bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Ergonomic port placement in laparoscopic colorectal surgery
Authors: Muhlmann M. D. , Rodrigues S. J. , Wong S. W. 
Published: November 2011

AbstractAim  Port placement in laparoscopic surgery has important ergonomic implications. A manipulation angle (MA) of 60° has been shown to maximize task efficiency. We calculated the MA used during various stages of both right hemicolectomy (RH) and high anterior resection (AR).Method  We compared two methods of port placement for each operation. RH‐PP1 included ports in the left iliac fossa and left upper quadrant. RH‐PP2 included ports suprapubically and in the left iliac fossa. We calculated the MA of each of these methods in mobilizing both the caecum and hepatic flexure. AR‐PP1 included ports in the right iliac fossa and right upper quadrant. AR‐PP2 included ports suprapubically and in the right iliac fossa. We calculated the MA of each of these methods in mobilizing the splenic flexure, descending–sigmoid junction and the recto–sigmoid junction.Results  For RH‐PP1, the mean MA for mobilizing the caecum and hepatic flexure was 38° and 52°, respectively. For RH‐PP2, the mean MA for mobilising the caecum and hepatic flexure was 58° and 44°, respectively. For AR‐PP1, the mean MA for mobilizing the splenic flexure, the descending–sigmoid junction and the recto–sigmoid junction was 77°, 41° and 18°, respectively. For AR‐PP2, the mean MA for mobilizing the splenic flexure, the descending–sigmoid junction and the recto–sigmoid junction was 40°, 56° and 34°, respectively.Conclusion  There are no two port placements that will allow for an ideal MA at every stage of mobilization for either right‐ or left‐sided resection.
A genotype–phenotype analysis of the 8q22.1 variant in migraine with aura
Authors: Esserlind A.‐L. , Kirchmann M. , Hauge A. W. , Le H. , Olesen J. 
Published: November 2011

Background and purpose:  Although the genetics of familial hemiplegic migraine are being unraveled, this is not the case for the prevalent types of migraine. However, a recent genome wide association study (GWAS) reported an association of the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs1835740 and migraine. The aim of this study is to evaluate the association of clinical characteristics in migraine with aura (MA) with the newly discovered minor allele A of rs1835740 at 8q22.1.Methods:  Participants were recruited from the Danish Headache Center and from specialist practices during the periods 1999–2002 and 2005–2006, and diagnosed according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD‐II) using a validated physician‐conducted semi‐structured interview. A large number of clinical characteristics were systematically determined. Caucasians of Danish ancestry diagnosed with MA and successfully genotyped for the SNP rs1835740 were included. Patients with hemiplegic migraine were excluded. Blood samples were collected for extraction of genomic DNA and genotyped for the common susceptibility variant rs1835740.Results:  Six hundred and ninety one successfully genotyped MA patients with substantial description of their clinical characteristics were included. Two hundred and fifty one were heterozygous and 40 were homozygote for the variant marker. Carriers of the rs1835740 variant showed a non‐significant tendency towards having a higher frequency of aura symptoms and a non‐significant tendency towards milder migraine headache characteristics and fewer accompanying symptoms. These tendencies were not increased in homozygote carriers.Conclusion:  None of the clinical characteristics of MA were significantly influenced by the common susceptibility variant on 8q22.1.
GENDER CONTEXT OF PERSONALISM IN BIOETHICS
Authors: AMZAT JIMOH , GRANDI GIOVANNI 
Published: November 2011

ABSTRACTPersonalism is one of the philosophical perspectives which hold that the reality in person and the human person has the highest intrinsic value. This paper makes reference to Louis Janssens' eight criteria in adequate consideration of the human person but further argues that there is need to consider people as situated agents especially within gender relational perspectives. The paper identifies gender as an important social construction that shapes the consideration of the human persons within socio‐spatial spheres. The main crux of the paper is that there is a gender context of personalism and this has profound implications for bioethical agendas. Gender is part of the human condition, especially when we philosophically or sociologically engage the notion of equity and equality within the social system, because social realities in the relational perspective are not impartial, impersonal and equal. Gender does not determine morality but it plays a role in morality and expectations from moral agents. Women have been categorised as a sociological group because their integrity, freedom/autonomy and dignity (which are basic concerns of bioethics) are capable of being threatened. A gender perspective provides important incentives for moral theory which searches for possible conceptual imbalances or blind spots in ethical reflections. The paper refers to Sen's faces of gender inequality and expands on the notion that natality inequality is one of the fundamental levels of gender inequality, which in turn is the primary starting agenda in bioethics. The paper avers that the recognition of the fundamental importance of gender to the organization of social reality and the development of personal identities have important practical implications for bioethics.
The impact of inflammatory bowel disease post‐liver transplantation for primary sclerosing cholangitis
Authors: Joshi Deepak , Bjarnason Ingvar , Belgaumkar Ajay , O'Grady John , Suddle Abid , Heneghan Michael A. , Aluvihare Varuna , Rela Mohammed , Heaton Nigel , Agarwal Kosh 
Published: November 2011

