bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Quercetin relaxes rat tail main artery partly via a PKG‐mediated stimulation of KCa1.1 channels
Authors: Iozzi D. , Schubert R. , Kalenchuk V. U. , Neri A. , Sgaragli G. , Fusi F. , Saponara S. 
Published: February 2013

AbstractAimProtein kinases, activated by vasodilator substances, affect vascular function by regulating large conductance Ca2+‐activated K+ (KCa1.1) channels. Thus, the aim of the present investigation was to address the hypothesis that quercetin‐induced vasorelaxation is caused by a PKG‐mediated stimulation of KCa1.1 currents.MethodsSingle freshly isolated myocytes and endothelium‐denuded rings of the rat tail main artery were employed for electrophysiological and contractility measurements respectively.ResultsQuercetin relaxed vessels and increased KCa1.1 currents in a concentration‐dependent manner: both effects were antagonized by the specific KCa1.1 channel blocker iberiotoxin. Stimulation of KCa1.1 currents was fully reversible upon drug washout, markedly reduced by Rp‐8‐Br‐PET‐cGMPs, a PKG‐inhibitor, but not affected by catalase. Quercetin shifted by 34.3 mV the voltage dependence of KCa1.1 channel activation towards more negative membrane potentials without affecting its slope. Under conditions of tight functional coupling between sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ release sites and KCa1.1 channels, quercetin decreased both the frequency and the amplitude of KCa1.1 transient currents in a ryanodine‐like manner.ConclusionThe natural flavonoid quercetin relaxes the rat tail main artery partly via a PKG‐mediated stimulation of smooth muscle KCa1.1 channels.
Azathioprine and mercaptopurine in the management of patients with chronic, active microscopic colitis
Authors: Münch A. , Fernandez‐Banares F. , Munck L. K. 
Published: February 2013

SummaryBackgroundMicroscopic colitis (MC) is a common chronic diarrhoeal disease, and remission can be induced with budesonide. However, diarrhoea relapses frequently when budesonide is tapered and a few patients become budesonide intolerant.AimTo examine retrospectively the effect of azathioprine (AZA) and mercaptopurine (MP) in patients with chronic, active MC.Methods/patientsData on all MC patients who received AZA or MP in the years 1997–2011 at three centres representing three countries were pooled for analysis. The indications for thiopurine therapy were frequent relapses after short‐term treatment (N = 26), budesonide dependency on 6 mg (N = 15) and budesonide intolerance (N = 5). The response to thiopurine treatment was defined as clinical remission, intolerance or nonresponse.ResultsForty‐six MC patients (32 CC and 14 LC), 32 female; median age 59 years (range: 36–83) with a median disease duration of 3 years (range: 0.5–18) were included. Thirteen patients (28%) achieved long‐term clinical remission on AZA therapy. AZA failed in 31 patients (67%) due to intolerance and in 2 patients (4%) because of nonresponse. Thirteen of 31 AZA‐intolerant patients were switched to MP and 6 patients (46%) obtained clinical remission. Thus, the overall response rate to thiopurines was 19/46 (41%). The main side effects were nausea/vomiting and abnormally elevated liver enzymes.ConclusionsIn this retrospective case series, the majority of chronic, active MC patients were intolerant to AZA leading to cessation of treatment. However, further studies are needed to explore the efficacy, acceptance, tolerance and safety of MP in patients with chronic, active MC refractory to budesonide.
Combat‐training increases intestinal permeability, immune activation and gastrointestinal symptoms in soldiers
Authors: Li X. , Kan E. M. , Lu J. , Cao Y. , Wong R. K. , Keshavarzian A. , Wilder‐Smith C. H. 
Published: February 2013

SummaryBackgroundGastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are common in soldiers in combat or high‐pressure operational situations and often lead to compromised performance. Underlying mechanisms are unclear, but neuroendocrine dysregulation, immune activation and increased intestinal permeability may be involved in stress‐related GI dysfunction.AimTo study the effects of prolonged, intense, mixed psychological and physical stress on intestinal permeability, systemic inflammatory and stress markers in soldiers during high‐intensity combat‐training.MethodsIn 37 male army medical rapid response troops, GI symptoms, stress markers, segmental intestinal permeability using the 4‐sugar test (sucrose, lactulose, mannitol and sucralose) and immune activation were assessed during the 4th week of an intense combat‐training and a rest period.ResultsCombat‐training elicited higher stress, anxiety and depression scores (all P < 0.01) as well as greater incidence and severity of GI symptoms [irritable bowel syndrome symptom severity score (IBS‐SSS), P < 0.05] compared with rest. The IBS‐SSS correlated with depression (r = 0.41, P < 0.01) and stress (r = 0.40, P < 0.01) ratings. Serum levels of cortisol, interleukin‐6, and tumour necrosis factor‐α, and segmental GI permeability increased during combat‐training compared with rest (all P < 0.05). The lactulose:mannitol ratio was higher in soldiers with GI symptoms (IBS‐SSS ≥75) during combat‐training than those without (IBS‐SSS <75) (P < 0.05).ConclusionsProlonged combat‐training not only induces the expected increases in stress, anxiety and depression, but also GI symptoms, pro‐inflammatory immune activation and increased intestinal permeability. Identification of subgroups of individuals at high‐risk of GI compromise and of long‐term deleterious effects of operational stress as well as the development of protective measures will be the focus of future studies.
A systematic review of the evidence on the treatment of rapid cycling bipolar disorder
Authors: Fountoulakis Konstantinos N , Kontis Dimitrios , Gonda Xenia , Yatham Lakshmi N 
Published: February 2013

Fountoulakis KN, Kontis D, Gonda X, Yatham LN. A systematic review of the evidence on the treatment of rapid cycling bipolar disorder.  Bipolar Disord 2013: 15: 115–137. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S.Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.Objective:  Rapid cycling is associated with longer illness duration and greater illness severity in bipolar disorder. The aim of the present study was to review the existing published randomized trials investigating the effect of treatment on patients with rapid cycling bipolar disorder.Methods:  A MEDLINE search was conducted using combinations of the following key words: bipolar and rapid or rapid‐cycling or rapid cycling and randomized. The search was conducted through July 16, 2011, and no conference proceedings were included.Results:  The search returned 206 papers and ultimately 25 papers were selected for review. Only six randomized, controlled trials specifically designed to study a rapid cycling population were found. Most data were derived from post hoc analyses of trials that had included rapid cyclers. The literature suggested that: (i) rapid cycling patients perform worse in the follow‐up period; (ii) lithium and anticonvulsants have comparable efficacies; (iii) there is inconclusive evidence on the comparative acute or prophylactic efficacy of the combination of anticonvulsants versus anticonvulsant monotherapy; (iv) aripiprazole, olanzapine, and quetiapine are effective against acute bipolar episodes; (v) olanzapine and quetiapine appear to be equally effective to anticonvulsants during acute treatment; (vi) aripiprazole and olanzapine appear promising for the maintenance of response of rapid cyclers; and (vii) there might be an association between antidepressant use and the presence of rapid cycling.Conclusion:  The literature examining the pharmacological treatment of rapid cycling is still sparse and therefore there is no clear consensus with respect to its optimal pharmacological management. Clinical trials specifically studying rapid cycling are needed in order to unravel the appropriate management of rapid cycling bipolar disorder.
The relationship between clinical outcomes and quality of life in first‐episode mania: a longitudinal analysis
Authors: Michalak Erin E , Torres Ivan J , Bond David J , Lam Raymond W , Yatham Lakshmi N 
Published: February 2013

Objectives:  Despite growing attention to the relationship between bipolar disorder (BD) and quality of life (QoL), there remains a lack of information about QoL in the early stages of BD, and about the course of QoL in people with BD over time. Here, we report on QoL and symptomatic outcomes over a 1.5‐year period in a Canadian sample of first‐episode mania patients.Methods:  Patients (n = 63) with DSM‐IV‐TR BD type I recovering from a recent episode of mania were recruited from a university‐based hospital setting in Vancouver, BC, Canada and assessed at six monthly intervals for 18 months. In addition to symptomatic and cognitive assessments, two self‐report QoL scales [the Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire (Q‐LES‐Q) and the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 (SF‐36)] were administered.Results:  Baseline QoL scores were high, with mean Q‐LES‐Q scores at 70% of the maximum possible score; QoL continued to show a trend towards improvement over time. Multiple hierarchical regressions were used to explore predictors of QoL over time, finding that: (i) length of illness and severity of depressive symptoms at baseline predicted Q‐LES‐Q scores at both baseline and six months; (ii) the number of previous depressive episodes and severity of depression at baseline and 12 months all predicted QoL at 12 months; and (iii) only severity of depressive symptoms at 12 months predicted QoL at 18 months.Conclusions:  Our observation that QoL in patients who have recently experienced an episode of mania can be relatively preserved offers hope, both for healthcare providers and for those newly diagnosed. Further, that severity of depressive symptoms even in the early stages of the disease was the consistent predictor of QoL suggests that depressive symptoms need to be aggressively treated to improve QoL.
Rhabdoid Tumors: An Initial Clue to the Role of Chromatin Remodeling in Cancer
Authors: Lee Ryan S. , Roberts Charles W. M. 
Published: February 2013

