bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Normal liver elasticity values using acoustic radiation force impulse imaging: A prospective study in healthy living liver and kidney donors
Authors: Son Chang Young , Kim Seung Up , Han Woong Kyu , Choi Gi Hong , Park Hana , Yang Seung Choul , Choi Jin Sub , Park Jun Yong , Kim Do Young , Ahn Sang Hoon , Chon Chae Yoon , Han Kwang‐Hyub 
Published: June 2011

AbstractBackground and Aim:  Although several studies have investigated the normal range of liver elasticity using acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) elastography in healthy volunteers, they could not strictly exclude the morphological and functional liver abnormalities. The aim of this study was to identify the normal range of ARFI velocity by recruiting healthy living liver and kidney donors who passed the full laboratory tests and imaging studies.Methods:  The study prospectively enrolled 108 healthy living liver (n = 42) and kidney donors (n = 66) who were admitted for transplantation between July 2010 to April 2011. None of the subjects had abnormal liver function test and imaging findings including conventional ultrasonography, computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging.Results:  The mean age of the study population (58 men and 50 women) was 35.5 years, and the mean ARFI velocity was 1.07 ± 0.11 m/s (range: 0.79–1.27). ARFI velocity was not significantly different between subjects with body mass index (BMI) < 23.5 kg/m2 and those with BMI ≥ 23.5 kg/m2 (1.05 ± 0.12 m/s vs 1.07 ± 0.10 m/s, P = 0.518), nor was it significantly different according to age (P = 0.067) and gender (1.08 ± 0.12 m/s for men vs 1.05 ± 0.11 m/s for women, P = 0.085). Using the 5th and 95th percentiles, we determined the normal range and mean of ARFI velocity to be 0.85–1.25 m/s and 1.07 ± 0.11 m/s.Conclusions:  We identified the normal range of ARFI velocity as 0.85–1.25 m/s and found that it was not significantly influenced by BMI, gender, and age.
Helicobacter pylori outer membrane proteins on gastric mucosal interleukin 6 and 11 expression in Mongolian gerbils
Authors: Sugimoto Mitsushige , Ohno Tomoyuki , Graham David Y , Yamaoka Yoshio 
Published: June 2011

AbstractBackground and Aim:  The levels of interleukin (IL)‐6 and IL‐11 in the gastric mucosa are related to mucosal inflammation; however, the chronological changes in cytokine expression during different phases of Helicobacter pylori infection and the effects of H. pylori virulence factors, particularly those of outer membrane proteins, remain obscure. The aim of this study was to clarify the chronological changes in cytokine levels in relation to several H. pylori outer membrane proteins.Methods:  We studied Mongolian gerbils inoculated with wild‐type H. pylori 7.13 for up to 48 weeks and then examined animals infected with oipA, babA, or alpAB isogenic mutants for 12 weeks. Mucosal IL‐6 and IL‐11 mRNA levels were measured using real‐time reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reactions.Results:  High levels of gastric mucosal IL‐6 and IL‐11 mRNA in gerbils infected with wild‐type H. pylori were observed during the chronic phase of infection, reaching maximums at 12 and 6 months, respectively. Infection with oipA and babA mutants resulted in significantly reduced cytokine levels and inflammatory cell infiltrations compared to gerbils infected with wild‐type strains, and this persisted throughout the observation period. The alpAB mutants did not infect gerbils. Mucosal IL‐6 and IL‐11 levels were significantly associated with the grade of inflammatory cell infiltration.Conclusions:  OipA and BabA result in more severe H. pylori infection and increased IL‐6 and IL‐11 levels, which in turn may increase the risk of developing H. pylori‐induced gastrointestinal diseases.
Seasonal development of cyanobacteria and microcystin production in Ugandan freshwater lakes
Authors: Okello W. , Kurmayer R. 
Published: June 2011