AbstractBackgroundAn association between primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is well recognized. However, the disease course of IBD following liver transplantation (LT) for PSC remains ill‐defined.Aims and methodsWe aimed to assess the impact of IBD in patients that had undergone LT for PSC to help identify risk factors for flare and to assess the impact of IBD on graft survival.Results110 patients underwent LT for PSC (Oct 1990‐Aug 2009) at King's College Hospital. 74 (67%) patients had concurrent IBD and 36 had PSC alone prior to transplant. 39 patients developed IBD (flare of IBD and de‐novo) post transplant. Cumulative risk for IBD at 1‐, 2‐, 5‐ and 10‐years was 16%, 24%, 38% and 72% respectively. Flare of IBD occurred in 33 patients with a mean time to flare of 30 ± 28 months. De‐novo IBD occurred in 6 patients (all UC). Mean time to diagnosis was 29 ± 25 months. Multivariate cox‐regression analysis identified active IBD at time of LT as a significant predictor of graft failure post LT (HR 10, CI 3‐39, P = 0.001) and smoking at time of transplantation and subsequent cessation predictive of recurrent IBD post transplantation (HR 17, 2‐180, P = 0.02).ConclusionIn conclusion, smoking at time of LT was predictive of flare of IBD and active IBD at time of transplantation had a significant effect on graft survival. Medical therapy needs to be maximised in the pre‐LT period. Patients with poorly controlled IBD refractory to medical therapy should be considered for colectomy at time of transplantation.
High cell density attenuates reactive oxygen species: Implications for in vitro assays
Authors: Kim Dennis P. , Yahav Jonathan , Sperandeo Michael , Maloney Lauren , McTigue Monica , Lin Fubao , Clark Richard A.F. 
Published: November 2011

AbstractIn vitro cell‐based assays are an essential and universally used step in elucidation of biological processes as well as in drug development. However, results obtained depend on the validity of protocols used. This statement certainly pertains to in vitro assays of oxidative stress. The holy grail of in vitro models is reliability and predictability of outcomes that relate to a single variable like addition of hydrogen peroxide or xanthine oxidase. Without such validated outcomes, comparison of results among different laboratories is not possible. Achieving this goal requires a thorough understanding of the complex interplay between the cells, their environment, and the experimental assays. Furthermore, as this knowledge is attained, it must be disseminated and used to update and standardize existing protocols. Here, we confirm and extend the effect of pyruvate and cell density on in vitro oxidative stress assays. Cell viability was assessed using a colorimetric assay measuring the reduction of a tetrazolium salt (XTT) into a colored formazan dye. Extracellular hydrogen peroxide concentrations were measured using the foxp3 assay. We confirmed a previously reported finding that pyruvate, a common ingredient in cell culture media, acts as an extracellular scavenger of reactive oxygen species. We also demonstrated that cell density directly correlates with resistance to oxidative stress in tissue culture. It is theorized that the protective effect due to cell density predominantly relates to intracellular factors such as reduced glutathione and extracellular factors such as catalase.
Diabetes reduces statherin in human parotid: immunogold study and comparison with submandibular gland
Authors: Isola M , Cossu M , Diana M , Isola R , Loy F , Solinas P , Lantini MS 
Published: November 2011

