bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Pattern of Liver Diseases
Authors: Mishra AK , Shrestha P , Bista NR , Bhurtel P , Bhattarai S , Thakali K , Pathak SR 
Published: October 2009

Background: The knowledge of distribution and pattern of liver disease in a tertiary care center provides an overview of disease pattern in a community. It also helps in planning and prioritizing strategies to treat the diseases and reduce their burden in the community. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted among patients admitted to the Liver unit, Bir Hospital from April 13, 2008 to October 16, 2008. Demographic profile and disease pattern was studied. Descriptive analysis was used to calculate frequencies and percentage and their relations. Results: Male to female ratio was 2.3:1. The mean age was 41.9 (SD 14.8). Median hospital stay was 8.0 days (Q25-75 6.0-12.0). The top three diseases were alcoholic liver disease 50 (38.5%), viral hepatitis 44 (33.8%), and liver abscess 11 (8.5%). Fifty (38.5%) patients had acute, 74 (56.9%) had chronic liver disease and 6 (4.6%) were malignancy. The main cause of acute disease were infections 41 (82.0%) especially Hepatitis E Virus (HEV). HEV was associated with acute liver failure and pregnancy which was 4 (18.2%) and 2 (12.5%) respectively. Chronic diseases were caused by alcohol 45 (60.8%) followed by infection of hepatitis B and C viruses 11 (14.8%). Cirrhosis was diagnosed in 37 (28.5%) with alcohol as the main cause. Conclusions: Majority had chronic liver disease (CLD), mostly due to alcohol, HBV and HCV. Alcohol was the leading cause of cirrhosis. Prevalence of Hepatitis E was found to be high in acute illness. Therefore, an initiative needs to be taken to decrease alcohol consumption along with HEV, HBV and HCV transmission through community health program. Key words: Alcohol, cirrhosis, hepatitis, liver disease DOI: 10.3126/jnhrc.v7i1.2273 Journal of Nepal Health Research Council Vol. 7, No. 1, 2009 April 14-18
Serodiagnosis of Dengue by Particle Agglutination Assay
Authors: Sah OP , Subedi S , Morita K , Pandey BD 
Published: October 2009

Background: Dengue is an emerging public health problem in Tarai Region of Nepal. The most affected are among the poorest populations living in remote, rural areas and urban slums who have even no access for medical treatment. This study was carried out with the objective of the determining the serodiagnosis of dengue in symptomatic individuals and comparing it to IgM ELISA. Methods: One hundred eighty three samples were collected from the suspected cases having clinical symptoms of dengue in the Tarai region of Nepal during September to October 2007. Particle Agglutination (PA) assays was performed and it was compared with IgM capture ELISA. Results: Out of the total of 183 serum samples that 55(30%) samples were positive by PA assay. When compared with IgM-capture ELISA, a 50 of 55 were positive (sensitivity of 98% and specificity of 96%; a positive prediction value of 90% and negative prediction value of 99%). Conclusions: The finding of this study showed that dengue is firmly established in low endemic Tarai region of Nepal. The sensitivity and specificity of PA assay is acceptably high and will be useful in rural areas of Nepal. Key words: Dengue, Tarai region, Particle agglutination test, IgM capture ELISA DOI: 10.3126/jnhrc.v7i1.2276 Journal of Nepal Health Research Council Vol. 7, No. 1, 2009 April 29-32
Gall Bladder Perforation by Typhoid Complication
Authors: Bhandari RS , Singh KP 
Published: October 2009

Surgical complications of typhoid fever are uncommon and usually when it occurs, it commonly involves gut than the gallbladder. We present a case report of 20years old gentleman who presented with ten days duration of fever and one day history of sudden severe generalized pain abdomen. Patient was evaluated and investigated and undergone laparotomy in the line of peritonitis. Operative finding was gallbladder perforation and he underwent cholecystectomy. Other investigations were supportive of typhoid fever. Patient improved and was discharged after seven days. Key words: gallbladder, perforation, typhoid DOI: 10.3126/jnhrc.v7i1.2295 Journal of Nepal Health Research Council Vol. 7, No. 1, 2009 April 52-53
Intraocular Straylight and Contrast Sensitivity After Contralateral Wavefront-Guided LASIK and Wavefront-Guided PRK for Myopia
Authors: Barreto Jackson , Barboni Mirella T.S. , Feitosa-Santana Claudia , Sato João R. , Bechara Samir J. , Ventura Dora F. , Alves Milton Ruiz 
Published: October 2009

Purpose:
To compare intraocular straylight measurements and contrast sensitivity after wavefront-guided LASIK (WFG LASIK) in one eye and wavefront-guided photorefractive keratectomy (WFG PRK) in the fellow eye for myopia and myopic astigmatism correction.

