bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Severe pandemic (H1N1)v influenza A infection: Report on the first deaths in Spain
Authors: MARTIN‐LOECHES Ignacio , RODRIGUEZ Alejandro , BONASTRE Juan , ZARAGOZA Rafael , SIERRA Rafael , MARQUES Asunción , JULIÁ‐NARVAEZ Jose , DIAZ Emili , RELLO Jordi ,   The H1N1 SEMICYUC Working Group
Published: October 2010

ABSTRACTBackground and objective:  The impact of pandemic influenza A (H1N1)v infection is still unknown but it is associated with a high case‐fatality rate.Methods:  This was a prospective, observational, multicentre study conducted in 144 Spanish intensive care units. Demographic and clinical data were reviewed for all cases of pandemic influenza A (H1N1)v infection reported from 23 June 2009 through 11 February 2010 and confirmed by reverse transcriptase PCR assay.Results:  Out of 872 cases reported by statewide surveillance, data for the first 131 deceased patients were analysed. Thirty‐seven patients (28.2%) died within the first 14 days. The median age of these patients was 46 years (interquartile range 35–58) and 60.3% were male. Twenty‐eight patients (21.4%) did not present with any comorbidities on admission. Forty‐six per cent of patients were reported to be obese and 22 (16.8%) had COPD. The vast majority of the patients (72.5%) had viral pneumonia; 95.4% of these had bilateral patchy alveolar opacities (predominantly basal), affecting three or four quadrants. One hundred and fifteen patients (87.8%) developed multi‐organ dysfunction syndrome. Ninety‐seven patients (74%) required vasopressor drugs, 37 (27.2%) received renal replacement therapy, and 47 (35.1%) received intravenous corticosteroids on admission to the intensive care unit. Only 68 patients (51.9%) received empirical antiviral treatment.Conclusions:  One‐third of patients with pandemic influenza A (H1N1)v infection died within the first two weeks and these were young patients, with rapidly progressive viral pneumonia as the primary cause of admission. Obese patients were at high risk but one in four patients did not present with any risk factors on admission. Only half the patients received empirical antiviral therapy and this was administered late.
Extrapulmonary involvement in patients with sarcoidosis in Turkey
Authors: OKUMUS GULFER , MUSELLIM BENAN , CETINKAYA ERDOGAN , TURKER HATICE , UZASLAN ESRA , YENTURK ESIN , UZUN OGUZ , SAGLAM LEYLA , KUMBASAR OZLEM OZDEMIR , CELIK GOKHAN , ANNAKKAYA ALI NIHAT , ALTIAY GUNDENIZ , TABAK LEVENT , SAKAR AYSIN , KITER GOKSEL , ERTURAN SERDAR , TURKTAS HALUK , YALNIZ ENVER , AKKOCLU ATILLA , OGUS CANDAN , DOGAN OMER TAMER , OZKAN METIN , AKTOGU SERIR , UZEL ISIL , ONGEN GUL 
Published: October 2010

ABSTRACTBackground and objective:  Extrapulmonary sarcoidosis is common, and is almost always associated with concomitant thoracic involvement. Extrapulmonary manifestations vary on the basis of gender, age at presentation and ethnicity. The aim of this study was to investigate extrapulmonary involvement in patients with sarcoidosis in Turkey.Methods:  This study was conducted by Turkish Thoracic Society Clinical Problems Study Group. New cases of sarcoidosis between 1 June 2004 and 31 May 2006 were recorded on electronic case record forms sent to all potential investigators and information about extrapulmonary involvement was collected.Results:  One hundred and nineteen of 293 patients (83 female, 36 male, mean age = 45 ± 12 years) had extrapulmonary involvement in this study (40.6%). The median time to diagnosis was 6 months and this was longer than patients with just thoracic sarcoidosis (P = 0.001). Extrapulmonary symptoms were present in 181 (61.8%) patients, and skin lesions, arthralgia and back pain were the commonest (33.4%, 20.8% and 16.4%, respectively). Incidence of organ involvement was independent of age with the exception of ocular involvement, which was higher in those under the age of 40 years (P = 0.007).Conclusions:  Skin and peripheral lymph node involvement were the most common sites of extrapulmonary involvement and ocular involvement was more common in those under the age of 40 years in patients with sarcoidosis in a Turkish population.
Association between the tumour necrosis factor‐α−308G/A polymorphism and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: An update
Authors: ZHANG Shihua , WANG Chunyu , XI Bo , LI Xia 
Published: October 2010