Oral Diseases (2012) 18, 360–364Background and Objective:  Alteration of salivary gland secretion is one of the consequences of diabetes. In a recent study on the submandibular gland of diabetic subjects, we found changed expression of statherin, a salivary protein of fundamental importance in preserving tooth integrity, whose reduction was related with the high incidence of oral diseases in patients with diabetes. The goal of this report is to extend the study to human parotid gland and to compare the effects of diabetes on statherin expression with those previously described in submandibular gland.Materials and Methods: Fragments of parotid glands obtained from diabetic and non‐diabetic patients were fixed, dehydrated, embedded in Epon Resin and processed for the immunogold histochemistry. The staining density was expressed as number of gold particles per μm2 and statistically evaluated.Results and Conclusions: In all samples, statherin reactivity was specifically localized in secretory granules of acinar cells. The statistical analysis showed that labelling density was significantly lower in diabetic than in non‐diabetic parotid glands and that diabetes affects protein expression at identical extent in parotid and submandibular glands. The results strengthen the hypothesis that a reduced statherin secretion may be responsible for the higher incidence of oral disorders in diabetic subjects.
Thromboelastography in healthy, sick non‐septic and septic neonatal foals
Authors: Mendez‐Angulo JL , Mudge M , Zaldivar‐Lopez S , Vilar‐Saavedra P , Couto G 
Published: November 2011

Objectives To evaluate citrated recalcified thromboelastography (TEG) in healthy newborn foals, and to determine intra‐assay, inter‐individual and intra‐individual (at 12 h, 24 h and 7 days after birth) variations. Additionally, to compare TEG variables, haematological values and conventional coagulation profiles from healthy, sick non‐septic, and septic foals.Design Prospective study.Methods The study group comprised 18 healthy, 15 sick non‐septic and 17 septic foals. Two citrated (3.2%; 1 : 9 anticoagulant : blood ratio) blood samples were submitted for haemostatic evaluation using a TEG analyser and conventional coagulation profile. TEG values (R time (R), K time (K), angle (α), maximum amplitude (MA) and G value (G)), complete blood count (CBC) and conventional coagulation profile (prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), fibrinogen concentration (Fib) and antithrombin (AT)) were evaluated. Signalment, presenting complaint, sepsis scores, blood culture results and outcome were taken from the medical records of the sick foals.Results Mean values ± SD for TEG variables in healthy neonatal foals were: R = 11.82 ± 5.35 min, K = 3.06 ± 1.34 min, α= 51.19 ± 12.66 degrees, MA = 55.06 ± 6.67 mm and G = 6361 ± 1700 dyn/cm2. Mean coefficients of variation for intra‐assay/inter‐individual/intra‐individual in healthy foals were: R = 3.5/45.2/43.1%; K = 5.3/58.7/28.7%; α= 1.5/24.7/11.9%; MA = 0.3/12.1/6.1%; G = 1.6/26.7/14.7%. Septic foals had significantly greater α, MA and G values than sick non‐septic foals, and significantly greater MA and G than healthy foals, changes that are consistent with hypercoagulability. Weak correlations were detected between TEG variables and haematological or haemostatic values.Conclusions TEG could be used to provide additional information about the haemostatic system in equine neonates.
Territorial Agglomeration and Industrial Symbiosis: Sitakunda‐Bhatiary, Bangladesh, as a Secondary Processing Complex
Authors: Gregson Nicky , Crang Mike , Ahamed Farid Uddin , Akter Nasreen , Ferdous Raihana , Foisal Sadat , Hudson Ray 
Published: November 2011

abstract[Correction added after online publication March 16, 2011: The contact information for two authors was listed incorrectly. The email addresses for Farid Uddin Ahamed and Nasreen Akter have been corrected in this version.]This article both joins with recent arguments in economic geography that have made connections between work on industrial symbiosis and agglomerative tendencies and recasts this work. Drawing on the case of Sitakunda‐Bhatiary, Bangladesh, it shows that symbiosis is intricately bound up in the global circulation of wastes and their recovery through secondary processing. It draws attention to the importance of key places as conduits in the transformation of materials and secondary processing; emphasizes their importance as sites of symbiotic activity; and shows how such places exemplify economies of recycling, reuse, and remanufacturing, but in conditions of minimal environmental regulation. It therefore shows that contemporary symbiosis is not necessarily clean and green and may be very messy; that it can be generative of agglomerations, not just dependent upon prior agglomerations; that such agglomerations may be cross sectoral, not just interplant; and that symbiosis needs to be thought of not just through geographic proximity, but through the spatialities of globalization.
Phenylethyl Butyrate Enhances the Potency of Second-Line Drugs against Clinical Isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Grau Thomas , Selchow Petra , Tigges Marcel , Burri Reto , Gitzinger Marc , Böttger Erik C. , Fussenegger Martin , Sander Peter 
Published: November 2011

