during drier glacial periods. Although the climatic conditions differ between outcrops in this study, our results indicate that outcrops in both regions have harboured S. glauca throughout climatic changes, accentuating the value of these habitats to biodiversity conservation under future changing climate.
Contact Electroanatomic Mapping Derived Voltage Criteria for Characterizing Left Atrial Scar in Patients Undergoing Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: KAPA SURAJ , DESJARDINS BENOIT , CALLANS DAVID J. , MARCHLINSKI FRANCIS E. , DIXIT SANJAY 
Published: May 2014

Voltage Criteria for Left Atrial ScarBackgroundCriteria have not been established for identifying LA scar using electroanatomic mapping (EAM). It is also unclear if voltage criteria using EAM may assist in identifying areas of pulmonary vein (PV) reconnection in patients undergoing repeat AF ablation.ObjectivesTo characterize left atrial (LA) voltage in patients undergoing atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation.MethodsAn LA shell was created and bipolar voltage amplitude (in mV) at each point was measured. The shell was divided into 8 regions. Bipolar voltage values lower than the amplitude of 95% of sampled points was used as the upper cutoff value. Delayed enhancement (DE) cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI) sequences were performed to validate voltage cutoffs.ResultsTwenty patients participated. A mean of 141 ± 12 points constituted the LA map that was created during sinus rhythm (SR). In patients undergoing initial AF ablation, mean bipolar LA voltage was 1.44 ± 1.27 mV. In patients undergoing repeat AF ablation, scar along the posterior wall and LA–PV junction was identified using a voltage cutoff <0.2 mV, whereas a cutoff <0.45 mV best identified scar at other locations. This voltage range (0.2–0.45 mV) was useful to identify areas of reconnection around the PVs. On DE CMRI, a bipolar voltage cutoff of 0.27 mV performed best for delineating scar (sensitivity: 90%, specificity: 83%).ConclusionsIn patients undergoing AF ablation, EAM derived LA bipolar voltage shows regional variation. For maps acquired during SR, a voltage range of 0.2–0.45 mV can accurately demarcate LA scar distribution. This can be helpful in identifying PV reconnection in patients undergoing repeat AF ablation.
Infrequent Intraprocedural Premature Ventricular Complexes: Implications for Ablation Outcome
Authors: BASER KAZIM , BAS HATICE DUYGU , YOKOKAWA MIKI , LATCHAMSETTY RAKESH , MORADY FRED , BOGUN FRANK 
Published: May 2014

Premature Ventricular ComplexesBackgroundFrequent premature ventricular complexes (PVCs) can be eliminated with an ablation procedure. Ablation success rates have been reported to be in the 80% range. Reasons for failure of ablation have not been described in detail. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the paucity of PVCs at the beginning of the ablation procedure affects the outcome.MethodsCatheter ablation was attempted in a consecutive series of 194 patients (age: 50 ± 14 years, 91 male, ejection fraction: 56.4 ± 8.4%) with frequent idiopathic PVCs. Based on receiver operator characteristics (ROC) analysis, patients were divided into 2 groups: Patients with frequent PVCs (≥32 PVCs within the first 30 minutes of the procedure: n = 135 [70%]); and patients with infrequent PVCs (<32 PVCs within the first 30 minutes of the procedure: n = 59 [30%]). Procedural outcomes were compared at 3 months postablation. A successful ablation was defined as a ≥80% reduction in the PVC burden compared to baseline.ResultsA successful procedure was performed in 148 patients (76%) resulting in a decrease in the PVC burden from 19.1 ± 13.6% to 0.38 ± 0.98%(P < 0.0001). Patients with frequent intraprocedural PVCs had a higher success rate than patients with infrequent intraprocedural PVCs (85% vs. 56%, P = 0.0001). Administration of sedation was no different in the 2 groups. The paucity of PVCs was independent of the site of origin in predicting procedural failure (OR: 6.9, 95% CI: 3.0–16.2 P = 0.0001).ConclusionPaucity of PVCs at the beginning of an ablation procedure is associated with a lower ablation success rate independent of the site of origin.
Experimental evolution of external immune defences in the red flour beetle
Authors: Joop G. , Roth O. , Schmid‐Hempel P. , Kurtz J. 
Published: May 2014

