bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Association of Khat and alcohol use with HIV infection and age at first sexual initiation among youths visiting HIV testing and counseling centers in Gamo-Gofa Zone, South West Ethiopia
Authors: Malaju Marelign Tilahun , Asale Gistane Ayele 
Published: February 2013

Abstract

Background
HIV/AIDS is the major problem and an obstacle to both the health and development of people in Ethiopia today. It is also indicated that the use of substances have dramatically increased despite the serious concern about HIV infection.

Methods
Unmatched case control study was conducted in South West Ethiopia using a sample of 105 cases and 305 controls. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the degree of association between dependent and independent variables.

Result
HIV infection was positively associated with being in the age of 20 – 24 years [OR & (95% CI) = 2.892 (1.266, 6.607)], being female [OR & (95% CI) = 2.013 (1.061, 3.822)], alcohol use [OR & (95% CI) = 5.883 (3.034, 11.408)], having no education [OR & (95% CI) = 3.193 (1.523, 6.695)] and primary education level [OR & (95% CI) = 3.160 (1.351, 7.388)]. Early sexual initiation was also positively associated with being not employed Adj. HR & (95% CI) = 7.372 (1.455, 37.357)], not having comprehensive knowledge on HIV/AIDS [Adj. HR & (95% CI) = 8.247 (2.121, 32.067)], alcohol use [Adj. HR & (95% CI) = 3.815 (1.315, 11.070)] and khat use [Adj. HR & (95% CI) = 7.241 (1.871, 28.016)].

Conclusion
Strategies should be designed to control the use of alcohol and khat which were found to be predictors of HIV infection and early sexual initiation in this study.
Foregut duplication of the stomach diagnosed by endoscopic ultrasound guidedfine-needle aspiration cytology: case report and literature review
Authors: Napolitano Vincenzo , Pezzullo Angelo M , Zeppa Pio , Schettino Pietro , D’Armiento Maria , Palazzo Antonietta , Pietra Cristina Della , Napolitano Salvatore , Conzo Giovanni 
Published: February 2013

Abstract
Gastric duplication cyst (GDC) with a pseudostratified columnar ciliatedepithelium is an uncommon malformation supposed to originate from a respiratorydiverticulum arising from the ventral foregut. Morphologic appearance of GDCs isvariable, depending on the density of their contents. GDCs are oftenmisdiagnosed as solid masses by imaging techniques, and as a consequence theymay be wrongly overtreated. We report our case of a 56-year-old man with a 5 cmhypoechoic mass of the gastroesophageal junction, incidentally detected bytransabdominal ultrasonography. Neither transabdominal ultrasonography normagnetic resonance clearly outlined the features of the lesion. The patientunderwent endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), which showed a hypoechoic mass arisingfrom the fourth layer of the anterior gastric wall, just below thegastroesophageal junction. According to EUS features, a diagnosis ofgastrointestinal stromal tumor was suggested. EUS-guided fine-needle aspirationcytology revealed a diagnosis of GDC with pseudostratified columnar ciliatedepithelium. We therefore performed an endoscopically-assisted laparoscopicexcision of the cyst.
In conclusion, whenever a subepithelial gastric mass is found in the upper partof the gastric wall, a duplication cyst, although rare, should be considered. Inthis case, EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology could provide acytological diagnosis useful to arrange in advance the more adequate surgicaltreatment.
The PB2, PA, HA, NP, and NS genes of a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus A/whooper swan/Mongolia/3/2005 (H5N1) are responsible for pathogenicity in ducks
Authors: Kajihara Masahiro , Sakoda Yoshihiro , Soda Kosuke , Minari Kenji , Okamatsu Masatoshi , Takada Ayato , Kida Hiroshi 
Published: February 2013

Abstract

Background
Wild ducks are the natural hosts of influenza A viruses. Duck influenza, therefore, has been believed inapparent infection with influenza A viruses, including highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs) in chickens. In fact, ducks experimentally infected with an HPAIV strain, A/Hong Kong/483/1997 (H5N1) (HK483), did not show any clinical signs. Another HPAIV strain, A/whooper swan/Mongolia/3/2005 (H5N1) (MON3) isolated from a dead swan, however, caused neurological dysfunction and death in ducks.

