bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Periodontal disease and systemic illness: will the evidence ever be enough?
Authors: Cullinan Mary P. , Seymour Gregory J. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractThe concept of focal infection or systemic disease arising from infection of the teeth was generally accepted until the mid‐20th century when it was dismissed because of lack of evidence. Subsequently, a largely silo approach was taken by the dental and medical professions. Over the past 20 years, however, a plethora of epidemiological, mechanistic and treatment studies have highlighted that this silo approach to oral and systemic diseases can no longer be sustained. While a number of systemic diseases have been linked to oral diseases, the weight of evidence from numerous studies conducted over this period, together with several systematic reviews and meta‐analyses, supports an association between periodontitis and cardiovascular disease, and between periodontitis and diabetes. The association has also been supported by a number of biologically plausible mechanisms, including direct infection, systemic inflammation and molecular mimicry. Treatment studies have shown that periodontal treatment may have a small, but significant, systemic effect both on endothelial function and on glycemic control. Despite this, however, there is no direct evidence that periodontal treatment affects either cardiovascular or diabetic events. Nevertheless, over the past 20 years we have learnt that the mouth is an integral part of the body and that the medical and dental professions need to work more closely together in the provision of overall health care for all patients.
Surgical and nonsurgical periodontal therapy. Learned and unlearned concepts
Authors: Heitz‐Mayfield Lisa J. A. , Lang Niklaus P. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractThis review aims to highlight concepts relating to nonsurgical and surgical periodontal therapy, which have been learned and unlearned over the past few decades. A number of treatment procedures, such as gingival curettage and aggressive removal of contaminated root cementum, have been unlearned. Advances in technology have resulted in the introduction of a range of new methods for use in nonsurgical periodontal therapy, including machine‐driven instruments, lasers, antimicrobial photodynamic therapy and local antimicrobial‐delivery devices. However, these methods have not been shown to offer significant benefits over and above nonsurgical debridement using hand instruments. The method of debridement is therefore largely dependent on the preferences of the operator and the patient. Recent evidence indicates that specific systemic antimicrobials may be indicated for use as adjuncts to nonsurgical debridement in patients with advanced disease. Full‐mouth disinfection protocols have been proven to be a relevant treatment option. We have learned that while nonsurgical and surgical methods result in similar long‐term treatment outcomes, surgical therapy results in greater probing‐depth reduction and clinical attachment gain in initially deep pockets. The surgical technique chosen seems to have limited influence upon changes in clinical attachment gain. What has not changed is the importance of thorough mechanical debridement and optimal plaque control for successful nonsurgical and surgical periodontal therapy.
Restoration Potential of Sedge Meadows in Hand‐Cultivated Soybean Fields in Northeastern China
Authors: Wang Guodong , Middleton Beth , Jiang Ming 
Published: April 2013

AbstractSedge meadows can be difficult to restore from farmed fields if key structural dominants are missing from propagule banks. In hand‐cultivated soybean fields in northeastern China, we asked if tussock‐forming Carex and other wetland species were present as seed or asexual propagules. In the Sanjiang Plain, China, we compared the seed banks, vegetative propagules (below‐ground) and standing vegetation of natural and restored sedge meadows, and hand‐cultivated soybean fields in drained and flooded conditions. We found that important wetland species survived cultivation as seeds for some time (e.g. Calamogrostis angustifolia and Potamogeton crispus) and as field weeds (e.g. C. angustifolia and Phragmites australis). Key structural species were missing in these fields, for example, Carex meyeriana. We also observed that sedge meadows restored without planting or seeding lacked tussock‐forming sedges. The structure of the seed bank was related to experimental water regime, and field environments of tussock height, thatch depth, and presence of burning as based on Nonmetric Multidimensional Scaling analysis. To re‐establish the structure imposed by tussock sedges, specific technologies might be developed to encourage the development of tussocks in restored sedge meadows.
Amerindian Livelihoods, Outside Interventions, and Poverty Traps in the Ecuadorian Amazon
Authors: Rudel Thomas K. , Katan Tuntiak , Horowitz Bruce 
Published: April 2013

