bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Psoriasis and Sexual Behavior in Men: Examination of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in the United States
Authors: Armstrong April W. , Harskamp Caitlin T. , Schupp Clayton W. 
Published: May 2013

Abstract

Introduction
Epidemiologic data on sexual behavior in psoriasis patients are lacking.

Aim
We aim to examine and compare the sexual behaviors between men with and without psoriasis in the United States.

Methods
We analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2003 to 2006 and 2009 to 2010. Responses from male participants to the dermatology and sexual behavior questionnaires of the NHANES were collated and analyzed.

Main Outcome Measures
Outcome measures included sexual orientation, age of first sexual encounter, number of oral and non-oral sexual partners, and frequency of unprotected sex.

Results
Among 6,444 U.S. men that responded to the psoriasis question, 170 (2.6%) reported a physician-given diagnosis of psoriasis. Heterosexual men accounted for 95.5% and nonheterosexual men 4.5% of the overall study population. On multivariate analysis, psoriasis was not associated with differences in sexual orientation (odds ratio 1.78, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.75–4.15). Heterosexual men with psoriasis experienced first sexual encounter at an earlier age than those without psoriasis (weighted difference −0.9 years, P = 0.002). Heterosexual men with psoriasis had significantly fewer female oral sexual partners compared with heterosexual men without psoriasis on multivariate analysis (lifetime partner number: rate ratio [RR] 0.65, 95% CI 0.45–0.95; past-year partner number: RR 0.64, 95% CI 0.42–0.97). No significant differences existed between heterosexual men with and without psoriasis regarding frequency of unprotected sex (RR 0.96, 95% CI 0.85–1.09). Among nonheterosexual men with and without psoriasis, no significant differences existed in age first had sex, number of sexual partners, or frequency of unprotected sex.

Conclusion
Heterosexual men with psoriasis have significantly fewer lifetime female oral sexual partners compared with those without psoriasis. Dermatologists and other healthcare providers need to examine the genital region routinely and initiate appropriate therapy to improve patients' sexual health.
A Systematic Review of the Utility of Anticonvulsant Pharmacotherapy in the Treatment of Vulvodynia Pain
Authors: Leo Raphael J. 
Published: May 2013

ABSTRACT

Introduction
Anticonvulsants have increasingly been invoked in the treatment of vulvodynia. However, the evidence supporting this treatment approach has not been systematically assessed.

Aim
The study aims to evaluate the efficacy of anticonvulsant pharmacotherapy in the treatment of vulvodynia.

Methods
A comprehensive search of the available literature was conducted.

Main Outcome Measure
An assessment of the methodological quality of published reports addressing the utility of anticonvulsants in the treatment of vulvodynia was undertaken.

Results
The search yielded nine published reports, i.e., one open-label trial, six nonexperimental studies, and two case reports. A number of methodological shortcomings were identified in several of the reports with respect to study design, including small sample sizes, lack of placebo or other comparison groups, inadequate outcome measures, among others. The vast majority of studies employed gabapentin. Evidence supporting the benefit of anticonvulsants studied to date was limited, i.e., based predominantly upon descriptive/observational reports. There were no systematic investigations into the comparative efficacy of different anticonvulsant agents in the treatment of vulvodynia.

Conclusion
Although some vulvodynia-afflicted patients derive symptom relief from anticonvulsants, there is, as yet, insufficient evidence to support the recommendation of anticonvulsant pharmacotherapy in the treatment of vulvodynia. Additional investigations, employing randomized controlled trials, are warranted.
Sexual Dysfunction in Male Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans: Association with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Other Combat-Related Mental Health Disorders: A Population-Based Cohort Study
Authors: Breyer Benjamin N. , Cohen Beth E. , Bertenthal Daniel , Rosen Raymond C. , Neylan Thomas C. , Seal Karen H. 
Published: May 2013

Abstract

Introduction
Mental health disorders are prevalent in the United States, Iraq, and Afghanistan war veterans. Mental illness, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with or without psychiatric medications, can increase the risk for male sexual dysfunction, threatening quality of life.

Aims
We sought to determine the prevalence and correlates of sexual dysfunction among male Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

Methods
We performed a retrospective cohort study of 405,275 male Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who were new users of U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare from October 7, 2001 to September 30, 2009 and had 2-year follow-up.

