bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Dental Prophylaxis and Periodontal Treatment Are Protective Factors to Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Lee Ya-Ling , Hu Hsiao-Yun , Huang Nicole , Hwang De-Kuang , Chou Pesus , Chu Dachen 
Published: February 2013

Background and Purpose—
A correlation has been found between periodontal disease (PD) and stroke. This study was conducted to investigate whether dental prophylaxis and periodontal treatment reduce the incidence rate (IR) of ischemic stroke.

Methods—
We identified 510 762 PD cases and 208 674 non-PD subjects from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2010. The PD cases were divided into dental prophylaxis, intensive treatment, and no treatment groups. The stroke IRs were assessed among groups during follow-up. Cox regression analysis was used after adjustment for age, sex, and comorbidities to determine the relationship between periodontal treatment and incidence of ischemic stroke.

Results—

The stroke IR of the non-PD subjects was 0.32%/year. In the PD group, subjects who received dental prophylaxis had the lowest stroke IR (0.14%/year); subjects with intensive treatment or tooth extraction had a higher stroke IR (0.39%/year); and subjects without PD treatment had the highest stroke IR (0.48%/year;
P
<0.001). After adjustment for confounders, the dental prophylaxis and intensive treatment groups had a significant lower hazard ratios for stroke than the non-PD group (hazard ratio=0.78 and 0.95; 95% confidence interval=0.75–0.81 and 0.91–0.99, respectively), whereas the PD without treatment group had a significant higher hazard ratio for stroke (1.15; 95% confidence interval=1.07–1.24), especially among the youngest (20–44) age group (hazard ratio=2.17; 95% confidence interval=1.64–2.87) after stratifying for age.

Conclusions—
Maintaining periodontal health by receiving dental prophylaxis and PD treatment can help reduce the incidence of ischemic stroke.
A Real-Time Weather-Adaptive 3DVAR Analysis System for Severe Weather Detections and Warnings
Authors: Gao Jidong , Smith Travis M. , Stensrud David J. , Fu Chenghao , Calhoun Kristin , Manross Kevin L. , Brogden Jeffrey , Lakshmanan Valliappa , Wang Yunheng , Thomas Kevin W. , Brewster Keith , Xue Ming 
Published: February 2013

Abstract
A real-time, weather-adaptive three-dimensional variational data assimilation (3DVAR) system has been adapted for the NOAA Warn-on-Forecast (WoF) project to incorporate all available radar observations within a moveable analysis domain. The key features of the system include 1) incorporating radar observations from multiple Weather Surveillance Radars-1988 Doppler (WSR-88Ds) with NCEP forecast products as a background state, 2) the ability to automatically detect and analyze severe local hazardous weather events at 1-km horizontal resolution every 5 min in real time based on the current weather situation, and 3) the identification of strong circulation patterns embedded in thunderstorms. Although still in the early development stage, the system performed very well within the NOAA's Hazardous Weather Testbed (HWT) Experimental Warning Program during preliminary testing in spring 2010 when many severe weather events were successfully detected and analyzed. This study represents a first step in the assessment of this type of 3DVAR analysis for use in severe weather warnings. The eventual goal of this real-time 3DVAR system is to help meteorologists better track severe weather events and eventually provide better warning information to the public, ultimately saving lives and reducing property damage.
Effect of bisphenol-A on insulin signal transduction and glucose oxidation in skeletal muscle of adult male albino rat
Authors: Indumathi D , Jayashree S , Selvaraj J , Sathish S , Mayilvanan C , Akilavalli N , Balasubramanian K. 
Published: February 2013

The estrogenic monomer bisphenol-A (BPA) is an endocrine-disrupting chemical used in the production of epoxy resins, plastic food and beverage containers, leading to ubiquitous human exposure. Environmentally relevant doses of BPA have profound effects on mice endocrine pancreas. It increases pancreatic insulin content and favors postprandial hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance in male mice. Skeletal muscle plays a crucial role in maintaining systemic glucose metabolism. In the present study, we investigated the possible effects of BPA on insulin-signaling molecules and glucose oxidation in skeletal muscle of male rat. Adult male Wistar albino rats were divided into three groups. Group I: control (vehicle treated) and groups II and III were administered with BPA orally (20 and 200 mg/kg bw/day, respectively). Although there was no change in the levels of insulin receptor (IR), Akt (protein kinase B) and glucose transporter-4 (GLUT4) messenger RNA, BPA significantly decreased the IR, Akt and GLUT4 protein levels (both plasma membrane and cytosolic fraction) of the gastrocnemius muscle. There was an increase in serum insulin and decrease in serum testosterone levels but fasting blood glucose level remained unaltered. In conclusion, BPA has adverse effects on phosphorylation of Akt, GLUT4 translocation and 14C-glucose oxidation.
Pesticides-induced biochemical alterations in occupational North Indian suburban population
Authors: Sharma RK , Upadhyay G , Siddiqi NJ , Sharma B 
Published: February 2013

