bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Erectile Dysfunction is the Main Determinant of Psychological Distress in Men with Spinal Cord Injury
Authors: Barbonetti Arcangelo , Cavallo Francesca , Felzani Giorgio , Francavilla Sandro , Francavilla Felice 
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACT

Introduction
The weight of erectile dysfunction (ED) among the various determinants of psychological distress in men with spinal cord injury (SCI) remains to be clarified.

Aim
The aim of this article was to evaluate psychological distress features in SCI men with or without ED.

Methods
Forty consecutive patients with neurologically stable SCI were included in the study. Functional independence (FI) was assessed by Barthel Index (BI), which was divided into global score (questions 1–10) and bowel/bladder subscore (questions 5 and 6). Erectile function was evaluated with Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM).

Main Outcome Measures
Psychological distress was assessed with the Symptom Checklist-90-revised (SCL-90-R), scoring nine primary dimensions and their combination as Global Severity Index, a global index of psychological distress.

Results
All SCL-90-R scores and the percentage of patients with scores &gt;75th percentile of the entire study population were significantly higher in the group with ED (N = 21) than without ED (N = 19). Most of SCL-90-R subscales were inversely correlated with SHIM score. ED was exhibited by a high proportion (84%) of men with thoracolumbar lesions but by no patients with cervical lesions. Men with cervical lesions exhibited significantly lower SCL-90-R scores than those with thoracolumbar lesions, in spite of lower FI. However, the thoracolumbar group also reported a more severe bowel/bladder dysfunction. At multivariate logistic regression analysis, ED score significantly explained the variance of most of SCL-90-R dimension scores, whereas no association was revealed between global BI and any score of SCL-90-R dimensions. Bowel/bladder BI explained only to a very low extent the variance of depressive symptoms.

Conclusions
Healthcare providers should be aware of the importance of managing ED in spinal cord-injured men, as it represents a major determinant of their psychological distress, independently of the degree of FI impairment.
Leaf cutting‐patterns and general cradle formation process of thirteen Apoderinae (Coleoptera: Attelabidae) in Korea: Cradles of Attelabidae in Korea I
Authors: PARK Jinyoung , LEE Jong Eun , PARK Jong Kyun 
Published: December 2011

AbstractThe distinctive feature of leaf‐rolling weevils is their special care for their progeny. In many species among the family Attelabidae, the female recognizes the size and shape of the leaf of the host‐plant and does the leaf cutting by a definite method. The location of cutting line, length and shape becomes the basic information in understanding the most fundamental structure of female's recognition process and cradle formation strategy. Leaf cutting is not only the process of withering the leaf by blocking the water flow along the main vein but also the process of making reversal easy at the leaf‐blade part. The difference in forms of cutting line, leaf blade, interval or dispersion of nibble marks on the stem and pitch of leaf rolling has effects on the shape of the completed cradle. In the present paper we provide leaf‐cutting patterns and the cradle formation process for 13 species of subfamily Apoderinae. We also provide a pictorial key of the cradle for the first time in Korea.
Solvent Effects on the Steady State Photophysics of Estrone and 17β‐Estradiol
Authors: Chan Kara Y. , Gavaghan Bridget M. , Stoeckel Andrew W. , Irizarry Karla , Hare Patrick M. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractAbsorption and emission yields for estrone and 17β‐estradiol were measured in a variety of room temperature solvents. Molar extinction coefficients were found to not vary as a function of solvent, while fluorescence yields were found to be significantly affected by the polarity and hydrogen‐bond accepting ability of the solvent, with the yield for 17β‐estradiol being highest in nonpolar, hydrogen‐bond donating solvents, and lowest in the nonpolar, hydrogen‐bond accepting solvent ethyl acetate. Estrone’s emission yield was found to be a factor of ten smaller than 17β‐estradiol’s. Strong solvent and excitation wavelength dependences were found for the relative amounts of emission between estrone’s two emission bands, with increased relative emission occurring in nonpolar aprotic solvents, and under higher excitation energies. These results are interpreted with the aid of vertical excitation energies from time‐dependent density functional calculations using both explicit and implicit solvation models.
Genetic structure and local adaptation of European wheat yellow rust populations: the role of temperature‐specific adaptation
Authors: Mboup Mamadou , Bahri Bochra , Leconte Marc , De Vallavieille‐Pope Claude , Kaltz Oliver , Enjalbert Jérôme 
Published: December 2011

