bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Seroconversion Rates of Helicobacter pylori Infection in Korean Adults
Authors: Jung Ji Hoon , Choi Kee Don , Han Seungbong , Jung Hwoon‐Yong , Do Mi Young , Chang Hye‐Sook , Choe Jae‐Won , Lee Gin Hyug , Song Ho June , Kim Do Hoon , Choi Kwi‐Sook , Lee Jeong Hoon , Ahn Ji Yong , Kim Mi‐Young , Bae Suh Eun , Kim Jin‐Ho 
Published: March 2013

AbstractBackgroundStudies on seroconversion and its reversion rate in Korean adults with Helicobacter pylori infection are very rare. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the overall seroprevalence, seroconversion rate, and seroreversion rate of H. pylori infection in an adult population.Materials and MethodsWe performed this retrospective cohort study on healthy adults who had visited our health screening center at Asan Medical Center more than twice between January 2000 and December 2010. We reviewed the anti‐ H. pylori Ab IgG profiles of the enrolled people and their family members and the results of esophagogastroduodenoscopies and a self‐reported questionnaire.ResultsA total of 67,212 people were enrolled in this study. The mean follow‐up duration was 4.6 years, and each participant visited the center for a mean of 3.8 visits. The overall proportions of participants demonstrating persistent seropositivity, persistent seronegativity, seroconversion, and seroreversion were 53.1%, 32.5%, 4.3%, and 10.1%, respectively. The annual seroconversion rate was 2.79%. The annual crude and spontaneous seroreversion rates of the entire study population were 3.64% and 2.42%, respectively. According to multivariate logistic regression, old age (HR = 1.015), smoking (HR = 1.216), alcohol consumption more than four times per week (HR = 1.263), marriage (HR = 2.735), and living with H. pylori‐infected family members (HR = 1.525) were identified as statistically significant risk factors associated with seroconversion.ConclusionThe annual seroconversion rate was 2.79% in our study population. Marriage and living with H. pylori‐infected family members were important risk factors affecting seroconversion in our adult population.
Identification of prostate cancer risk categories according to surgical margins status, pathological stage and Gleason score
Authors: Schiavina Riccardo , Borghesi Marco , Fiorentino Michelangelo , Brunocilla Eugenio , Manferrari Fabio , Vagnoni Valerio , Martorana Giuseppe 
Published: March 2013

ObjectivesOne‐third of patients with positive surgical margins after radical prostatectomy develop recurrent disease. The distinction between pT2 with positive margins and pT3a can be difficult. Aim of the present study was to assess the impact of positive surgical margins on biochemical relapse after radical prostatectomy, adjusted for pathological stage and Gleason score.MethodsWe retrospectively evaluated 837 consecutive patients who underwent radical prostatectomy for organ‐confined or locally‐advanced prostate cancer. Exclusion criteria were: presence of node or distant metastases, neo‐adjuvant or adjuvant therapy, and unavailability of full data regarding pathological stage and margin status. A single dedicated genitourinary pathologist evaluated all the specimens. The Kaplan–Meier method and univariable and multivariable Cox regressions were applied for survival analyses.ResultsThe median follow up was 54.0 ± 35.0 months. Margin status, prostate‐specific antigen and Gleason score significantly predicted biochemical relapse in the pT2 group at multivariable analysis, whereas only pathological stage and pathological Gleason score were significant predictors of recurrence in pT3a patients. There were no significant differences in biochemical disease‐free survival among pT2 with positive margins patients and pT3a patients (with or without positive surgical margins). Pathological Gleason score was the only significant predictor of biochemical relapse in patients with negative and positive margins, regardless of the pathological stage.ConclusionspT2 patients with positive surgical margins and pT3a (with or without positive margins) seem to have similar biochemical disease‐free survival. Positive margins and pathological stage might be insufficient clinical predictors. Gleason score remains the most reliable prognostic factor.
Epigenetic regulation of inducible gene expression in the immune system
Authors: Lim Pek Siew , Li Jasmine , Holloway Adele F , Rao Sudha 
Published: March 2013