AbstractThe red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, secretes quinones that control the microbial flora in the surrounding environment. These secretions act as an external immune defence that provides protection against pathogens. At high concentrations, however, these secretions are harmful to the host itself, and selection may thus have optimized the level of expression under natural conditions. Here, we show that the expression of external immunity responded to selection during experimental evolution within a few generations. At the same time, one component of internal immune defence (phenoloxidase activity) was compromised in beetles selected for either high or low external defences. Intriguingly, offspring protection against a natural pathogen was reduced in flour obtained from beetle lines selected for low amounts of secretions. Altogether, this suggests that external and internal immune defences work together efficiently under natural conditions, whereas every manipulation on the side of external immune defence comes with costs to the internal immune defence.
Estimating the surface area of nonconvex particles from central planar sections
Authors: THÓRISDÓTTIR Ó. , RAFATI A.H. , KIDERLEN M. 
Published: May 2014

SummaryIn this paper, we present a new surface area estimator in local stereology. This new estimator is called the ‘Morse‐type surface area estimator’ and is obtained using a two‐stage sampling procedure. First a plane section through a fixed reference point of a three‐dimensional structure is taken. In this section plane, a modification of the area tangent count method is used. The Morse‐type estimator generalizes Cruz‐Orive's pivotal estimator for convex objects to nonconvex objects. The advantages of the Morse‐type estimator over existing local surface area estimators are illustrated in a simulation study. The Morse‐type estimator is well suited for computer‐assisted confocal microscopy and we demonstrate its practicability in a biological application: the surface area estimation of the nuclei of giant‐cell glioblastoma from microscopy images. We also present an interactive software that allows the user to efficiently obtain the estimator.
Preclinical evaluation of the immunomodulatory lymphocyte trafficking drug FTY720 for HIV prevention in the female genital mucosa of macaques
Authors: Morris Monica , Aubert Rachael D. , Butler Katherine , Henning Tara , Mitchell James , Jenkins Leecresia , Garber David , McNicholl Janet , Kersh Ellen N. 
Published: May 2014

AbstractFTY720 has been shown to reduce inflammatory cytokines and immune cells in the genital mucosa of macaques. This pilot study examined the ability of FTY720 to inhibit HIV acquisition. Systemic treatment with FTY720 failed to prevent or delay vaginal SHIV transmission.
Repeated cocaine enhances ventral hippocampal‐stimulated dopamine efflux in the nucleus accumbens and alters ventral hippocampal NMDA receptor subunit expression
Authors: Barr Jeffrey L. , Forster Gina L. , Unterwald Ellen M. 
Published: May 2014

AbstractDopaminergic neurotransmission in the nucleus accumbens is important for various reward‐related cognitive processes including reinforcement learning. Repeated cocaine enhances hippocampal synaptic plasticity, and phasic elevations of accumbal dopamine evoked by unconditioned stimuli are dependent on impulse flow from the ventral hippocampus. Therefore, sensitized hippocampal activity may be one mechanism by which drugs of abuse enhance limbic dopaminergic activity. In this study, in vivo microdialysis in freely moving adult male Sprague–Dawley rats was used to investigate the effect of repeated cocaine on ventral hippocampus‐mediated dopaminergic transmission within the medial shell of the nucleus accumbens. Following seven daily injections of saline or cocaine (20 mg/kg, ip), unilateral infusion of N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA, 0.5 μg) into the ventral hippocampus transiently increased both motoric activity and ipsilateral dopamine efflux in the medial shell of the nucleus accumbens, and this effect was greater in rats that received repeated cocaine compared to controls that received repeated saline. In addition, repeated cocaine altered NMDA receptor subunit expression in the ventral hippocampus, reducing the NR2A : NR2B subunit ratio. Together, these results suggest that repeated exposure to cocaine produces maladaptive ventral hippocampal‐nucleus accumbens communication, in part through changes in glutamate receptor composition.
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A behaviorally sensitizing regimen of cocaine (20 mg/kg, ip 7 days) also sensitized ventral hippocampus (hipp)‐mediated dopaminergic transmission within the nucleus accumbens (Nac) to NMDA stimulation (bolts). This was associated with reduced ventral hippocampal NR2A:NR2B subunit ratio, suggesting that repeated exposure to cocaine produces changes in hippocampal NMDA receptor composition that lead to enhanced ventral hippocampus–nucleus accumbens communication.
Characterization and Sensitivity to Fungicides of Rhizoctonia spp. Recovered from Potato Plants in Bolu, Turkey
Authors: Özer Göksel , Bayraktar Harun 
Published: May 2014

