bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
In Vitro Kinetic Evaluation of the Free Radical Scavenging Ability of Propofol
Authors: Li Weiguang , Zhang Yu , Liu Yanru , Yue Feng , Lu Yiming , Qiu Huanrong , Gao Dawen , Gao Yan , Wu Yonghong , Wang Zhaoyan , Huang Rongqing , Zhang Chenggang 
Published: April 2012

Background
Propofol is a widely used, short-acting, and intravenously administered hypnotic agent with notable antioxidant and free radical scavenging activities. However, there are relatively few kinetic studies on the free radical scavenging ability of propofol. The goal of this study is to evaluate the kinetics of propofol scavenging 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical (ABTS(·+)).

Methods
The stock solution of ABTS(·+) was prepared by incubating 7 mM ABTS with 2.8 mM potassium persulfate in deionized water, and then diluted with 5 mM phosphate-buffered saline (pH 7.2) to get a working solution (36 μM ABTS(·+) and 18 μM ABTS). The reaction was monitored by measuring specific absorbance changes of ABTS and ABTS(·+) after adding 4 μM propofol (final concentration) to the working solution. The propofol-ABTS(·+) reaction products were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry.

Results
Wave scanning and kinetic evaluation demonstrated that the ABTS(·+) scavenging process of propofol is relatively fast. The ABTS(·+) consumption rate by propofol is greater than the rate of ABTS formation. The degradation products of reaction between propofol and ABTS(·+) were mainly ABTS-propofol, a part of the ABTS molecule, and a combination of propofol with a part of the ABTS molecule.

Conclusions
Propofol scavenges ABTS(·+) with a fast and stable kinetic feature in vitro, which is useful and important for understanding propofol's antioxidant properties. The kinetic process of the free radical scavenging activity of propofol may also play a role in dynamic protection in the body.
Clinical Significance of Eosinophilia and Chronic Inflammatory Infiltrate in Children's Rectal Biopsies
Authors: Pacilli Maurizio , Eaton Simon , Clarke Alessandra , Whitehead Anita , Nagy Anita , Brain Jeffrey L. 
Published: April 2012

ABSTRACTAims:The aim of the present study was to determine the clinical significance of an incidental finding of eosinophilia (EOS) and chronic inflammatory infiltrate (CINF) in rectal biopsies of children investigated for suspected Hirschsprung disease (HSCR).Methods:A retrospective study (2000–2010) of children incidentally found to have EOS and CINF was performed. HSCR cases were excluded. Presence of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms and nutritional status (weight‐for‐age z score) were investigated and compared with a matched cohort with normal biopsy.Results:Of 364 children undergoing rectal biopsy for suspected HSCR, 109 had confirmed HSCR, whereas 255 children had normal ganglia. Forty‐four of 255 (17%) children had EOS and/or CINF incidentally reported and are the subject of the present study. In 13 of 44 (29%) children, the biopsy was performed neonatally. At follow‐up (4.6 months [1–22]), 21 (48%) had food and/or milk allergy, 30 (68%) had constipation and/or other GI symptoms. There was no change in weight‐for‐age z score (P = 0.85) at follow‐up and 8 (20%) had failure to thrive. Only 10 of 44 (P = 0.0001 vs patients with EOS and/or CINF) children with normal biopsy had persistent constipation at follow‐up (9.7 months [0.5–84.7]) and 1 patient had atopy. Patients with normal biopsy exhibited an increase in weight‐for‐age z score at follow‐up (P = 0.003) and only 3 patients (7%) had failure to thrive.Conclusions:EOS and CINF are found in 17% of children who had rectal biopsies negative for HSCR. Half of these children will need further medical input for the presence of persisting GI symptoms, food/milk allergy and failure to thrive, and the possibility to develop inflammatory bowel disease later in life.
Pure flat epithelial atypia is uncommon in subsequent breast excisions for atypical epithelial proliferation
Authors: Yamaguchi Rin , Tanaka Maki , Tse Gary M. , Yamaguchi Miki , Terasaki Hiroshi , Akiba Jun , Naito Yoshiki , Mizushima Yasuko , Yano Hirohisa 
Published: April 2012