ABSTRACT

Ethionamide (ETH) is a second-line drug for the treatment of tuberculosis. As a prodrug, ETH has to be activated by EthA.
ethA
is controlled by its repressor EthR. 2-Phenylethyl-butyrate (2-PEB) inhibits EthR binding, enhances expression of EthA, and thereby enhances the growth-inhibitory effects of ethionamide, isoxyl, and thiacetazone in
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
strains with resistance to ETH due to
inhA
promoter mutations but not
ethA
mutations.
PmrB Mutations Promote Polymyxin Resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolated from Colistin-Treated Cystic Fibrosis Patients
Authors: Moskowitz Samuel M. , Brannon Mark K. , Dasgupta Nandini , Pier Miyuki , Sgambati Nicole , Miller Amanda K. , Selgrade Sara E. , Miller Samuel I. , Denton Miles , Conway Steven P. , Johansen Helle K. , Høiby Niels 
Published: November 2011

ABSTRACT

Pseudomonas aeruginosa
can develop resistance to polymyxin and other cationic antimicrobial peptides. Previous work has shown that mutations in the PmrAB and PhoPQ regulatory systems can confer low to moderate levels of colistin (polymyxin E) resistance in laboratory strains and clinical isolates of this organism (MICs of 8 to 64 mg/liter). To explore the role of PmrAB in high-level clinical polymyxin resistance,
P. aeruginosa
isolates from chronically colistin-treated cystic fibrosis patients, most with colistin MICs of >512 mg/liter, were analyzed. These cystic fibrosis isolates contained probable gain-of-function
pmrB
alleles that conferred polymyxin resistance to strains with a wild-type or
pmrAB
deletion background. Double mutant
pmrB
alleles that contained mutations in both the periplasmic and dimerization-phosphotransferase domains markedly augmented polymyxin resistance. Expression of mutant
pmrB
alleles induced transcription from the promoter of the
arnB
operon and stimulated addition of 4-amino-
l
-arabinose to lipid A, consistent with the known role of this lipid A modification in polymyxin resistance. For some highly polymyxin-resistant clinical isolates, repeated passage without antibiotic selection pressure resulted in loss of resistance, suggesting that secondary suppressors occur at a relatively high frequency and account for the instability of this phenotype. These results indicate that
pmrB
gain-of-function mutations can contribute to high-level polymyxin resistance in clinical strains of
P. aeruginosa
.
In Vitro
Activity of JPC 2067 Alone and in Combination with Sulfamethoxazole against Nocardia Species
Authors: Mookherjee Swagatam , Shoen Carolyn , Cynamon Michael 
Published: November 2011

ABSTRACT

JPC 2067 is a novel dihydrotriazine dihydrofolate reductase inhibitor that is being developed as an antimalarial therapeutic. We evaluated the
in vitro
activity of JPC 2067 alone and in combination with sulfamethoxazole (SMX) against a panel of nocardia isolates. The MIC
50
s and MIC
90
s for JPC 2067, SMX, and the combination were 0.125 μg/ml and 4 μg/ml, 16 μg/ml and 32 μg/ml, and 0.03 μg/ml and 2 μg/ml, respectively. JPC 2067 alone and in combination with SMX should be evaluated further to understand its clinical potential.
Kinetics of Humoral and Memory B Cell Response Induced by the Plasmodium falciparum 19-Kilodalton Merozoite Surface Protein 1 in Mice
Authors: Kafuye-Mlwilo Mwanaidi Y. , Mukherjee Paushali , Chauhan Virander S. 
Published: November 2011