AbstractEnvironmental heterogeneity influences coevolution and local adaptation in host–parasite systems. This also concerns applied issues, because the geographic range of parasites may depend on their capacity to adapt to abiotic conditions. We studied temperature‐specific adaptation in the wheat yellow/stripe rust pathogen, Puccinia striiformis f.sp. tritici (PST). Using laboratory experiments, PST isolates from northern and southern France were studied for their ability to germinate and to infect bread and durum wheat cultivars over a temperature gradient. Pathogen origin × temperature interactions for infectivity and germination rate suggest local adaptation to high‐ versus low‐temperature regimes in south and north. Competition experiments in southern and northern field sites showed a general competitive advantage of southern over northern isolates. This advantage was particularly pronounced in the southern ‘home’ site, consistent with a model integrating laboratory infectivity and field temperature variation. The stable PST population structure in France likely reflects adaptation to ecological and genetic factors: persistence of southern PST may be due to adaptation to the warmer Mediterranean climate; and persistence of northern PST can be explained by adaptation to commonly used cultivars, for which southern isolates are lacking the relevant virulence genes. Thus, understanding the role of temperature‐specific adaptations may help to improve forecast models or breeding programmes.
Noninvasive molecular methods to identify live scarab larvae: an example of sympatric pest and nonpest species in New Zealand
Authors: LEFORT M.‐C. , BOYER S. , WORNER S. P. , ARMSTRONG K. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractDespite the negative impact that many scarab larvae have on agro‐ecosystems, very little attention has been paid to their taxonomy. Their often extremely similar morphological characteristics have probably contributed to this impediment, which has also meant that they are very difficult to identify in the field. Molecular methods can overcome this challenge and are particularly useful for the identification of larvae to enable management of pest species occurring sympatrically with nonpest species. However, the invasive collection of DNA samples for such molecular methods is not compatible with subsequent behavioural, developmental or fitness studies. Two noninvasive DNA sampling and DNA analysis methods suitable for the identification of larvae from closely related scarab species were developed here. Using the frass and larval exuviae as sources of DNA, field‐collected larvae of Costelytra zealandica (White) and Costelytra brunneum (Broun) (Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) were identified by multiplex PCR based on the difference in size of the resulting PCR products. This study also showed that small quantities of frass can be used reliably even 7 days after excretion. This stability of the DNA is of major importance in ecological studies where timeframes rarely allow daily monitoring. The approach developed here is readily transferable to the study of any holometabolous insect species for which morphological identification of larval stages is difficult.
THE EFFECTS OF BANKING RELATIONSHIP, LEGAL ORIGIN, PRIVATE EQUITY AND LEAD MANAGERS ON THE PERFORMANCE OF WEST AFRICAN IPO FIRMS
Authors: HEARN BRUCE 
Published: December 2011

AbstractThis paper examines the performance effects arising from initial primary offering (IPO) firms retaining their existing bank as a lead manager together with the effects of foreign and domestic lead managers, corporate insiders and private equity investors across West Africa. Using a unique and comprehensive sample of 37 locally listed IPO firm's from across West Africa, I find evidence of a considerable reduction in underpricing and costs of equity in firms listing on civil code as opposed to common law markets. Furthermore, I find evidence that firms employing their existing bank as lead manager have higher costs of equity while the employment of a foreign as opposed to domestic lead manager imparts a reduction in underpricing and cost of equity.
ACCOUNTING FOR THE SIZE OF THE INFORMAL SECTOR IN NIGERIA
Authors: SOLOMON OFFIONG HELEN 
Published: December 2011

AbstractThis paper uses a Real Business Cycle (RBC) model to analyse and simulate the effect of a negative oil‐price shock on the informal sector in Nigeria. Secondly, the paper shows that RBC theory can account for the size of the informal sector as produced by the Multiple Indicator Multiple Cause (MIMIC) model. The MIMIC model has been criticised for generating estimates of the informal sector without an underlying theory. This paper shows that the model's estimates of the informal sector can be supported by theory.
On Boundary Damping for an Axially Moving Tensioned Beam
Authors: Sandilo Sajad H. , van Horssen Wim T. 
Published: December 2011