Pesticides are used in agriculture to protect crops from insects–pests. Most of the field workers of North Indian population are exposed to commonly used insecticides. In the present study, pesticides induced oxidative stress as well as alterations in the level of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in a total of 70 male healthy agricultural sprayers, exposed to pesticides for about 5 years, were studied and the results were compared with 70 controls. The levels of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, CAT, glutathione- S-transferase and glutathione peroxidase), AChE, lipid peroxidation and glutathione (GSH) contents were determined in their blood erythrocytes (red blood cells (RBCs)). The results indicated significant increase in the levels of malondialdehyde as well as the activities of antioxidant enzymes in pesticide-exposed individuals. The levels of GSH, RBC-AChE activity and plasma antioxidant potential were sharply decreased when compared with control subjects. The ferric-reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) assay was carried out to evaluate the antioxidant potential of pesticide in exposed as well as healthy controls. A significant positive correlation was observed between plasma FRAP value and the activity of AChE from RBCs in pesticides sprayers. Furthermore, these results were supported by enhanced messenger RNA expressions of cytochrome P450 isoform 2E1 (CYP2E1) and gutathione- S-transferase isoform pi (GST-pi) in the white blood cells of the randomly selected pesticide-exposed individuals. The decreased GSH level in human red blood cells accompanied by increase in the levels of the activities of antioxidative enzymes and over expressions of CYP2E1 and GST-pi is an indicative of oxidative stress in pesticides-exposed individuals. The reduced activity of AChE indicates possible occurrence of perturbations in blood as well as neurotoxicity in pesticide sprayers.
Safety profile of caffeine and 1,3-dimethylamylamine supplementation in healthy men
Authors: Bloomer Richard J , Farney TM , Harvey IC , Alleman RJ 
Published: February 2013

Caffeine and 1,3-dimethylamylamine (DMAA) are widely used alone and in combination with dietary supplements. No investigation has determined the safety profile of chronic intake of caffeine or DMAA, alone or in combination, within the same study design. A total of 50 young and healthy men completed 12 weeks of daily supplementation with either a placebo ( n = 11), caffeine at 250 mg day−1 ( n = 14), DMAA at 50 mg day−1 ( n = 13), or caffeine at 250 mg day−1 + DMAA at 50 mg day−1 ( n = 12). Before and after 6 and 12 weeks of supplementation, the following variables were measured: body mass/composition, resting respiratory rate, blood pressure, 12-lead electrocardiogram, urinalysis, complete blood count, metabolic panel, lipid panel, and oxidative stress, inflammatory, and cardiac biomarkers. No interaction effects were noted for any variable ( p > 0.05), with little change occurring across time for subjects in any of the four conditions. With the exception of urinary pH ( p = 0.05; Pre (6.5 ± 0.1) higher than week 6 (6.1 ± 0.1)) and blood CO2 ( p = 0.02; week 12 (25.9 ± 0.3 mmol L−1) higher than week 6 (24.8 ± 0.3 mmol L−1)), no time effect was noted for any other variable ( p > 0.05). These data indicate that 12 weeks of daily supplementation with caffeine and DMAA, alone or in combination, does not result in a statistically significant change in any of the measured outcome variables.
Robotic-assisted laparoscopic day-case nephroureterectomy
Authors: Bright Elizabeth , Stocker Mary , MacDermott Seamus 
Published: February 2013

