bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Activation of NMDA Receptors in Lumbar Spinothalamic Cells is Required for Ejaculation
Authors: Staudt Michael D. , de Oliveira Cleusa V.R. , Lehman Michael N. , McKenna Kevin E. , Coolen Lique M. 
Published: January 2011

ABSTRACT

Introduction
The sexual reflex ejaculation is controlled by a spinal ejaculation generator located in the lumbosacral spinal cord. A population of spinothalamic (LSt) neurons forms a key component of this generator, as manipulations of LSt cells either block or trigger ejaculation. However, it is currently unknown which afferent signals contribute to the activation of LSt cells and ejaculation.

Aim
The current study tested the hypothesis that glutamate, via activation of N-Methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptors in LSt cells, is a key regulator of ejaculation.

Methods
Expression of phosphorylated NMDA receptor subunit 1 (NR1) was investigated following mating, or following ejaculation induced by electrical stimulation of the dorsal penile nerve (DPN) in anesthetized, spinalized male rats. Next, the effects of intraspinal delivery of NMDA receptor antagonist AP-5 on DPN stimulation-induced ejaculation were examined. Moreover, the ability of intraspinal delivery of NMDA to trigger ejaculation was examined. Finally, the site of action of NMDA was determined by studying effects of NMDA in male rats with LSt cell-specific lesions.

Main Outcome Measures
Expression of NR1 and phosphorylated NR1 in LSt cells was analyzed. Electromyographic recordings of the bulbocavernosus muscle (BCM) were recorded in anesthetized, spinalized rats following stimulation of the DPN and delivery of AP-5 or NMDA.

Results
Results indicate that the NR1 receptors are activated in LSt cells following ejaculation in mating animals or induced by DPN stimulation in anesthetized, spinalized animals. Moreover, NR1 activation in LSt cells is an essential trigger for rhythmic BCM bursting, as DPN stimulation-induced reflexes were absent following administration of NMDA receptor antagonist in the L3-L4 spinal area, and were triggered by NMDA. NMDA effects were dependent on intact LSt cells and were absent in LSt-lesioned males.

Conclusion
These results demonstrate that glutamate, via activation of NMDA receptors in LSt cells, is a key afferent signal for ejaculation.
Programming Effects of Antenatal Corticosteroids Exposure in Male Sexual Behavior
Authors: Oliveira Mário , Leão Pedro , Rodrigues Ana-João , Pêgo José-Miguel , Cerqueira João-José , Sousa Nuno 
Published: January 2011

Abstract

Introduction
Brain regions implicated in sexual behavior begin to differentiate in the last trimester of gestation. Antenatal therapy with corticosteroids is often used in clinical practice during this period to accelerate lung maturation in preterm-risk pregnancies. Clinical and animal studies highlighted major behavioral impairments induced later in life by these treatments, especially when synthetic corticosteroids are used.

Aim
To evaluate the implications of acute prenatal treatment with natural vs. synthetic corticosteroids on adult male rat sexual behavior and its neurochemical correlates.

Methods
Twelve pregnant Wistar rats were injected with dexamethasone (DEX—1 mg/kg), corticosterone (CORT—25 mg/kg), or saline on late gestation (pregnancy days 18 and 19). Following this brief exposure to corticosteroids, we assessed the sexual behavior of the adult male progeny and subsequently associated these behaviors with the levels of catecholamines and mRNA of dopamine and androgen receptors (AR) in brain regions relevant for sexual behavior.

Main Outcome Measures
Sexual behavior of adult male offspring was assessed by exposure to receptive females. This was associated with serum testosterone levels and levels of catecholamines (determined by high-performance liquid chromatography) and dopamine and AR mRNA expression (real-time polymerase chain reaction [PCR]) in brain regions implicated in sexual behavior.

Results
Prenatal DEX exposure resulted in a decreased number and increased mounts and intromissions latencies in adulthood. These findings were associated with decreased levels of serum testosterone and increased hypothalamic expression of AR mRNA. DEX animals also displayed lower dopamine levels and higher dopamine receptor mRNA expression both in hypothalamus and nucleus accumbens (NAcc). The milder phenotype of CORT animals was associated only with decreased dopamine levels in NAcc.