SummaryT cells are exquisitely poised to respond rapidly to pathogens and have proved an instructive model for exploring the regulation of inducible genes. Individual genes respond to antigenic stimulation in different ways, and it has become clear that the interplay between transcription factors and the chromatin platform of individual genes governs these responses. Our understanding of the complexity of the chromatin platform and the epigenetic mechanisms that contribute to transcriptional control has expanded dramatically in recent years. These mechanisms include the presence/absence of histone modification marks, which form an epigenetic signature to mark active or inactive genes. These signatures are dynamically added or removed by epigenetic enzymes, comprising an array of histone‐modifying enzymes, including the more recently recognized chromatin‐associated signalling kinases. In addition, chromatin‐remodelling complexes physically alter the chromatin structure to regulate chromatin accessibility to transcriptional regulatory factors. The advent of genome‐wide technologies has enabled characterization of the chromatin landscape of T cells in terms of histone occupancy, histone modification patterns and transcription factor association with specific genomic regulatory regions, generating a picture of the T‐cell epigenome. Here, we discuss the multi‐layered regulation of inducible gene expression in the immune system, focusing on the interplay between transcription factors, and the T‐cell epigenome, including the role played by chromatin remodellers and epigenetic enzymes. We will also use IL2, a key inducible cytokine gene in T cells, as an example of how the different layers of epigenetic mechanisms regulate immune responsive genes during T‐cell activation.
Fixed point for local contractions: Applications to recursive utility
Authors: Martins‐da‐Rocha V. Filipe , Vailakis Yiannis 
Published: March 2013

AbstractThe paper shows how fixed‐point results for local contractions apply to the study of the existence and uniqueness of recursive utility functions defined on subsets of and being continuous for a specific topology. Two particular applications are presented that give rise to local contractions associated with an uncountable family of semi‐distances.
Frequency of trade and the determinacy of equilibrium in economies of overlapping generations
Authors: d'Albis Hippolyte , Augeraud‐Véron Emmanuelle 
Published: March 2013

AbstractDemichelis and Polemarchalis highlighted the role played by the frequency of trade in the degree of indeterminacy of equilibrium in economies of overlapping generations. Assuming that time has a finite starting point and extends into the infinite future, they prove that the degree of indeterminacy increases with the number of periods in the life‐span of individuals, which is assumed to be deterministic. We show that this result does not hold when individual longevity is represented by an exponential survival function: the degree of indeterminacy depends on individual preferences and monetary policy but is independent of the frequency of trade.
Flooding in Texas: Examination of Temporal Changes and Impacts of Tropical Cyclones
Authors: Villarini Gabriele , Smith James A. 
Published: March 2013

AbstractAnnual maximum peak discharge measurements from 62 stations with a record of at least 70 years are used to assess extreme flooding inTexas at the regional scale. This work focuses on examination of the validity of the stationarity assumption and on the impact of tropical cyclones (TCs) on the upper tail of the flood peak distribution. We assess the validity of the stationarity assumption by testing the records for abrupt and gradual changes. The presence of abrupt changes in the first two moments of the flood peak distribution is assessed using theLombard test. We use theMann‐Kendall test to examine the presence of monotonic trends. Results indicate that violations of the stationarity assumption are most commonly caused by abrupt changes, which are often associated with river regulation. We fit the time series of stationary flood records with the generalized extreme value distribution to investigate whetherTCs control the upper tail of the flood peak distribution. Our results indicate thatTCs play a diminished role in shaping the upper tail of the flood peak distribution compared with areas of the eastern United States subject to frequentTCs.
Neotethys closure history of Anatolia: insights from40Ar–39Ar geochronology andP–Testimation in high‐pressure metasedimentary rocks
Authors: Pourteau A. , Sudo M. , Candan O. , Lanari P. , Vidal O. , Oberhänsli R. 
Published: March 2013