The management of atypical intraductal lesions of the breast remains controversial. In the present study, the subsequent surgical excision results and follow‐up data on 86 (3.65%) atypical intraductal lesions and 78 (3.31%) low‐grade ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) from a cohort of 2358 needle biopsies were examined. There were 17 cases (0.72%) of pure flat epithelial atypia (FEA), 44 (1.87%) pure atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH), three (0.13%) pure atypical lobular hyperplasia (ALH), 18 (0.76%) combined ADH + FEA, three (0.13%) combined ALH + FEA and one (0.04%) combined ALH + FEA + ADH. Subsequent surgical excisions were done in 53 cases and revealed the following incidences of malignancy: pure FEA (1/8); pure ADH (17/31); FEA + ADH (7/10); FEA + ALH (2/3); and FEA + ALH + ADH (0/1), with pure FEA showing significantly lower incidence of malignancy. In this cohort, there were 703 carcinomas including 155 DCIS with 78 cases (50.3%) being low‐grade. FEA with ADH (and/or ALH) was present in 22 (28.2%) of these 78 cases of low‐grade DCISs at surgical excisions. Pure FEA was not detected in any of the subsequently excised surgical materials of the atypical intraductal lesions nor the low‐grade DCISs. Thus, pure FEA was very unusual in surgical specimens. When pure FEA is detected at needle biopsy, a wait and see approach can be adopted. However, when the FEA is associated with other concomitant atypical intraductal lesions, especially ADH, further excision should be contemplated. (Cancer Sci, doi: 10.1111/j.1349‐7006.2012.02314.x, 2012)
The impact of birth mode of delivery on childhood asthma and allergic diseases–a sibling study
Authors: Almqvist C. , Cnattingius S. , Lichtenstein P. , Lundholm C. 
Published: April 2012

AbstractBackgroundCaesarean section (CS) has been reported to increase the risk of asthma in offspring. This may be due to that infants delivered by CS are unexposed to vaginal flora, according to the ‘hygiene hypothesis’.ObjectiveOur aim was to investigate if CS increases risk of childhood asthma, and if the risk increase remains after adjustment for familial confounding using sibling design.MethodsA register‐based cohort study with 87 500 Swedish sibling pairs was undertaken. Asthma outcome variables were collected from national health registers as diagnosis or asthma medication (ICD‐10 J45‐J46; ATC code R03) during the 10th or 13th year of life (year of follow‐up). Mode of delivery and confounders were retrieved from the Medical Birth Register. The data were analysed both as a cohort and with sibling control analysis which adjusts for unmeasured familial confounding.ResultsIn the cohort analyses, there was an increased risk of asthma medication and asthma diagnosis during year of follow‐up in children born with CS (adjusted ORs, 95% CI 1.13, 1.04–1.24 and 1.10, 1.03–1.18 respectively). When separating between emergency and elective CS the effect on asthma medication remained for emergency CS, but not for elective CS, while both groups had significant effects on asthma diagnosis compared with vaginal delivery. In sibling control analyses, the effect of elective CS on asthma disappeared, while similar but non‐significant ORs of medication were obtained for emergency CS.Conclusions and Clinical RelevanceAn increased risk of asthma medication in the group born by emergency CS, but not elective, suggests that there is no causal effect due to vaginal microflora. A more probable explanation should be sought in the indications for emergency CS.
Sublytic complement protects prostate cancer cells from tumour necrosis factor-α-induced cell death
Authors: Liu L , Li W , Li Z , Kirschfink M 
Published: April 2012

SummaryInflammation is a critical component of tumour progression. Although complement and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α potentially exert significant anti-tumour effects, both mediators may also promote tumour progression. It has been demonstrated that sublytic complement confers resistance on tumour cells not only against lytic complement, but also other danger molecules such as perforin. In low concentrations, TNF promotes survival of malignant cells rather than exerting cytotoxic activity. In this study, we tested if sublytic complement is able to interfere with TNF-mediated tumour cell killing. Our results demonstrate that either subcytotoxic concentrations of TNF or sublytic complement rescue prostate carcinoma cells (DU145) from TNF-α-mediated cell death. Upon pretreatment with low-dose TNF-α, but not upon pre-exposure to sublytic complement, TNF resistance was associated with the down-regulation of TNF receptor 1 (TNF-R1) expression. Complement-induced protection against TNF-mediated apoptosis accompanied the induction of anti-apoptotic proteins [B cell leukaemia/lymphoma (Bcl)-2 and Bcl-xL] at an early stage followed by inhibition of the TNF-induced decrease in the amount of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL. Cell protection also accompanied the inhibition of caspase-8 activation, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP)-1 cleavage and the activation of nuclear factor (NF)-κB. Our data extend our current view on the induction of tumour cell resistance against cytotoxic mediators supporting the role of the tumour microenvironment in mediating protection against the anti-cancer immune response.
Burden of rotavirus hospitalisations in young children in three paediatric hospitals in the United States determined by active surveillance compared to standard indirect methods
Authors: Matson David O , Staat Mary Allen , Azimi Parvin , Itzler Robbin , Bernstein David I , Ward Richard L , Dahiya Ram , DiNubile Mark J , Barnes‐Eley Myra , Berke Tamas 
Published: April 2012