AbstractThe discovery of biallelic, inactivating SMARCB1 mutations in rhabdoid tumors (RTs) over a decade ago represented the first recognized link between chromatin remodeling and tumor suppression. SMARCB1 is a core subunit of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex, and the recent emergence of frequent mutations in genes that encode subunits of this complex across a wide variety of cancers suggests that perturbation of this chromatin remodeling complex constitutes a key driver of cancer formation. Despite the highly aggressive nature of RTs, they are genetically simple cancers that appear to lack chromosomal instability and contain very few mutations. Indeed, the mutation rate in RTs is among the lowest of all cancers sequenced, with loss of SMARCB1 as essentially the sole recurrent event. Given the genetic simplicity of this disease, understanding the chromatin dysregulation caused by SMARCB1 loss may provide more general insight into how epigenetic alterations can contribute to oncogenic transformation and may reveal opportunities for targeted therapy not only of RT but also the variety of other SWI/SNF mutant cancers.
Predicting length of stay and readmission for psychiatric inpatient youth admitted to adult mental health beds in Ontario, Canada
Authors: Stewart Shannon L. , Kam Chester , Baiden Philip 
Published: February 2013

BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to examine demographic, background, and psychopathology variables that predict length of stay and readmission among youth with mental health needs.MethodWe analyzed data on 2445 youth who were admitted into adult psychiatric beds in Ontario, Canada. Multiple regression was used to examine length of stay, whereas logistic regression was used to examine the predictors of readmission.ResultsYouth were likely to stay longer in hospital if they were older, were boys, had a diagnosis of schizophrenia, mood disorders, eating disorders, personality disorders, and intellectual disability. Education, discharged against medical advice, and a diagnosis of adjustment disorders were all associated with shorter length of stay. Age, living in a group home or assisted care, a diagnosis of schizophrenia, mood disorders, and intellectual disability predicted readmission.ConclusionStrategies to improve current psychiatric services (e.g. how to reduce psychiatric hospital readmissions) are discussed.
Mind‐Mindedness and Theory of Mind: Mediating Roles of Language and Perspectival Symbolic Play
Authors: Meins Elizabeth , Fernyhough Charles , Arnott Bronia , Leekam Susan R. , de Rosnay Marc 
Published: February 2013

Relations among indices of maternal mind‐mindedness (appropriate and nonattuned mind‐related comments) and children's: (a) internal state vocabulary and perspectival symbolic play at 26 months (N = 206), and (b) theory of mind (ToM) at 51 months (n = 161) were investigated. Appropriate comments were positively associated with ToM, but were unrelated to internal state language and perspectival symbolic play. Nonattuned comments were negatively correlated with internal state language and perspectival symbolic play, but were unrelated to ToM. Path analyses indicated that the best fit model assumed: (a) indirect links between nonattuned comments and ToM via children's perspectival symbolic play, (b) a direct link between appropriate comments and ToM, and (c) an indirect link between appropriate comments and ToM via children's concurrent receptive verbal ability.
The Development of Language Constancy: Attention to Native Versus Nonnative Accents
Authors: Kitamura Christine , Panneton Robin , Best Catherine T. 
Published: February 2013

The time frame for infants' acquisition of language constancy was probed, using the phonetic variation in a rarely heard accent (South African English) or a frequently heard accent (American English). A total of 156 Australian infants were tested. Six‐month‐olds looked longer to Australian English than less commonly heard South African accent, but at 9 months, showed similar looking times. With the more frequently heard American accent, 3‐month‐olds looked longer to Australian and American English, whereas 6‐month‐olds looked equally. Together these results imply that in the 1st year, differential attention to native versus nonnative accents decreases as infants develop a sense of language constancy for the common native language. However, experience with the nonnative accent can expedite this process.
Effect of glycine powder air‐polishing as an adjunct in the treatment of peri‐implant mucositis: a pilot clinical trial
Authors: Ji Ying‐Jie , Tang Zhi‐Hui , Wang Ren , Cao Jie , Cao Cai‐Fang , Jin Li‐Jian 
Published: February 2013