Conclusion
Antenatal corticotherapy programs adult male sexual behavior through changes in specific neuronal and endocrine mediators. Importantly, equipotent doses of CORT trigger less detrimental consequences than DEX, emphasizing the differential impact of activation of the different corticosteroid receptors.
PARP Inhibition Restores Erectile Function by Suppressing Corporal Smooth Muscle Apoptosis in Diabetic Rats
Authors: Li Wen Ji , Zhou Juan , Li Bao , Wang Hao , Peng Yu Bing , Wang Zhong 
Published: January 2011

ABSTRACT

Introduction
An important mechanism suggested to be responsible for diabetes-associated erectile dysfunction (ED) involves increased apoptosis, increased collagen deposition, and reduced smooth muscle content in the corpus cavernosum.

Aim
To determine whether the activation of the pro-apoptotic poly(adenosine diphosphate ribose) polymerase (PARP) pathway is involved in the induction of corporal apoptosis, and whether the administration of 3-aminobenzamide (3-AB), a specific PARP inhibitor, could ameliorate ED in diabetic rats.

Methods
Male Sprague-Dawley rats (8-weeks-old) were randomly divided into three groups: age-matched controls (C), diabetic controls (DM), and 3-AB-treated diabetic group (DM + 3-AB). Diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal (ip) injection of streptozotocin (50 mg/kg). Eight weeks after the induction of diabetes, DM + 3-AB group treated with 3-AB (30 mg/kg/day, ip) for 4 weeks.

Main Outcome Measures
At 12 weeks after diabetes induction, erectile function was assessed by cavernous nerve stimulation. Penile tissue was assessed for apoptosis, Masson’s trichrome stain and immunohistochemical analysis for smooth muscle alpha actin. Expression of poly(ADP-ribose), phospho-protein kinase B (Akt), phospho-Bcl-2-associated death promoter (Bad), B-cell leukemia/lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X Protein (Bax), and apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) were evaluated by Western blot. Caspase-3 activity and malondialdehyde (MDA), adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) concentrations were also determined.

Results
DM group showed impaired erectile function, increased PARP activity and corporal apoptosis, and decreased smooth muscle contents. Expression of phospho-Akt, phospho-Bad, Bcl-2, and concentrations of ATP and NAD+ were decreased in the DM group, whereas concentrations of MDA, expression of Bax, nuclear translocation of AIF, and caspase-3 activity were increased. Treatment with 3-AB restored erectile function and significantly reversed all molecular and histological alterations except for the increased MDA.

Conclusions
Over-activation of penile PARP pathway in diabetic rats enhances corporal apoptosis via energy depletion, suppression of Akt phosphorylation, and activation of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway, which results in ED; these event could be prevented by treatment with 3-AB.
Long‐term efficacy and safety of ranibizumab administered pro re nata in Japanese patients with neovascular age‐related macular degeneration in the EXTEND‐I study
Authors: Tano Yasuo , Ohji Masahito ,   on behalf of the EXTEND‐I Study Group
Published: January 2011

Abstract.Purpose:  To evaluate the long‐term efficacy and safety of ranibizumab administered pro re nata (PRN) in Japanese patients with choroidal neovascularization secondary to age‐related macular degeneration during the extension phase of the EXTEND‐I study.Methods:  EXTEND‐I, an open‐label, multicenter, Phase I/II study comprised: a single‐injection (Group A); a multiple‐injection (Groups A and B; the latter consisted of patients who did not participate in the single‐injection phase); and an extension phase. In the extension phase, a PRN regimen of ranibizumab (0.3 or 0.5 mg) guided by monthly best‐corrected visual acuity (BCVA) score and other ophthalmic examinations was employed. The efficacy variables included the mean BCVA change from Month 12 to the last visit in Group B. Safety was assessed in all patients.Results:  In the extension phase, efficacy was assessed only in Group B patients. The number of ranibizumab injections per year in the 0.3 and 0.5 mg Group B patients was 4.19 and 4.27, respectively. The mean BCVA change (SD) from Month 12 to the last visit was −3.6 (14.82) letters for 0.3 mg (n = 28) and −2.2 (7.92) letters for 0.5 mg groups (n = 33) in Group B. Conjunctival haemorrhage and nasopharyngitis were the most commonly reported adverse events. Of the 13 serious adverse events reported, cerebral infarction (two incidences) was suspected to be study‐drug related.Conclusions:  Pro re nata regimen of ranibizumab guided by monthly BCVA and other ophthalmic examinations appears effective in sustaining the BCVA gained with 12 monthly injections while reducing the number of injections during the extension phase. Ranibizumab was well tolerated during the extension phase.
The predictive value of subjective symptoms and clinical signs for the presence of treatment‐requiring exudative age‐related macular degeneration
Authors: Hessellund Anders , Larsen Dorte Ancher , Bek Toke 
Published: January 2011