AbstractThis study investigated the seasonal development of phytoplankton and potential microcystin (MC)‐producing cyanobacteria and MC concentrations in freshwater lakes in Uganda. During 1 year (May 2007–April 2008), monthly measurements were made of chemical and physical characteristics, phytoplankton composition and MC concentrations in a hypertrophic crater lake (Lake Saka), in shallow eutrophic lakes (Lakes Mburo, George and Edward) and in Lake Victoria (Murchison Bay, Napoleon Gulf). Throughout the study period, cyanobacteria (composed of the genera Anabaena, Aphanocapsa, Chroococcus, Cylindrospermopsis, Microcystis, Planktolyngbya and Planktothrix) dominated, always contributing >50% to the total phytoplankton biovolume. All samples from all sampling sites were found to contain MC. Samples from Lake Saka had the maximum MC concentration (10 μg L−1) in July 2007. The minimum concentration (0.02 μg L−1) was recorded in Lake George for the months of May and June 2007 and January and April, 2008. Intermediate MC concentrations (0.1–2.5 μg MC‐LR eq. L−1) were observed at all the sampling sites in the other three lakes. Highly significant positive linear relationships between the total MC concentration and Microcystis cell numbers were observed for all sampling sites. Relating the total MC concentrations to Microcystis cells revealed a >100‐fold variation in the average MC contents per cell between lakes. While Microcystis from Lake George exhibited the lowest MC cell quotas (0.03–1.24 fg cell−1), Microcystis from Lake Saka consistently exhibited maximum MC cell contents (14–144 fg cell−1). It was concluded that MC production was because of the occurrence of Microcystis at all sampling sites. The populations differed consistently between sites and independent of the season in their average MC content per cell.
Climate change and its impacts on the wetlands of North Bihar, India
Authors: Sinha C. P. 
Published: June 2011

AbstractBihar is one of the major states of India, being located almost in the middle of the Gangetic Plain. The Ganga River divides the state in two parts, the northern region being known as North Bihar. It is the playground of many rivers originating in Nepal, which characteristically carry water during the monsoon season far beyond their carrying capacities, with resulting massive silting and silt loads. The rivers have meandered in the past and changed their courses, leaving many natural depressions later converted into oxbow lakes. The lakes are fed by rainwater and monsoon river flows. These wetlands are present in large numbers in North Bihar, having served many useful purposes. Although they were nature’s own initiative at flood control, this important function is now seriously impaired because of a number of natural and man‐made reasons. In short, these wetlands are dying, and climate change is likely to compound and worsen the situation. Long‐term temperature and rainfall data related to the region were statistically analysed in this study. The results indicated that, while the temperature was increasing, the rainfall exhibited a declining trend. Analysis of the rainfall data used in this study indicated that they were consistent. The finding highlights the potential future danger and justifies a comprehensive research effort directed to obtaining definitive results. Indeed, a quick assessment, and adoption of remedial measures without delay, is imperative for the future of this aquatic system.
Clinical outcomes of prostate cancer patients detected by prostate‐specific antigen‐based population screening in Kanazawa City, Japan
Authors: Kitagawa Yasuhide , Mizokami Atsushi , Nakashima Kazuyoshi , Koshida Kiyoshi , Shimamura Masayoshi , Miyazaki Kimiomi , Koyama Nobu , Namiki Mikio 
Published: June 2011