AbstractRecent efforts to explain the persistence of rural poverty have made frequent use of the concept of poverty traps, understood as self‐reinforcing poverty. The dynamic dimension of the poverty trap concept makes it a potentially useful tool for understanding conditions of persistent poverty, especially in circumstances where outside interventions “shock” the system with the intention of ending poverty and disadvantage. This article describes one such effort among a populous group of lowland Amerindians, the Shuar of Ecuador's Amazon region. Three small household surveys conducted at different times during the last 25 years suggest that the Shuar, despite having obtained access to land through a combination of their own efforts and outside interventions, have become enmeshed in a natural‐resource‐degrading poverty trap. Mestizos with land in the same region avoided this trap only by emigrating in large numbers. Secure access to land did not prevent the emergence of a poverty trap among the Shuar in large part because smallholders in Latin America faced difficult macrosociological and ecological conditions during the last decades of the twentieth century.
From ‘Imagined’ to ‘Virtual Communities’: Greek‐Turkish Encounters in Cyberspace
Authors: Theodorelis‐Rigas Haris 
Published: April 2013

AbstractThe pivotal role played by Computer‐Mediated Communications (CMCs) as mobilization tools for social movements as diverse as the ‘Arab Spring’, the Iranian ‘Green Revolution’, and the 2008 Greek ‘December Riots’, has rekindled academic interest in the internet as a field of sociological research. Drawing on new media and nationalism studies, this article approaches a particular type of CMC as a ‘virtual community’. By examining the context of post‐1999 Greek‐Turkish reconciliation, it is argued that these virtual communities have offered significant breathing space for individuals who are ready to revisit, discuss, and negotiate the constitutive boundaries of modernity's ‘imagined communities’, and are therefore conducive to the Greek‐Turkish rapprochement.
Positional differences and aging changes in Japanese woman epidermal thickness and corneous thickness determined by OCT (optical coherence tomography)
Authors: Tsugita Tetsuya , Nishijima Takafumi , Kitahara Takashi , Takema Yoshinori 
Published: April 2013

Background/purposeA number of studies of the internal structure of Japanese woman's skin are now performed by means of optical coherence tomography (OCT) as a technique capable of visualizing the internal structure in a non‐invasive manner.MethodsWe measured the epidermal and corneous thicknesses at 11 sites in 116 healthy female volunteers aged from teens to sixties to examine possible positional differences and aging changes.ResultsThe epidermal thickness determined at the 11 sites averaged 68.6 ± 23.0 μm (mean ± SD) and the corneous thickness averaged 14.1 ± 1.80 μm, the values of which were thinner than those presented in conventional textbooks on the subject. It was also revealed that, with advancing age, the epidermal thickness becomes less at some sites but showed no change at other sites, and the comparison between age groups suggested that a thinning trend is generally observed up to the thirties with no continuous changes thereafter.ConclusionAging changes in the epidermis appeared to occur in the granular to basal layers, and the results obtained by OCT, which can viably determine the skin thickness, seemed to be very important for understanding the skin more accurately.
The skin aging index: a new approach for documenting anti‐aging products or procedures
Authors: Nkengne Alex , Roure Romain , Rossi Ana Beatriz , Bertin Christiane 
Published: April 2013