AbstractBackgroundGlycine powder air‐polishing (GPAP) has the potential to effectively erase biofilms and may improve the treatment efficacy of peri‐implant mucositis. This pilot clinical trial evaluated the effect of GPAP as an adjunct in treating peri‐implant mucositis.Materials and methodsTwenty‐four subjects having at least one implant with peri‐implant mucositis were randomly assigned to test (12 subjects with 17 implants) and control (12 subjects with 16 implants) groups. Following baseline assessment, all subjects received oral hygiene instruction and non‐surgical debridement. In the test group, the sites with probing depth (PD) ≥4 mm were additionally treated by GPAP for 5 sec. Clinical parameters were measured at 1‐week, 1‐month, and 3‐month recall visits.ResultsAt the 3‐month visit, the mean reductions in PD at site level were 0.93 ± 0.93 mm and 0.91 ± 0.98 mm in the test and control groups, respectively (P < 0.05), and no significant difference existed between two groups. Mean bleeding score was also significantly reduced in both groups after the intervention. No complications or discomfort were reported during the study.ConclusionsThis pilot clinical trial suggests that non‐surgical mechanical debridement may effectively control peri‐implant mucositis, and adjunctive GPAP treatment seems to have a limited beneficial effect as compared with mechanical debridement alone. However, further clinical trials with a large sample size are needed to confirm this preliminary observation.
Implants placed in fresh extraction sockets in the maxilla: clinical and radiographic outcomes from a 3‐year follow‐up examination
Authors: Sanz Mariano , Cecchinato Denis , Ferrus Jorge , Salvi Giovanni E. , Ramseier Christoph , Lang Niklaus P. , Lindhe Jan 
Published: February 2013

AbstractAimThe aim of this prospective, randomized, controlled multicenter study was to determine the 3‐year efficacy and stability of the soft and hard tissues at implants with a different geometry that were placed in fresh extraction sockets.Material and methodsImplants with two different configurations, cylindrical (Group A) or conical/cylindrical (Group B) were installed, and healing abutments were attached. Sixteen weeks after implant placement, subjects returned for a re‐entry procedure. Prosthetic restorations were delivered 22 weeks after implant placement. Each subject was placed in a 3‐year follow‐up program, including examinations at yearly visits including various soft tissue and bone level parameters.ResultsThe percentage of sites that were considered inflamed during the follow‐up period was stable and varied between 8.8% and 10.2%. The radiographic examinations documented improved bone levels at the final examination and the mean improvement from baseline (placement of permanent restoration; PR) amounted to 0.17 ± 0.67 mm. More than 70% (54 of 76) of the implants monitored in this study suffered no bone loss during the maintenance period. Moreover, there was an obvious “gain” of interproximal soft tissue volume and at the 3‐year examination around 25% of all embrasure gaps were completely filled with “papillae”.ConclusionsBoth conical/cylindrical and cylindrical implants placed in fresh extraction sockets allowed proper soft and hard tissue healing to occur. At both types of implants, mucosal inflammation was infrequent, marginal bone levels were maintained, and soft tissue volume increased gradually after the placement of the permanent restoration.
The Value of Aneurysm Volume and Myocardial Strain Rate for Evaluating Cardiac Function of Ischemia‐Related Left Ventricular Aneurysm in a Rabbit Model Using Real Time Three‐Dimensional Echocardiographic Imaging Combined with Speckle Tracking Imaging
Authors: Zhai Hong , Mu Yuming , Guan Lina , Li Yanhong 
Published: February 2013