Objectives:  Most common population screening systems for prostate cancer are administered by municipal governments in Japan. These systems suffer from difficulties in adequate follow up of patients at several urology departments in the region. We analyzed the clinical characteristics and outcomes of prostate cancer patients detected in our prostate‐specific antigen (PSA)‐based population screen, and examined the efficiency of the system.Methods:  Since 2000, we have carried out PSA‐based population screening in men aged 55–69 years. For the present study, primary treatments and clinical outcomes of prostate cancer patients diagnosed by this screening program were obtained from each urology department in the region.Results:  A total of 32 769 men participated in this screening program from 2000 to 2006. Overall, 249 cases (0.76%) of prostate cancer were diagnosed. The rate of patients within gray zone levels of serum total PSA on primary screening increased and this was significantly higher in 2003 than in the first 2 years of the program. Clinical T stage was defined in 247 patients (99.2%), and 231 (93.5%) were cases of clinically localized cancer. A total of 75% of these patients underwent radical treatment. Eight‐year cause‐specific and overall survivals were 97.5% and 93.3%, respectively. Four patients, all of them presenting with advanced disease at diagnosis, died from prostate cancer.Conclusions:  The present study showed good clinical outcomes for screening‐detected prostate cancer patients and it showed the effectiveness of our screening system.
Constructivism applied to psychiatric–mental health nursing: An alternative to supplement traditional clinical education
Authors: DeCoux Hampton Michelle 
Published: June 2011

ABSTRACTWith the popularity of accelerated pre‐licensure nursing programmes and the growth in nursing student enrolments, traditional clinical education continues to be a challenge to deliver. Nursing faculty members are required to develop and implement educational innovations that achieve effective learning outcomes, while using fewer resources. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the effectiveness of a constructivism‐based learning project to achieve specific learning outcomes and to supplement approximately 30 clinical hours in a psychiatric–mental health nursing course. Students participated in a 10‐week, multistage project that examined life histories, treatment resources, and evidence‐based practice, as applied to a single individual with a mental illness. Students reported increased understanding of mental health and illness, developed personal relevance associated with the knowledge gained, and learned to problem solve with regard to nursing care of individuals diagnosed with mental illness. For many students, there also appeared to be a reduction in stigmatized attitudes towards mental illness. Constructivism‐based learning is a promising alternative to supplement clinical hours, while effectively achieving learning outcomes. Future research is needed to further validate the use of this method for the learning of course content, as well as the reduction of stigma.
The evaluation and treatment of nocturia: a consensus statement
Authors: Weiss Jeffrey P. , Blaivas Jerry G. , Bliwise Donald L. , Dmochowski Roger R. , DuBeau Catherine E. , Lowe Franklin C. , Petrou Steven P. , Van Kerrebroeck Philip E.V. , Rosen Raymond C. , Wein Alan J. 
Published: June 2011

What’s known on the subject? and What does the study add? Nocturia is currently defined by the International Continence Society (ICS) as the complaint that an individual has to wake at night one or more times to void. It is, however, an underreported, understudied, and infrequently recognized problem in adults. Many factors may contribute to nocturia which are treatable, yet patients do not seek care or the condition may not be identified by providers.This paper aims to help healthcare providers better serve patients who are experiencing nocturia by summarizing current research, clinical approaches, and treatment options. The results of the conference provide a balanced evaluation of the full treatment armamentarium capable of meeting the needs of patients with the manifold causes of nocturia such as nocturnal polyuria, overactive bladder, or benign prostatic hyperplasia.
The impact of friendship on synchronous collaborative retrieval tasks in the primary school
Authors: Dinet Jérôme , Vivian Robin 
Published: June 2011

AbstractTwo experiments aim at describing the impact of friendship during a synchronous collaborative information retrieval (SCIR) with young pupils (recruited in Grade 3). In the first study, 68 pupils were asked to look for 13 answers in one of the three following conditions: on an individual basis (condition “Single”), as part of a designed duo with social friendship (condition “Affinity +”), or as part of a designed duo without social friendship (condition “Affinity −”). In the second experiment, we investigated more precisely the impact of friendship on verbal interactions between partners. Main results obtained in these two experiments are the following: (1) pairs retrieved effectively more answers, more correct answers and were more efficient than singles; (2) pairs composed of pupils without social friendship retrieved more answers, more correct answers and were more efficient than pairs composed by friends; (3) pairs composed of friends produced significantly more irrelevant queries; and (4) pairs composed of friends produced more verbalisations related to conflicts, while pairs composed of pupils without social friendship are engaged in a great deal of consensus seeking. Finally, educational implications are discussed.
US Social Policy in the 21st Century: The Difficulties of Comprehensive Social Reform
Authors: Daguerre Anne 
Published: June 2011