AbstractThe multiple high‐pressure (HP), low‐temperature (LT) metamorphic units of Western and Central Anatolia offer a great opportunity to investigate the subduction‐ and continental accretion‐related evolution of the eastern limb of the long‐lived Aegean subduction system. Recent reports of theHP–LTindex mineral Fe‐Mg‐carpholite in three metasedimentary units of the Gondwana‐derived Anatolide–Tauride continental block (namely the Afyon Zone, the Ören Unit and the southern Menderes Massif) suggest a more complicated scenario than the single‐continental accretion model generally put forward in previous studies. This study presents the first isotopic dates (white mica40Ar–39Ar geochronology), and where possible are combined withP–Testimates (chlorite thermometry, phengite barometry, multi‐equilibrium thermobarometry), on carpholite‐bearing rocks from these threeHP–LTmetasedimentary units. It is shown that, in the Afyon Zone, carpholite‐bearing assemblages were retrogressed through greenschist‐facies conditions atc. 67–62 Ma. Early retrograde stages in the Ören Unit are dated to 63–59 Ma. In the Kurudere–Nebiler Unit (HPMesozoic cover of the southern Menderes Massif),HPretrograde stages are dated toc. 45 Ma, and post‐collisional cooling toc. 26 Ma. These new results support that the Ören Unit represents the westernmost continuation of the Afyon Zone, whereas the Kurudere–Nebiler Unit correlates with the Cycladic Blueschist Unit of the Aegean Domain. In Western Anatolia, three successiveHP–LTmetamorphic belts thus formed: the northernmost Tavşanlı Zone (c. 88–82 Ma), the Ören–Afyon Zone (between 70 and 65 Ma), and the Kurudere–Nebiler Unit (c. 52–45 Ma). The southward younging trend of theHP–LTmetamorphism from the upper and internal to the deeper and more external structural units, as in the Aegean Domain, points to the persistence of subduction in Western Anatolia between 93–90 andc. 35 Ma. After the accretion of the Menderes–Tauride terrane, in Eocene times, subduction stopped, leading to continental collision and associated Barrovian‐type metamorphism. Because, by contrast, the Aegean subduction did remain active due to slab roll‐back and trench migration, the eastern limb (below Southwestern Anatolia) of the Hellenic slab was dramatically curved and consequently teared. It therefore is suggested that the possibility for subduction to continue after the accretion of buoyant (e.g. continental) terranes probably depends much on palaeogeography.
Temperature threshold testing: a systematic review
Authors: Bakkers Mayienne , Faber Catharina G. , Peters Martine J. H. , Reulen Jos P. H. , Franssen Hessel , Fischer Tanya Z. , Merkies Ingemar S. J. 
Published: March 2013

AbstractThe diagnosis of small fiber neuropathy (SFN) has been recently defined as typical symptoms due to small nerve fiber dysfunction accompanied by reduced intra‐epidermal nerve fiber density (IENFD) or abnormal temperature threshold testing (TTT). Guidelines have been published for the assessment of IENFD. However, international guidelines for TTT are lacking. This paper presents a systematic literature review on reported TTT methods and provides recommendations for its future use in studies evaluating patients. A total of 164 papers fulfilled pre‐defined requirements and were selected for review. Over 15 types of instruments are currently being used with a variety of methodological approaches for location, stimulus application, and sensation qualities examined. Consensus is needed to standardize the use of TTT as a diagnostic and follow‐up tool in patients.
Limb motor nerve dysfunction in Miller Fisher syndrome
Authors: Drenthen Judith , Maathuis Ellen M. , Visser Gerhard H. , van Doorn Pieter A. , Blok Joleen H. , Jacobs Bart C. 
Published: March 2013

AbstractTypical Miller Fisher syndrome (MFS) lacks limb muscle weakness, but some patients may unpredictably progress to severe Guillain‐Barré syndrome. The compound muscle action potential (CMAP) scan is a recently developed non‐invasive, painless, and reproducible method for detecting early changes in motor nerve excitability. This technique was used to monitor subclinical limb motor nerve dysfunction during disease course in typical MFS. Three Miller Fisher patients with preserved limb muscle strength and normal routine nerve conduction studies were included. Frequent serial CMAP scanning of the median nerve was performed during acute phase and follow‐up and was related to clinical course and outcome. All patients showed an abnormal increase in the range of stimulus intensities at the day of hospital admission, indicating reduced motor nerve excitability already at the earliest stage of disease. Median nerve dysfunction progressed in parallel or even before clinical deterioration, and improved with clinical recovery. Our study shows that typical MFS is a more general neuropathy, affecting peripheral motor nerves even in patients with preserved limb strength and conduction velocity. CMAP scanning is a sensitive technique for early detection of subclinical motor nerve dysfunction and for monitoring disease activity in immune‐mediated neuropathies.
Professions and Institutional Change: Towards an Institutionalist Sociology of the Professions
Authors: Muzio Daniel , Brock David M. , Suddaby Roy 
Published: March 2013