PurposeThe aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of left ventricular aneurysm (LVA) volume and myocardial strain on left ventricular function in a rabbit model using real time three‐dimensional echocardiographic imaging (RT‐3DE) combined with two‐dimensional speckle tracking imaging (2D‐STI).MethodsA rabbit model of LVA was prepared in 30 New Zealand rabbits by ligating the middle segment of the left anterior descending artery and the left circumflex artery (LVA group); 10 control rabbits underwent thoracotomy alone. Four weeks later, RT‐3DE was performed to obtain data on left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular end‐diastolic volume (LVEDV), left ventricular end‐systolic volume (LVESV), and LVA volume. The peak short‐axis radial (SrR) and circumferential (SrC) strain rates were measured using 2D‐STI technique.ResultsCompared with control rabbits, LVA group rabbits had significant left ventricular enlargement at the end‐systolic and end‐diastolic phases (both P < 0.05). LVEF, SrR‐Systolic, and SrC‐Systolic were significantly lower in the LVA group (all P < 0.05). Moreover, there were high correlations between LVEF and SrC‐Systolicanterior wall, SrR‐Systolicanterior wall, SrC‐Systoliclateral wall, and SrR‐Systoliclateral wall (r = −0.895, −0.887, −0.890, −0.891, respectively, all P < 0.05). Of note, LVA volume/LVEDV had the tightest inverse relationship with LVEF (r = −0.911, P < 0.01). Specifically, LVA volume/LVEDV >16% corresponded to LVEF <50%, and LVEF decreased 1.1% while LVA volume/LVEDV increased 1%.ConclusionsLVA volume/LVEDV provided a sensitive indicator reflecting cardiac function with LVA. Measurement of various parameters using RT‐3DE might be a useful means to evaluate cardiac function after LVA formation.
Relationship between Left Atrial Function and Size and Level of Left Ventricular Dyssynchrony in Heart Failure Patients
Authors: Sahebjam Mohammad , Zoroufian Arezou , Sadeghian Hakimeh , Roomi Zahra Savand , Sardari Akram , Mirzamani Shirin Sadat , Tokaldany Masoumeh Lotfi , Jalali Arash 
Published: February 2013

AimTo study whether there is any relation between left atrial (LA) size or function and the level of left ventricular dyssynchrony (LV) in patients with heart failure.MethodFifty‐two patients (male 34, mean age = 65.77 ± 8.69 years) with ejection fraction (EF) <35%, who were candidates for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), underwent conventional transthoracic echocardiography and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI). Intra‐ventricular dyssynchrony, inter‐ventricular mechanical dyssynchrony (IVMD), and related time intervals were measured. The LA size and function were evaluated by transthoracic echocardiography and deformation imaging using LA lateral wall strain (ST) and strain rate (SR), and the septal wall ST.ResultsThe LA volume showed severe dilation in 41 (78.8%) patients. 44 (84.6%) cases had intra‐ventricular dyssynchrony and 33 (63.5%) had IVMD. In univariable analysis, the LA lateral wall ST and SR as well as the LA septal wall ST had significant but poor correlation with IVMD. There were also poor to moderate correlation between these parameters and the LV end diastolic diameter and mitral annulus tissue velocity at early and late diastole. However, after adjustment for all the related factors, IVMD remained a significant independent correlate for the LA lateral wall ST and SR. This correlation for the LA septal wall ST was not statistically significant.ConclusionIVMD was a significant independent correlate for the LA lateral wall ST and SR. This correlation for the LA septal wall ST was nonsignificant. Future studies are needed to examine whether the correction of inter‐ventricular dyssynchrony by CRT in patients with concomitant LA dysfunction can have an independent role in the improvement of the LA function.
Quantitative and ultrastructural study of serotonin innervation of the globus pallidus in squirrel monkeys
Authors: Eid Lara , Champigny Marie‐France , Parent André , Parent Martin 
Published: February 2013

AbstractThe present immunohistochemical study was aimed at characterizing the serotonin (5‐HT) innervation of the internal (GPi) and external (GPe) pallidal segments in the squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus) with an antibody against the 5‐HT transporter (SERT). At the light microscopic level, unbiased counts of SERT+ axon varicosities showed that the density of innervation is similar in the GPi (0.57 ± 0.03 × 106 varicosities/mm3 of tissue) and the GPe (0.60 ± 0.04 × 106), with the anterior half of both segments being more densely innervated than the posterior half. Dorsoventral and mediolateral decreasing gradients of SERT varicosities occur in both pallidal segments, but are statistically significant only in the GPi. The neuronal density being significantly greater in the GPe (3.41 ± 0.23 × 103 neurons/mm3) than in the GPi (2.90 ± 0.11 × 103), the number of 5‐HT axon varicosities per pallidal neuron was found to be superior in the GPi (201 ± 27) than in the GPe (156 ± 26). At the electron microscopic level, SERT+ axon varicosities are comparable in size and vesicular content in GPi and GPe, where they establish mainly asynaptic contacts with unlabeled profiles. Less than 25% of SERT+ varicosities display a synaptic specialization, which is of the symmetrical or asymmetrical type and occurs exclusively on pallidal dendrites. No SERT+ axo‐axonic synapses are present, suggesting that 5‐HT exerts its well‐established modulatory action upon various pallidal afferents mainly through diffuse transmission, whereas its direct control of pallidal neurons results from both volumic and synaptic release of the transmitter.