Aim:  The number of rotavirus hospitalisations is usually estimated from assigned diagnosis codes for gastroenteritis despite lack of validation for these indirect methods. Reliable estimates before and after introduction of vaccines are needed to quantify the absolute impact of new immunisation programs.Methods:  This 2‐year study conducted at three hospitals prior to the licensure of the rotavirus vaccines in the USA compared two indirect methods for estimating hospitalisations for rotavirus gastroenteritis with estimates derived from prospective recruitment of children presenting with diarrhoea, vomiting or fever. For active surveillance, rotavirus gastroenteritis was confirmed by demonstration of stool antigen. The indirect residual and proportional methods assumed rotavirus to have caused a proportion of hospitalisations coded as acute gastroenteritis identified from computerised records.Results:  There were 447 rotavirus hospitalisations among inpatients 31 days through 4 years of age admitted with vomiting and/or diarrhoea, compared with 306 and 228 hospitalisations identified by the two indirect methods. Only 52% of children hospitalised with gastroenteritis received a qualifying diagnosis code at discharge. Relative to active surveillance, the sensitivity and specificity (95% confidence interval (CI)) in identifying rotavirus‐attributable hospitalisations was 45% (95% CI: 43–48%) and 89% (88–90%) for the residual method and 34% (30–39%) and 92% (90–94%) for the proportional method.Conclusions:  Many children admitted to the hospital with diarrhoea, vomiting or fever were not assigned discharge codes for acute gastroenteritis. Consequently, standard indirect methods missed a substantial number of rotavirus‐associated hospitalisations, thereby underestimating the absolute number of children who could potentially benefit from vaccination.
Does spatial scale affect the pattern of mangrove change under different rainfall regimes? An example in southeast Queensland, Australia
Authors: ESLAMI‐ANDARGOLI LEILA , DALE PAT , SIPE NEIL 
Published: April 2012

AbstractThe aim of this study was to investigate the interactions of natural and anthropogenic variables at different spatial scales related to changes in mangrove distribution during a relatively wet period (1972–1990) and a dry period (1991–2004) in subtropical eastern Australia. Previous research has demonstrated that mangroves are encroaching into salt marsh. Mangrove spatial change in southeast Queensland is related generally to landscape variables especially during the relatively wet period. What has not been explored is the spatial scale of the influence under the two rainfall regimes (wet and dry) and that is the aim of this paper. Ten sites were examined at different levels of resolution including catchment, sub‐catchment and two buffer zones (1000 and 500 m), under the period of relatively higher and lower rainfall. Land use was ascertained from Landsat satellite imagery using Maximum Likelihood Classification techniques. Partial least squares regression analysis was used to study the relationships between the predictor variables and the rate of change in the mangrove distribution. The research has found that the impact of land use/cover on the encroachment of mangrove into saltmarsh can vary and appears to be related to rainfall patterns, which in turn affect hydrological connectivity. A major finding of this research was that the changing spatial patterns of mangroves during the wet period was more a function of land use/cover pattern and population density at the sub‐catchment level, whereas during drier periods it was more affected by the local effects of nearby land use/cover in buffer zones.
Chest ultrasound in practice: a review of utility in the clinical setting
Authors: Hew M. , Heinze S. 
Published: April 2012

AbstractClinician‐performed chest ultrasound is rapidly entering clinical practice in the fields of intensive care, respiratory medicine and acute medicine. Ultrasound is clearly useful in the diagnosis and characterisation of pleural diseases. It is also critical in improving the safety of pleural interventions. More recently, attention has also focused on the use of lung ultrasound. While the normal aerated lung is not well imaged by ultrasound, lung pathology reaching the pleura often provides an ‘acoustic window’ for a number of lung conditions. Lung ultrasound is useful to diagnose pneumothorax, interstitial and alveolar lung abnormalities, and pleurally based lung masses. There is some evidence that integrating routine chest ultrasound into clinical practice has benefit in the emergency and intensive care settings. In the future, chest ultrasound is likely to become an essential physician skill, and training requirements are evolving in light of current developments.
Seizure management at Auckland City Hospital Emergency Department between July and December 2009: time for a change?
Authors: Rosemergy I. , Bergin P. , Jones P. , Walker E. 
Published: April 2012