Objective: The objective of this article is to describe our initial experience of performing day-case robotic-assisted laparoscopic nephroureterectomy. Subjects/patients and methods: Based on our previous experience of performing day-case laparoscopic nephrectomies, a standardised surgical and anaesthetic procedure, and patient selection criteria were applied to two patients undergoing nephroureterectomy. Results: Both patients underwent successful robotic-assisted laparoscopic nephroureterectomy for upper tract transitional cell carcinoma and were discharged home on the day of surgery. Neither experienced a post-operative complication or required hospital admission. Conclusion: Day-case nephroureterectomy is a viable option in appropriately selected patients. We present the first report of nephroureterectomies performed as day-case surgery.
Impaired T-cell responses to sphingosine-1-phosphate in HIV-1 infected lymph nodes
Authors: Mudd Joseph C. , Murphy Patrick , Manion Maura , Debernardo Robert , Hardacre Jeffrey , Ammori John , Hardy Gareth A. , Harding Clifford V. , Mahabaleshwar Ganapati H. , Jain Mukesh K. , Jacobson Jeffrey M. , Brooks Ari D. , Lewis Sharon , Schacker Timothy W. , Anderson Jodi , Haddad Elias K. , Cubas Rafael A. , Rodriguez Benigno , Sieg Scott F. , Lederman Michael M. 
Published: February 2013

Key PointsS1P1 activity in human T cells can be reliably measured by assessing downstream signaling events induced upon S1P1 ligation. S1P1 activity is impaired in T cells from HIV-1+ lymph nodes.
A sharpened version of Hardy’s inequality for parameter "Equation missing"
Authors: Deng Yongping , Wu Shanhe , He Deng 
Published: February 2013

Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to investigate a sharpened version of Hardy’s inequality for parameter

p
=
5
/
4

. By evaluating the weight coefficient

W
(
k
,
5
/
4
)

, sharpened Hardy’s inequality that contains the best coefficient

η

5
/
4

=
0.46
…

is established.

MSC:26D15, 26D20, 26D07.
Butylated hydroxytoluene can protect polyunsaturated fatty acids in dried blood spots from degradation for up to 8 weeks at room temperature
Authors: Metherel Adam H , Hogg Ryan C , Buzikievich Lindy M , Stark Ken D 
Published: February 2013

Abstract

Background
Dried blood spots (DBS) from fingertip prick blood can enable high throughput fatty acid profiling but may be prone to lipid peroxidation during storage. The use of butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) on chromatography paper can prevent polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) loss but examinations on the length of storage times possible are not comprehensive.

Method
In the first study, venous whole blood was saturated on paper strips pre-soaked with 0, 2.5 or 5.0 mg/mL BHT and exposed to air for up to 28 days. In a second study, the effect of sealing DBS on 5.0 mg/mL BHT-soaked chromatography strips in capped test tubes or vacuum sealed polypropylene bags with and without nitrogen purging was examined over eight weeks. The fatty acid composition of the DBS were determined by gas chromatography and the effect of sample storage on omega-3 biomarkers were examined.

Results
PUFA and omega-3 biomarkers in DBS stored without BHT were dramatically reduced by day 3. In general, BHT delayed decreases in eicosapentaenoic + docosahexaenoic acid from baseline (3.2 ± 0.2 wt%) to 28 days (2.6 ± 0.03 wt%) of storage. In the % n-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA) in total HUFA biomarker, BHT was more effective at preventing changes, particularly with 5.0 mg/mL BHT where no differences were detected up to 28 days. Sealed storage with BHT tended to increase the stability of the PUFA in DBS and nitrogen purging did not appear to provide additional benefits. The % n-3 HUFA in total HUFA biomarker also appeared to be more stable in the sealed storage study.

Conclusions
The storage of DBS in sealed containers with BHT may prevent PUFA degradation for up to 8 weeks. The % n-3 HUFA in total HUFA biomarker appears to provide a more consistent assessment of omega-3 status throughout storage as compared with other omega-3 blood biomarkers.
The 1,4-benzodiazepine Ro5-4864 (4-chlorodiazepam) suppresses multiple pro-inflammatory mast cell effector functions
Authors: Yousefi Omid Sascha , Wilhelm Thomas , Maschke-Neuß Karin , Kuhny Marcel , Martin Christian , Molderings Gerhard J , Kratz Felix , Hildenbrand Bernd , Huber Michael 
Published: February 2013

