bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Treatment fidelity as a predictor of behaviour change in parents attending group‐based parent training
Authors: Eames C. , Daley D. , Hutchings J. , Whitaker C. J. , Jones K. , Hughes J. C. , Bywater T. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractBackground  Change in parenting skills, particularly increased positive parenting, has been identified as the key component of successful evidence‐based parent training (PT), playing a causal role in subsequent child behaviour change for both prevention and treatment of Conduct Disorder. The amount of change in parenting skills observed after PT varies and may be accounted for by both the content of the programme and by the level of PT implementer process skills. Such variation in implementer skills is an important component in the assessment of treatment fidelity, itself an essential factor in successful intervention outcome.Aims  To establish whether the Leader Observation Tool, a reliable and valid process skills fidelity measure, can predict change in parenting skills after attendance on the Incredible Years PT programme.Results  Positive leader skills categories of the Leader Observation Tool significantly predicted change in both parent‐reported and independently observed parenting skills behaviour, which in turn, predicted change in child behaviour outcome.Conclusions  Delivering an intervention with a high level of treatment fidelity not only preserves the behaviour change mechanisms of the intervention, but can also predict parental behaviour change, which itself predicts child behaviour change as a result of treatment.
Evidence for a regulatory role of α4 – integrins in the maturation of eosinophils generated from the bone marrow in the presence of dexamethasone
Authors: Gaspar‐Elsas M. I. , Queto T. , Vasconcelos Z. , Jones C. P. , Lannes‐Vieira J. , Xavier‐Elsas P. 
Published: June 2009

SummaryBackgroundAlthough eosinophils co‐express multiple integrin receptors, the contributions of integrins to eosinophil development have not been explored. We previously described extensive aggregation and cytological immaturity in eosinophils developing in bone‐marrow (BM) cultures exposed to dexamethasone. Here we examined the relationship of α4 integrins with these effects of dexamethasone.ObjectivesWe evaluated: (a) the effects of exposure to dexamethasone in BM culture on eosinophil expression of α4 integrin receptors and ligands; (b) the contribution of α4 integrins to eosinophil aggregation and maturation.MethodsCultures were established with IL‐5 (alone or with dexamethasone) for up to 7 days, and eosinophil production, α4 integrin receptor/ligand expression, aggregation and morphology were evaluated before and after targeting α4 integrin‐dependent adhesions. Because prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) modifies the effects of dexamethasone on eosinophilopoiesis, PGE2 effects on α4 integrin expression and function were also evaluated.ResultsDexamethasone increased the yield of eosinophils up to day 7. The frequency of eosinophils expressing α4, β1 and β7 integrin receptors at day 7 was also increased by dexamethasone. Eosinophils also expressed the α4β1 ligand, VCAM‐1. Dexamethasone increased the expression of α4 integrin and VCAM‐1 in aggregates containing eosinophils as early as day 3. PGE2, added up to day 3, modified the effects of dexamethasone to suppress the expression of α4 integrin, decrease aggregation and promote cytological maturation of eosinophils recovered at day 7. Dissociation of immature eosinophils from clusters present at day 3 by reagents targeting α4 or β1 integrins or VCAM‐1 also induced cytological maturation. The concordant effects of targeting α4 integrins with drugs and antibodies support a relationship between α4‐mediated aggregation and maturational arrest.ConclusionsThese observations support a novel role for α4 integrin receptors and ligands in eosinophilopoiesis. In addition, increased α4 expression following glucocorticoid exposure may contribute to the retention and accumulation of eosinophils in haemopoietic tissue.
Clinical effects of kestose, a prebiotic oligosaccharide, on the treatment of atopic dermatitis in infants
Authors: Shibata R. , Kimura M. , Takahashi H. , Mikami K. , Aiba Y. , Takeda H. , Koga Y. 
Published: June 2009