ObjectiveThe overall appearance of an aged skin is characterized by a combination of several attributes such as wrinkles, brown spots and sagging. Our objective was to develop and validate a statistical framework to assess the overall anti‐ageing benefits of products/procedures.MethodDifferent skin attributes were evaluated by a clinical grader and combined using a Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The Skin Ageing Index was defined as the normalized projection of the clinical grading values on the first PCA axis. Several Skin Indexes were built by grouping specific parameters related to a skin condition such as overall ageing, wrinkles and sagging.The method was validated following two steps. Firstly, a clinical study was performed on 173 Caucasian women and the correlation between the Skin Indexes and the volunteers' real and perceived age was estimated. Secondly, a double‐blinded placebo‐controlled randomized study was performed on 87 Caucasian women to assess the efficacy of an anti‐wrinkle cream containing retinol, hyaluronic acid and dihydroxymethylchromone. Facial wrinkles were clinically evaluated and a Wrinkle Index was built.ResultsAll indexes were highly correlated with the real and the perceived age (0.57 ≤ Pearson R ≤ 0.92, P‐value ≤ 0.05). Finally, the Wrinkle Index provides documented evidence that the tested product significantly reduced the appearance of wrinkles versus the placebo and the baseline assessment (−23.53% after 4 weeks, −27.83% after 8 weeks).ConclusionSkin ageing Indexes capture information relevant to the visual transformation of facial skin with age, while providing documented product benefits. These tools may enable a simpler and more consistent comparison of anti‐ageing products/procedures.
On Mathematicians' Different Standards When Evaluating Elementary Proofs
Authors: Inglis Matthew , Mejia‐Ramos Juan Pablo , Weber Keith , Alcock Lara 
Published: April 2013

AbstractIn this article, we report a study in which 109 research‐active mathematicians were asked to judge the validity of a purported proof in undergraduate calculus. Significant results from our study were as follows: (a) there was substantial disagreement among mathematicians regarding whether the argument was a valid proof, (b) applied mathematicians were more likely than pure mathematicians to judge the argument valid, (c) participants who judged the argument invalid were more confident in their judgments than those who judged it valid, and (d) participants who judged the argument valid usually did not change their judgment when presented with a reason raised by other mathematicians for why the proof should be judged invalid. These findings suggest that, contrary to some claims in the literature, there is not a single standard of validity among contemporary mathematicians.
Serum protein profiles in domestic pigeons naturally infected with Mycobacterium avium subsp. avium
Authors: Mayahi M. , Khajeh G. , Mosavari N. , Parvandar Asadollahi K. , Akhavizadegan M.A. 
Published: April 2013

BackgroundAvian tuberculosis is an important disease affecting all species of birds and is most often caused by Mycobacterium avium or Mycobacterium genavense. Blood proteins are important diagnostic constituents in gastrointestinal, hepatic, renal, and infectious diseases.ObjectiveThe aim of the study was to compare serum protein profiles of domestic pigeons (Columba livia var. domestica) infected with Mycobacterium avium subsp. avium (MAA), with healthy pigeons.MethodsSerum samples were collected from 80 pigeons with clinical signs of tuberculosis, all kept in the same loft. All birds were necropsied and cultured for mycobacteriosis; positive cultures were typed for MAA by PCR reactions targeting 16S rRNA, IS901 and IS1245. The concentration of total serum proteins was determined by the biuret method and spectrophotometry. Individual protein fractions were analyzed by cellulose acetate electrophoresis and extrapolated based on total protein concentration. For statistical analysis, the infected birds were compared with healthy pigeons.ResultsA total of 37 pigeons with culture results positive for MAA were selected and allocated to 2 groups, a culture‐positive group with macroscopic lesions of tuberculosis and another without macroscopic lesions. Six protein fractions were identified: prealbumin, albumin, alpha‐1, alpha‐2, and beta globulins and gamma globulins. Concentrations of total protein, beta globulins and gamma globulins were statistically significantly higher in the infected pigeons when compared with the control group. There were no significant differences between the groups of birds with or without macroscopic lesions.ConclusionsStatistically significant differences in total protein, and beta and gamma globulin concentrations in all infected pigeons suggest that serum protein electrophoresis represents a nonspecific but valuable indicator for tuberculosis in pigeons.
Determination of attenuation rates of recycled water disinfection by‐products in a natural reservoir system using a laboratory‐based approach
Authors: Williams M. , Page D. , Shareef A. , Toze S. , Bartkow M. , Kookana R. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractA batch test approach was used to assess the in situ attenuation by natural reservoir systems of selected disinfection by‐products (DBPs). The aim was to determine which natural attenuation processes (volatilisation, photolysis and biodegradation) dominated for selected trihalomethanes (THMs) and N‐nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), common DBPs present in reclaimed water which could be used to potentially augment drinking water supplies. Attenuation rates for THMs were found to be all very similar, with half‐lives ranging from 1.5–1.6 days for open batch tests. The dominant attenuation mechanisms for THMs were volatilisation with hydrolysis and biodegradation of potentially minor importance. NDMA had a half‐life of 3.5–4.3 days for vials exposed to light. The most important attenuation mechanism for NDMA was photolysis with volatilisation and biodegradation of minor importance. The results indicate that the selected DBPs could be effectively attenuated by a natural reservoir system such as a surface water reservoir.
Isotropic three‐dimensional MRI‐Fricke‐infused gel dosimetry
Authors: Cho Nai‐Yu , Huang Sung‐Cheng , Chung Wen‐Yuh , Guo Wan‐Yuo , Chu Woei‐Chyn 
Published: April 2013