Abstract.Purpose:  The introduction of vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors for the treatment of exudative age‐related macular degeneration (AMD) has increased the referral rates of AMD patients with visual symptoms to treating centres considerably. However, a large proportion of the referred patients do not qualify for treatment implying that considerable resources could be saved if these patients could be identified on the basis of the clinical data available in the referring nonspecialized setting.Methods:  A prospective observational study of 1682 consecutive patients referred with suspicion of exudative AMD qualifying for intravitreal angiostatic treatment. On the basis of the structured interviewing about symptoms, ophthalmoscopy, optical coherence tomography scanning, and fluorescein angiography, the patients were divided into two groups: one qualifying for and another not qualifying for treatment. Multiple logistic regression was used to identify independent parameters predicting the need for treatment.Results:  The presence of metamorphopsia, dyschromatopsia, retinal haemorrhages and exudates, central retinal thickness, and the absence of micropsia were highly significant individual determinants of treatment‐requiring AMD. Sudden onset and worsening of symptoms and the presence of a central dark spot covaried with the occurrence of retinal haemorrhages, whereas reduced visual acuity and blurred vision covaried with the presence of both haemorrhages and exudates.Conclusion:  Patients with treatment‐requiring AMD can be reliably identified by questioning about the presence of metamorphopsia and dyschromatopsia and the absence of micropsia, combined with ophthalmoscopical detection of retinal haemorrhages and exudates. This information may improve the triage of patients considered for referral.
Incorrect drug selection at the point of dispensing: a study of potential predisposing factors
Authors: Anto Berko , Barlow David , Oborne C Alice , Whittlesea Cate 
Published: January 2011

Abstract

Objective
To determine potential predisposing factors to medication errors involving confusion between drug names, strengths and dosage forms.

Methods
The study analysed medication errors reported over the period January 2005 to December 2008 from the two main dispensaries of a 1200-bed NHS Foundation Hospital Trust in London. Dispensing incidents considered for analysis included all incidents involving drug name, strength and dosage label and content errors. Statistical analyses were performed using Statistica. Dispensing frequencies of the prescribed and wrongly dispensed drugs were compared by means of Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and the extent of correlation between dispensing frequency and error frequency was assessed using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient.

Key findings
The Trust recorded a total of 911 dispensing errors between 2005 and 2008. The most significant category, which accounted for 211 (23.2%) of the reported errors, involved errors in drug selection. Drug-selection errors were not random events because the plot of error frequency against the average yearly dispensing frequency for the 1000 most issued drugs showed little evidence of association (r = 0.19, P(α) = 0.03). There was, however, an increased likelihood of drug-selection errors occurring when the prescribed drug was dispensed with relatively low frequency and shows a significant orthographic similarity to another drug which has a higher dispensing frequency.

Conclusion
The majority of drug-selection errors would seem to be caused by insufficient attention paid to the specified drug strength. Dispensing frequency is an important factor influencing the likelihood of a drug-selection errors occurring, but it is also shown here that a large proportion of the drug-selection errors involved specifications exhibiting high orthographic similarity.
An explanatory policy analysis of legislative change permitting pharmacists in Alberta, Canada, to prescribe
Authors: MacLeod-Glover Nora 
Published: January 2011

Abstract

Objectives
This paper provides an explanatory policy analysis of the new legislation which permits pharmacist prescribing in Alberta, Canada: the Pharmacists Profession Regulations (2006) to the Health Professions Act (1999). Its purpose is to provide useful insights for pharmacy regulatory bodies in other jurisdictions internationally that are in a position to pursue similar opportunities.

Methods
A search for government and regulatory body documents related to Alberta healthcare system and pharmacist prescribing was performed. Correspondence was initiated with authors and regulators to clarify or obtain current data.

Key findings
Research to support policy change recommendations and communication among healthcare professionals, regulators and other stakeholders is essential for developing and implementing legislative change regarding health professionals' scopes of practice at a time when legislative change is possible. Stakeholder barriers to implementation need to be identified early to provide opportunity to address and resolve.

