bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Hydrodistension under local anesthesia for patients with suspected painful bladder syndrome/interstitial cystitis: Safety, diagnostic potential and therapeutic efficacy
Authors: Aihara Kinue , Hirayama Akihide , Tanaka Nobumichi , Fujimoto Kiyohide , Yoshida Kastunori , Hirao Yoshihiko 
Published: October 2009

Objectives:  To evaluate the safety, diagnostic potential and therapeutic efficacy of cystoscopy with hydrodistension under local anesthesia in patients with suspected painful bladder syndrome/interstitial cystitis (PBS/IC).Methods:  Thirty‐six patients with frequency, urgency or bladder pain for ≥6 months and an average voided volume of <200 mL were enrolled in the study. Hydrodistension was carried out 10 min after instillation of 10 mL of 4% lidocaine. The instilled saline volume for hydrodistension was determined based on each patient's level of tolerance of urinary sensation and symptoms.Results:  Overall, 30 patients (median age 54 years, range 25–76) were evaluated. The median instilled saline volume was 450 mL (250 to 580 mL). No patients were admitted to hospital due to adverse events associated with hydrodistension. Glomerulation was found in 23 patients and two had Hunner's ulcers. Therapeutic efficacy at one month after hydrodistension was shown in 21/30 patients (71%). A median efficacy period of 20 ± 3.7 weeks was determined by Kaplan–Meier analysis. Factors with an independent influence on therapeutic efficacy of hydrodistension were not identified, but patients with an instilled volume greater than the median volume had significantly longer efficacy periods (P < 0.022).Conclusions:  Cystoscopy with hydrodistension under local anesthesia provides a simple and safe method for differential diagnosis and has some therapeutic efficacy in patients with suspected PBS/IC.
Effects of fasudil, a Rho‐kinase inhibitor, on contraction of pig bladder tissues with or without urothelium
Authors: Tatsumiya Katsuhisa , Yamanishi Tomonori , Watanabe Miho , Masuda Akinori , Mizuno Tomoya , Kamai Takao , Yoshida Ken‐Ichiro 
Published: October 2009

Objectives: To investigate the effects of fasudil, a Rho‐associated serine‐threonine protein kinase inhibitor, on contraction of the pig urinary bladder tissues with or without urothelium.Methods: Cumulative concentration‐response curves (CRCs) to carbachol were obtained with and without 3–10 µM fasudil. Drug effects were evaluated in detrusor with and without urothelium. Inhibitory responses to fasudil were also examined in tissues precontracted with KCl and carbachol, and in response to electrical field stimulation, in pig bladder with and without urothelium.Results: In detrusor without urothelium, maximum contraction (Emax) decreased after administration of fasudil at 3 or 10 µmol/L (bothP < 0.01), or 30 µmol/L (72.5 ± 7.43%, 58.4 ± 8.04% and 68.4 ± 9.6%, respectively, of the first curve). In detrusor with urothelium, Emaxdecreased significantly (allP < 0.05) after the addition of 3, 10 or 30 µmol/L of fasudil (84.9 ± 6.7%, 67.9 ± 5.2% and 35.2 ± 4.1%, respectively). In tissues precontracted with 80 mmol/L KCl or 100 µmol/L carbachol, tension after administration of fasudil (1 nmol/L to 100 µmol/L) decreased (by approximately 40%), only after administration of fasudil at high concentration (>1 µmol/L), in detrusor both with and without urothelium. In tissues with and without urothelium, responses to electrical field stimulation at 1–50 Hz decreased significantly in a concentration‐dependent manner after addition of fasudil (3 to 30 µmol/L).Conclusions: Fasudil seems to provoke relaxation of the bladder detrusor via both urothelium‐dependent and independent pathways.
BK virus nephropathy: Clinical experience in a university hospital in Japan
Authors: Takayama Tatsuya , Ito Toshiki , Suzuki Kazuo , Ushiyama Tomomi , Horii Toshinobu , Miura Katsutoshi , Ozono Seiichiro 
Published: October 2009