AbstractAims:  To assess the management of epileptic seizures and status epilepticus in adult patients at Auckland City Hospital emergency department. This information will form the basis of future seizure management protocols and further research on the management of status epilepticus.Methods:  The prehospital and acute hospital management of all adult seizure patients seen between 1 July 2009 and 31 December 2009 was reviewed with respect to seizure type, presence of first seizure, pre‐existing epilepsy diagnosis and disposition from the emergency department.Results:  Two hundred and fifty‐five seizure events were identified in 227 patients. Nineteen patients presented twice during the study period and three patients presented three or more times. Generalised seizures were much more common than focal seizures. There were 75 presentations with first seizure (29.4%). Thirty‐seven patients (49.3%) with a first seizure received treatment with an anti‐epileptic drug. Status epilepticus occurred on 12 occasions (4.7%) with only three patients receiving lorazepam as treatment. The majority of seizure patients were managed by emergency department staff (58.4%) while general medicine (17.6%) and neurology (11.8%) teams managed fewer patients. Phenytoin was used in 56 patients (22%) with the majority (n= 43) receiving intravenous phenytoin. Many of the patients who received intravenous phenytoin were not subsequently discharged on that medication (46%).Conclusions:  More patients than would be expected received treatment after their first seizure. Phenytoin was a widely used anti‐epileptic drug. There was a wide variability in the management of status epilepticus, and intravenous lorazepam was underutilised.
Survival of myeloma patients following the introduction of thalidomide as a second‐line therapy: a retrospective study at a single New Zealand centre
Authors: Fernyhough L. J. , Hock B. D. , Taylor J. , Pearson J. , Ganly P. 
Published: April 2012

AbstractAimThis retrospective study compares the overall survival (OS) of multiple myeloma (MM) patients following treatment at a New Zealand hospital over a period in which novel therapies were available but restricted, almost exclusively, to thalidomide as a second‐line therapy.MethodsClinical, laboratory and OS data were collected on 361 MM patients who were treated at Christchurch Hospital during 2000–2010. Patients were subdivided according to the clinical criteria used to determine front‐line treatment decisions. Older patients (age ≥66, n = 180) generally received standard‐dose chemotherapy without autologous stem cell transplant (SCT) and formed one group. Younger patients were further subdivided according to whether they received autologous SCT (n = 89), allogeneic SCT (n = 24) or no SCT (n = 68).ResultsOlder patients had a significantly shorter OS (P < 0.0001) than younger patients (median OS = 25 vs 78 months) however treated. Analysis of relative survival demonstrated that the increased mortality of older patients was greater than that attributable to normal ageing. Younger patients who received no transplant had a significantly shorter OS (P < 0.0001) than those who received autologous SCT or allogeneic SCT with 5‐year survivals of 38%, 70% and 72% respectively. Use of novel therapies was significantly higher in younger than older patients (60% vs 47%, P = 0.011).ConclusionsThe front‐line treatment groupings of hospital MM patients had significantly different survivals. The OS of SCT ineligible patients remains poor despite the introduction of thalidomide.
Prevalence of food allergy in Taiwan: a questionnaire‐based survey
Authors: Wu T.‐C. , Tsai T.‐C. , Huang C.‐F. , Chang F.‐Y. , Lin C.‐C. , Huang I.‐F. , Chu C.‐H. , Lau B.‐H. , Wu L. , Peng H.‐J. , Tang R.‐B. 
Published: April 2012