AbstractIsolates of Rhizoctonia spp. associated with stem canker and black scurf disease of potato were examined for their anastomosis group, sequence variations in the ITS‐5.8S rDNA region, pathogenicity and sensitivity to fungicides. A total of 92 isolates were obtained from diseased tuber, stolon and sprouts of the potato plants, collected from five districts of Bolu province, Turkey. Based on the anastomosis group and the similarity of the nucleotide sequence of the ITS‐5.8S rDNA, most of the isolates (81.5%) were identified as AG 3 PT. Other isolates belonged to AG 2‐1 (1.08%), AG 2‐2 IV (1.08%), AG 4 HG II (8.07%), AG 5 (2.17%), binucleate Rhizoctonia AG A (1.08%) and AG K (4.35%). Pathogenicity tests showed that isolates of AG 3 PT, AG 4 HG II and AG 5 caused similar degrees of disease severity on 45‐day‐old potato seedlings, whereas AG 2‐1 was moderately virulent. AG 2‐2 IV and binucleate Rhizoctonia spp. were weakly pathogenic or non‐pathogenic on potato seedlings. In this study, anastomosis groups of Rhizoctonia spp. isolates associated with potato in Turkey were characterized for the first time using molecular techniques and classified at the level of subgroups. Furthermore, the effect of selected fungicides was evaluated on disease development caused by soil‐borne inoculums of different anastomosis groups (AGs). Flutolanil and Bacillus subtilis QST 713 were found to be most effective against the Rhizoctonia isolates tested. These results revealed significant differences among the fungicides on disease development resulted from the different AGs.
The Role of Regulatory Proteins and S-nitrosylation of Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase in the Human Clitoris: Implications for Female Sexual Function
Authors: Oliver Janine L. , Kavoussi Parviz K. , Smith Ryan P. , Woodson Robin I. , Corbett Sean T. , Costabile Raymond A. , Palmer Lisa A. , Lysiak Jeffrey J. 
Published: May 2014

Abstract

Introduction
During female sexual arousal, clitoral blood flow is controlled by endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and its product, nitric oxide (NO). The mechanisms regulating eNOS activity and NO bioavailability in the clitoris are largely unknown.

Aim
To identify proteins involved in regulation of eNOS activity within the clitoris and to evaluate the effects of S-nitrosoglutathione reductase (GSNO-R) and eNOS nitrosylation/denitrosylation on clitoral blood flow.

Methods
Immunohistochemistry for eNOS, caveolin-1 (Cav1), heat shock protein-90 (Hsp90), phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5), GSNO-R, and soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) was performed on human and murine clitoral tissue. Western blot analysis was performed for eNOS, phosphorylated eNOS (phospho-eNOS, Ser1177), Cav1, Hsp90, sGC, PDE5, phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), Akt (protein kinase B), and GSNO-R on protein from human clitoral tissue. A biotin switch assay was used to analyze the S-nitrosylation of eNOS, nNOS, and GSNO-R. Clitoral blood flow was measured in wild-type and GSNO-R-/- mice at baseline and during cavernous nerve electrical stimulation (CNES).

Main Outcome Measures
Localization of eNOS regulatory proteins and clitoral blood flow.

Results
eNOS and GSNO-R co-localized to the vascular endothelium and sinusoids of human clitoral tissue. Immunohistochemistry also localized Cav1 and Hsp90 to the endothelium and PDE5 and sGC to the trabecular smooth muscle. Expression of S-nitrosylated (SNO)-eNOS and SNO-GSNO-R was detected by biotin switch assays. Wild-type control mice exhibited increased clitoral blood flow with CNES whereas GSNO-R-/- animals failed to show an increase in blood flow.

Conclusions
Several key eNOS regulatory proteins are present in the clitoral tissue in a cellular specific pattern. S-nitrosylation of eNOS may also represent a key regulatory mechanism governing eNOS activation/deactivation since mice deficient in GSNO-R failed to increase clitoral blood flow. Additional studies are necessary to define the role of S-nitrosylation in the genital vascular response and its subsequent impact on female sexual function.