Main Outcome Measures
We determined the independent association of mental health diagnoses and sexual dysfunction after adjusting for sociodemographic and military service characteristics, comorbidities, and medications.

Results
Veterans with PTSD were more likely to have a sexual dysfunction diagnosis, be prescribed medications for sexual dysfunction, or both (10.6%), compared with veterans having a mental diagnosis other than PTSD (7.2%), or no mental health diagnosis (2.3%). In a fully adjusted model, PTSD increased the risk of sexual dysfunction by more than threefold (adjusted risk ratio = 3.61, 95% CI = 3.48–3.75). Veterans with mental health disorders, particularly PTSD, were at the highest risk of sexual dysfunction when prescribed psychiatric medications (adjusted risk ratio = 4.59, 95% CI = 4.41–4.77).

Conclusions
Among U.S. combat veterans, mental health disorders, particularly PTSD, increased the risk of sexual dysfunction independent of the use of psychiatric medications.
The effects of suppressing intrusive thoughts on dream content, dream distress and psychological parameters
Authors: Kröner‐Borowik Tana , Gosch Stefanie , Hansen Kathrin , Borowik Benjamin , Schredl Michael , Steil Regina 
Published: May 2013

SummarySuppressing unwanted thoughts can lead to an increased occurrence of the suppressed thought in dreams. This is explainable by the ironic control theory, which theorizes why the suppression of thoughts might make them more persistent. The present study examined the influence of thought suppression on dream rebound, dream distress, general psychiatric symptomatology, depression, sleep quality and perceived stress. Thirty healthy participants (good sleepers) were investigated over a period of 1 week. Half were instructed to suppress an unwanted thought 5 min prior to sleep, whereas the other half were allowed to think of anything at all. Dream content was assessed through a dream diary. Independent raters assessed whether or not the dreams were related to the suppressed target thought. The results demonstrated increased target‐related dreams and a tendency to have more distressing dreams in the suppression condition. Moreover, the data imply that thought suppression may lead to significantly increased general psychiatric symptomatology. No significant effects were found for the other secondary outcomes.
Prognostic Importance of Myocardial Injury in Critically Ill Dogs with Systemic Inflammation
Authors: Langhorn R. , Oyama M.A. , King L.G. , Machen M.C. , Trafny D.J. , Thawley V. , Willesen J.L. , Tarnow I. , Kjelgaard‐Hansen M. 
Published: May 2013

BackgroundIn noncardiac critical disease in humans, myocardial injury as detected by cardiac troponin I and T (cTnI and cTnT) has been linked to high intensive care unit (ICU) death independent of prognostic composite scoring.HypothesisPresence of myocardial injury predicts short‐term death in critically ill dogs with systemic inflammation and provides additional prognostic information when combined with established canine prognostic composite scores.AnimalsForty‐two dogs admitted to the ICU with evidence of systemic inflammation and no primary cardiac disease.MethodsProspective cohort study. Blood samples were obtained at ICU admission for the measurement of cTnI and cTnT, C‐reactive protein, and several cytokines. The acute patient physiologic and laboratory evaluation (APPLE) score and the survival prediction index were calculated within the first 24 hours of admission. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to examine the prognostic capacity of each biomarker and severity score. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate whether cardiac markers significantly contributed to severity scores.ResultsTwenty‐eight day case fatality rate was 26% (11/42 dogs). cTnI concentrations were (median [range]) 0.416 [0.004–141.5] ng/mL and cTnT concentrations were 13.5 [<13–3,744] ng/L. cTnI, cTnT, and the APPLE score were all significant prognosticators with areas under the ROC curves [95% CI] of 0.801 [0.649; 0.907], 0.790 [0.637; 0.900], and 0.776 [0.621; 0.889], respectively. cTnI significantly contributed to the APPLE score in providing additional prognostic specificity (P = .025).Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceMarkers of myocardial injury predict short‐term death in dogs with systemic inflammation and cTnI significantly contributes to the APPLE score.
Prognostic Value of 24‐Hour AmbulatoryECG(Holter) Monitoring in Boxer Dogs
Authors: Mõtsküla P.F. , Linney C. , Palermo V. , Connolly D.J. , French A. , Dukes McEwan J. , Luis Fuentes V. 
Published: May 2013