Abstract
In this paper, an initial-boundary value problem for a linear-homogeneous axially moving tensioned beam equation is considered. One end of the beam is assumed to be simply-supported and to the other end of the beam a spring and a dashpot are attached, where the damping generated by the dashpot is assumed to be small. In this paper only boundary damping is considered. The problem can be used as a simple model to describe the vertical vibrations of a conveyor belt, for which the velocity is assumed to be constant and relatively small compared to the wave speed. A multiple time-scales perturbation method is used to construct formal asymptotic approximations of the solutions, and it is shown how different oscillation modes are damped.
Comparison between Elecsys HBsAg II and Architect HBsAg QT Assays for Quantification of Hepatitis B Surface Antigen among Patients Coinfected with HIV and Hepatitis B Virus
Authors: Maylin Sarah , Boyd Anders , Delaugerre Constance , Zoulim Fabien , Lavocat Fabien , Simon François , Girard Pierre-Marie , Lacombe Karine 
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACTHepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) quantification has been steadily gaining interest as a clinical marker of therapeutic efficacy, for which two commercial assays are currently available: Architect HBsAg QT (Architect) and Elecsys HBsAg II (Elecsys). HBsAg quantification was evaluated using both assays in 126 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV)-coinfected patients initiating treatment with tenofovir dipivoxil fumarate. Linear regression and correlation were used to establish the relationship between the two methods. Bland-Altman analysis was performed to determine mean between-assay difference and limits of agreement (LOA) (±2 standard deviations [SD]) both overall and stratified on HBV (hepatitis B envelope antigen [HBeAg] status, replication, genotype, HBV mutants) or HIV (CD4+cell count) cofactors. There was a significant correlation between Elecsys and Architect assays (correlation coefficient,r= 0.959;P< 0.001). HBsAg quantification using the Elecsys assay was on average 0.200 log10IU/ml (LOA, −0.500, 0.800) higher than that using Architect, which was consistent across levels of CD4+cell count, presence of precore and YMDD mutations, and HBeAg status. A slightly larger mean between-assay difference was observed with genotypes A and G (0.196 and 0.201, respectively) versus HBV genotypes D and E (0.036 and 0.030, respectively). Mutations on the S region at position s120/s145 were the only determinant in which the mean between-assay difference in HBsAg quantification was lower than the null value (−0.078). In conclusion, the Elecsys assay, with automatic on-board dilution, is capable of quantifying serum HBsAg levels in HIV-HBV-coinfected patients, with very high correlation with the Architect assay.
Differentiation of the Seven Major Lyssavirus Species by Oligonucleotide Microarray
Authors: Xi Jin , Guo Huancheng , Feng Ye , Xu Yunbin , Shao Mingfu , Su Nan , Wan Jiayu , Li Jiping , Tu Changchun 
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACT
An oligonucleotide microarray, LyssaChip, has been developed and verified as a highly specific diagnostic tool for differentiation of the 7 major lyssavirus species. As with conventional typing microarray methods, the LyssaChip relies on sequence differences in the 371-nucleotide region coding for the nucleoprotein. This region was amplified using nested reverse transcription-PCR primers that bind to the 7 major lyssaviruses. The LyssaChip includes 57 pairs of species typing and corresponding control oligonucleotide probes (oligoprobes) immobilized on glass slides, and it can analyze 12 samples on a single slide within 8 h. Analysis of 111 clinical brain specimens (65 from animals with suspected rabies submitted to the laboratory and 46 of butchered dog brain tissues collected from restaurants) showed that the chip method was 100% sensitive and highly consistent with the “gold standard,” a fluorescent antibody test (FAT). The chip method could detect rabies virus in highly decayed brain tissues, whereas the FAT did not, and therefore the chip test may be more applicable to highly decayed brain tissues than the FAT. LyssaChip may provide a convenient and inexpensive alternative for diagnosis and differentiation of rabies and rabies-related diseases.
Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Compared to Real-Time PCR and Enzyme Immunoassay for Toxigenic Clostridium difficile Detection
Authors: Boyanton Bobby L. , Sural Preethi , Loomis Caroline R. , Pesta Christine , Gonzalez-Krellwitz Laura , Robinson-Dunn Barbara , Riska Paul 
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACT

Clostridium difficile
infection is the primary cause of health care-associated diarrhea. While most laboratories have been using rapid antigen tests for detecting
C. difficile
toxins, they have poor sensitivity; newer molecular methods offer rapid results with high test sensitivity and specificity. This study was designed to compare the performances of two molecular assays (Meridian
illumigene
and BD GeneOhm) and two antigen assays (Wampole Quik Chek Complete and TechLab Tox A/B II) to detect toxigenic
C. difficile
. Fecal specimens from hospitalized patients (
n
= 139) suspected of having
C. difficile
infection were tested by the four assays. Nine specimens were positive and 109 were negative by all four methods. After discrepant analysis by toxigenic culture (
n
= 21), the total numbers of stool specimens classified as positive and negative for toxigenic
C. difficile
were 21 (15%) and 118 (85%), respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were as follows: GeneOhm (95.2%, 100%, 100%, and 99.2%),
illumigene
(95.2%, 96.6%, 83.3%, and 99.2%), Tox A/B II (52.4%, 97.5%, 78.6%, and 92.4%), and Quik Chek Complete (47.6%, 100%, 100%, and 91.9%). The
illumigene
assay performed comparably to the GeneOhm assay with a slight decrease in test specificity; the sensitivities of both far exceeded those of the antigen assays. The clinical characteristics of the concordant and discrepant study patients were similar, including stool consistency and frequency. In the era of rapid molecular-based tests for toxigenic
C. difficile
, toxin enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) should no longer be considered the standard of care.
Heteroresistance to Cephalosporins and Penicillins in Acinetobacter baumannii
Authors: Hung Kuei-Hsiang , Wang Ming-Cheng , Huang Ay-Huey , Yan Jing-Jou , Wu Jiunn-Jong 
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACT

Heteroresistance to antimicrobial agents may affect susceptibility test results and therapeutic success. In this study, we investigated heteroresistance to cephalosporins and penicillins in
Acinetobacter baumannii
, a major pathogen causing nosocomial infections. Two
A. baumannii
isolates exhibited heteroresistance to ampicillin-sulbactam, ticarcillin-clavulanic acid, cefepime, and cefpirome, showing a distinct colony morphology of circular rings within the inhibition halos. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and outer membrane protein (OMP) analysis demonstrated that subpopulations around the disks/Etest strips and the original strains all belonged to the same PFGE type and OMP profile. Population analysis profile (PAP) showed the presence of heteroresistant subpopulations with high cefepime resistance levels in two isolates (008 and 328). Interestingly,
A. baumannii
008 contained two peaks: one was grown in the presence of up to 1 μg of cefepime/ml, the other apparently occurred when the concentration of cefepime was raised to 256 μg/ml. After serial passages without exposure to cefepime, the PAP curve maintained the same trend observed for the original strain of
A. baumannii
008. However, the PAP curve showed a shift to relatively lower cefepime resistance (from 256 to 64 μg/ml) in
A. baumannii
328 after 10 passages in antibiotic-free Mueller-Hinton agar plates. Convergence to a monotypic resistance phenotype did not occur. Growth rate analysis revealed that slower growth in resistant subpopulations may provide a strategy against antibiotic challenge. To our knowledge, this is the first report of heteroresistance to cephalosporins and penicillins in
A. baumannii
.
Detection and Measurement of Fungal Burden in a Guinea Pig Model of Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis by Novel Quantitative Nested Real-Time PCR Compared with Galactomannan and (1,3)-β-
d
-Glucan Detection
Authors: Lengerova Martina , Kocmanova Iva , Racil Zdenek , Hrncirova Kristyna , Pospisilova Sarka , Mayer Jiri , Najvar Laura K. , Wiederhold Nathan P. , Kirkpatrick William R. , Patterson Thomas F. 
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACT

We developed and assessed the diagnostic value of a novel quantitative nested real-time (QNRT) PCR assay targeting the internal transcribed spacer region of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) in a guinea pig model of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. Groups of 5 immunosuppressed animals that were infected using an aerosol chamber with
Aspergillus fumigatus
conidia were humanely terminated 1 h postinoculation and at days 3, 5, 7, and 11 postchallenge, and lung tissue, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, whole blood, and serum samples were collected. The QNRT PCR results obtained with the serum and BAL fluid were compared to those achieved with galactomannan and (1→3)-β-
d
-glucan assays. High fungal burden levels were detected by QNRT PCR in both lung tissue and BAL fluid in all infected animals at each time point, and the sensitivity of each assay in BAL fluid was 100% by day 3 and remained so through the remainder of the study. The sensitivity of detection of fungi in whole blood and serum samples was significantly lower, and some samples remained negative by all three assays despite the advanced stage of the infection. From these data, we can conclude that this novel QNRT PCR method was highly sensitive for the detection of
A. fumigatus
from different types of samples in this model. In addition, BAL fluid samples appeared to be the most suitable for the early diagnosis of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. When testing serum, the use of a combination of available assays may increase the possibility of early detection of this opportunistic mycosis.
Eosinophilic Fasciitis Associated with Mycoplasma arginini Infection
Authors: Silló Pálma , Pintér Dóra , Ostorházi Eszter , Mazán Mercedes , Wikonkál Norbert , Pónyai Katinka , Volokhov Dmitriy V. , Chizhikov Vladimir E. , Szathmary Susan , Stipkovits Laszlo , Kárpáti Sarolta 
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACT

Eosinophilic fasciitis (EF) with generalized sclerodermiform skin lesions developed over a 19-month period in a previously healthy 23-year-old man. Although we confirmed EF by skin histology and laboratory tests, the recurrent fevers and the clinical observation of sclerotic prepuce with urethritis indicated further bacteriological analysis by conventional microbiological and DNA-based tests. Urethra cultures were positive for an arginine-hydrolyzing mycoplasma and
Ureaplasma urealyticum
. The patient also had serum IgM antibodies to
Mycoplasma pneumoniae
using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-based qualitative detection.
Mycoplasma arginini
was isolated from two independent venous blood serum samples and was identified by conventional microbiological tests and sequencing of the 16S rRNA and
rpoB
genes (GenBank sequence accession numbers
HM179555
and
HM179556
, respectively).
M. arginini
genomic DNA also was detected by species-specific PCR in the skin lesion biopsy sample. Treatment with corticosteroids and long-term courses of selected antibiotics led to remission of skin symptoms and normalization of laboratory values. This report provides the first evidence of EF associated with mycoplasma infection and the second report of human infection with
M. arginini
and therefore suggests that this mycoplasma infection might have contributed to the pathogenesis of the disease.
Genetic Analyses Reveal Differences in the VP7 and VP4 Antigenic Epitopes between Human Rotaviruses Circulating in Belgium and Rotaviruses in Rotarix and RotaTeq
Authors: Zeller Mark , Patton John T. , Heylen Elisabeth , De Coster Sarah , Ciarlet Max , Van Ranst Marc , Matthijnssens Jelle 
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACT
Two live-attenuated rotavirus group A (RVA) vaccines, Rotarix (G1P[8]) and RotaTeq (G1-G4, P[8]), have been successfully introduced in many countries worldwide, including Belgium. The parental RVA strains used to generate the vaccines were isolated more than 20 years ago in France (G4 parental strain in RotaTeq) and the United States (all other parental strains). At present, little is known about the relationship between currently circulating human RVAs and the vaccine strains. In this study, we determined sequences for the VP7 and VP4 outer capsid proteins of representative G1P[8], G2P[4], G3P[8], G4P[8], G9P[8], and G12P[8] RVAs circulating in Belgium during 2007 to 2009. The analyses showed that multiple amino acid differences existed between the VP7 and VP4 antigenic epitopes of the vaccine viruses and the Belgian isolates, regardless of their G and P genotypes. However, the highest variability was observed among the circulating G1P[8] RVA strains and the G1 and P[8] components of both RVA vaccines. In particular, RVA strains of the P[8] lineage 4 (OP354-like) showed a significant number of amino acid differences with the P[8] VP4 of both vaccines. In addition, the circulating Belgian G3 RVA strains were found to possibly possess an extra N-linked glycosylation site compared to the G3 RVA vaccine strain of RotaTeq. These results indicate that the antigenic epitopes of RVA strains contained in the vaccines differ substantially from those of the currently circulating RVA strains in Belgium. Over time, these differences might result in selection for strains that escape the RVA neutralizing-antibody pressure induced by vaccines.