AbstractActivation of mast cells (MCs) can be achieved by the high-affinity receptor for IgE (FcεRI) as well as by additional receptors such as the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) receptor and the receptor tyrosine kinase Kit (stem cell factor [SCF] receptor). Thus, pharmacological interventions which stabilize MCs in response to different receptors would be preferable in diseases with pathological systemic MC activation such as systemic mastocytosis. 1,4-Benzodiazepines (BDZs) have been reported to suppress MC effector functions. In the present study, our aim was to analyze molecularly the effects of BDZs on MC activation by comparison of the effects of the two BDZs Ro5-4864 and clonazepam, which markedly differ in their affinities for the archetypical BDZ recognition sites, i.e., the GABAAreceptor and TSPO (previously termed peripheral-type BDZ receptor). Ro5-4864 is a selective agonist at TSPO, whereas clonazepam is a selective agonist at the GABAAreceptor. Ro5-4864 suppressed pro-inflammatory MC effector functions in response to antigen (Ag) (degranulation/cytokine production) and LPS and SCF (cytokine production), whereas clonazepam was inactive. Signaling pathway analyses revealed inhibitory effects of Ro5-4864 on Ag-triggered production of reactive oxygen species, calcium mobilization and activation of different downstream kinases. The initial activation of Src family kinases was attenuated by Ro5-4864 offering a molecular explanation for the observed impacts on various downstream signaling elements. In conclusion, BDZs structurally related to Ro5-4864 might serve as multifunctional MC stabilizers without the sedative effect of GABAAreceptor-interacting BDZs.
Primary idiopathic silent chylopericardium
Authors: Kwon Jong Bum , Choi Si Young , Kim Chi Kyung , Park Chan Beom 
Published: February 2013

Abstract
Chylopericardium usually occurs secondary to trauma, cardiothoracic surgery, radiation therapy, or neoplasm of the mediastinum. Idiopathic chylopericardium is extremely rare. We report a case of primary chylopericardium in a 79-year-old male patient. Although pericardial window and thoracic duct ligation are the treatment of choice, the patient has been doing well for six months since video-assisted thoracoscopic pericardial window.
The carotenoid lutein enhances matrix metalloproteinase-9 production and phagocytosis through intracellular ROS generation and ERK1/2, p38 MAPK, and RARβ activation in murine macrophages
Authors: Lo Huey-Ming , Chen Chih-Li , Yang Chuen-Mao , Wu Pi-Hui , Tsou Chih-Jen , Chiang Kai-Wen , Wu Wen-Bin 
Published: February 2013

Abstract
Carotenoid lutein causes MMP-9 release that participates in macrophage phagocytosis.
Early studies have demonstrated the ability of dietary carotenoids to enhance immune response, but the mechanism underlying their influence on macrophage activity remains unclear. Here, we investigated the effects of carotenoids on macrophage activity. Carotenoids, including lutein and lycopene, enhanced MMP-9 activity in RAW264.7 macrophages. Lutein was chosen as a representative and analyzed further in this study. It increased the synthesis, activity, and release of MMP-9 in murine RAW264.7 and primary-cultured peritoneal macrophages. MMP-9 induction by lutein was through the transcriptional regulation of mmp-9. It was blunted by the MAPK inhibitors targeting ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK, the reagents that inhibit free radical signaling, and the inhibitors and siRNA targeting RARβ. Moreover, lutein induced Nox activation and intracellular ROS production at an early stage of treatment. This carotenoid also caused ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK activation, RARβ expression, and RAR interaction with its responsive element in the promoter region. These findings suggest the involvement of ROS, MAPKs, and RARβ activation in lutein-driven MMP-9 expression and release. Interestingly, lutein enhanced the phagocytic activity of macrophages, and the secreted MMP-9 appeared to be involved in this process. In summary, we provide evidence here for the first time that the carotenoid lutein induces intracellular ROS generation and MAPK and RARβ activation in macrophages, leading to an increase in MMP-9 release and macrophage phagocytosis. Our results demonstrate that lutein exerts an immunomodulatory effect on macrophages.
Segregation and Diffusion of Sb Compared to as for Ultra-Shallow Implantation Into Silicon
Authors: Krüger D. , Zaumseil P. , Melnik V. , Kurps R. , Formanek P. , Bolze D. 
Published: February 2013