Objectives:  To review the medical records of patients with BK virus nephropathy (BKVN) following kidney transplantation in our institution.Methods:  We screened patients for decoy cells using urine cytology, assessed serum creatinine levels, and conducted a graft biopsy, as well as assessed the presence of plasma BK virus DNA by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction. The treatment of BKVN was based on the decreased use of immunosuppressants.Results:  Overall, six male patients were studied (mean age 40.8 years, range 18–58; mean donor age 45.2 years, range 15–67). A positive urine cytology screen led to the subsequent detection of plasma BK virus DNA in the five patients with urine cytology results positive for decoy cells. In the four patients in whom plasma BK virus DNA was detected, a maximum value of DNA of ≥10 000 copies/mL was observed. Time elapsed from transplantation to BKVN diagnosis ranged from 3 to 62 months. Although the two cadaver grafts were lost, the loss was not due to any effects directly associated with BKVN. The other four grafts are still functioning with a mean creatinine level of 1.8 mg/dL. Most of the patients with BKVN were regarded as being in a state of heightened immunosuppression. BK virus transition to blood was prevented in one patient.Conclusions:  Early diagnosis of BKV infection with reduction of immunosuppression may potentially counter BK viremia and retard progression of BKV nephropathy. Decoy cell screening by urine cytology as well as plasma BK virus DNA screening should be considered in addition to the required graft biopsy in kidney transplant recipients, particularly in those with impaired graft function.
The paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus is a neuroanatomical substrate for the inhibition of palatable food intake by neuropeptide S
Authors: Fedeli Amalia , Braconi Simone , Economidou Daina , Cannella Nazzareno , Kallupi Marsida , Guerrini Remo , Calò Girolamo , Cifani Carlo , Massi Maurizio , Ciccocioppo Roberto 
Published: October 2009

AbstractNeuropeptide S (NPS) is a recently discovered neurotransmitter that binds to its cognate G‐protein coupled receptor, NPSR. Previous studies have shown that central administration of this peptide induces anxiolytic‐like effects, promotes arousal and inhibits feeding in the same dose range. In the present study, we sought to investigate further the unique physiopharmacological profile of the NPS system by characterizing its effects on palatable food consumption in rats and comparing it with the effect of the classical anxiolytic benzodiazepine midazolam. The results demonstrated that midazolam (5.0 or 10.0 mg/kg) increases palatable food consumption, while intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration of NPS markedly reduces it. The anorectic effect of NPS (0.1–1.0 nmol per rat, ICV) was prevented by ICV pretreatment with the NPSR antagonist [d‐Cys(tBU)5]NPS (20.0–60.0 nmol per rat). Pretreatment with the nonselective corticotrophin‐releasing factor receptor (CRF) antagonist alpha‐helical CRF 9–41 (6.25 and 12.5 nmol per rat) completely reversed the hypophagic action of CRF (0.4 nmol per rat, ICV) but did not prevent the anorectic effect of ICV NPS (1.0 nmol per rat). Brain site‐specific microinjection experiments revealed that NPS markedly inhibits palatable food intake if administered into the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN). A similar but smaller and shorter lasting reduction of feeding was observed following intra‐lateral hypothalamus administration, whereas no effect was observed following injection into the central amygdala. The present study demonstrates that NPS evokes a potent inhibition of palatable food consumption and that the PVN is an important site of action for its effect.
Prolactin‐releasing peptide effects in the rat brain are mediated through the Neuropeptide FF receptor
Authors: Ma Li , MacTavish David , Simonin Frédéric , Bourguignon Jean‐Jacques , Watanabe Takeshi , Jhamandas Jack H. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractProlactin‐releasing peptide (PrRP), an RF amide peptide present in the brain, generates a wide variety of centrally generated autonomic responses, including increases in arterial blood pressure and heart rate. The identity of the receptor mediating the effects of PrRP is unknown. In addition to GPR10, which is its putative endogenous receptor, PrRP demonstrates a high binding affinity for Neuropeptide FF (NPFF) receptors, specifically the NPFF2 receptor. In the present study, we examined whether the central cardiovascular effects of PrRP in the intact animal and its cellular effects on parvocellular paraventricular nucleus (PVN) neurons are mediated via NPFF receptors. In conscious rats, intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) PrRP caused an increase in arterial blood pressure and heart rate, which was blocked with RF9, a specific NPFF receptor antagonist. These PrRP‐evoked cardiovascular effects were preserved in the Otsuka Long‐Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rat strain, in which the GRP10 receptor gene was mutated. In rat brain slices, whole‐cell patch clamp recordings of parvocellular paraventricular nucleus neurons show PrRP caused a decrease in evoked and miniature GABAergic inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs), effects that were antagonized by RF9, but not neuropeptide Y, a putative GPR10 receptor antagonist. The effects of PrRP on IPSCs in OLETF rats were similar to those in wild‐type rats. Both in vivo and in vitro data strongly suggest that certain PrRP effects in the brain are expressed via NPFF receptors, probably NPFF2, rather than the GPR10 receptor. These observations may assume clinical relevance as RF amide peptides such NPFF and PrRP become therapeutic targets for a variety of autonomically related disorders.
The relative roles of kinship and reciprocity in explaining primate altruism
Authors: Schino Gabriele , Aureli Filippo 
Published: October 2009