abstractBeginning with this article, our special issue advances the understanding of the role of professions in processes of institutional change and through this it proposes a retheorization of contemporary professionalism. Using institutionalist lenses in professional settings, we highlight the relationship between professionalization and broader institutionalization projects. We start by critically reviewing existing approaches in the sociology of the professions, identifying a functionalist and a conflict‐based approach. Then, we build on and further elaborate an institutionalist perspective on professional work. Such a perspective affirms the importance of studying professions as institutions and connecting professionalization to broader patterns of institutionalization; it highlights the role of professions and professionals as agents in the creation, maintenance, and disruption of institutions, and recognizes the importance of accommodating contemporary patterns of professionalization within the organizational context. We also illustrate how, empirically, the eight papers in this issue advance our understanding of professional agency in contemporary change and, theoretically, contribute to the reconceptualization of the study of professionalism. Finally, we briefly summarize our contribution and identify a series of directions for further research.
Influence of intramuscular granisetron on experimentally induced muscle pain by acidic saline
Authors: Louca S. , Ernberg M. , Christidis N. 
Published: March 2013

SummaryThe aim of this study was to investigate whether intramuscular administration of the 5‐HT3 receptor antagonist granisetron reduces experimental muscle pain induced by repeated intramuscular injections of acidic saline into the masseter muscles. Twenty‐eight healthy and pain‐free volunteers, fourteen women and fourteen men participated in this randomized, double‐blind and placebo‐controlled study. After a screening examination and registration of the baseline pressure–pain threshold (PPT), the first simultaneous bilateral injections of 0·5 mL acidic saline (9 mg mL−1, pH 3·3) into the masseter muscles were performed. Two days later, PPT and pain (VAS) were re‐assessed. The masseter muscle was then pre‐treated with 0·5 mL granisetron (Kytril® 1 mg mL−1 pH 5·3) on one side and control substance (isotonic saline, 9 mg mL−1 pH 6) on the contralateral side. Two minutes thereafter a bilateral simultaneous injection of 0·5 mL acidic saline followed. The evoked pain intensity, pain duration, pain area and PPT were assessed. The volunteers returned 1 week later to re‐assess VAS and PPT. On the side pre‐treated with granisetron, the induced pain had significantly lower intensity and shorter duration (P < 0·05) compared with the side pre‐treated with control. A subgroup analysis showed that the effect of granisetron on pain duration was significant only in women (P < 0·001), while the effect on peak pain and pain area were significant in both sexes. The results showed no significant change in PPT. In conclusion, these results indicate that granisetron has a pain‐reducing effect on experimentally induced muscle pain by repeated acidic saline injection.
1‐Phenyl‐3‐pentanone, a Volatile Compound from the Edible Mushroom Mycoleptodonoides aitchisonii Active Against Some Phytopathogenic Fungi
Authors: Nishino Shigeki , Parada Roxana Y. , Ichiyanagi Tsuyoshi , Maekawa Nitaro , Shimomura Norihiro , Otani Hiroshi 
Published: March 2013

AbstractVolatiles produced by mycelia of mushrooms with aromatic odour were investigated for their antifungal activity against plant‐pathogenic fungi. The results of the screening of 23 species of basidiomycetes revealed that volatile substances from mycelia of Mycoleptodonoides aitchisonii (TUFC10099), an edible mushroom, strongly inhibited the mycelial growth, spore germination and lesion formation on host leaves of some plant‐pathogenic fungi including Alternaria alternata, A. brassicicola, A. brassicae, Colletotrichum orbiculare and Corynespora cassiicola. The volatile compounds were isolated from the culture filtrate of M. aitchisonii, and 1‐phenyl‐3‐pentanone was identified as a major antifungal volatile. The compound had significantly inhibitory activity against plant‐pathogenic fungi at 35 ppm. This is the first report that the volatile compound produced by mycelia of M. aitchisonii has antifungal activity against plant‐pathogenic fungi.
Evidence for regulation of UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) 1A1 protein expression and activity via DNA methylation in healthy human livers
Authors: Yasar Umit , Greenblatt David J , Guillemette Chantal , Court Michael H 
Published: March 2013

Abstract

Objectives
Interindividual variability in glucuronidation of bilirubin and drugs by UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 (UGT1A1) is considerable and only partially explained by genetic polymorphisms and enzyme inducers. Here we determined whether a well-known epigenetic modification, cytosine methylation, explains a proportion of this variability in human liver.