SummaryBackground
Oligosaccharides may have beneficial properties of the prevention of atopic dermatitis (AD). Kestose, a fructo‐oligosaccharide, stimulates the activity of bifidobacteria.Objective
To assess the clinical effect of kestose on the treatment of AD in infants.Methods
A randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial was carried out using 15 and 14 infants with AD in the kestose group and placebo groups, respectively. One to 2 g kestose and maltose were administered to the subjects in the kestose and placebo groups, respectively, everyday for 12 weeks. Clinical evaluations of AD using Severity Scoring of Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) and the enumeration of bifidobacteria in the feces using real‐time PCR were performed at Weeks 0, 6, and 12.Results
The medians of the SCORAD score were significantly lower in the kestose group than in the placebo group on both Week 6 (25.3 vs. 36.4; P=0.004) and Week 12 (19.5 vs. 37.5; P<0.001). No significant correlation was found between the improvement of the SCORAD score and the count of bifidobacteria.Conclusion
Kestose was found to exert a beneficial effect on the clinical symptoms in infants with AD. The mechanism how does kestose improve the symptoms of AD remains to be elucidated.
Lung disease, antibodies and other unresolved issues in immune globulin therapy for antibody deficiency
Authors: Cunningham-Rundles C 
Published: June 2009

Summary
Defects of antibody production are the most common of the primary immune defects of man. While these defects have been described in clinical terms for more than five decades, in most cases, the pathogenesis is still poorly understood. The most common clinically important of these is common variable immune deficiency. However there is no strict definition of this defect and the criteria for initiating immune globulin therapy are not standardized, leading to wide variation in treatment practices. In addition there has been no clear means to adequate assess progression of lung disease or elucidate the causes of progressive pulmonary inflammation found in some subjects. Moreover, there are still questions such as what are the best predictors of chronic lung disease and how can we prevent this disorder. Other complications such as autoimmunity, granulomatous disease, gastrointestinal inflation, are similarly poorly understood although treatment with various biological agents has been used with some success. A few bio-markers for assessing clinical and immunologic status have been proposed, and some have proved to be useful, but additional methods to gauge the benefits of therapy, predict outcomes, and harmonize treatment practices are needed. Aside from Ig replacement, additional means of prevention of lung disease may need consideration to reduce lung damage apart from prophylactic antibiotics. These might include using macrolides as anti-inflammatory agents, inhaled corticosteroids, bronchodilators, mucolytics or mechanical or rehabilitative respiratory methods.
Dose‐dependent acute effects of recombinant human TSH (rhTSH) on thyroid size and function: comparison of 0·1, 0·3 and 0·9 mg of rhTSH
Authors: Fast Søren , Nielsen Viveque E. , Bonnema Steen J. , Hegedüs Laszlo 
Published: June 2009

SummaryContext  Recombinant human TSH (rhTSH) is used to augment the effect of radioiodine therapy for nontoxic multinodular goitre. Reports of acute thyroid swelling and hyperthyroidism warrant safety studies evaluating whether these side‐effects are dose dependent.Objective  To determine the effects on thyroid size and function of various doses of rhTSH.Design  In nine healthy male volunteers, the effect of placebo, 0·1, 0·3 and 0·9 mg of rhTSH was examined in a paired design including four consecutive study rounds.Main outcome measures  Main outcome measures were evaluated at baseline, 24 h, 48 h, 96 h, 7 days and 28 days after rhTSH and included: Thyroid volume (TV) estimation by planimetric ultrasound, and thyroid function by serum TSH, free T3, free T4 and Tg levels.Results  Following placebo or 0·1 mg rhTSH, the TV did not change significantly from baseline at any time. At 24 and 48 h after administration of 0·3 mg rhTSH, the TV increased by 37·4 ± 12·3% (SEM) (P = 0·03) and 45·3 ± 16·1% (P = 0·05) respectively. After 0·9 mg rhTSH, the TV increased by 23·3 ± 5·8% (P = 0·008) and 35·5 ± 18·4% (P = 0·02) respectively. The increase in serum FT3, FT4 and thyroglobulin (Tg) was greater when administering 0·3 mg compared with 0·1 mg (P = 0·02) and when administering 0·9 mg compared with 0·3 mg (P = 0·02). After 0·1 mg rhTSH, the increase in FT3 and Tg was not significantly different from placebo whereas the FT4 increase was significantly higher (P = 0·02 compared with placebo).Conclusions  In healthy individuals, rhTSH‐induced thyroid swelling and hyperthyroidism is rapid and dose dependent. If valid for patients with goitre, our results suggest that these adverse effects are unlikely to be of clinical significance, following doses of rhTSH of 0·1 mg or less.
Crowding and disease: effects of host density on response to infection in a butterfly–parasite interaction
Authors: LINDSEY ELIZABETH , MEHTA MUDRESH , DHULIPALA VARUN , OBERHAUSER KAREN , ALTIZER SONIA 
Published: June 2009