Methods:
A prospective, randomized study of 22 eyes of 11 patients who underwent simultaneous WFG LASIK and WFG PRK (contralateral eye). Both groups were treated with the NIDEK Advanced Vision Excimer Laser System, and a microkeratome was used for flap creation in the WFG LASIK group. High and low contrast visual acuity, wavefront analysis, contrast sensitivity, and retinal straylight measurements were performed preoperatively and at 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. A third-generation straylight meter, C-Quant (Oculus Optikgeräte GmbH), was used for measuring intraocular straylight.

Results:

Twelve months postoperatively, mean uncorrected distance visual acuity was −0.06±0.07 logMAR in the WFG LASIK group and −0.10±0.10 logMAR in the WFG PRK group. Mean preoperative intraocular straylight was 0.94±0.12 log
s
for the WFG LASIK group and 0.96±0.11 log
s
for the WFG PRK group. After 12 months, the mean straylight value was 1.01±0.1 log
s
for the WFG LASIK group and 0.97±0.12 log
s
for the WFG PRK group. No difference was found between techniques after 12 months (
P
=.306). No significant difference in photopic and mesopic contrast sensitivity between groups was noted.

Conclusions:
Intraocular straylight showed no statistically significant increase 1 year after WFG LASIK and WFG PRK. Higher order aberrations increased significantly after surgery for both groups. Nevertheless, WFG LASIK and WFG PRK yielded excellent visual acuity and contrast sensitivity performance without significant differences between techniques.
Withdrawal of antiepileptic drugs after neocortical epilepsy surgery
Authors: Park Kyung‐Il , Lee Sang Kun , Chu Kon , Jung Keun‐Hwa , Bae Eun‐Kee , Kim Jin‐Soo , Lee Jung Ju , Lee Seo‐Young , Chung Chun Kee 
Published: October 2009

AbstractObjectiveThis study investigated the prevalence of successful antiepileptic drug withdrawal and identified predictors of seizure recurrence after antiepileptic drug reduction following resectional operation for intractable neocortical epilepsy.MethodsWe retrospectively assessed 223 patients (100 with neocortical temporal lobe epilepsy, 69 with frontal lobe epilepsy, 23 with parietal lobe epilepsy, 25 with occipital lobe epilepsy, and 6 with multifocal epilepsy) who underwent surgery. The mean period of observation was 84.4 months (range, 24–152 months) after surgery and 72.6 months (range, 12–138 months) after initial reduction. Clinical characteristics, magnetic resonance imaging, and surgical parameters were evaluated for their potential to predict recurrence associated with antiepileptic drug withdrawal.ResultsAntiepileptic drug reduction was attempted in 147 patients (65.9%), 78 (53.1%) of whom had seizure recurrence after initial reduction. Discontinuation was achieved in 73 patients (32.7%), and 59 (80.8%) of these remained seizure free until final assessment. Multivariate analysis revealed that early drug tapering, normal magnetic resonance imaging results, seizure before reduction, and longer epilepsy duration were associated with recurrence. Finally, 27.4% of patients were seizure free without drugs, and 26.9% were seizure free with drugs. Compared with preoperative status, the number of antiepileptic drugs needed decreased in 50.7% of patients, did not change in 19.3%, and increased in 30.0% after surgery.InterpretationThe complete‐cure rate of intractable neocortical epilepsy by resectional surgery was 27.4%. When patients undertake early tapering, and have normal magnetic resonance imaging results, seizure before reduction, and longer disease duration, further withdrawal should be done cautiously because of the high risk of relapse. ANN NEUROL 2010;67:230–238
Neuroprotective effects of zonisamide target astrocyte
Authors: Asanuma Masato , Miyazaki Ikuko , Diaz‐Corrales Francisco J. , Kimoto Naotaka , Kikkawa Yuri , Takeshima Mika , Miyoshi Ko , Murata Miho 
Published: October 2009

