bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Hypocholesterolemic effect of karaya saponin in Japanese laying quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica)
Authors: Afrose S. , Hossain M. S. , Tsujii H. 
Published: November 2010

SummaryThe effect of karaya saponin supplementation on the serum and egg yolk cholesterol and fatty acid composition in egg yolk were investigated in Japanese quails. A total of 80 Japanese quails aged 5 weeks were equally divided into four groups of 20. Four levels (0, 25, 50 and 75 mg/kg feed) of karaya saponin were included in the basal diet and experiment was lasted for 6 weeks. The cholesterol fractions in the egg yolk and serum were measured by enzymatic assay, and the fatty acid composition in egg yolk was determined by gas chromatography. The results revealed that the supplementation of 75 mg/kg karaya saponin significantly reduced (p < 0.05) cholesterol and triglycerides concentration in serum and egg yolk. High‐density lipoprotein‐cholesterol was increased, low‐density lipoprotein‐cholesterol and the atherogenic index were decreased (p < 0.05) by the dietary supplementations. Hepatic cholesterol was reduced (p < 0.05) by the 25 mg/kg karaya saponin. A higher degree of yolk colour was improved (p < 0.05) when 75 mg/kg saponin was supplemented in the diet. The concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in egg yolk was increased (p < 0.05) in a dose‐dependent manner in quails fed the supplemented diet than the control diet. The ratio of PUFA to saturated fatty acids in egg yolk was improved (p < 0.05) by 75 mg/kg feed karaya saponin‐supplemented diet. Therefore, the dietary supplementation of 75 mg/kg karaya saponin may be a feasible means of producing quail eggs with lower cholesterol and higher PUFA content for health conscious consumers.
Endothelin receptor antagonist bosentan improves the dermal sclerosis in a patient with systemic sclerosis
Authors: Nishibu Akiko , Sakai Erika , Oyama Noritaka , Yamamoto Toshiyuki 
Published: November 2010

ABSTRACTWe report a case of systemic sclerosis with interstitial pneumonia and severe pulmonary hypertension treated with bosentan, an endothelin receptor antagonist. Within a short period of administration of the bosentan the skin sclerosis improved.
Challenges in containing the burden of hepatitis B infection in dialysis and transplant patients in India
Authors: POTSANGBAM GULIVER , YADAV ASHOK , CHANDEL NIRUPAMA , RATHI MANISH , SHARMA ASHISH , KOHLI HARBIR S , GUPTA KRISHAN L , MINZ MUKUT , SAKHUJA VINAY , JHA VIVEKANAND 
Published: November 2010

ABSTRACTAim:  Whether or not completing the hepatitis B vaccination in patients who have undergone kidney transplantation in the middle of incomplete vaccination schedule leads to development of protective antibody titres is not known. This study was designed to determine whether the strategy of completing hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination after transplantation is efficacious.Methods:  Sixty‐four end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) patients were screened for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), antibodies to hepatitis B surface antigen (anti‐HBs), hepatitis B e‐antigen (HBeAg) and HBV DNA. HBsAg negative patients received four doses of 40 µg recombinant HBV vaccine. Schedule was continued in after transplantation period if it was incomplete before transplant. Anti‐Hbs titres were evaluated at 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months.Results:  Past HBV infection was noted in 12 patients: 10 by serology plus viraemia and two by viraemia alone. Of the 46 patients without current or past HBV infection who had received at least two doses of the vaccine before transplant, 17 each had received two and three doses and 12 had completed the schedule. Seventeen (37%) exhibited protective titres. Patients who had completed vaccination were more likely to have protective titres than those incompletely vaccinated (P = 0.02). Five patients responded to post‐transplant vaccination.Conclusion:  Partially vaccinated patients do not mount an adequate antibody response despite continued vaccination in the post‐transplant period, whereas complete vaccination provides protection in 60%. The present study data highlights the need of administration of a full schedule of HBV vaccination before kidney transplantation. Nucleic acid‐based tests can identify occult HBV infection.
Embryo selection or uterine environment: Which plays the greater role in blastocyst transfer cycles?
Authors: Kovacs Peter , Matyas Szabolcs , Kaali Steven G. 
Published: November 2010