Abstract.1. Hosts experiencing frequent variation in density are thought to benefit from allocating more resources to parasite defence when density is high (‘density‐dependent prophylaxis’). However, high density conditions can increase intra‐specific competition and induce physiological stress, hence increasing host susceptibility to infection (‘crowding‐stress hypothesis’).2. We studied monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) and quantified the effects of larval rearing density on susceptibility to the protozoan parasiteOphryocystis elektroscirrha. Larvae were inoculated with parasite spores and reared at three density treatments: low, moderate, and high. We examined the effects of larval density on parasite loads, host survival, development rates, body size, and wing melanism.3. Results showed an increase in infection probability with greater larval density. Monarchs in the moderate and high density treatments also suffered the greatest negative effects of parasite infection on body size, development rate, and adult longevity.4. We observed greater body sizes and shorter development times for monarchs reared at moderate densities, and this was true for both unparasitised and parasite‐treated monarchs. We hypothesise that this effect could result from greater larval feeding rates at moderate densities, combined with greater physiological stress at the highest densities.5. Although monarch larvae are assumed to occur at very low densities in the wild, an analysis of continent‐wide monarch larval abundance data showed that larval densities can reach high levels in year‐round resident populations and during the late phase of the breeding season. Treatment levels used in our experiment captured ecologically‐relevant variation in larval density observed in the wild.
Chronic inflammation in the pathogenesis of benign prostatic hyperplasia
Authors: Fibbi B. , Penna G. , Morelli A. , Adorini L. , Maggi M. 
Published: June 2009

SummaryBenign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common disorder affecting 50–80% of the aged male population. Androgens and age have been traditionally considered the main determinants of prostate enlargement, but in the last years a potentially important role of chronic inflammation in BPH pathogenesis has emerged. Bacterial and non‐infectious chronic prostatitis could represent inciting factors leading to tissue hyperproliferation, possibly via the recently demonstrated antigen‐presenting capacity of prostatic stromal cells, enabling them to induce and sustain intraglandular immune responses. The prostate growth‐promoting chemokine IL‐8 could represent a direct link between chronic prostate inflammation and autocrine/paracrine stromal cell proliferation, in agreement with its marked secretion induced in BPH stromal cells by a combination of Th1 and Th17 cell‐derived inflammatory cytokines. BPH stromal cells express the vitamin D receptor (VDR), which is up‐regulated by exposure to inflammatory stimuli. The non‐hypercalcaemic VDR agonist elocalcitol, shown to arrest BPH development by decreasing the intra‐prostatic androgen signalling without directly interfering with systemic androgen action, exerts immunoregulatory and anti‐inflammatory properties in different prostatic pathology characterized by growth and inflammation. The mechanism of action of VDR agonists supports an important role of chronic inflammation in BPH pathogenesis and strengthens the concept of these agents as a therapeutic option for pharmacological treatment of BPH.
Parental perspectives on preterm children's oral health behaviour and experience of dental care during preschool and early school years
Authors: BROGÅRDH‐ROTH SUSANNE , STJERNQVIST KARIN , MATSSON LARS , KLINGBERG GUNILLA 
Published: June 2009

Background.  Children born preterm (PT) have medical conditions and impairments that may affect their oral health.Hypothesis.  Our hypothesis for the study was that PT children display more dental behaviour management problems (BMPs) and less favourable oral health behaviour than controls (C).Methods.  Parents of 153 PT children and 153 C children were interviewed regarding the children's oral health behaviour and experience of dental care on two occasions, 2 years apart. The interviews concerned the preschool period and the early school years, respectively.Results.  BMPs were more common in PT children of preschool age, but not during the early school years. Regarding oral health behaviour, there were no differences between the groups, except that PT children had more problems with toothbrushing than C children in the preschool period, in spite of the fact that the PT group reported more medical health problems and more anxious behaviour and indications of cognitive problems than the C group.Conclusions.  Children born PT exhibit several risk factors for both BMP and impaired oral health. It is essential that this group of patients is identified early and receives special attention from the dental services.
Is there more insect folivory in warmer temperate climates? A latitudinal comparison of insect folivory in eastern North America
Authors: Adams Jonathan M. , Zhang Yangjian 
Published: June 2009