AbstractSeveral hypotheses have been proposed to explain the evolution of altruistic behaviours. Their relative roles in explaining actual cases of animal altruism are, however, unclear. In particular, while kin selection is widely believed to have a pervasive influence on animal behaviour, reciprocity is generally thought to be rare. Despite this general agreement, there has been no direct test comparing the relative roles of kinship and reciprocity in explaining animal altruism. In this paper, we report on the results of such a test based on a meta‐analysis of allogrooming in primates, grooming being probably the most common altruistic behaviour among mammals. In direct contrast to the prevailing view, reciprocity played a much larger role than kinship in explaining primate allogrooming. These results point to a more significant role of reciprocity in the evolution of animal altruism than is generally acknowledged.Ecology Letters(2010) 13: 45–50
Conversion in transanal stapling techniques for haemorrhoids and anorectal prolapse
Authors: Schwandner O. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractAim  It was the aim of this single‐surgeon series to assess the role of conversion in transanal stapling to techniques and to identify potential factors predictive of conversion.Method  The details of all consecutive patients who were planned for a stapled approach were prospectively recorded in a PC database. Stapling techniques (PPH03, PPH01 and ContourTranstar) were indicated for haemorrhoidal disease and internal rectal prolapse. ‘Conversion’ from a stapled approach was defined as an unplanned change of the surgical method to a nonstapled, traditional technique, related to indication, anatomy and technical factors. The primary outcomes were whether the procedure was performed using a stapling device only, or whether the procedure was converted. Logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate multiple variables as potential risk factors for conversion.Results  In a 2‐year period (May 2006–May 2008), 258 patients met the inclusion criteria and underwent transanal surgery scheduled as a stapled approach. In these 258 patients, 246 procedures were completed as a stapled procedure [that stapled haemorrhoidopexy, n = 148; stapled mucosectomy, n = 52; stapled transanal rectal resection (STARR) with PPH01, n = 38; and STARR with ContourTranstar, n = 8], giving a completion rate of 95.4%. However, 12 procedures were converted to conventional surgery (including traditional haemorrhoidectomy and the Delorme procedure), giving a conversion rate of 4.6%. The reasons for conversion were related to anatomy and to clinical findings (nonreducible haemorrhoidal prolapse), to new clinical findings not detected preoperatively (proctitis, anal fistula) and to a technical inability to insert the circular anal dilatator because of a deep anal canal. Neither univariate nor multivariate analysis identified any factor to be specifically associated with the risk of conversion.Conclusion  In the era of transanal stapling procedures for haemorrhoids and anorectal prolapse, the majority of procedures can be performed using stapled techniques if strict criteria of indication and patient selection are respected. However, the current study identified a 4.6% conversion rate to traditional treatment, which has an impact on informed consent and requires the surgeon to be familiar with conventional anorectal procedures.
Hexylaminolaevulinate fluorescence cystoscopy in patients previously treated with intravesical bacille Calmette‐Guérin
Authors: Ray Eleanor R. , Chatterton Kathryn , Khan M. Shamim , Chandra Ashish , Thomas Kay , Dasgupta Prokar , O’Brien Tim S. 
Published: October 2009