BackgroundBoxer dogs are reported to be predisposed to arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC), but the natural history has not been well characterized and inconsistent diagnostic criteria have been applied to identify affected dogs. Echocardiographic examination findings are unremarkable in many affected Boxer dogs, and in these dogs, 24‐hour ambulatoryECG(Holter) monitoring often is used for diagnostic and prognostic purposes, despite limited information available relating Holter findings to outcome.Hypothesis/ObjectivesBoxers with complex ventricular arrhythmias at initial presentation will have shorter survival times. The objective was to investigate the prognostic value of Holter monitoring in Boxer dogs.AnimalsOne hundred and twenty‐two Boxer dogs seen at 3 university referral hospitals.MethodsRetrospective study. Survival times were obtained for Boxer dogs evaluated by echocardiography and a 24‐hour HolterECG. Kaplan‐Meier survival analysis was used to estimate the median survival time and Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to identify variables independently associated with cardiac mortality.ResultsOutcome data were obtained for 122/163 dogs meeting the inclusion criteria. Of the 70 dogs that had died, 45 were considered to have suffered cardiac‐related deaths. Median survival was significantly longer in dogs with a left ventricular systolic diameter (LVIDs) ≤ 35 mm compared with those with LVIDs > 35 mm (P < .001). Multivariable analysis in dogs with LVIDs ≤ 35 mm showed that the presence of ventricular tachycardia, age >4.5 years, and male sex were independent predictors of cardiac mortality.Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceHolter monitoring in Boxer dogs provides valuable prognostic information.
You cannot hide your telephone lies: Providing a model statement as an aid to detect deception in insurance telephone calls
Authors: Leal Sharon , Vrij Aldert , Warmelink Lara , Vernham Zarah , Fisher Ronald P. 
Published: May 2013

Deception research regarding insurance claims is rare but relevant given the financial loss in terms of fraud. In Study 1, a field study in a large multinational insurance fraud detection company, truth telling mock claimants (N = 19) and lying mock claimants (N = 21) were interviewed by insurance company telephone operators. These operators classified correctly only 50% of these truthful and lying claimants, but their task was particularly challenging: Claimants said little, and truthful and deceptive statements did not differ in quality (measured with Criteria‐Based Content Analysis [CBCA]) or plausibility. In Study 2, a laboratory experiment, participants in the experimental condition (N = 43) were exposed to an audiotaped truthful and detailed account of an event that was unrelated to insurance claims (a day at the motor races). The number of words, quality of the statement (measured with CBCA), and plausibility of the participants' accounts were compared with participants who were not given a model statement (N = 40). The participants who had listened to the model statement provided longer statements than control participants, truth tellers obtained higher CBCA scores than liars, and only in the model statement condition did truth tellers sound more plausible than liars. Providing participants with a model statement is thus an innovative and successful tool to elicit cues to deception. Providing such a model has the potential to enhance performance in insurance call interviews, and, as we argue, in many other interview settings.
Freeway Travel Time Prediction Using Takagi–Sugeno–Kang Fuzzy Neural Network
Authors: Zhang Yunlong , Ge Hancheng 
Published: May 2013

AbstractThis article presents a Takagi–Sugeno–Kang Fuzzy Neural Network (TSKFNN) approach to predict freeway corridor travel time with an online computing algorithm. TSKFNN, a combination of a Takagi–Sugeno–Kang (TSK) type fuzzy logic system and a neural network, produces strong prediction performance because of its high accuracy and quick convergence. Real world data collected from US‐290 in Houston, Texas are used to train and validate the network. The prediction performance of the TSKFNN is investigated with different combinations of traffic count, occupancy, and speed as input options. The comparison between online TSKFNN, offline TSKFNN, the back propagation neural network (BPNN) and the time series model (ARIMA) is made to evaluate the performance of TSKFNN. The results show that using count, speed, and occupancy together as input produces the best TSKFNN predictions. The online TSKFNN outperforms other commonly used models and is a promising tool for reliable travel time prediction on a freeway corridor.
Local silencing controls the oxidative stress response and the multidrug resistance in Candida glabrata
Authors: Orta‐Zavalza Emmanuel , Guerrero‐Serrano Gehenna , Gutiérrez‐Escobedo Guadalupe , Cañas‐Villamar Israel , Juárez‐Cepeda Jacqueline , Castaño Irene , De Las Peñas Alejandro 
Published: May 2013