Summary 1. It is generally believed that warmer climate forests suffer more herbivory, as a proportion of leaf area, than cooler climate forests. However, standardized studies using the same methodology have rarely been performed. 2. We carried out a study on scattered forest‐edge populations of four widespread tree species (Quercus alba, Acer rubrum, Fagus grandifolia and Liquidambar styraciflua) spanning 17° of latitude in North America. 3. We sampled early summer sun leaves (12 weeks after bud break) at each latitude in 2 years. Total insect folivory damage was estimated from the percentage area damaged in fresh leaves on forest edges, using a scanner‐linked software. 4. The percentage area damage per leaf of all four species in both years shows a significant latitudinal trend, with less damage in lower latitude areas of eastern North America. This is contrary to what would generally be expected according to current ecological thinking. Among the four studied species, only A. rubrum showed a significant difference between the 2 years. 5. Synthesis. The observation of an inverse latitudinal trend may have wider implications for the study of community functioning, suggesting that strength of ‘biotic’ interaction between plants and herbivores might actually be no less important, or in fact more important, in cool temperate climates compared with warm temperate climates.
CymR, the master regulator of cysteine metabolism in Staphylococcus aureus, controls host sulphur source utilization and plays a role in biofilm formation
Authors: Soutourina Olga , Poupel Olivier , Coppée Jean‐Yves , Danchin Antoine , Msadek Tarek , Martin‐Verstraete Isabelle 
Published: June 2009

SummaryWe have characterized the master regulator of cysteine metabolism, CymR, in Staphylococcus aureus. CymR repressed the transcription of genes involved in pathways leading to cysteine formation. Eight direct DNA targets were identified using gel‐shift or footprinting experiments. Comparative transcriptome analysis and in vitro studies indicated that CysM, the OAS‐thiol‐lyase, was also implicated in this regulatory system. OAS, the direct precursor of cysteine, prevents CymR‐dependent binding to DNA. This study has allowed us to predict sulphur metabolism functions for previously uncharacterized S. aureus genes. We show that S. aureus is able to grow on homocysteine as the sole sulphur source suggesting efficient MccA and MccB‐dependent conversion of this compound into cysteine. We propose that SA1850 is a new thiosulphate transporter and that TcyP and TcyABC are l‐cystine transporters. CymR directly controls the use of sulphur sources of human origin such as taurine and homocysteine. The cymR mutant also displayed a reduced capacity to form biofilms, indicating that CymR is involved in controlling this process in S. aureus via an ica‐independent mechanism. These data indicate that fine‐tuning of sulphur metabolism plays an important part in the physiology of this major pathogen and its adaptation to environmental conditions and survival in the host.
Habitat saturation and the spatial evolutionary ecology of altruism
Authors: LION S. , GANDON S. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractUnder which ecological conditions should individuals help their neighbours? We investigate the effect of habitat saturation on the evolution of helping behaviours in a spatially structured population. We combine the formalisms of population genetics and spatial moment equations to tease out the effects of various physiological (direct benefits and costs of helping) and ecological parameters (such as the density of empty sites) on the selection gradient on helping. Our analysis highlights the crucial importance of demography for the evolution of helping behaviours. It shows that habitat saturation can have contrasting effects, depending on the form of competition (direct vs. indirect competition) and on the conditionality of helping. In our attempt to bridge the gap between spatial ecology and population genetics, we derive an expression for relatedness that takes into account both habitat saturation and the spatial structure of genetic variation. This analysis helps clarify discrepancies in the results obtained by previous theoretical studies. It also provides a theoretical framework taking into account the interplay between demography and kin selection, in which new biological questions can be explored.
A rare case of facial Candida albicans cellulitis in an uncontrolled diabetic patient
Authors: Kwak Om‐Sub , Kang Mi‐Il , Kim Jeong‐Bae , Kim Min‐Wook , Kim Young Keun 
Published: June 2009

SummaryFacial cellulitis is defined as infections or inflammation of the skin or connective tissue in orbital, periorbital area and cheeks, and is known to be caused mainly by bacterial infections, for which treatment with proper antibiotics and incision and drainage are necessary. Candidal cellulitis is a rare disease and only two cases have been reported in the world to our knowledge. Candidal facial cellulitis is a non‐haematogenous, deep‐seated infection and we should figure out for known risk factors of candidal colonisation or overgrowth and possible routes of infection for candidiasis. We report one case of facial cellulitis caused by Candida albicans in an uncontrolled diabetic woman aged 50.
Hypertonic saline reduces metalloproteinase expression in liver during pancreatitis
Authors: Rios Ester CS , Moretti Ana IS , De Souza Heraldo P , Velasco Irineu T , Soriano Francisco G 
Published: June 2009