Method
To understand the mechanism whereby MON3 shows high pathogenicity in ducks, HK483, MON3, and twenty-four reassortants generated between these two H5N1 viruses were compared for their pathogenicity in domestic ducks.

Results
None of the ducks infected with MON3-based single-gene reassortants bearing the PB2, NP, or NS gene segment of HK483 died, and HK483-based single-gene reassortants bearing PB2, NP, or NS genes of MON3 were not pathogenic in ducks, suggesting that multiple gene segments contribute to the pathogenicity of MON3 in ducks. All the ducks infected with the reassortant bearing PB2, PA, HA, NP, and NS gene segments of MON3 died within five days post-inoculation, as did those infected with MON3. Each of the viruses was assessed for replication in ducks three days post-inoculation. MON3 and multi-gene reassortants pathogenic in ducks were recovered from all of the tissues examined and replicated with high titers in the brains and lungs.

Conclusion
The present results indicate that multigenic factors are responsible for efficient replication of MON3 in ducks. In particular, virus growth in the brain might correlate with neurological dysfunction and the disease severity.
Standardized treatment planning methodology for passively scattered proton craniospinal irradiation
Authors: Giebeler Annelise , Newhauser Wayne D , Amos Richard A , Mahajan Anita , Homann Kenneth , Howell Rebecca M 
Published: February 2013

Abstract

Background
As the number of proton therapy centers increases, so does the need for studies which compare proton treatments between institutions and with photon therapy. However, results of such studies are highly dependent on target volume definition and treatment planning techniques. Thus, standardized methods of treatment planning are needed, particularly for proton treatment planning, in which special consideration is paid to the depth and sharp distal fall-off of the proton distribution. This study presents and evaluates a standardized method of proton treatment planning for craniospinal irradiation (CSI).

Methods
We applied our institution’s planning methodology for proton CSI, at the time of the study, to an anatomically diverse population of 18 pediatric patients. We evaluated our dosimetric results for the population as a whole and for the two subgroups having two different age-specific target volumes using the minimum, maximum, and mean dose values in 10 organs (i.e., the spinal cord, brain, eyes, lenses, esophagus, lungs, kidneys, thyroid, heart, and liver). We also report isodose distributions and dose-volume histograms (DVH) for 2 representative patients. Additionally we report population-averaged DVHs for various organs.

Results
The planning methodology here describes various techniques used to achieve normal tissue sparing. In particular, we found pronounced dose reductions in three radiosensitive organs (i.e., eyes, esophagus, and thyroid) which were identified for optimization. Mean doses to the thyroid, eyes, and esophagus were 0.2%, 69% and 0.2%, respectively, of the prescribed dose. In four organs not specifically identified for optimization (i.e., lungs, liver, kidneys, and heart) we found that organs lateral to the treatment field (lungs and kidneys) received relatively low mean doses (less than 8% of the prescribed dose), whereas the heart and liver, organs distal to the treatment field, received less than 1% of the prescribed dose.

Conclusions
This study described and evaluated a standardized method for proton treatment planning for CSI. Overall, the standardized planning methodology yielded consistently high quality treatment plans and perhaps most importantly, it did so for an anatomically diverse patient population.
Immunomodulatory effects of total intravenous and balanced inhalation anesthesia in patients with bladder cancer undergoing elective radical Cystectomy: preliminary results
Authors: Sofra Maria , Fei Paola Cordiali , Fabrizi Luana , Marcelli Maria Elena , Claroni Claudia , Gallucci Michele , Ensoli Fabrizio , Forastiere Ester 
Published: February 2013

Abstract

Background
Although surgery and anesthesia induce immunesuppression, remains largely unknown whether various anesthetic techniques have different immunosuppressive effects on cancer patients. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the influence of total intravenous anesthesia with target-controlled infusion (TIVA-TCI) and balanced inhalation anesthesia (BAL) on the peri-operative levels of inflammatory cytokines and regulatory T cells (Tregs) in patients with bladder cancer undergoing surgery.