AbstractAim:  Blastocyst stage embryo transfer (BET) leads to higher pregnancy rates when compared to cleavage stage transfer. Better embryo selection and a more physiologic stage of transfer are possible explanations. We assessed the significance of embryo selection in achieving an improved outcome.Methods:  Retrospective analysis of all BETs from our 2007 IVF database was performed. The BET cycles were grouped based on the number of top‐quality cleavage stage embryos (≤3 or >3). A cut‐off of ≤3 embryos was chosen, because with ≤3 embryos those that will likely make it to the blastocyst stage have already been identified, therefore embryo selection becomes less important. Baseline characteristics, stimulation and embryology parameters, as well as treatment outcome, were compared. The T‐test and χ2‐test were used where appropriate. P < 0.05 was considered significant.Results:  A total of 251 cycles where at least one blastocyst was transferred on day 5 were identified and included in the analysis (≤3 top‐quality cleavage embryos, n = 32; >3 top‐quality cleavage embryos, n = 219). The number of follicles >14 mm and the number of eggs/mature eggs were higher in the group with >3 good quality day 3 embryos. Slightly more embryos were transferred in the ≤3 embryo group. Pregnancy rates (14/32 [43.8%] vs 96/219 [43.8%]; P = NS) and ongoing pregnancy rates (10/32 [31.2%] vs 80/219 [36.5%]; P = NS) were comparable.Conclusion:  Based on the analysis of our data, the number of top‐quality cleavage stage embryos did not significantly influence BET outcome. Besides embryo selection, other factors such as improved embryo–endometrium synchrony probably play an important role in the higher implantation and pregnancy rates.
Accuracy of the Wallach Endocell endometrial cell sampler in diagnosing endometrial carcinoma and hyperplasia
Authors: Kunaviktikul Krida , Suprasert Prapaporn , Khunamornpong Surapan , Settakorn Jongkolnee , Natpratan Apaporn 
Published: November 2010

AbstractAim:  To assess the accuracy of the Wallach Endocell endometrial cell sampler in diagnosing endometrial carcinoma and hyperplasia.Methods:  Women aged over 35 years old with abnormal uterine bleeding who came to Chiang Mai University Hospital between June 2008 and June 2009 were invited to participate in this study if they were candidates for the fractional curettage procedure. All patients underwent endometrial sampling prior to endometrial curettage. The endometrial samples from both procedures were separately evaluated by different pathologists. The accuracy of the Wallach Endocell device in diagnosing endometrial carcinoma and hyperplasia was calculated by comparison with the final histology. When the results from both procedures were not identical, the final diagnosis was reported according to the consensus of the pathologists. Tissue adequacy was also determined.Results:  During the study period, 202 patients were recruited into this study. The sensitivity, specificity, false negative rate and false positive rate of the Wallach Endocell in diagnosing endometrial carcinoma and hyperplasia were 60.00%, 99.46%, 40.00% and 0.54%, respectively. Of 13 patients with endometrial hyperplasia, six were not detected by the Wallach Endocell device. All endometrial carcinomas were detected by the endometrial sampling procedure. Tissue adequacy from the Wallach Endocell device was 85.6%. The positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 95.00% and 92.85%, respectively.Conclusions:  The Wallach Endocell is an effective device for diagnosing endometrial carcinoma; however, the results of endometrial sampling should be interpreted with caution because of a high false negative rate in detecting endometrial hyperplasia.
Pregnancy and subsequent pregnancy outcomes in peripartum cardiomyopathy
Authors: Mandal Debasmita , Mandal Saroj , Mukherjee Dipankar , Biswas Subhash Chandra , Maiti Tapan Kumar , Chattopadhaya Nibedita , Majumdar Biswakes , Panja Manotosh 
Published: November 2010