Purpose:Fricke‐infused gel has been shown to be a simple and attainable method for the conformal measurement of absorbed radiation dose. Nevertheless, its accuracy is seriously hindered by the irreversible ferric ion diffusion during magnetic resonance imaging, particularly when three‐dimensional (3D) dose measurement in radiosurgery is considered. In this study, the authors developed a fast three‐dimensional spin‐echo based Fricke gel dosimetry technique to reduce the adverse effects of ferric ion diffusion and to obtain an accurate isotropic 3D dose measurement.Methods:A skull shaped phantom containing Fricke‐infused gel was irradiated using Leksell Gamma Knife. The rapid image‐based dosimetry technique was applied with the use of a 3D fast spin‐echo magnetic resonance imaging sequence. The authors mathematically derived and experimentally validated the correlations between dose‐response characteristics and parameters of the 3D fast spin‐echo MR imaging sequence. Absorbed dose profiles were assessed and compared to the calculated profiles given by the Gamma Knife treatment planning system. Coefficient of variance (CV%) and coefficient of determination (R2) were used to evaluate the precision of dose‐response curve estimation. The agreement between the measured and the planned 3D dose distributions was quantified by gamma‐index analysis of two acceptance criteria.Results:Proper magnetic resonance imaging parameters were explored to render an accurate three‐dimensional absorbed dose mapping with a 1 mm3 isotropic image resolution. The efficacy of the dose‐response estimation was approved by an R2 > 0.99 and an average CV% of 1.6%. Average gamma pass‐rate between the experimentally measured and GammaPlan calculated dose distributions were 83.8% and 99.7% for 2%/2 and 3%/3 mm criteria, respectively.Conclusions:With the designed MR imaging sequence and parameters, total 3D MR acquisition time was confined to within 20 min postirradiation, during which time ferric ion diffusion effects were negligible, thus enabling an accurate 3D radiation dose measurement.
Photon counting spectral breast CT: Effect of adaptive filtration on CT numbers, noise, and contrast to noise ratio
Authors: Silkwood Justin D. , Matthews Kenneth L. , Shikhaliev Polad M. 
Published: April 2013