Methods
Twenty eight consecutive patients with bladder cancer who underwent radical cystectomy were prospectively randomized into two groups to receive TIVA-TCI (n = 14) or BAL (n = 14). Before the induction of anesthesia (T0), 6–8 hours (T1) post-surgery, and 5 days post-surgery (T2), Tregs and serum levels of interleukin -1beta (IL-1β), interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin −2 (IL-2), interleukin −6 (IL-6), and interleukin −10 (IL-10) were measured.

Results
In the peri-operative period all cancer patients showed a marked and significant increase in IL-6. Moreover, TIVA-TCI patients also showed a higher increase in IFN-γ, whereas in BAL patients Tregs were reduced by approximately 30% during surgery. The incidence of infections, metastases, and death was similar in both groups.

Conclusions
The increase in the Th1 response in the TIVA-TCI group and the reduction in Tregs in the BAL group seem to balance the immunosuppressive effect induced by IL-6. Therefore TIVA-TCI and BAL can be both used in major surgery in patients with bladder cancer without worsening the outcome.
Effective RNAi-mediated β2-microglobulin loss of function by transgenesis inXenopus laevis
Authors: Nedelkovska Hristina , Edholm Eva-Stina , Haynes Nikesha , Robert Jacques 
Published: February 2013

SummaryTo impair MHC class I (class I) function in vivo in the amphibian Xenopus, we developed an effective reverse genetic loss of function approach by combining I-SceI meganuclease-mediated transgenesis with RNAi technology. We generated transgenic outbred X. laevis and isogenetic laevis/gilli cloned lines with stably silenced expression of β2-microglobulin (b2m) critical for class I function. Transgenic F1 frogs exhibited decreased surface class I expression on erythrocytes and lymphocytes, decreased frequency of peripheral CD8 T cells and impaired CD8 T cell-mediated skin allograft rejection. Additionally, b2m knockdown increased susceptibility to viral infection of F0 transgenic larvae. This loss of function strategy offers new avenues for studying ontogeny of immunity and other developmental processes in Xenopus.
Thermal acclimation in rainbow smelt, Osmerus mordax, leads to faster myotomal muscle contractile properties and improved swimming performance
Authors: Woytanowski John R. , Coughlin David J. 
Published: February 2013

Summary
Rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) display an impressive ability to acclimate to very cold water temperatures. These fish express both anti-freeze proteins and glycerol in their plasma, liver, muscle and other tissues to avoid freezing at sub-zero temperatures. Maintenance of glycerol levels requires active feeding in very cold water. To understand how these fish can maintain activity at cold temperatures, we explored thermal acclimation by the myotomal muscle of smelt exposed to cold water. We hypothesized that cold-acclimated fish would show enhanced swimming ability due to shifts in muscle contractile properties. We also predicted that shifts in swimming performance would be associated with changes in the expression patterns of muscle proteins such as parvalbumin (PV) and myosin heavy chain (MyHC). Swimming studies show significantly faster swimming by smelt acclimated to 5°C compared to fish acclimated to 20°C when tested at a common test temperature of 10°C. The cold-acclimated fish also had faster muscle contractile properties, such as a maximum shortening velocity (Vmax) almost double that of warm-acclimated fish at the same test temperature. Cold-acclimation is associated with a modest increase in PV levels in the swimming muscle. Fluorescence microscopy using anti-MyHC antibodies suggests that MyHC expression in the myotomal muscle may shift in response to exposure to cold water. The complex set of physiological responses that comprise cold-acclimation in smelt includes modifications in muscle function to permit active locomotion in cold water.
Application of Graphene as a Sorbent for Preconcentration and Determination of Trace Amounts of Cadmium
Authors: Wang Yunkun , Dong Yanli , Zhang Jingwen , Li Chao , Li Jingci , Ma Jingjun 
Published: February 2013

Abstract
A new method using a column packed with graphene as sorbent was developed for the preconcentration of trace amounts of cadmium (Cd) prior to its determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. Under the optimal conditions, the calibration graph was linear in the concentration range of 10.0–150.0 µg L−1 with a detection limit of 0.60 µg L−1. The relative standard deviation for ten replicate measurements of 100.0 µg L−1 of Cd was 3.25%.
Extraordinary Microwave Effect on atropo-Enantioselective Catalytic Reduction of Biaryl Lactones
Authors: Nushiro Kazuya , Kikuchi Satoshi , Yamada Tohru 
Published: February 2013