SummaryIn Candida glabrata, the sirtuins Sir2 and Hst1 control the expression of a wide number of genes including adhesins required for host colonization and niacin transporters needed for growth. Given that these sirtuins can be inactivated during infection, we asked if their inhibition could modify the response of C. glabrata to other stressful conditions. Here, we found that deletion of HST1 decreases susceptibility of C. glabrata to fluconazole and hydrogen peroxide. The transcription factor Pdr1 and the ABC transporter Cdr1 mediated the fluconazole resistance phenotype of the hst1Δ cells, whereas the transcriptional activator Msn4 and the catalase Cta1 are necessary to provide oxidative stress resistance. We show that the transcription factor Sum1 interacts with Hst1 and participate in the regulation of these genes. Interestingly, even though C. glabrata and Saccharomyces cerevisiae are closely related phylogenetically, deletion of HST1 decreased susceptibility to fluconazole and hydrogen peroxide only in C. glabrata but not in S. cerevisiae, indicating a different transcriptional control by two similar sirtuins. Our findings suggest that Hst1 acts as a regulator of stress resistance associated‐genes.
A novel RNA polymerase‐binding protein controlling genes involved in spore germination in Bacillus subtilis
Authors: Traag Bjorn A. , Ramirez‐Peralta Arturo , Wang Erickson Anna F. , Setlow Peter , Losick Richard 
Published: May 2013

SummaryA growing class of proteins regulates transcription through interaction with DNA‐dependent RNA polymerase. Here we report that a recently identified, highly conserved sporulation gene ylyA encodes a novel RNA polymerase‐binding protein that influences the expression of genes under the control of the late‐acting, sporulation sigma factor σG in Bacillus subtilis. Spores from a ylyA mutant exhibited defects in germination corresponding to changes in the levels of membrane receptors for spore germinants and a protein channel governing the release of dipicolinic acid and hydration of the spore core during germination. Purified YlyA interacted with RNA polymerase and stimulated transcription from promoters dependent on σG but not promoters dependent on the housekeeping sigma factor σA. YlyA is a previously unrecognized RNA polymerase‐binding protein that is dedicated to modulating the expression of genes involved in spore germination.
Superoxide poisons mononuclear iron enzymes by causing mismetallation
Authors: Gu Mianzhi , Imlay James A. 
Published: May 2013

SummarySuperoxide (O2−) is a primary agent of intracellular oxidative stress. Genetic studies in many organisms have confirmed that excess O2− disrupts metabolism, but to date only a small family of [4Fe‐4S] dehydratases have been identified as direct targets. This investigation reveals that in Escherichia coli O2− also poisons a broader cohort of non‐redox enzymes that employ ferrous iron atoms as catalytic cofactors. These enzymes were inactivated by O2− both in vitro and in vivo. Although the enzymes are known targets of hydrogen peroxide, the outcome with O2− differs substantially. When purified enzymes were damaged by O2− in vitro, activity could be completely restored by iron addition, indicating that the O2− treatment generated an apoprotein without damaging the protein polypeptide. Superoxide stress inside cells caused the progressive mismetallation of these enzymes with zinc, which confers little activity. When O2− stress was terminated, cells gradually restored activity by extracting zinc from the proteins. The overloading of cells with zinc caused mismetallation even without O2− stress. These results support a model in which O2− repeatedly excises iron from these enzymes, allowing zinc to compete with iron for remetallation of their apoprotein forms. This action substantially expands the physiological imprint of O2− stress.
Both human ferredoxins equally efficiently rescue ferredoxin deficiency in Trypanosoma brucei
Authors: Changmai Piya , Horáková Eva , Long Shaojun , Černotíková‐Stříbrná Eva , McDonald Lindsay M. , Bontempi Esteban J. , Lukeš Julius 
Published: May 2013