Summary

We recently demonstrated that hypertonic saline reduces inflammation and mortality in acute pancreatitis. The present study investigated the effects of hypertonic saline in metalloproteinase (MMP) regulation and pancreatitis‐associated hepatic injury.
Wistar rats were divided into four groups: (i) control, not subjected to insult or treatment; (ii) no treatment (NT), induction of pancreatitis (retrograde infusion of 2.5% sodium taurocholate (1.0 mL/kg)), but no further treatment; (iii) normal saline (NS), induction of pancreatitis and treatment with normal saline (0.9% NaCl, 34 mL/kg, i.v. bolus, 1 h after the induction of pancreatitis); and (iv) hypertonic saline (HS), induction of pancreatitis and treatment with hypertonic saline (7.5% NaCl, 4 mL/kg administered over a period of 5 min, 1 h after the induction of pancreatitis). In all four groups, 4, 12 and 24 h after the induction of pancreatitis, liver tissue samples were assayed to determine levels of MMP‐2, MMP‐9, 47 kDa heat shock protein (HSP47) and collagen (Type I and III).
Compared with the control group, MMP‐9 expression and activity was increased twofold in the NS and NT groups 4 and 12 h after the induction of pancreatitis, but remained at basal levels in the HS group. In contrast, MMP‐2 expression was increased twofold 12 h after the induction of pancreatitis only in the NS group, whereas the expression of HSP47 was increased 4 h after the induction of pancreatitis in the NS and NT groups. Greater extracellular matrix remodelling occurred in the NS and NT groups compared with the HS group, probably as a result of the hepatic wound‐healing response to repeated injury. However, the collagen content in hepatic tissue remained at basal levels in the HS group.
In conclusion, the results of the present study indicate that hypertonic saline is hepatoprotective and reduces hepatic remodelling, maintaining the integrity of the hepatic extracellular matrix during pancreatitis. Hypertonic saline‐mediated regulation of MMP expression may have clinical relevance in pancreatitis‐associated liver injury.
Fluctuations in haemoglobin levels in haemodialysis, pre‐dialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients receiving epoetin alpha or darbepoetin alpha
Authors: WALKER ROWAN , PUSSELL BRUCE A ,   ON BEHALF OF THE AUSTRALIAN RENAL ANAEMIA GROUP
Published: June 2009

SUMMARY:Aim:  To characterize the haemoglobin variability of haemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis and pre‐dialysis patients treated with either epoetin alpha or darbepoetin alpha in a clinical setting where treatment was administered according to current standard Australian practice.Methods:  Data on haemodialysis, pre‐dialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients were extracted from the Renal Anaemia Management database (RAM) from 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2004. The variance in haemoglobin was calculated from patient records with more than five haemoglobin observations over a period of at least 4 weeks following 9 weeks of therapy. A mixed‐model was fitted to the within‐patient variances and weighting was based on the number of observations minus 1 for each record.Results:  The mean within‐patient variance in haemoglobin levels for i.v. administered erythropoietin‐stimulating agents (IV) haemodialysis, s.c. administered erythropoietin‐stimulating agents (SC) haemodialysis, predialysisSC and peritoneal dialysisSC patients receiving epoetin alpha were 9% (95% CI: 13% to 5%, P < 0.0001), 17% (95% CI: 32% to 0.2%, P = 0.047), 19% (95% CI: 27% to 11%, P < 0.0001) and 26% (95% CI: 33% to 18%, P < 0.0001) lower than that for patients receiving darbepoetin alpha. The mean haemoglobin levels for haemodialysisIV, haemodialysissc predialysisSC and peritoneal dialysisSC patients receiving darbepoetin alpha were 11.6 g/dL, 11.2 g/dL, 11.5 g/dL and 11.5 g/dL compared with 11.5 g/dL, 11.6 g/dL, 11.7 g/dL and 11.5 g/dL for patients receiving epoetin alpha.Conclusion:  There was 9–26% greater within‐patient fluctuation in haemoglobin levels in patients receiving darbepoetin alpha compared with epoetin alpha. The causes of haemoglobin fluctuations and the implications for patient outcomes and resource use require further study.