AbstractIn Western Europe, political commentators have been surprised by the apparent inability of President Barack Obama to implement comprehensive social policy reform, with the exception of health care legislation. Hopes that President Obama could become a new Roosevelt have been disappointed, precisely at a time when the ‘Great Recession’ (2007–09) has laid bare the challenge of economic insecurity and poverty in contemporary America. Paradoxically, it is the Presidency's incapacity to address this challenge that partially explains the Democrats' crushing electoral defeat in the mid‐term congressional elections in November 2010.This article explains this apparent political paradox in four stages. First, it defines the American social contract – the dream of social mobility through hard work. Second, it shows how this dream has been severely tested by the rise of economic insecurity since the late 1970s and finally the Great Recession. Third, it analyses the social policy responses to the recession, namely the American Recovery Act. To conclude, the comparative timidity of the Obama administration's response is explained by a series of circumstantial and institutional constraints that limit the capacity of the Presidency to implement comprehensive social reform.
The photosynthetic plasticity of crassulacean acid metabolism: an evolutionary innovation for sustainable productivity in a changing world
Authors: Borland Anne M. , Barrera Zambrano V. Andrea , Ceusters Johan , Shorrock Katherine 
Published: June 2011

SummaryThe photosynthetic specialization of crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) has evolved many times in response to selective pressures imposed by water limitation. Integration of circadian and metabolite control over nocturnal C4 and daytime C3 carboxylation processes in CAM plants provides plasticity for optimizing carbon gain and water use by extending or curtailing the period of net CO2 uptake over any 24‐h period. Photosynthetic plasticity underpins the ecological diversity of CAM species and contributes to the potential for high biomass production in water‐limited habitats. Perceived evolutionary constraints on the dynamic range of CO2 acquisition strategies in CAM species can be reconciled with functional anatomical requirements and the metabolic costs of maintaining the enzymatic machinery required for C3 and C4 carboxylation processes. Succulence is highlighted as a key trait for maximizing biomass productivity in water‐limited habitats by serving to buffer water availability, by maximizing the magnitude of nocturnal CO2 uptake and by extending the duration of C4 carboxylation beyond the night period. Examples are discussed where an understanding of the diverse metabolic and ecological manifestations of CAM can be exploited for the sustainable productivity of economically and ecologically important species.

Contents

Summary
619

I.
Introduction
620

II.
Defining and describing the plasticity of CAM
620

III.
Metabolic basis of photosynthetic plasticity
621

IV.
Ecological and evolutionary significance of photosynthetic plasticity
623

V.
Mechanistic basis of constraints on photosynthetic plasticity
624

VI.
Exploiting the photosynthetic plasticity of CAM for sustainable productivity
627

VII.
Concluding remarks
630

Acknowledgements
631

References
631
Diet‐induced elevations in serum cholesterol are associated with alterations in hippocampal lipid metabolism and increased oxidative stress
Authors: Stranahan Alexis M. , Cutler Roy G. , Button Catherine , Telljohann Richard , Mattson Mark P. 
Published: June 2011