Study Type – Diagnosis (case series) Level of Evidence 4OBJECTIVETo determine if hexylaminolaevulinate fluorescence cystoscopy (HAL‐FC) has the potential to improve the diagnosis of bladder cancer in patients who have been treated with bacille Calmette‐Guérin (BCG).PATIENTS AND METHODSPatients scheduled for rigid cystoscopy after BCG therapy were recruited prospectively between April 2005 and February 2006. Patients received HAL (HexvixTM, PhotoCure ASA, Oslo, Norway) and the D‐light system (Storz, Tuttlingen, Germany) was used to detect fluorescence. The bladder was mapped and biopsies taken under white light and then using HAL‐FC. The main outcome was the frequency and nature of additional pathology detected by HAL‐FC. Twenty‐seven patients (21 men and six women; median age 70 years, range 49–82) underwent 32 HAL‐FC.RESULTSRecurrent bladder cancer was detected in 11 of the 32 (34%) examinations. HAL‐FC detected additional pathology in five of the 27 (19%) patients. In two of these cases the additional pathology was clinically significant (one pT4G3 intraprostatic transitional cell carcinoma and one intravesical pT1G2 + carcinoma in situ), whereas in three cases the pathology was hyperplasia/dysplasia. Overall, the false‐positive biopsy rate with HAL‐FC was 63%. In the presence of positive voided urine cytology six of eight patients had recurrent bladder tumour and the false‐positive biopsy rate was only 34%. Urine cytology was positive in four of five of the patients in whom additional pathology was detected by HAL‐FC.CONCLUSIONSClinically significant occult pathology can be detected using HAL‐FC after BCG therapy, but in <10% of cases. The rate of false‐positive biopsies is high but in our hands appears to be lower than with white‐light guided biopsies after BCG. Our pragmatic approach is to use HAL‐FC after BCG when clinical suspicion is high, and when the preoperative voided urine cytology is positive.
Diabetic retinopathy screening: a systematic review of the economic evidence
Authors: Jones S. , Edwards R. T. 
Published: October 2009

Diabet. Med. 27, 249–256 (2010)AbstractThis paper systematically reviews the published literature on the economic evidence of diabetic retinopathy screening. Twenty‐nine electronic databases were searched for studies published between 1998 and 2008. Internet searches were carried out and reference lists of key studies were hand searched for relevant articles. The key search terms used were ‘diabetic retinopathy’, ‘screening’, ‘economic’ and ‘cost’. The search identified 416 papers of which 21 fulfilled the inclusion criteria, comprising nine cost‐effectiveness studies, one cost analysis, one cost‐minimization analysis, four cost–utility analyses and six reviews. Eleven of the included studies used economic modelling techniques and/or computer simulation to assess screening strategies. To date, the economic evaluation literature on diabetic retinopathy screening has focused on four key questions: the overall cost‐effectiveness of ophthalmic care; the cost‐effectiveness of systematic vs. opportunistic screening; how screening should be organized and delivered; and how often people should be screened. Systematic screening for diabetic retinopathy is cost‐effective in terms of sight years preserved compared with no screening. Digital photography with telemedicine links has the potential to deliver cost‐effective, accessible screening to rural, remote and hard‐to‐reach populations. Variation in compliance rates, age of onset of diabetes, glycaemic control and screening sensitivities influence the cost‐effectiveness of screening programmes and are important sources of uncertainty in relation to the issue of optimal screening intervals. There is controversy in relation to the economic evidence on optimal screening intervals. Further research is needed to address the issue of optimal screening interval, the opportunities for targeted screening to reflect relative risk and the effect of different screening intervals on attendance or compliance by patients.
Influence of elastin‐like peptide fusions on the quantity and quality of a tobacco‐derived human immunodeficiency virus‐neutralizing antibody
Authors: Floss Doreen M. , Sack Markus , Arcalis Elsa , Stadlmann Johannes , Quendler Heribert , Rademacher Thomas , Stoger Eva , Scheller Jürgen , Fischer Rainer , Conrad Udo 
Published: October 2009

SummaryThe use of vaginal microbicides containing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)‐neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) is a promising strategy to prevent HIV‐1 infection. Although antibodies are predominantly manufactured using mammalian cells, elastin‐like peptide (ELP) fusion technology improves the stability of recombinant, plant‐produced proteins and facilitates their purification, making plants an alternative platform for antibody production. We generated transgenic tobacco plants accumulating four different formats of the anti‐HIV‐1 antibody 2G12 in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), i.e. with ELP on either the light or heavy chain, on both, or on neither. Detailed analysis of affinity‐purified antibodies by surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy showed that the kinetic binding parameters of all formats were identical to 2G12 lacking ELP produced in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Importantly, protein purification from seeds by inverse transition cycling (ITC) did not affect the binding kinetics. Analysis of heavy chain N‐glycans from leaf‐derived antibodies showed that retrieval to the ER was efficient for all formats. In seeds, however, N‐glycans on the naked antibody were extensively trimmed compared with those on the ELP fusion formats, and were localized to a different subcellular compartment. The in vitro HIV‐neutralization properties of the tobacco‐derived 2G12 were equivalent to or better than those of the CHO counterpart.
A leaf‐based assay using interchangeable design principles to rapidly assemble multistep recombinant pathways
Authors: Wood Craig C. , Petrie James R. , Shrestha Pushkar , Mansour Maged P. , Nichols Peter D. , Green Allan G. , Singh Surinder P. 
Published: October 2009