ABSTRACT

The 19-kDa carboxyl-terminal fragment of the merozoite surface protein-1 (MSP-1
19
) has been shown to regulate antibody (Ab)-mediated protective immunity to blood-stage malaria infection. But the serological memory to this antigen tends to be short-lived, and little is known of the mechanisms that regulate the formation of B cell memory to MSP-1
19
antigen. We studied the formation of B cell memory response after immunization with the recombinant 19-kDa
Plasmodium falciparum
merozoite surface protein 1 (PfMSP-1
19
). Immunization with PfMSP-1
19
resulted in delayed increase in germinal center (GC) B cell numbers. This poor GC reaction correlated with short-lived PfMSP-1
19
-specific antibodies in serum and the short life of PfMSP-1
19
-specific plasma cells and memory B cells (MBCs) in spleen and bone marrow. PfMSP-1
19
-specific MBCs were capable of producing antigen (Ag)-specific Ab-secreting cell (ASC) responses that were short-lived following challenge immunization of the immune mice with antigen or transgenic
Plasmodium berghei
parasite expressing PfMSP-1
19
in place of native
P. berghei
MSP-1
19
at 8 weeks after the last immunization or following adoptive transfer into naive hosts. However, no protection was achieved in PfMSP-1
19
immune mice or recipient mice with PfMSP-1
19
-specific MBCs following challenge with transgenic
P. berghei
. Our findings suggest that PfMSP-1
19
-specific IgG production by short-lived plasma cells combined with the poor ability of the PfMSP-1
19
-induced MBCs to maintain the anamnestic IgG responses failed to contribute to protection against infection.
Combined Lifestyle Factors and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality in Chinese Men and Women
Authors: Odegaard Andrew O. , Koh Woon-Puay , Gross Myron D. , Yuan Jian-Min , Pereira Mark A. 
Published: November 2011

Background—
Lifestyle factors directly influence cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, yet little research has examined the association of combined lifestyle factors with CVD mortality, especially in Asian populations.

Methods and Results—

We examined the association of 6 combined lifestyle factors (dietary pattern, physical activity, alcohol intake, usual sleep, smoking status, and body mass index) with CVD mortality in 50 466 (44 056 without a history of diabetes mellitus, CVD, or cancer and 6410 with diabetes mellitus or history of clinical CVD) Chinese men and women in Singapore who were 45 to 74 years of age during enrollment in the Singapore Chinese Health Study in 1993 to 1998 and followed up through 2009. Each lifestyle factor was independently associated with CVD mortality. When combined, there was a strong, monotonic decrease in age- and sex-standardized CVD mortality rates with an increasing number of protective lifestyle factors. Relative to participants with no protective lifestyle factors, the hazard ratios of CVD mortality for 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 to 6 protective lifestyle factors were 0.60 (95% confidence interval, 0.45–0.84), 0.50 (95% confidence interval, 0.38–0.67), 0.40 (95% confidence interval, 0.30–0.53), 0.32 (95% confidence interval, 0.24–0.43), and 0.24 (95% confidence interval, 0.17–0.34), respectively, among those without a history of diabetes mellitus, CVD, or cancer (
P
for trend <0.0001). A parallel graded inverse association was observed in participants with a history of CVD or diabetes mellitus at baseline. Results were consistent for coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular disease mortality.

Conclusion—
An increasing number of protective lifestyle factors is associated with a marked decreased risk of coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and overall CVD mortality in Chinese men and women.
Improving the Representation of Resolved and Unresolved Topographic Effects on Surface Wind in the WRF Model
Authors: Jiménez Pedro A. , Dudhia Jimy 
Published: November 2011

AbstractThe Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model presents a high surface wind speed bias over plains and valleys that constitutes a limitation for the increasing use of the model for several applications. This study attempts to correct for this bias by parameterizing the effects that the unresolved topographic features exert over the momentum flux. The proposed parameterization is based on the concept of a momentum sink term and makes use of the standard deviation of the subgrid-scale orography as well as the Laplacian of the topographic field. Both the drag generated by the unresolved terrain and the possibility of an increase in the speed of the flow over the mountains and hills, where it is herein shown that WRF presents a low wind speed bias, are considered in the scheme. The surface wind simulation over a complex-terrain region that is located in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula is improved with the inclusion of the new parameterization. In particular, the underestimation of the wind speed spatial variability resulting from the mentioned biases is corrected. The importance of selecting appropriate grid points to compare with observations is also examined. The wind speed from the nearest grid point is not always the most appropriate one for this comparison, nearby ones being more representative. The new scheme not only improves the climatological winds but also the intradiurnal variations at the mountains, over which the default WRF shows limitations in reproducing the observed wind behavior. Some advantages of the proposed formulation for wind-resource evaluation are also discussed.