J. Neurochem. (2011) 118, 611–615.AbstractThe structure and function of the hippocampus, a brain region critical for learning and memory, is impaired by obesity and hyperlipidemia. Peripheral cholesterol and sphingolipids increase progressively with aging and are associated with a range of age‐related diseases. However, the mechanisms linking peripheral cholesterol metabolism to hippocampal neuroplasticity remain poorly understood. To determine whether diets that elevate serum cholesterol influence lipid metabolism in the hippocampus, we maintained rats on a diet with high amounts of saturated fat and simple sugars for 3 months and then analyzed hippocampal lipid species using tandem mass spectrometry. The high fat diet was associated with increased serum and liver cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and also promoted cholesterol accumulation in the hippocampus. Increases in hippocampal cholesterol were associated with elevated galactosyl ceramide and sphingomyelin. To determine whether changes in lipid composition exerted biological effects, we measured levels of the lipid peroxidation products 4‐hydroxynonenal‐lysine and 4‐hydroxynonenal‐histidine; both were increased locally in the hippocampus, indicative of cell membrane‐associated oxidative stress. Taken together, these observations support the existence of a potentially pathogenic relationship between dietary fat intake, peripheral cholesterol and triglyceride levels, brain cell sphingolipid metabolism, and oxidative stress.
Nonlinear pharmacokinetic properties of mildronate capsules: a randomized, open‐label, single‐ and multiple‐dose study in healthy volunteers
Authors: Zhang Jun , Cai Li‐Jing , Yang Jian , Zhang Qi‐Zhi , Peng Wen‐Xing 
Published: June 2011

AbstractMildronate has been used as antianginal drug in parts of Europe for many years, but its pharmacokinetic (PK) properties in humans remain unclear. This study was designed to assess and compare the PK properties of mildronate capsules after single escalating oral dose and multiple doses in healthy Chinese volunteers. Volunteers were randomly assigned to receive a single dose of 250, 500, 1000, 1250 or 1500 mg of mildronate capsules. Those who received the 500‐mg dose continued on the multiple‐dose phase and received 500 mg three times a day for 13 days. Plasma drug concentrations were analysed by ultraperformance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC‐MS/MS). Tolerability was assessed throughout the study. A total of 40 Chinese volunteers were enrolled in the study. No period or sequence effect was observed. Area under the concentration and Cmax were increased proportionally with the dose levels, whereas t1/2 and Vd/f were dependent on the dose. Nonlinear PK properties were found at doses of 250–1500 mg. There was an accumulation after multiple‐dose administration. No serious adverse events (AEs) were reported in the PK study. The formulation was well tolerated.
My Thirty Years in Mexican Anthropology
Authors: GOOD CATHARINE 
Published: June 2011

SUMMARYThis article chronicles more than 30 years experience conducting fieldwork among Nahuatl Indians and teaching anthropology in Mexican institutions. The text documents four processes over time: the development of the author's theoretical interests and analysis of field date; change in the villages under study; transformations in Mexico's political and economic policies; and the changing role of anthropology in that context.
Staying Put: Crossing the Israel–Palestine Border with Gloria Anzaldúa
Authors: LAVIE SMADAR 
Published: June 2011

SUMMARYGloria Anzaldúa writes that the border is an “open wound . . . where the Third World grates against the First and bleeds. And before a scab forms it hemorrhages again, the lifeblood of two worlds merging to form a third country—a border culture.” In the case of Euro‐Israel, the volatile gender–race–nation South–South coalition among subaltern Arabs is forced on Mizrahi (Oriental, Heb., Jews from non–Yiddish speaking countries) and Palestinian women with Israeli citizenship. None of them wants to be in this “third country,” emerging out of their painful dispossession of lands, languages, and cultures. Anzaldúa's border's imagistic ambiguity is not liberating but, rather, is used by the Ashkenazi (European Jewish) Zionist hegemony as yet another frontier to conquer. The ambiguity invites the projections and misreadings, which enable Palestinian and Mizrahi gendered experiences in the borderlands to be displayed in Israel's Ashkenazi‐Zionist centers of power. The borderzones between transnational hyphens connote fluidity, and movement across boundaries. In this essay, I argue that the Mizrahi and Palestinian‐Israeli gendered hyphens are what allow subaltern non‐European women in the state of Israel to radically stay put in their respective hyphenated identities. Further, staying put is not representational but somatic, and therefore difficult to theorize beyond the bounds of the lived. Writing up the somatic is elusive. Translating this somatism from Hebrew and Arabic to English is even more elusive. The anthropologist has a daunting task of explicating unspeakable experiences that that go beyond discourse. By using multiple different genres of writing in an arabesque manner, she might attempt to capture this unspeakable that hurts straight to the bone.