AbstractAim:  To study the clinical profile and management of peripartum cardiomyopathy, and to analyze the pregnancy outcomes of pregnant women with this disorder as well as its effect on subsequent pregnancies.Methods:  All patients admitted with peripartum cardiomyopathy from July 2006 to June 2009 by the Departments of Cardiology and Obstetrics and Gynecology from the Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research, Kolkata, India, were considered for this observational study. Thirty‐six women with 42 pregnancies (36 first pregnancies and six second pregnancies in the same patients) were evaluated.Results:  Primiparas constituted 39% (14/36) of the total study population. Twenty‐six women (72%) were clinically improved and in 17 (48%) the left ventricular functional status returned to normal. Five cases (14%) developed persistent cardiomyopathy (persistent left ventricular dysfunction beyond six months of presentation), and five women (14%) presented with thromboembolic events and anticoagulation was used as secondary prophylaxis. Maternal mortality was 14% (5/36). Among all live babies two had intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and another two died during the neonatal period. Of the six women with subsequent pregnancies, the patient with persistent cardiomyopathy died after delivering a stillborn baby. The remaining five cases with normal left ventricular functional status had favorable fetal outcomes; however, the mothers experienced morbidities such as symptoms of heart failure (two cases) and one of them progressed to persistent cardiomyopathy.Conclusions:  Subsequent pregnancies should be discouraged as it increases the risk of recurrence of left ventricular dysfunction. Anticoagulation may be considered as a primary prevention of thromboembolism in pregnant mothers with peripartum cardiomyopathy.
Acute pelvic inflammatory disease: Diagnostic performance of CT
Authors: Jung Sung Il , Kim Young Jun , Park Hee Sun , Jeon Hae Jeong , Jeong Kyung‐Ah 
Published: November 2010

AbstractAim:  To evaluate retrospectively the performance of computed tomography (CT) for the diagnosis of acute pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) by the use of clinical and laboratory data as the reference standard.Methods:  The study was approved by the institutional review board. A total of 190 women of reproductive age (age range, 16−49 years; mean age, 29.3 ± 7.6 years) with complaints of non‐traumatic acute lower abdominal pain underwent subsequent abdominopelvic CT. The diagnosis of acute PID was confirmed by the clinical and laboratory findings. Two radiologists performed a blinded, independent, retrospective review of the CT findings of acute PID. Discordant findings were resolved by a consensus review with a third radiologist. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy of each CT finding for the diagnosis of acute PID were determined. Kappa statistics were used to estimate agreement between readers.Results:  Pelvic inflammatory disease was present in 48 (25.3%) of the 190 patients. The most specific CT finding for the diagnosis of acute PID was tubal thickening of both fallopian tubes (95.1%). The most sensitive CT finding was mid‐pelvic fat stranding (60.4%).Conclusion:  The CT finding of tubal thickening is highly specific for the diagnosis of acute PID, although overall CT sensitivity is poor.
Defunctioning stomas prior to chemoradiation for anal cancer are usually permanent
Authors: Cooper R. , Mason M. , Finan P. , Byrne P. , Sebag‐Montefiore D. 
Published: November 2010

AbstractAim  A few patients with anal cancer will require a defunctioning stoma prior to chemoradiotherapy (CRT). The purpose of this retrospective review was to determine the frequency with which a pretreatment stoma was subsequently reversed.Method  Between 1997 and 2007, 46/344 patients who were treated for anal cancer underwent a defunctioning stoma prior to CRT. Thirty‐five of these were treated with curative intent.Results  Of the 35 patients, 16 patients had T4, 17 T3 and 2 T2 disease. Sixteen were node positive. The average tumour size was 7 cm. The median interval between stoma formation and CRT was 6 (4–20) weeks. The median follow up was 26 (2–80) months. A defunctioning stoma was performed for rectovaginal fistula or risk of fistula in 18 and severe local symptoms in 17. Seven (20%) patients had the stoma reversed subsequently. The reasons for nonreversal were progressive disease (n = 9), persistent fistula (n = 3), predicted poor function (n = 4), cavity formation (n = 1), fibrosis (n = 3), death from another cause (n = 2), patient choice (n = 3) and salvage surgery (n = 2). The overall 3‐year survival was only 48%, explained by the advanced stage of disease at presentation.Conclusion  Most patients who undergo a defunctioning stoma before CRT will not undergo subsequent reversal. The patient should therefore be informed that the stoma is likely to be permanent and this should be taken into account when considering the type and site of stoma to be formed.
Generation of chimeric repressors that confer salt tolerance in Arabidopsis and rice
Authors: Mito Tomomi , Seki Motoaki , Shinozaki Kazuo , Ohme‐Takagi Masaru , Matsui Kyoko 
Published: November 2010