AbstractWe investigate diffusion and segregation of Sb and As after low energy implantation and annealing. Sb implantation profiles are significantly more stable against segregation for implantation energies higher than 5 keV compared to As. For ultra-shallow profiles and annealing temperatures above 850°C we demonstrate strong Sb and As segregation up to 1021 cm–3 in an interfacial layer less than 3 nm. In comparison to As antimony profiles show reduced tails mainly due to less sensitivity for excess Si self-interstitial effects generated both during implantation defect anneal and during deactivation of heavily n-doped regions by clustering.
Preventing Ensemble Collapse and Honoring Multipoint Geostatistics with the Subspace EnKF/EnS and Kernel PCA Parameterization
Authors: Sarma Pallav , Chen Wen H. 
Published: February 2013

Abstract
Although the EnKF has many advantages, such as ease of implementation and efficient uncertainty quantification, it suffers from a few key issues that limit its application to large-scale simulation models of real fields. Among these key issues is the well known problem of ensemble collapse, which is particularly evident for small ensembles. Further, EnKF is theoretically appropriate only if all ensemble members belong to the same multi-Gaussian random field. This is an important issue because for most real fields, we have more than one geological scenario, and ideally, we would like to obtain one or more history-matched models for each geological scenario. Similar issues also affect the ensemble smoother (EnS).
We propose a new variant of the EnKF, called the subspace EnKF, to alleviate both these issues. The basic idea behind the subspace EnKF is to constrain each ensemble member to a different subspace of the full space to which the ensemble members belong. This is done by applying a different parameterization to each ensemble member with appropriate modification of the EnKF formulation, such that the parameterization ensures that each ensemble member remains in the subspace to which it is constrained through any number of updates, thereby preventing collapse. Further, if each parameterization is so chosen as to honor different geostatistical properties, then these statistics will also be honored throughout the updates, thus retaining the geostatistical properties of each ensemble member though each update. The EnS can also be extended similarly with the subspace formulation.
We first formulate and demonstrate the validity of the subspace EnKF with the standard PCA parameterization. We further improve the subspace EnKF/EnS to honor multi-point geostatistics by extending the subspace formulation with kernel PCA. We have earlier demonstrated the use of the kernel PCA parameterization with gradient-based history matching for honoring multi-point geostatistics of non-Gaussian random fields. Kernel PCA parameterization can also be used with the EnKF/EnS, however KPCA further aggravates the ensemble collapse problem due to the much larger dimensionality of the feature space. As such, formulating the subspace EnKF/EnS with kernel PCA parameterization alleviates both the key problems of the traditional EnKF/EnS, namely ensemble collapse and inability to honor multi-point geostatistics. The procedure is demonstrated on two examples, one with a multi-Gaussian permeability field, one with a channel sand, and is shown to prevent ensemble collapse while also honoring geostatistical properties much better compared to the standard EnKF/EnS.
Lack of Effectiveness of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for the Treatment of Diabetic Foot Ulcer and the Prevention of Amputation
Authors: Margolis David J. , Gupta Jayanta , Hoffstad Ole , Papdopoulos Maryte , Glick Henry A. , Thom Stephen R. , Mitra Nandita 
Published: February 2013

OBJECTIVE
Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) is a device that is used to treat foot ulcers. The study goal was to compare the effectiveness of HBO with other conventional therapies administered in a wound care network for the treatment of a diabetic foot ulcer and prevention of lower-extremity amputation.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
This was a longitudinal observational cohort study. To address treatment selection bias, we used propensity scores to determine the “propensity” that an individual was selected to receive HBO.

RESULTS
We studied 6,259 individuals with diabetes, adequate lower limb arterial perfusion, and foot ulcer extending through the dermis, representing 767,060 person-days of wound care. In the propensity score–adjusted models, individuals receiving HBO were less likely to have healing of their foot ulcer (hazard ratio 0.68 [95% CI 0.63–0.73]) and more likely to have an amputation (2.37 [1.84–3.04]). Additional analyses, including the use of an instrumental variable, were conducted to assess the robustness of our results to unmeasured confounding. HBO was not found to improve the likelihood that a wound might heal or to decrease the likelihood of amputation in any of these analyses.

CONCLUSIONS
Use of HBO neither improved the likelihood that a wound would heal nor prevented amputation in a cohort of patients defined by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services eligibility criteria. The usefulness of HBO in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers needs to be reevaluated.