Purpose:Photon counting spectral (PCS) computed tomography (CT) shows promise for breast imaging. An issue with current photon‐counting detectors is low count rate capabilities, artifacts resulting from nonuniform count rate across the field of view, and suboptimal spectral information. These issues are addressed in part by using tissue‐equivalent adaptive filtration of the x‐ray beam. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of adaptive filtration on different aspects of PCS breast CT.Methods:The theoretical formulation for the filter shape was derived for different filter materials and evaluated by simulation and an experimental prototype of the filter was fabricated from a tissue‐like material (acrylic). The PCS CT images of a glandular breast phantom with adipose and iodine contrast elements were simulated at 40, 60, 90, and 120 kVp tube voltages, with and without adaptive filter. The CT numbers, CT noise, and contrast‐to‐noise ratio (CNR) were compared for spectral CT images acquired with and without adaptive filters. Similar comparison was made for material‐decomposed PCS CT images.Results:The adaptive filter improved the uniformity of CT numbers, CT noise, and CNR in both ordinary and material decomposed PCS CT images. At the same tube output the average CT noise with adaptive filter, although uniform, was higher than the average noise without adaptive filter due to x‐ray absorption by the filter. Increasing tube output, so that average skin exposure with the adaptive filter was same as without filter, made the noise with adaptive filter comparable to or lower than that without adaptive filter. Similar effects were observed when energy weighting was applied, and when material decompositions were performed using energy selective CT data.Conclusions:An adaptive filter decreases count rate requirements to the photon counting detectors which enables PCS breast CT based on commercially available detector technologies. Adaptive filter also improves image quality in PCS breast CT by decreasing beam hardening artifacts and by eliminating spatial nonuniformities of CT numbers, noise, and CNR.
Optimized Multilocus Variable-Number Tandem-Repeat Analysis Assay and Its Complementarity with Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis and Multilocus Sequence Typing for Listeria monocytogenes Clone Identification and Surveillance
Authors: Chenal-Francisque Viviane , Diancourt Laure , Cantinelli Thomas , Passet Virginie , Tran-Hykes Coralie , Bracq-Dieye Hélène , Leclercq Alexandre , Pourcel Christine , Lecuit Marc , Brisse Sylvain 
Published: April 2013

ABSTRACT

Populations of the food-borne pathogen
Listeria monocytogenes
are genetically structured into a small number of major clonal groups, some of which have been implicated in multiple outbreaks. The goal of this study was to develop and evaluate an optimized multilocus variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) analysis (MLVA) subtyping scheme for strain discrimination and clonal group identification. We evaluated 18 VNTR loci and combined the 11 best ones into two multiplexed PCR assays (MLVA-11). A collection of 255 isolates representing the diversity of clonal groups within phylogenetic lineages I and II, including representatives of epidemic clones, were analyzed by MLVA-11, multilocus sequence typing (MLST), and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). MLVA-11 had less discriminatory power than PFGE, except for some clones, and was unable to distinguish some epidemiologically unrelated isolates. Yet it distinguished all major MLST clones and therefore constitutes a rapid method to identify epidemiologically relevant clonal groups. Given its high reproducibility and high throughput, MLVA represents a very attractive first-line screening method to alleviate the PFGE workload in outbreak investigations and listeriosis surveillance.
Identification of Clinical Streptococcus pneumoniae Isolates among other Alpha and Nonhemolytic Streptococci by Use of the Vitek MS Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization–Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry System
Authors: Dubois Damien , Segonds Christine , Prere Marie-Françoise , Marty Nicole , Oswald Eric 
Published: April 2013

ABSTRACTDiscrimination betweenStreptococcus pneumoniaeand its close relatives of the viridans group is a common difficulty in matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry-based identification. In the present study, the performances of the Vitek MS MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry system were assessed using 334 pneumococci, 166 otherS. mitisgroup streptococci, 184 non-S. mitisgroup streptococci, and 19 related alpha- and nonhemolytic aerobic Gram-positive catalase-negative coccal isolates. Pneumococci had been identified by means of optochin susceptibility and bile solubility or serotyping, and other isolates mainly by use of RapidID32 Strep strips. In case of discordant or low-discrimination results, genotypic methods were used. The sensitivity of the Vitek MS for the identification ofS. pneumoniaewas 99.1%, since only three bile-insoluble isolates were misidentified asStreptococcus mitis/Streptococcus oralis. Conversely, two optochin-resistant pneumococci were correctly identified (specificity, 100%). ThreeStreptococcus pseudopneumoniaeisolates were also correctly identified. Among nonpneumococcal isolates, 90.8% (n= 335) were correctly identified to the species or subspecies level and 2.4% (n= 9) at the group level. For the remaining 25 isolates, the Vitek MS proposed a bacterial species included in the list of possible species suggested by genotypic methods, except for 4 isolates which were not identified due to the absence of the species in the database. According to our study, the Vitek MS displays performance similar to that of the optochin susceptibility test for routine identification of pneumococcal isolates. Moreover, the Vitek MS is efficient for the identification of other viridans group streptococci and related isolates, provided that the species are included in the database.