AbstractObjectiveRecent double‐blind, controlled trials in Japan showed that the antiepileptic agent zonisamide (ZNS) improves the cardinal symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Glutathione (GSH) exerts antioxidative activity through quenching reactive oxygen species and dopamine quinone. GSH depletion within dopaminergic neurons impairs mitochondrial complex I activity, followed by age‐dependent nigrostriatal neurodegeneration. This study examined changes in GSH and GSH synthesis‐related molecules, and the neuroprotective effects of ZNS on dopaminergic neurodegeneration using 6‐hydroxydopamine–injected hemiparkinsonian mice brain and cultured neurons or astrocytes.Methods and ResultsZNS increased both the cell number and GSH levels in astroglial C6 cells, but not in dopaminergic neuronal CATH.a cells. Repeated injections of ZNS (30mg/kg intraperitoneally) for 14 days also significantly increased GSH levels and S100β‐positive astrocytes in mouse basal ganglia. Repeated ZNS injections (30mg/kg) for 7 days in the hemiparkinsonian mice increased the expression of cystine/glutamate exchange transporter xCT in activated astrocytes, which supply cysteine to neurons for GSH synthesis. Treatment of these mice with ZNS also increased GSH levels and completely suppressed striatal levodopa–induced quinone formation. Reduction of nigrostriatal dopamine neurons in the lesioned side of hemiparkinsonian mice was significantly abrogated by repeated injections of ZNS with or without adjunctive levodopa starting 3 weeks after 6‐hydroxydopamine lesioning.InterpretationThese results provide new pharmacological evidence for the effects of ZNS. ZNS markedly increased GSH levels by enhancing the astroglial cystine transport system and/or astroglial proliferation via S100β production or secretion. ZNS acts as a neuroprotectant against oxidative stress and progressive dopaminergic neurodegeneration. ANN NEUROL 2010;67:239–249
Characterization of four esterase genes and esterase activity from the gut of the termite Reticulitermes flavipes
Authors: Wheeler Marsha M. , Tarver Matthew R. , Coy Monique R. , Scharf Michael E. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractFour esterase genes and general esterase activity were investigated in the gut of the termite Reticulitermes flavipes. Two genes (RfEst1 and RfEst2) share significant translated identity with a number of insect JH esterases. The two remaining genes (RfEst3 and RfEst4) apparently code for much shorter proteins with similarity to fungal phenolic acid esterases involved in hemicellulose solubilization. All four genes showed consistently high midgut expression. This result was further supported by colorimetric activity assays and Native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, which showed significant esterase activity and a number of isoforms in the midgut. The greatest esterase activity and isoform composition were detected when α‐naphthyl propionate was used as a substrate. Moreover, esterase activity and diverse isoforms were present in gut mitochondrial, microsomal, and cytosolic sub‐cellular protein fractions, as well as in the hindgut lumen. These findings reveal an agreement between gut esterase gene expression and activity distributions, and support the idea that R. flavipes gut esterase activity is host (not symbiont)‐derived. In addition, these findings support the hypotheses that termite gut esterases may play important roles in lignocellulose digestion and caste differentiation. This study provides important baseline data that will assist ongoing functional‐genomic efforts to identify novel genes with roles in semiochemical, hormone, and lignocellulose processing in the termite gut. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
20‐hydroxyecdysone and juvenile hormone influence tyrosine hydroxylase activity in Drosophila females under normal and heat stress conditions
Authors: Gruntenko N. E. , Karpova E. K. , Chentsova N. A. , Adonyeva N. V. , Rauschenbach I. Y. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThe effects of exogenous 20‐hydroxyecdysone (20E) and the juvenile hormone (JH) on the activity of the tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), the first and rate‐limiting DA biosynthetic enzyme, has been studied in young females of wild type D. virilis and D. melanogaster under normal conditions and under heat stress (38°C). Both 20E feeding of the flies and JH application led to a substantial rise in TH activity. A rise in JH and 20E levels was found not to prevent the response of TH to heat stress, but to change the intensity of its response to the stress exposure. Putative mechanisms of regulation of DA level by 20E and JH in Drosophila females are discussed. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Consumer health information on the Web: The relationship of visual design and perceptions of credibility
Authors: Robins David , Holmes Jason , Stansbury Mary 
Published: October 2009