Conclusions
Collaboration between healthcare professionals, regulators and other stakeholders is essential to developing a prescribing model that can be successfully implemented when there is the opportunity for legislative change related to health professionals' scope of practice.
Transfusion-TransmittedBabesiaspp.: Bull's-Eye onBabesia microti
Authors: Leiby David A. 
Published: January 2011

SUMMARYBabesiaspp. are intraerythrocytic protozoan parasites of animals and humans that cause babesiosis, a zoonotic disease transmitted primarily by tick vectors. Although a variety of species or types ofBabesiahave been described in the literature as causing infection in humans, the rodent parasiteBabesia microtihas emerged as the focal point of human disease, especially in the United States. Not only hasB. microtibecome established as a public health concern, this agent is increasingly being transmitted by blood transfusion: estimates suggest that between 70 and 100 cases of transfusion-transmittedBabesia(TTB) have occurred over the last 30 years. A recent upsurge in TTB cases attributable toB. microti, coupled with at least 12 fatalities in transfusion recipients diagnosed with babesiosis, has elevated TTB to a key policy issue in transfusion medicine. Despite clarity on a need to mitigate transmission risk, few options are currently available to prevent the transmission ofB. microtiby blood transfusion. Future mitigation efforts may stress serological screening of blood donors in regionalized areas of endemicity, with adjunct nucleic acid testing during the summer months, when acute infections are prevalent. However, several hurdles remain, including the absence of a licensed blood screening assay and a thorough cost-benefit analysis of proposed interventions. Despite current obstacles, continued discussion of TTB without proactive intervention is no longer a viable alternative.
Taxonomy, Epidemiology, and Clinical Relevance of the Genus
Arcobacter
Authors: Collado Luis , Figueras Maria José 
Published: January 2011

SUMMARY

The genus
Arcobacter
, defined almost 20 years ago from members of the genus
Campylobacter
, has become increasingly important because its members are being considered emergent enteropathogens and/or potential zoonotic agents. Over recent years information that is relevant for microbiologists, especially those working in the medical and veterinary fields and in the food safety sector, has accumulated. Recently, the genus has been enlarged with several new species. The complete genomes of
Arcobacter butzleri
and
Arcobacter nitrofigilis
are available, with the former revealing diverse pathways characteristic of free-living microbes and virulence genes homologous to those of
Campylobacter.
The first multilocus sequence typing analysis showed a great diversity of sequence types, with no association with specific hosts or geographical regions. Advances in detection and identification techniques, mostly based on molecular methods, have been made. These microbes have been associated with water outbreaks and with indicators of fecal pollution, with food products and water as the suspected routes of transmission. This review updates this knowledge and provides the most recent data on the taxonomy, species diversity, methods of detection, and identification of these microbes as well as on their virulence potential and implication in human and animal diseases.
Progress and Problems in Understanding and Managing Primary Epstein-Barr Virus Infections
Authors: Odumade Oludare A. , Hogquist Kristin A. , Balfour Henry H. 
Published: January 2011

SUMMARYEpstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a gammaherpesvirus that infects a large fraction of the human population. Primary infection is often asymptomatic but results in lifelong infection, which is kept in check by the host immune system. In some cases, primary infection can result in infectious mononucleosis. Furthermore, when host-virus balance is not achieved, the virus can drive potentially lethal lymphoproliferation and lymphomagenesis. In this review, we describe the biology of EBV and the host immune response. We review the diagnosis of EBV infection and discuss the characteristics and pathogenesis of infectious mononucleosis. These topics are approached in the context of developing therapeutic and preventative strategies.
Body Mass Index, Prostate Cancer–Specific Mortality, and Biochemical Recurrence: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Cao Yin , Ma Jing 
Published: January 2011