Methods
UGT1A1 phenotypes, including UGT1A1 protein and bilirubin glucuronidation, and UGT1A1*28 genotype were determined using a human liver bank (n = 46). Methylation levels were quantified at 5 CpG sites associated with known transcription factor response elements in the UGT1A1 promoter and distal enhancer, as well as a CpG-rich island 1.5 kb further upstream.

Key findings
Individual CpG sites showed considerable methylation variability between livers, ranging from 10- to 29-fold variation with average methylation levels from 25 to 41%. Multivariate regression analysis identified *28/*28 genotype, −4 CpG site methylation and alcohol history as significant predictors of UGT1A1 protein content. Exclusion of livers with *28/*28 genotype or alcohol history revealed positive correlations of −4 CpG methylation with bilirubin glucuronidation (R = 0.73, P &lt; 0.00001) and UGT1A1 protein content (R = 0.54, P = 0.008).

Conclusion
These results suggest that differential methylation of the −4 CpG site located within a known USF response element may explain a proportion of interindividual variability in hepatic glucuronidation by UGT1A1.
Eliciting intelligence from sources: The first scientific test of the Scharff technique
Authors: Granhag Pär A. , Montecinos Sebastian C. , Oleszkiewicz Simon 
Published: March 2013

PurposeThe gathering of human intelligence (HUMINT) is of utmost importance, yet the scientific literature is silent with respect to the effectiveness of different information elicitation techniques. Our aim was to remedy this by conducting the first scientific test of the so‐called Scharff technique (named after the successful German WWII interrogator).MethodWe developed a new experimental paradigm, mirroring some main features of a typical HUMINT situation. The participants (N = 93) were given information on a planned terrorist attack, and were instructed to strike a balance between not revealing too much or too little information in an upcoming interview. One third was interviewed with the Scharff technique (conceptualized to include four different tactics), one‐third was asked open questions only, and the final third was asked specific questions only. The effectiveness of the three techniques was assessed by a novel set of objective and subjective measures.ResultsOur main findings show that (1) the three techniques did not differ with respect to the objective amount of new information gathered; (2) the participants in the Scharff condition perceived (as predicted) that it was more difficult to read the interviewer's information objectives; and (3) the participants in the Scharff‐ and the Open‐question condition (incorrectly) perceived to have revealed significantly less information than the participants in the Specific question condition.ConclusionsWe presented a new experimental paradigm, and new dependent measures, for studying the effectiveness of different information elicitation techniques. We consider the outcome for the Scharff technique as rather promising, but future refinements are needed.
Thermal neutron capture effects in radioactive and stable nuclide systems
Authors: Leya Ingo , Masarik Jozef 
Published: March 2013

AbstractNeutron capture effects in meteorites and lunar surface samples have been successfully used in the past to study exposure histories and shielding conditions. In recent years, however, it turned out that neutron capture effects produce a nuisance for some of the short‐lived radionuclide systems. The most prominent example is the 182Hf‐182W system in iron meteorites, for which neutron capture effects lower the 182W/184W ratio, thereby producing too old apparent ages. Here, we present a thorough study of neutron capture effects in iron meteorites, ordinary chondrites, and carbonaceous chondrites, whereas the focus is on iron meteorites. We study in detail the effects responsible for neutron production, neutron transport, and neutron slowing down and find that neutron capture in all studied meteorite types is not, as usually expected, exclusively via thermal neutrons. In contrast, most of the neutron capture in iron meteorites is in the epithermal energy range and there is a significant contribution from epithermal neutron capture even in stony meteorites. Using sophisticated particle spectra and evaluated cross section data files for neutron capture reactions we calculate the neutron capture effects for Sm, Gd, Cd, Pd, Pt, and Os isotopes, which all can serve as neutron‐dose proxies, either in stony or in iron meteorites. In addition, we model neutron capture effects in W and Ag isotopes. For W isotopes, the GCR‐induced shifts perfectly correlate with Os and Pt isotope shifts, which therefore can be used as neutron‐dose proxies and permit a reliable correction. We also found that GCR‐induced effects for the 107Pd‐107Ag system can be significant and need to be corrected, a result that is in contrast to earlier studies.