SummaryThe assembly of multistep recombinant pathways in stably transformed plants is a cornerstone of crops producing new products yet can be a laborious and time‐consuming process. Any heterologous expression platform capable of providing a rapid estimation of the functional assembly of an entire pathway would guide the design of such transgenic traits. In this study, we use a Nicotiana benthamiana transient leaf expression system to simultaneously express five genes, from five independent TDNA binary vectors, to assemble a complete recombinant pathway in five days. In this study, we demonstrate the production of long‐chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC‐PUFA) requiring five transgene‐encoded reactions to convert endogenous fatty acids to LC‐PUFA. The addition of a triacylglycerol assembly enzyme, Arabidopsis thaliana diacylglyceride‐O‐acyltransferase, and fractionation of the total lipid profile demonstrated that leaf oils contained 37% newly synthesised LC‐PUFA, including 7% arachidonic acid (AA), 6% eicosopentaenoic acid and 3% docosahexaenoic acid. The calculation of enzymatic conversion efficiencies at each step of LC‐PUFA synthesis suggests that this transient assembly of a complicated multistep pathway is highly efficient. Unlike experiments using stably transformed plants our assembly of an intricate pathway maintained full gene‐for‐gene interchangeability and required a fraction of the time and glasshouse space. Furthermore, an exogenous LC‐PUFA fatty acid substrate, AA, was fed and metabolised by a transiently expressed Δ17‐desaturase enzyme, and provided results similar to those obtained in yeast feeding experiments. Although the assay was ideal for LC‐PUFA pathways, this assay format may become a powerful tool for the characterisation and step‐wise improvement of other recombinant pathways and multigenic traits.
Oil Exports, Non‐Oil GDP, and Investment in the GCC Countries
Authors: Harb Nasri 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThis paper studies the long‐run and short‐run relationships between oil exports, non‐oil GDP, and investment in five major oil‐exporting countries. Its goal is to verify the effect of natural resources exports on economic performance. It considers the effect of cross‐sectional correlations and uses the corresponding panel unit‐root tests to study the long‐run characteristics of the data series. The results show that resources' exports have no long‐run relationship with the macroeconomic variables. A VAR analysis is used to estimate the short‐run dynamics and shows that the effect of oil exports on those variables depends on local policies.
An Exploration into the Successful Development of the Leather‐Shoe Industry in Ethiopia
Authors: Sonobe Tetsushi , Akoten John E. , Otsuka Keijiro 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThe leather‐shoe industry in Ethiopia is thriving, and in the early 2000s it managed to recover the domestic market which had once been swept by imported Chinese shoes. Using primary enterprise‐level data, this paper finds that the industry has been growing not only because of a number of new entrants but also because of the growth of enterprises that have been improving product quality and developing new marketing systems. Such multifaceted improvements have been introduced by highly educated entrepreneurs, who have successfully expanded the size of their enterprises. This development pattern is similar to that commonly found in East Asia.
Size and Foreign Ownership Effects on Productivity and Efficiency: An Analysis of Turkish Motor Vehicle and Parts Plants
Authors: Yaşar Mahmut , Paul Catherine J. Morrison 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThe levels and interactions of foreign connections and size may be important determinants of plant productivity and efficiency, particularly in a developing country such as Turkey. We explore the productive contributions of foreign ownership (FDI), emphasizing its linkages with plant size and input composition, for plants in the Turkish motor vehicle and parts industry. We evaluate the implications of FDI for overall productivity, input‐specific contributions, and returns to scale, using OLS, stochastic production frontier, and quantile (size‐specific) regression estimates of a translog production function model. We find significantly higher productivity of plants with foreign ownership, driven by a higher marginal product of labor, particularly for smaller plants. This effect augments the productive contributions of technical progress, capital intensity, and increasing returns to scale. FDI is also associated with a greater productive contribution of imported capital investment.