Abstract
It was found that microwave irradiation under strictly controlled temperature conditions drastically enhanced the catalytic atropo-enantioselective Corey–Bakshi–Shibata (CBS) reduction of biaryl lactones. Since the high enantioselectivity was maintained completely compared with conventional heating conditions, the present enhancement is not caused by simple microwave heating. It was also revealed that the microwave irradiation could accelerate the racemization of the atropo-enantiomers of optically active biaryl lactone. It could be concluded that the drastic enhancement with retention of the high enantioselectivity was caused not by simple heating, but by some direct microwave effect on the substrate molecule.
Drawing Effect of Poly(vinyl alcohol) on Crystal Growth of Calcium Carbonate
Authors: Kubo Naoyuki , Yamato Masafumi 
Published: February 2013

Abstract
Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) thin films are formed on poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) films produced from a solution containing poly(acrylic acid). The crystal form, morphology, orientation, and nucleation frequency of the thin films are changed by the drawing of PVA.
Primary β-Amino Acid Salt-catalyzed Asymmetric Michael Addition of Benzoylacetates to Cyclic Enones and Its Application for the Synthesis of Enantioenriched 1,5-Diketones
Authors: Yoshida Masanori , Kubara Ami , Hara Shoji 
Published: February 2013

Abstract
The asymmetric Michael addition of benzoylacetates to cyclic enones was successfully carried out by using a primary β-amino acid salt catalyst. The reactions proceeded under mild reaction conditions to produce Michael adducts in high yields and with high enantioselectivities. The obtained Michael adducts were converted into β-benzoylmethylated cyclic ketones by decarboxylation without a significant loss of enantiomeric excess.
Colorimetric Chemosensor for Barium Metal Ions Using Tris(bipyridinium–crown ether) Conjugate
Authors: Guo Haocheng , Kuwabara Tetsuo 
Published: February 2013

Abstract
A new guest-responsive color-change host, 1, in which three benzocrown ethers modified with bipyridinium are connected through the mesitylene unit, was synthesized to investigate its ion-recognition ability. 1 exhibited a yellow color associated with an intramolecular charge-transfer (ICT) absorption, which faded upon the addition of alkali and alkaline earth metal ions. Ba2+ was detected by 1 with high sensitivity.
Chemically Reduced Graphene Oxide with Crosslinked Shell Showing Enhanced Environmental Stability Using Thiol-grafted Pluronic
Authors: Jeong Geumbi , Kim Hyun Gu , Nam Jeong A , Park Sung Young , In Insik 
Published: February 2013

Abstract
Soluble RGO/Plu–S–S assembly with crosslinked Pluronic shell structure was formulated through noncovalent interaction between Plu–SH and RGO plates and simultaneous crosslinking of Plu–SH on RGO plates. While other RGO/aliphatic polymer assemblies show limited solubility only in aqueous media, RGO/Plu–S–S assembly showed enhanced environmental stability and organic solubility with the help of crosslinked shell structure.
A Game-Theoretic Model of International Influenza Vaccination Coordination
Authors: Mamani Hamed , Chick Stephen E. , Simchi-Levi David 
Published: February 2013

Influenza vaccination decisions in one country can influence the size of an outbreak in other countries due to interdependent risks from infectious disease transmission. This paper examines the inefficiency in the allocation of influenza vaccines that is due to interdependent risk of infection across borders and proposes a contractual mechanism to reduce such inefficiencies. The proposed contract is based on an epidemic model that accounts for intranational transmission and that from a source country where the dominant strain emerges. The contract reduces the overall financial burden of infection globally and improves the total number infected by seasonal influenza outbreaks. This is consistent with recent recommendations to improve pandemic preparedness. Numerical experiments demonstrate that the benefits of the contract can prevent millions of influenza cases and save tens of millions of dollars, and that the benefits are even greater when cross-border transmission is higher, even if cross-border transmission parameters have moderate estimation errors. This paper was accepted by Martin Lariviere, operations management.
The Road to Moscow: On Archival Sources Concerning the International Trade Union Committee of Negro Workers in the Comintern Archive
Authors: Weiss Holger 
Published: February 2013