AbstractAimFood allergy is common in children and adults, and could be potentially fatal in minor groups. It is important for physicians to identify the prevalence of food allergies and to recognise common food allergens to make precise diagnosis and choose correct therapeutic approaches.MethodsWe used a nationwide, cross‐sectional, random questionnaire‐based survey to estimate the self‐reported and expert‐screened prevalence of food allergies and to identify the common food allergens in Taiwan. In this study, the perceptional diagnosis of food allergies was screened by physicians according to descriptions of convincing symptoms and medical recordings; in the meantime, non‐allergic adverse reactions to foods, including food intolerance or food avoidance, were clarified.ResultsA total of 30 018 individuals who met the inclusion criteria was evaluated, and 6.95% of them were diagnosed as victims of food allergies. The prevalence was 3.44% in children under 3 years of age, 7.65% in children aged 4–18 years and 6.40% in adults respectively. About 77.33% of the food allergy population had experienced recurrent allergic attacks. Systemic reactions happened about 4.89% in food allergies group. The most commonly reported food allergen in Taiwan is seafood, including shrimp, crab, fish and mollusc. In addition, mango, milk, peanuts and eggs were also important food allergens in the general population; while milk, shellfish, peanuts and eggs were common in children.ConclusionsLess than 10% of the Taiwan population suffers from food allergy with different allergic symptoms to variable food allergens in different age groups.
Mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy to treat multiple chemical sensitivities: A randomized pilot trial
Authors: SKOVBJERG S. , HAUGE C. R. , RASMUSSEN A. , WINKEL P. , ELBERLING J. 
Published: April 2012

Skovbjerg, S., Hauge, C. R., Rasmussen, A., Winkel, P. & Elberling, J. (2012). Mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy to treat multiple chemical sensitivities: A randomized pilot trial. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 53, 233–238.Multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS) is a medically unexplained and socially disabling disorder characterized by negative health effects attributed to exposure to common airborne chemicals. Currently, there is no evidence‐based treatment. The objectives of the study were to assess the feasibility of an 8‐week mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy program (MBCT) for adults with MCS and to evaluate possible effects on psychological distress and illness perception. The study design was a randomized clinical trial. The MBCT programme comprised 8 weekly sessions of 2½ hours. Forty‐two adults were screened for eligibility and 37 were included. Mean age of the participants was 51.6 years, 35 (94.6%) were female and 21 (56.8%) were unemployed. Measures of psychological distress and illness perceptions were assessed at baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks and at 3 months follow‐up. No significant differences in effect measures were found between the groups. However, those who completed the MBCT program generally reported benefiting in terms of improved coping strategies and sleep quality. The positive verbal feedback from the participants in the MBCT group suggests that a larger randomized clinical trial on the effect of MBCT for MCS could be considered.
Global Financial Safety Nets: Where Do We Go from Here?
Authors: Fernández‐Arias Eduardo , Levy‐Yeyati Eduardo 
Published: April 2012

AbstractFrom an emerging markets perspective, the global safety net remains full of holes despite recent stitches during the crisis. This paper proposes an effective and workable international lender‐of‐last‐resort (ILLR) for systemic liquidity crises based on (i) an automatic trigger to access the facility; (ii) unilateral country pre‐qualification to the facility during IMF Article IV consultations; and (iii) liquidity funded by the world's ‘issuers of last resort’. These principles support a reliable and broad‐based ILLR without the carrying costs associated with inefficient reserve hoarding; one that would actually work as an effective preventive facility with minimal room for moral hazard.
The Joint Association of REST and NFKB1 Polymorphisms on the Risk of Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Yu Yunxian , Liu Hui , Jin Mingjuan , Zhang Mingwu , Pan Yifeng , Zhang Shanchun , Li Qilong , Chen Kun 
Published: April 2012

SummaryDue to the high morbidity and mortality of colorectal cancer (CRC), this study aims to determine the joint association of RE‐1‐silencing transcription factor (REST) and nuclear factor‐κB 1 (NFKB1) genes with CRC in a population‐based study. A well‐matched case‐control study including 390 controls and 388 patients with CRC was enrolled in China. The selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the REST and NFKB1 genes were genotyped by Illumina SnapShot Chip. After adjustment for important covariates, the associations of SNPs and joint association of REST and NFKB1 with CRC were evaluated by multiple logistic regression models. The subjects with the rs2228991 AA genotype of the REST gene had a decreased risk for CRC (OR = 0.38; 95%CI: 0.19–0.74), compared with the GG genotype. There were no significant associations between three SNPs in the NFKB1 gene, their haplotype and CRC risk. However, a significant combined effect of rs3774959 and rs3774964 in the NFKB1 gene with rs2228991 in the REST gene on CRC risk was observed. In conclusion, the present study found that mutation in the REST gene rather than the NFKB1 gene was associated with the risk of CRC. Furthermore, significant REST‐NFKB1 joint association was observed for CRC, colon cancer and rectal cancer risk.