AbstractConsumer health information has proliferated on the Web. However, because virtually anyone can publish this type of information on the Web, consumers cannot always rely on traditional credibility cues such as reputation of a journal. Instead, they must rely on a variety of cues, including visual presentation, to determine the veracity of information. This study is an examination of the relationship of people's visual design preferences to judgments of credibility of information on consumer health information sites. Subjects were asked to rate their preferences for visual designs of 31 health information sites after a very brief viewing. The sites were then reordered and subjects rated them according to the extent to which they thought the information on the sites was credible. Visual design judgments bore a statistically significant similarity to credibility ratings. Sites with known brands were also highly rated for both credibility and visual design. Theoretical implications are discussed.
Amphiphilic Counterion Activators for DNA: Stimuli‐Responsive Cation Transporters and Biosensors in Bulk and Lipid Bilayer Membranes
Authors: Takeuchi Toshihide , Bagnacani Valentina , Sansone Francesco , Matile Stefan 
Published: October 2009

AbstractWe report that amphiphilic counterions can enable DNA to act as cation carrier, enzyme detector and biosensor. Calf thymus DNA is used as example throughout the study. Evaluation of a series of counterion activators suggests that strong amphiphilicity, alkyl or calix[4]arene tails and guanidinium cations give best results, whereas weak amphiphilicity, bola‐amphiphilicity, planar aryl tails and ammonium cations are less satisfactory for various reasons. In the U‐tube, DNA–counterion complexes can carry cations such as safranin O or p‐xylene‐bis‐pyridinium bromide (DPX) across bulk chloroform membranes, whereas anions such as carboxyfluorescein (CF) and (8‐Hydroxy‐1,3,6‐pyrenetrisulfonate (HPTS) are not transported. Uptake of DNA–counterion complexes into intact vesicles is demonstrated by DNA trapping experiments with internal polylysine. Comparison of results from different assays suggests that DNA–counterion complexes act as cation carriers under mild conditions, whereas pore formation and lysis dominate at higher concentrations. Applicability of DNA–counterion transporters for the detection of enzyme activity is demonstrated with phytate as an inactivating substrate and phytase as a reactivating enzyme. Compatibility with biosensing is exemplified with the fluorometric monitoring of phytate levels in almond extracts. The conceptual significance of these findings is briefly discussed, as are promising perspectives such as the application of DNA chemistry to multianalyte sensing in fluorogenic vesicles.
Modeling multiple‐response categorical data from complex surveys
Authors: Bilder Christopher R. , Loughin Thomas M. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractAlthough “choose all that apply” questions are common in modern surveys, methods for analyzing associations among responses to such questions have only recently been developed. These methods are generally valid only for simple random sampling, but these types of questions often appear in surveys conducted under more complex sampling plans. The purpose of this article is to provide statistical analysis methods that can be applied to “choose all that apply” questions in complex survey sampling situations. Loglinear models are developed to incorporate the multiple responses inherent in these types of questions. Statistics to compare models and to measure association are proposed and their asymptotic distributions are derived. Monte Carlo simulations show that tests based on adjusted Pearson statistics generally hold their correct size when comparing models. These simulations also show that confidence intervals for odds ratios estimated from loglinear models have good coverage properties, while being shorter than those constructed using empirical estimates. Furthermore, the methods are shown to be applicable to more general problems of modeling associations between elements of two or more binary vectors. The proposed analysis methods are applied to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The Canadian Journal of Statistics © 2009 Statistical Society of Canada
Change detection in linear regression with time series errors
Authors: Gombay Edit 
Published: October 2009