SummaryWe show here that transgenic Arabidopsis plants that expressed chimeric repressors derived from the AtMYB102, ANAC047, HRS1, ZAT6 and AtERF5 transcription factors were tolerant to treatment with 400 mm NaCl, which was lethal to wild‐type plants. The transgenic plants grew well, without any apparent differences from the wild‐type plants under normal growth condition. The transgenic lines expressing the AtMYB102, ANAC047 and HRS1 chimeric repressors germinated in the presence of 225 mm NaCl, while those expressing the ZAT6 and AtERF5 did not. However, the latter lines were tolerant to osmotic stress and germinated in the presence of 600 mm mannitol, suggesting a link between responses to salt and osmotic stress. Expression of the AtMYB102, ANAC047, ZAT6 and AtERF5 genes was induced by salt treatment, while that of HRS1 was repressed. HRS1 has transcriptional repressive activity and appears to suppress the expression of factors that negatively regulate salt tolerance. Microarray analysis revealed that the levels of expression of DREB1A, DREB2B and several genes for ZAT transcription factors rose 10‐ to 100‐fold in the AtMYB102 chimeric repressor line under both normal and stress conditions. Elevated expression of DREB‐ and ZAT‐ related genes might be involved in the salt tolerance of the AtMYB102 chimeric repressor line. Transgenic rice plants expressing chimeric repressors derived from Os02g0325600 and Os03g0327800, rice homologues of HRS1 and ANAC047, were tolerant to salinity stress demonstrated by suppression of growth inhibition and ion leakages. Expression of a chimeric repressor provides an effective strategy for enhancing tolerance of plants to abiotic stress.
Tracking speakers’ false beliefs: is theory of mind available earlier for word learning?
Authors: Houston‐Price Carmel , Goddard Kate , Séclier Catherine , Grant Sally C. , Reid Caitlin J.B. , Boyden Laura E. , Williams Rhiannon 
Published: November 2010

AbstractHappé and Loth (2002) describe word learning as a ‘privileged domain’ in the development of a theory of mind. We test this claim in a series of experiments based on the Sally‐Anne paradigm. Three‐ and 4‐year‐old children’s ability to represent others’ false beliefs was investigated in tasks that required the child either to predict the actions of a protagonist in a story or to learn the meaning of a new word used by the protagonist. Experiment 1 replicated previous findings of better performance in a false belief word‐learning task compared to a false belief action‐prediction task. However, systematic manipulation of the task parameters in Experiments 2 and 3 revealed that this performance discrepancy disappeared when tasks were equated in their ‘referential pull’ (Perner, Rendl & Garnham, 2007). We conclude that the notion of a precocious theory of mind for word learning is not required to explain dissociations in performance on false belief tasks.
Changing the rules: Historical conjuncture and transition in Indonesia
Authors: Kimura Ehito 
Published: November 2010

AbstractAfter more than three decades of military authoritarian rule, President Suharto resigned from office in May of 1998 and peacefully handed power over to his vice‐president, B.J. Habibie. The ensuing period of transition can be characterised as a ‘critical historical conjuncture’, in that agents wielded a unusually large set of choices about the direction to take the country. This article explores this period, and examines both the roots of the historical conjuncture and its outcomes. It argues that long‐term factors laid the foundations for change, but short‐term factors shaped the timing and way the New Order would fall. It also argues that current outcomes attributable to the historical conjuncture include territorial resilience, a competitive electoral system, and paradoxically, elite entrenchment.
Social dialogue and industrial relations in South Korea: Has the tripartite commission been successful?
Authors: Han Chonghee , Jang Jiho , Kim Sunhyuk 
Published: November 2010