ABSTRACTBackground and objective:  Previous studies have suggested that the −308A allele in the tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) gene promoter (rs1800629) may be a potential risk factor for COPD. However, more recent findings have been inconsistent. In the present study, a meta‐analysis was performed to assess the association between the TNF‐α−308G/A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and the risk of COPD.Methods:  Published studies were retrieved from PubMed, EMBASE and other databases. All studies assessing the association between the TNF‐α−308G/A SNP and the risk of COPD were assessed. Pooled ORs with 95% CIs were calculated.Results:  In the 36 studies that met the inclusion criteria, 4975 patients and 6518 control subjects had been genotyped. The overall results showed that the association between the TNF‐α−308G/A SNP and the risk of COPD was statistically significant for Asians (OR = 2.36, 95% CI: 1.84–3.02, P < 0.0001) but not for Caucasians (OR = 1.07, 95% CI: 0.91–1.25, P = 0.438). As smoking is one of the most important risk factors for COPD, a second meta‐analysis that included only smokers (3018 patients and 2749 control subjects) was performed. This analysis confirmed that the association between the TNF‐α−308G/A SNP and COPD was statistically significant for Asians (OR = 1.72, 95% CI: 1.14–2.61, P = 0.011) but not for Caucasians (OR = 1.16, 95% CI: 0.86–1.56, P = 0.33).Conclusions:  This meta‐analysis suggests that the TNF‐α−308A genotype is associated with an increased risk of COPD in Asian but not Caucasian populations. Further studies are necessary to evaluate the relationship between TNF‐α polymorphisms and the risk of COPD.
Investigating object representations during change detection in human extrastriate cortex
Authors: Schwarzkopf D. Samuel , Silvanto Juha , Gilaie‐Dotan Sharon , Rees Geraint 
Published: October 2010

AbstractDetecting a change in a visual stimulus is particularly difficult when it is accompanied by a visual disruption such as a saccade or flicker. In order to say whether a stimulus has changed across such a disruption, some neural trace must persist. Here we investigated whether two different regions of the human extrastriate visual cortex contain neuronal populations encoding such a trace. Participants viewed a stimulus that included various objects and a short blank period (flicker) made it difficult to distinguish whether an object in the stimulus had changed or not. By applying transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) during the visual disruption we show that the lateral occipital (LO) cortex, but not the occipital face area, contains a sustained representation of a visual stimulus. TMS over LO improved the sensitivity and response bias for detecting changes by selectively reducing false alarms. We suggest that TMS enhanced the initial object representation and thus boosted neural events associated with object repetition. Our findings show that neuronal signals in the human LO cortex carry a sustained neural trace that is necessary for detecting the repetition of a stimulus.
Chronic exertional compartment syndrome in diabetes mellitus
Authors: Edmundsson D. , Toolanen G. 
Published: October 2010

Diabet. Med. 28, 81–85 (2011)AbstractAims  Intermittent claudication is common in diabetes mellitus and usually attributed to arterial disease. However, a proportion of patients with diabetes have symptoms of claudication without signs of vascular disease and these patients were evaluated for chronic exertional compartment syndrome.Methods  Forty‐two patients with diabetes (10 men, 32 women), earlier investigated at diabetic clinics because of claudication with no explanation for the symptoms, were examined. Their median age was 48 years (18–72 years) and the median duration of diabetes was 29 years (1–45 years). Thirty‐one patients had Type 1 diabetes, 11 had Type 2 diabetes and 29 had diabetic complications. All were investigated clinically, with radiography, bone scan and intramuscular pressure measurements.Results  Thirty‐eight of 42 patients with diabetes were diagnosed with chronic exertional compartment syndrome of the lower leg and 32 were treated surgically. Thirty‐one patients were operated with fasciotomy of the anterior compartment and 18 also with fasciotomy of the posterior compartment. Additionally, one patient had only fasciotomy of the posterior compartment. Fourteen of 32 surgically treated patients (27 legs) were followed for more than 2 years and rated the post‐operative outcome as excellent or good in 21 of the treated legs. The walking distance before lower leg pain increased in all but one patient and seven patients reported unrestricted walking ability.Conclusions  Chronic exertional compartment syndrome should be considered as a differential diagnoses in patients with diabetes and exercise‐related lower leg pain. The results after surgery are encouraging and the increased walking ability is beneficial in the treatment of diabetes.
The Effect of Minimum Wages on Labour Market Outcomes: County‐Level Estimates from the Restaurant‐and‐Bar Sector
Authors: Addison John T. , Blackburn McKinley L. , Cotti Chad D. 
Published: October 2010