AbstractA new test for detecting a change in linear regression parameters assuming a general weakly dependent error structure is given. It extends earlier methods based on cumulative sums assuming independent errors. The novelty is in the new standardization method and in smoothing when the time series is dominated by high frequencies. Simulations show the excellent performance of the test. Examples are taken from environmental applications. The algorithm is easy to implement. Testing for multiple changes can be done by segmentation. The Canadian Journal of Statistics 38:65–79; 2010 © 2009 Statistical Society of Canada
3,5‐Bis(benzylidene)‐4‐oxo‐1‐phosphonopiperidines and Related Diethyl Esters: Potent Cytotoxins with Multi‐Drug‐Resistance Reverting Properties
Authors: Das Swagatika , Das Umashankar , Selvakumar Ponniah , Sharma Rajendra K. , Balzarini Jan , De Clercq Erik , Molnár Joseph , Serly Julianna , Baráth Zoltán , Schatte Gabriele , Bandy Brian , Gorecki Dennis K. J. , Dimmock Jonathan R. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractA series of 3,5‐bis(benzylidene)‐4‐piperidones3were converted into the corresponding 3,5‐bis(benzylidene)‐1‐phosphono‐4‐piperidones5via diethyl esters4. The analogues in series4and5displayed marked growth inhibitory properties toward human Molt 4/C8 and CEM T‐lymphocytes as well as murine leukemia L1210 cells. In general, theN‐phosphono compounds5, which are more hydrophilic than the analogues in series3and4, were the most potent cluster of cytotoxins, and, in particular, 3,5‐bis‐(2‐nitrobenzylidene)‐1‐phosphono‐4‐piperidone5 ghad an average IC50value of 34 nMtoward the two T‐lymphocyte cell lines. Four of the compounds displayed potent cytotoxicity toward a panel of nearly 60 human tumor cell lines, and nanomolar IC50values were observed in a number of cases. The mode of action of5 gincludes the induction of apoptosis and inhibition of cellular respiration. Most of the members of series4as well as several analogues in series5are potent multi‐drug resistance (MDR) reverting compounds. Various correlations were noted between certain molecular features of series4and5and cytotoxic properties, affording some guidelines in expanding this study.
Spallative Ablation of Metals and Dielectrics
Authors: Inogamov N.A. , Faenov A.Ya. , Khokhlov V.A. , Zhakhovskii V.V. , Petrov Yu.V. , Skobelev I.Yu. , Nishihara K. , Kato Y. , Tanaka M. , Pikuz T.A. , Kishimoto M. , Ishino M. , Nishikino M. , Fukuda Y. , Bulanov S.V. , Kawachi T. , Anisimov S.I. , Fortov V.E. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThe results of theoretical and experimental studies of ablation of LiF crystal by X‐ray beam having photons with 89.3 eV and very short duration of pulse τ = 7 ps are presented. It is found that the crater is formed for fluences above the threshold Fabl ≈ 10mJ/cm2. Such a small threshold is one order of magnitude less than the one obtained for X‐ray ablation by longer (nanoseconds) pulses. The theory explains this dramatic difference as a transition from more energy‐consuming evaporative ablation to spallative ablation, when the pulse duration decreases from ns tops time ranges. Previously, the spallative mechanism of ablation was exclusively attributed to removal of target materials of metal and semiconductor by the short laser pulses with optical photons ∼ 1eV. We demonstrate that tensile stress created in dielectrics by short X‐ray pulse can produce spallative ablation of target even for drastically small X‐ray fluences (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Microfields, Kinetic Equations and Fusion Rates in Exploding Ion Clusters
Authors: Ebeling W. , Romanovsky M.Yu. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThe fusion of light nuclei is the main source of valuable energy. Recent experiments with intense, ultrafast laser pulses acting on deuterium clusters have shown that these clusters can explode with sufficient kinetic energy to produce DD nuclear fusion. In earlier work (2004) we discussed already the effect of microfields on fusion processes in ion clusters. In view of the relevance of the problem we take up the problem again and discuss enhancement effects due to nonequilibrium velocity distributions with long tails and their influence on the relative motions on the ions. In particlular we discuss fractional kinetic equations including the influence of plasma microfields and finite size effects. We study the influence of nonequilibrium effects in the velocity distribution due to the Coulomb explosion of the clusters. The role of Cauchy‐Lorentz nonequilibrium distributions of the velocity including long tails is discussed and their influence on the fusion rates is estimated (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Conventional and Propagation‐based Phase Contrast Imaging of Nanostructures Using Femtosecond Laser Driven Cluster Plasma Source and LiF Crystal Soft X‐ray Detectors
Authors: Gasilov S. , Faenov A. , Pikuz T. , Skobelev I. , Boldarev A. , Gasilov V. , Magunov A. , Fukuda Y. , Kando M. , Kotaki H. , Kawase K. , Kawachi T. , Daido H. , Tajima T. , Kato Y. , Bulanov S. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractBright source of soft X‐ray emission was developed. Soft X‐ray radiation was produced by femtosecond laser pulses irradiation of submicron size CO2 clusters. These clusters were produced in custom designed supersonic nozzle from the mixture of the 10% CO2 +90 % He expanding gases. Lithium fluorine based soft X‐ray detectors was used for registration of absorption images of ultrathin (nanoscale) foils and biological structures illuminated by the developed source. It was demonstrated that even ifthe foil is essentially transparent for the soft X‐ray radiation (like 100 nm thick Zr foil), the image contrast could be significantly increased due to the influence of propagation‐based phase‐contrast effect when detector is placed at the proper distance behind the sample (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)