AbstractThis paper analyses the sweeping changes in industrial relations in South Korea that have taken place since democratisation in 1987, which gave workers the right to organise themselves, and critically reviews the development of social dialogue since the financial crisis of 1997. A number of international labour specialists have maintained that social dialogue plays an important role in enhancing economic restructuring and the stability of industrial relations in order to compete in a global economy. Contrary to the positive assessment of social dialogue, the paper argues that the Korean Tripartite Commission has not reduced the antagonism between unions and employer organisations due to the influence of embedded, state‐led economic development. The financial crisis of 1997 merely provided a catalyst to propel the ‘historic compromise’ of February 1998, without creating effective institutional arrangements to maintain social dialogue. It is worth noting that the uncertainty of social dialogue results from the inability of the Korean Tripartite Commission to encourage employers and workers to trade off wage restraint for job security in the context of a lack of social welfare protections. The paralysed Korean Tripartite Commission provides fertile ground for reflecting on the complex relationship between social dialogue and institutional arrangements.
A Literature Review of Randomized Clinical Trials of Intravenous Acetaminophen (Paracetamol) for Acute Postoperative Pain
Authors: Macario Alex , Royal Mike A. 
Published: November 2010

AbstractIntroduction:  This study's objective was to systematically review the literature to assess analgesic outcomes of intravenous (IV) acetaminophen for acute postoperative pain in adults.Methods:  We searched Medline and the Cochrane library (January 1, 2000 to January 17, 2010, date of last search) for prospective, randomized, controlled trials (RCTs) of IV acetaminophen vs. either an active comparator or placebo.Results:  Sixteen articles from 9 countries published between 2005 and 2010 met inclusion criteria and had a total of 1,464 patients. Median sample size = 54 patients (range 25 to 165) and median follow‐up = 1 day (range 1 hour to 7 days). Four of the 16 articles had 3 arms in the study. One article had 4 arms. As a result, 22 study comparisons were analyzed: IV acetaminophen to an active comparator (n = 8 studies) and IV acetaminophen to placebo (n = 14 studies). The RCTs were of high methodological quality with Jadad median score = 5. In 7 of 8 active comparator studies (IV parecoxib [n = 3 studies], IV metamizol [n = 4], oral ibuprofen [n = 1]), IV acetaminophen had similar analgesic outcomes as the active comparator. Twelve of the 14 placebo studies found that IV acetaminophen patients had improved analgesia. Ten of those 14 studies reported less opioid consumption, a lower percentage of patients rescuing, or a longer time to first rescue with IV acetaminophen. Formal meta‐analysis pooling was not performed because the studies had different primary end points, and the IV acetaminophen dosing regimens varied in dose, and duration and timing.Conclusion:  In aggregate, these data indicate that IV acetaminophen is an effective analgesic across a variety of surgical procedures.
Does Insurance Help to Escape the Poverty Trap?—A Ruin Theoretic Approach
Authors: Kovacevic Raimund M. , Pflug Georg Ch. 
Published: November 2010

AbstractPoverty trapping refers to the fact that poor people in developing countries cannot escape their poverty without help from outside. This is worsened by extreme events, for example, floods or hurricanes, sending people to poverty who have not been poor before. Often, insurance is seen as a way out. This article studies poverty trapping in the context of catastrophic risk and introduces a ruin‐type model, combining deterministic growth with a stochastic loss model. We analyze the properties of the resulting piecewise deterministic Markov process, especially its trapping risk, and discuss for which groups of people insurance can reduce trapping probability.
Safety of agalsidase alfa in patients with Fabry disease under 7 years
Authors: Ramaswami U , Parini R , Kampmann C , Beck M 
Published: November 2010

AbstractAim:  To evaluate the safety and explore the efficacy of enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) for Fabry disease with agalsidase alfa in young children enrolled in the Fabry Outcome Survey (FOS).Methods:  This retrospective chart review identified eight children (mean age = 5.0 ± 1.6 [mean ± SD]) in FOS who began treatment with agalsidase alfa (0.2 mg/kg, i.v., every other week) when <7 years old. Vital signs and adverse events were monitored throughout the study period. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was estimated, and left ventricular mass indexed to height2.7 (LVMi) was assessed with echocardiography. Patients received 1.2–6.7 years of treatment (mean = 4.2 years).Results:  Infusion reactions occurred in three patients and were of mild or moderate severity. IgG antibodies to agalsidase alfa were found in one patient who experienced two mild and one moderate infusion reactions. Mean GFR was within the normal range at baseline and remained normal. LVMi was above the 75th percentile of age‐matched children in 5 of 6 patients evaluated at baseline. Only two patients exceeded this threshold at their last assessment.Conclusion:  Long‐term observation will be needed to determine whether early initiation of ERT will prevent major organ dysfunction in these patients.