AbstractWe use US county‐level data on employment and earnings in the restaurant‐and‐bar sector to evaluate the impact of minimum‐wage changes in low‐wage labour markets. Our estimated models are consistent with a simple competitive model in which supply‐and‐demand factors affect both the equilibrium outcome and the probability of the minimum wage being binding. Our evidence does not suggest that minimum wages reduce employment once controls for trends in county‐level sectoral employment are incorporated. Rather, employment appears to exhibit an independent downward trend in states that have increased their minimum wages relative to states that have not, thereby predisposing estimates towards reporting negative outcomes.
Do Broad‐Based Stock Options Promote Organization Capital?
Authors: Lin Yu Peng , Sesil James C. 
Published: October 2010

AbstractThere is a growing body of empirical literature that provides evidence that stock option usage is associated with greater firm‐level output. Little is known, however, about the mechanisms associated with this result. Focusing on broad‐based employee stock options, we hypothesize organization capital as one mechanism underlying the positive impact of stock options. The evidence we provide here shows a positive relationship between stock options and organization capital.
Detecting Gene Duplications in the Human Lineage
Authors: Itan Yuval , Bryson Kevin , Thomas Mark G. 
Published: October 2010

SummaryGene duplications represent an important class of evolutionary events that is likely to have contributed to the unique human phenotype in the short evolutionary time since the human‐chimpanzee divergence. With the availability of both human and chimpanzee genome drafts in high coverage re‐sequencing assemblies and the high annotation quality of most human genes, it should now be possible to identify all human lineage‐specific gene duplication events (human inparalogues) and a few pioneering studies have attempted to do that. However, the different levels of coverage in the human and chimpanzee's genomes assemblies, and the differing levels of gene annotation, have led to problematic assumptions and oversimplifications in the algorithms and the datasets used to detect human lineage‐specific gene duplications. In this study, we have developed a set of bioinformatic tools to overcome a number of the conceptual problems that are prevalent in previous studies and have collected a reliable and representative set of human inparalogues.
A Novel Polymorphic AP‐1 Binding Element of the GFAP Promoter is Associated with Different Allelic Transcriptional Activities
Authors: Bachetti Tiziana , Di Zanni Eleonora , Lantieri Francesca , Caroli Francesco , Regis Stefano , Filocamo Mirella , Rainero Innocenzo , Gallone Salvatore , Cilia Roberto , Romano Silvia , Savoiardo Mario , Pareyson Davide , Biancheri Roberta , Ravazzolo Roberto , Ceccherini Isabella 
Published: October 2010

SummaryThe Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP) gene encodes a cytoskeletal protein belonging to the intermediate filament family whose expression is considered as a marker of astrocytes differentiation. GFAP expression, shown to be upregulated as a consequence of brain gliosis, depends on hormones, growth factors, cytokine, and transcription factors and, among these latters, activator protein 1 (AP‐1) has been demonstrated to play a crucial role. In this study, we have focused on a 2.2 kb sequence of the regulatory region located upstream of the GFAP gene, searching in a panel of control individuals for single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that could modulate GFAP transcription. Among four SNPs of the GFAP promoter whose alleles have been predicted by in silico analysis to induce differences in the pattern of binding transcription factors, we have identified a new AP‐1 binding site lying at −250 bp upstream from the GFAP transcriptional start site. The two alleles of this polymorphic locus have shown to bind the AP‐1 complex to different extents, thus promoting variable transcriptional activities of the GFAP promoter. Therefore, these SNP alleles may, among others, mediate the effects of GFAP mutations, thus explaining the phenotypic heterogeneity of Alexander disease.
Multiple time scales of adaptation in the auditory system as revealed by human evoked potentials
Authors: Costa‐Faidella Jordi , Grimm Sabine , Slabu Lavinia , Díaz‐Santaella Francisco , Escera Carles 
Published: October 2010