Abstract:This article is a critical assessment of the documentary sources of the International Trade Union Committee of Negro Workers (ITUCNW) available at the Comintern Archives in Moscow. The organization was the key platform within the Comintern Apparatus to establish an African-Atlantic network of radical activists and organizations in Africa and the Caribbean during the first half of the 1930s. The article addresses the current status of available archival sources for assessing and analysing the objectives, intensity, extent and impact of the organization and its key activists, namely James W. Ford, George Padmore and Otto Huiswoud. It reflects on past and present presentations and evaluations of the ITUCNW's activities and provides a short outline of the chronological order of the organization. In addition, the transfer of its records from Hamburg to Moscow is discussed. The main emphasis is laid on the presentation of the various documentary sources available in Moscow, including reports, resolutions and correspondence.
Researching Colonial Childhoods: Images and Representations of Children in Nigerian Newspaper Press, 1925–1950
Authors: Aderinto Saheed 
Published: February 2013

Abstract:This article takes an introductory excursion into newspaper sources for researching Nigerian children's history during the colonial period by analyzing and describing items including news, editorials, stories, photos, advertisements, columns, debates, features, and letters among others. It situates these newspaper sources within the context of the circumstances under which they were produced and the prevailing politics of identity, gender, and agency, on the one hand, and the interaction between the forces of “tradition” and “modernity” on the other. Instead of approaching children's experience from the well-established stand-points of disease, violence, delinquency and crime, this paper examines the following areas: children and education; children and motherhood; and children as consumers. These uncharted areas of Nigerian children's history render alternative and useful perspectives on agency and the centrality of childhood to colonial state's ideas of progress, civilization, modernity, and social stability.
Exploring the Potential of Praise Poems for Historical Reconstruction among the Idepe-Ikale in Southeastern Yorubaland
Authors: Ogen Olukoya 
Published: February 2013

Abstract:The existing body of literature on the origin of the Idepe-Ikale suggests a Benin provenance and an ethno-cultural identity for the generality of the Idepe-Ikale. This paper argues that this claim has largely been sustained by the excessive reliance on archival sources for the reconstruction Ikale pre-colonial history. It, therefore, draws primarily on evidence from praise poems and partly from historical linguistics and ethnography in its examination of the ethnic identity of the Idepe-Ikale, a major Ikale sub-group in southeastern Yorubaland. With this methodological shift, the paper establishes the fact that culturally and linguistically, the Idepe-Ikale are of the Yoruba ethnic stock rather than of Benin extraction. Thus, the paper casts doubts on the prevailing consensus on Idepe's Benin origin and identity and concludes that palace promoted and colonial-backed constructions of ethnic identities should be thoroughly scrutinised to correct mistaken notions about identity formation.
Gender and Ethnic Relations in Sierra Leone: Temne Women in Colonial Freetown
Authors: Bangura Joseph J. 
Published: February 2013

Abstract:The article explores the role of women, particularly non-Western educated Temne market women in shaping the socio-economic history of Britain's oldest colony in colonial West Africa. It addresses the neglect of women's participation in the economy of the colony inherent in the androcentric literature. The article also highlights the cultural foundations of Temne women's activism in colonial Freetown. It argues that the role played by various subjects and actors should be fully integrated in the historical literature of the Sierra Leone colony.
Native Foreigners and the Ambiguity of Order and Identity: The Case of African Diasporas and Islamic Law in British Cameroon
Authors: O'Rourke Harmony S. 
Published: February 2013

Abstract:In 1947, the colonial government in British Cameroon established an Islamic court in the Grassfields to try cases involving the region's Muslim population, primarily comprised of Fulani and Hausa diaspora communities that had settled the area since the late nineteenth century. Colonial debates over the creation and purview of the court reveal uncertainties that permeated Indirect Rule's legal categories of native and non-native, or tribe and race, which were to be governed by customary and civil law, respectively. Comparing legal regimes in British Cameroon with Northern Nigeria, the homeland of “native” Hausa and Fulani, shows that Islamic law sat uneasily across the divide between customary and civil law. With the importation of the court to the Grassfields, where Fulani and Hausa transformed into “native foreigners,” the delineation between customary and civil law was rendered even more obscure, illustrating that it could never neatly correspond to constructions of race and tribe.