SummaryFerredoxins are highly conserved proteins that function universally as electron transporters. They not only require Fe‐S clusters for their own activity, but are also involved in Fe‐S formation itself. We identified two homologues of ferredoxin in the genome of the parasitic protist Trypanosoma brucei and named them TbFdxA and TbFdxB. TbFdxA protein, which is homologous to other eukaryotic mitochondrial ferredoxins, is essential in both the procyclic (= insect‐transmitted) and bloodstream (mammalian) stage, but is more abundant in the active mitochondrion of the former stage. Depletion of TbFdxA caused disruption of Fe‐S cluster biogenesis and lowered the level of intracellular haem. However, TbFdxB, which is present exclusively within kinetoplastid flagellates, was non‐essential for the procyclic stage, and double knock‐down with TbFdxA showed this was not due to functional redundancy between the two homologues. Heterologous expressions of human orthologues HsFdx1 and HsFdx2 fully rescued the growth and Fe‐S‐dependent enzymatic activities of TbFdxA knock‐down. In both cases, the genuine human import signals allowed efficient import into the T. brucei mitochondrion. Given the huge evolutionary distance between trypanosomes and humans, ferredoxins clearly have ancestral and highly conserved function in eukaryotes and both human orthologues have retained the capacity to participate in Fe‐S cluster assembly.
Transgenic resistance to Bamboo mosaic virus by expression of interfering satellite RNA
Authors: Lin Kuan‐Yu , Hsu Yau‐Heiu , Chen Hsin‐Chuan , Lin Na‐Sheng 
Published: May 2013

SummaryPlant genetic engineering has broadened the options for plant virus resistance and is mostly based on pathogen‐derived resistance. Previously, we have shown that interfering satellite RNA (satRNA) of Bamboo mosaic virus (satBaMV) greatly reduces Bamboo mosaic virus (BaMV) accumulation and BaMV‐induced symptoms in co‐inoculated plants. Here, we generated a nonviral source of virus‐resistant transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana and Arabidopsis thaliana by introducing interfering satBaMV. Asymptomatic transgenic N. benthamiana lines were highly resistant to BaMV virion and viral RNA infection, and the expression of the transgene BSL6 was higher in asymptomatic than mildly symptomatic lines. In addition, BaMV‐ and satBaMV‐specific small RNAs were detectable only after BaMV challenge, and their levels were associated with genomic viral RNA or satRNA levels. By transcriptomic analysis, the salicylic acid (SA) signalling pathway was not induced in satBaMV transgenic A. thaliana in mock conditions, suggesting that two major antiviral mechanisms, RNA silencing and SA‐mediated resistance, are not involved directly in transgenic satBaMV‐mediated BaMV interference. In contrast, resistance is associated with the level of the interfering satBaMV transgene. We propose satBaMV‐mediated BaMV interference in transgenic plants by competition for replicase with BaMV.
Brain haemosiderin in older people: pathological evidence for an ischaemic origin of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) microbleeds
Authors: Janaway B. M. , Simpson J. E. , Hoggard N. , Highley J. R. , Forster G. , Drew D. , Gebril O. H. , Matthews F. E. , Brayne C. , Wharton S. B. , Ince P. G. ,   MRC Cognitive Function and Ageing Neuropathology Study
Published: May 2013

IntroductionMagnetic resonance imaging (MRI) cerebral microbleeds (CMB) arise from ferromagnetic haemosiderin iron assumed to derive from extravasation of erythrocytes. Light microscopy of ageing brain frequently reveals foci of haemosiderin from single crystalloids to larger, predominantly perivascular, aggregates. The pathological and radiological relationship between these findings is not resolved.MethodsHaemosiderin deposition and vascular pathology in the putamen were quantified in 200 brains donated to the population‐representative Medical Research Council Cognitive Function and Ageing Study. Molecular markers of gliosis and tissue integrity were assessed by immunohistochemistry in brains with highest (n = 20) and lowest (n = 20) levels of putamen haemosiderin. The association between haemosiderin counts and degenerative and vascular brain pathology, clinical data, and the haemochromatosis (HFE) gene H63D genotype were analysed. The frequency of MRI CMB in 10 cases with highest and lowest burden of putamen haemosiderin, was compared using post mortem 3T MRI.ResultsGreater putamen haemosiderin was significantly associated with putaminal indices of small vessel ischaemia (microinfarcts, P < 0.05; arteriolosclerosis, P < 0.05; perivascular attenuation, P < 0.001) and with lacunes in any brain region (P < 0.023) but not large vessel disease, or whole brain measures of neurodegenerative pathology. Higher levels of putamen haemosiderin correlated with more CMB (P < 0.003).ConclusionsThe MRI‐CMB concept should take account of brain iron homeostasis, and small vessel ischaemic change in later life, rather than only as a marker for minor episodes of cerebrovascular extravasation. These data are of clinical relevance, suggesting that basal ganglia MRI microbleeds may be a surrogate for ischaemic small vessel disease rather than exclusively a haemorrhagic diathesis.