AbstractSingle neurons in the primary auditory cortex of the cat show faster adaptation time constants to short‐ than long‐term stimulus history. This ability to encode the complex past auditory stimulation in multiple time scales would enable the auditory system to generate expectations of the incoming stimuli. Here, we tested whether large neural populations exhibit this ability as well, by recording human auditory evoked potentials (AEP) to pure tones in a sequence embedding short‐ and long‐term aspects of stimulus history. Our results yielded dynamic amplitude modulations of the P2 AEP to stimulus repetition spanning from milliseconds to tens of seconds concurrently, as well as amplitude modulations of the mismatch negativity AEP to regularity violations. A simple linear model of expectancy accounting for both short‐ and long‐term stimulus history described our results, paralleling the behavior of neurons in the primary auditory cortex.
Hemodiafiltration With Online Regeneration of Ultrafiltrate: Effect on Heme‐Oxygenase‐1 and Inducible Subunit of Nitric Oxide Synthase and Implication for Oxidative Stress and Inflammation
Authors: Calò Lorenzo A. , Naso Agostino , Davis Paul A. , Pagnin Elisa , Corradini Robert , Tommasi Adalberto , Sereni Luisa , Ragazzi Eugenio 
Published: October 2010

AbstractHemodiafiltration with regeneration of ultrafiltrate (HFR) has a positive impact on inflammation and oxidative stress (OxSt), risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), the most common cause of excess morbidity and mortality for end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. However, studies have been of limited duration. This study extends our previous study of HFR effects by evaluating the effect on mononuclear cell protein expression of heme‐oxygenase‐1 (HO‐1), induced by OxSt, and inducible subunit of nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and plasma level of interleukin‐1β (Il‐1β) and oxidized low‐density lipoproteins (OxLDL), marker of OxSt, for a 12‐month period. Fourteen ESRD patients stable on hemodialysis over a period of at least 2 years and on conventional bicarbonate dialysis were switched to be treated with HFR. Blood samples were collected at baseline, after 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. HO‐1 and iNOS protein expression were evaluated by Western blot, OxLDL by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and Il‐1β by enzyme amplified sensitivity immumoassay assay. HFR significantly increased HO‐1 at the 9 and 12 months (ANOVA = P < 0.00001): 0.17 ± 0.11 (baseline) versus 0.48 ± 0.20, P < 0.043 and 0.59 ± 0.32, P < 0.004, respectively. Il‐1β declined (ANOVA = P < 0.0001) since the 3 months from 169.92 ± 92.39 pg/mL (baseline) to 39.03 ± 10.01 (12 months), P < 0.0001. HFR also reduced plasma OxLDL: 475.4 ± 110.8 ng/mL (baseline) versus 393.1 ± 101.9 ng/mL (12 months), P < 0.04. iNOS showed no changes upon HFR treatment. These results together with our previous results indicate that HFR improves OxSt and inflammation. Given the strong relationships between OxSt and inflammation with CVD, their reduction might provide a beneficial impact by reducing the risk of atherosclerotic CVD in dialysis patients.
Comparison of Two Platelet Activation Markers Using Flow Cytometry After In Vitro Shear Stress Exposure of Whole Human Blood
Authors: Lu Qijin , Malinauskas Richard A. 
Published: October 2010

AbstractPlatelet activation is the initiating step to thromboembolic complications in blood‐contacting medical devices. Currently, there are no widely accepted testing protocols or relevant metrics to assess platelet activation during the in vitro evaluation of new medical devices. In this article, two commonly used platelet activation marker antibodies, CD62P (platelet surface P‐selectin) and PAC1 (activated GP IIb/IIIa), were evaluated using flow cytometry. Anticoagulant citrate dextrose solution A (ACDA) and heparin anticoagulated human blood from healthy donors were separately exposed to shear stresses of 0, 10, 15, and 20 Pa for 120 s using a cone‐plate rheometer model, and immediately mixed with the platelet marker antibodies for analysis. To monitor for changes in platelet reactivity between donors and over time, blood samples were also evaluated after exposure to 0, 2, and 20 µM of adenosine diphosphate (ADP). Following ADP stimulation, the percentage of both CD62P and PAC1 positive platelets increased in a dose dependent fashion, even 8 h after the blood was collected. After shear stress stimulation, both CD62P and PAC1 positive platelets increased significantly at shear stress levels of 15 and 20 Pa when ACDA was used as the anticoagulant. However, for heparinized blood, the PAC1 positive platelets decreased with increasing shear stress, while the CD62P positive platelets increased. Besides the anticoagulant effect, the platelet staining buffer also impacted PAC1 response, but had little effect on CD62P positive platelets. These data suggest that CD62P is a more reliable marker compared with PAC1 for measuring shear‐dependent platelet activation and it has the potential for use during in vitro medical device testing.
Stable Mixed Acidemia in Anesthetized Pigs—A Model for Research on Biocompatibility of Hemofilters Under a Deteriorated Acid‐Base Balance
Authors: Russ Martin , Esche Vera , Ott Sascha , Bedarf Janis , Unger Juliane K. 
Published: October 2010