Abstract
Increasing evidence suggested obesity, measured by body mass index (BMI), was associated with prostate cancer–specific mortality, and its impact on biochemical recurrence was also inconclusive. We systematically searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and bibliographies of retrieved studies up to January 5, 2010. We used random-effects meta-analysis to assess the relative risks (RR) of prostate cancer-specific mortality and biochemical recurrence associated with a 5 kg/m2 increase in BMI. Among the six population-based cohort studies in 1,263,483 initially cancer-free men, 6,817 prostate cancer deaths occurred; a 5 kg/m2 increase in BMI was associated with 15% (RR: 1.15, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.06–1.25, P &lt; 0.01) higher risk of dying of prostate cancer. In the six postdiagnosis survival studies on 18,203 patients with 932 prostate cancer deaths, a 5 kg/m2 increase in BMI was associated with 20% higher prostate cancer–specific mortality (RR: 1.20, 95% CI: 0.99–1.46, P = 0.06). In the sixteen studies which followed 26,479 prostate cancer patients after primary treatment, a 5 kg/m2 increase in BMI was significantly associated with 21% increased risk of biochemical recurrence (RR: 1.21, 95% CI: 1.11–1.31 P &lt; 0.01). Elevated BMI is associated with risk of prostate cancer–specific mortality in prospective cohort studies and biochemical recurrence in prostate cancer patients. Its association with prostate cancer–specific mortality in diagnosed patients needs to be further evaluated. Cancer Prev Res; 4(4); 486–501. ©2011 AACR.
Dynamic Changes of Adiponectin and S100A8 Levels by the Selective Peroxisome Proliferator–Activated Receptor-γ Agonist Rivoglitazone
Authors: Hiuge-Shimizu Aki , Maeda Norikazu , Hirata Ayumu , Nakatsuji Hideaki , Nakamura Kouichi , Okuno Akira , Kihara Shinji , Funahashi Tohru , Shimomura Iichiro 
Published: January 2011

Objective—
Accumulating evidence indicates that the regimen to increase adiponectin will provide a novel therapeutic strategy for metabolic syndrome. Here, we tested the effect of a potent and selective peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor-γ agonist, rivoglitazone (Rivo), a newly synthesized thiazolidinedione derivative, on adiponectin, insulin resistance, and atherosclerosis.

Methods and Results—

ob/ob
mice, apolipoprotein E knockout (apoE KO) mice, and apoE and adiponectin double knockout mice were administered pioglitazone, Rivo, or no compound. Remarkable elevation of plasma adiponectin was observed, especially in Rivo-treated
ob/ob
mice. Rivo ameliorated insulin resistance in
ob/ob
mice and reduced atherosclerotic areas in apoE KO mice compared with the pioglitazone group but failed to decrease atherosclerotic areas in double knockout mice. Among adipose mRNAs, adipose S100A8, which activates Toll-like receptor 4–dependent signal transduction cascades and locates upstream of inflammation, was markedly increased in
ob/ob
mice, and its increase was completely reversed by Rivo treatment. In RAW264.7 macrophage cells and 3T3-L1 adipocytes, Rivo significantly reduced S100A8 mRNA levels.

Conclusion—

The peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor-γ agonist Rivo remarkably enhanced adiponectin in plasma and decreased adipose S100A8 mRNA levels in obese mice. Rivo treatment apparently ameliorated insulin resistance in
ob/ob
mice and reduced atherosclerosis in apoE KO mice, partly through adiponectin.
Family-Mediated Exercise Intervention (FAME)
Authors: Galvin Rose , Cusack Tara , O'Grady Eleanor , Murphy Thomas Brendan , Stokes Emma 
Published: January 2011

Background and Purpose—
Additional exercise therapy has been shown to have a positive impact on function after acute stroke and research is now focusing on methods to increase the amount of therapy that is delivered. This randomized controlled trial examined the impact of additional family-mediated exercise (FAME) therapy on outcome after acute stroke.

Methods—
Forty participants with acute stroke were randomly assigned to either a control group who received routine therapy with no formal input from their family members or a FAME group, who received routine therapy and additional lower limb FAME therapy for 8 weeks. The primary outcome measure used was the lower limb section of the Fugl-Meyer Assessment modified by Lindmark. Other measures of impairment, activity, and participation were completed at baseline, postintervention, and at a 3-month follow-up.

Results—

Statistically significant differences in favor of the FAME group were noted on all measures of impairment and activity postintervention (
P
<0.05). These improvements persisted at the 3-month follow-up but only walking was statistically significant (
P
<0.05). Participants in the FAME group were also significantly more integrated into their community at follow-up (
P
<0.05). Family members in the FAME group reported a significant decrease in their levels of caregiver strain at the follow-up when compared with those in the control group (
P
<0.01).

Conclusions—
This evidence-based FAME intervention can serve to optimize patient recovery and family involvement after acute stroke at the same time as being mindful of available resources.