AbstractIn recent years, acidosis has been of growing interest in intensive care medicine. Most animal models only provide a short‐term investigation of the effects of acidosis. They are not suitable for research on interactions with extracorporeal organ support (here continuous venovenous hemofiltration, CVVH). The rationale for this study was to establish a porcine model of prolonged mixed acidemia, which is suitable for research on the interactions of acidemia and CVVH. After the induction of anesthesia in pigs (40 kg), acidemia was induced and maintained in one group with a bolus of 0.4 mol/L lactic acid followed by continuous infusion and a reduced respiratory frequency (lactic acid‐group, n = 4). In another group, mixed acidemia was induced with a 0.4 mol/L acid solution (lactic and hydrochloric acid) and low tidal volume ventilation (mixed acidemia‐group, n = 8). To get first proof of the model's suitability to operate over an extracorporeal circuit, CVVH was additionally performed in seven pigs (mixed acidemia/CVVH‐group, n = 7). The target for the pH was 7.19–7.24. The targeted pH was constantly missed in the lactic acid group, whereas it was successfully maintained for 3.5 h in four out of eight pigs of the mixed acidemia group, and in five out of seven pigs of the mixed acidemia/CVVH group. The CVVH was performed successfully for 3 h in all pigs of the respective group. The mixed acidemia model was sufficient to maintain a low pH within a narrow range for some hours and enabled research on hemofilters in vivo.
Miniaturization of a Magnetically Levitated Axial Flow Blood Pump
Authors: Cheng Shanbao , Olles Mark W. , Olsen Don B. , Joyce Lyle D. , Day Steven W. 
Published: October 2010

AbstractThis article introduces a unique miniaturization process of a magnetically levitated axial flow blood pump from a functional prototype to a pump suitable for animal trials. Through COMSOL three‐dimensional finite element analysis and experimental verification, the hybrid magnetic bearings of the pump have been miniaturized, the axial spacing between magnetic components has been reduced, and excess material in mechanical components of the pump was reduced. Experimental results show that the pump performance was virtually unchanged and the smaller size resulted in the successful acute pump implantation in calves.
Central Pain Modulation and Scalp Tenderness in Frequent Episodic Tension‐Type Headache
Authors: Drummond Peter D. , Knudsen Lone 
Published: October 2010

Objective.— To determine whether the inhibitory effect of acute limb pain on pain to mechanical stimulation of the forehead is compromised in individuals with frequent episodes of tension‐type headache.Background.— Central pain modulation processes are disrupted in patients with chronic tension‐type headache. This deficit in pain modulation might be a predisposing characteristic that increases vulnerability to tension‐type headache and to symptoms such as scalp tenderness, or could be a feature that develops secondarily during attacks and that persists for a few days afterward. To distinguish between these 2 possibilities in the present study, inhibitory pain control was investigated in participants with episodic rather than chronic tension‐type headache.Methods.— Pressure‐pain thresholds and sensitivity to sharpness in the forehead were measured in 34 individuals with 1‐10 episodes of tension‐type headache per month and in 32 controls before and after immersion of their hand in painfully cold water.Results.— Before the cold pressor test, pressure‐pain thresholds and sensitivity to the sharp stimulus were similar in both groups. Mild headache developed and pressure‐pain thresholds in the forehead decreased from 631 ± 178 g to 579 ± 196 g (mean ± SD) after the cold water immersion in the episodic tension‐type headache group (P < .05). However, sharpness ratings did not change (mean rating 3.2 ± 1.4 on a 0‐10 scale). In contrast, headache did not develop, pressure‐pain thresholds did not change, and sharpness ratings decreased from 3.0 ± 1.3 to 2.3 ± 1.1 after the immersion in controls (P < .01).Conclusions.— These findings suggest that endogenous pain modulation processes are compromised in individuals with frequent episodic tension‐type headache. This deficit could increase vulnerability to scalp tenderness and recurrent episodes of headache.