bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Mechanism of alcohol‐induced impairment in renal development: Could it be reduced by retinoic acid?
Authors: Gray Stephen P , Cullen‐McEwen Luise A , Bertram John F , Moritz Karen M 
Published: September 2011

Summary1. Prenatal alcohol exposure impairs kidney development, resulting in a reduced nephron number. However, the mechanism through which alcohol acts to disrupt renal development is largely unknown. Retinoic acid (RA) is critically involved in kidney development and it has been proposed that a diminished concentration of RA is a contributing factor to fetal alcohol syndrome.2. In the present study we proposed that the ethanol‐induced inhibition of ureteric branching morphogenesis and glomerular development in the cultured rat kidney would be ameliorated by coculture with exogenous RA and that examining the expression profile of key genes involved in the development of the kidney would provide insights into the potential molecular pathways involved.3. Whole rat metanephroi cultured in the presence of exogenous RA (10–20 nmol/L) without ethanol appeared larger and had significantly more ureteric branch points, tips and glomeruli than metanephroi cultured in control media. Those cultured in the presence of ethanol alone (0.2%) had 20% fewer ureteric branch points, tips and glomeruli, which was ameliorated by coculture with retinoic acid.4. Gene expression analysis identified changes in the expression of enzymes involved in the metabolism of alcohol in conjunction with changes in key regulators of kidney development, including cRET.5. These results demonstrate that the teratogenic effects of alcohol in vitro on kidney development resulting in reduced ureteric branching morphogenesis and glomerular development can be ameliorated through coculture with RA. These results provide the foundation for future research into the mechanism through which alcohol acts to disrupt kidney development.
Patterns of inflammatory activation associated with precipitants of acute coronary syndromes: a case‐crossover study
Authors: Chew D. P. , Mattschoss S. , Horsfall M. , Astley C. , Vaile J. C. , Joseph M. X. 
Published: September 2011

AbstractAimsWe sought to assess a broad array of possible precipitants of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and evaluate their association with detectable inflammatory activation.Methods and ResultsWithin a case‐crossover design, using a standardised questionnaire, interviews among 348 ST‐elevation myocardial infarction (44%) or high‐risk non‐ST‐elevation ACS patients (56%), explored potential precipitants, including: infection (INF)‐temperature >38°C and/or respiratory tract, urinary or skin infection; inflammation (INFL)‐exacerbation of inflammatory conditions; exercise (EX)‐moderate to heavy exercise; fast food (FF)‐consumption of a meal purchased from a fast food company. Risk and control periods were: weekly over 8 weeks for INF and INFL; 24 hourly over 4 days for FF and 4 hourly over 48 h for EX. C‐reactive protein (CRP) levels were assessed at admission. These precipitants were identified in 203/348 (58.3%) patients. An increased temporal risk was observed for: INF (0–7 days vs 7–8 weeks odds ratio (OR): 7.5, confidence interval (CI): 1.7–67.6, P = 0.002); INFL (0–7 days vs 7–8 weeks OR: 14.0, CI: 2.13–591.9, P = 0.001); EX (0–4 h vs 24–28 h OR: 2.2, CI: 1.3–3.5, P = 0.001) and FF (0–24 h vs 72–96 h OR: 5.67, CI: 1.6–30.2, P = 0.003). CRP levels were significantly elevated among patients reporting infective and inflammatory potential precipitants, but not among those reporting fast food consumption and unaccustomed moderate‐heavy exercise.ConclusionInfection, inflammatory conditions, moderate‐heavy exercise and potentially fast food consumption appear to precipitate high‐risk ACS. Increased inflammation as measured by CRP was not consistently detected despite the identification of an ACS precipitant. Strategies that target improved overall health may also lead to fewer ACS events through a reduction in triggers.
Iron transporters in marine prokaryotic genomes and metagenomes
Authors: Hopkinson Brian M. , Barbeau Katherine A. 
Published: September 2011

SummaryIn the pelagic environment, iron is a scarce but essential micronutrient. The iron acquisition capabilities of selected marine bacteria have been investigated, but the recent proliferation of marine prokaryotic genomes and metagenomes offers a more comprehensive picture of microbial iron uptake pathways in the ocean. Searching these data sets, we were able to identify uptake mechanisms for Fe3+, Fe2+ and iron chelates (e.g. siderophore and haem iron complexes). Transport of iron chelates is accomplished by TonB‐dependent transporters (TBDTs). After clustering the TBDTs from marine prokaryotic genomes, we identified TBDT clusters for the transport of hydroxamate and catecholate siderophore iron complexes and haem using gene neighbourhood analysis and co‐clustering of TBDTs of known function. The genomes also contained two classes of siderophore biosynthesis genes: NRPS (non‐ribosomal peptide synthase) genes and NIS (NRPS Independent Siderophore) genes. The most common iron transporters, in both the genomes and metagenomes, were Fe3+ ABC transporters. Iron uptake‐related TBDTs and siderophore biosynthesis genes were less common in pelagic marine metagenomes relative to the genomic data set, in part because Pelagibacter ubique and Prochlorococcus species, which almost entirely lacked these Fe uptake systems, dominate the metagenomes. Our results are largely consistent with current knowledge of iron speciation in the ocean, but suggest that in certain niches the ability to acquire siderophores and/or haem iron chelates is beneficial.
Functional results and patient satisfaction with sacral nerve stimulation for idiopathic faecal incontinence
Authors: Duelund‐Jakobsen J. , van Wunnik B. , Buntzen S. , Lundby L. , Baeten C. , Laurberg S. 
Published: September 2011

AbstractAim  Sacral nerve stimulation (SNS) is an established treatment for faecal incontinence (FI) when conservative modalities have failed to restore continence. This two‐centre study aimed to document functional outcome and its relationship to patient satisfaction.Method  Patients treated with SNS for idiopathic FI in Aarhus (Denmark) and Maastricht (The Netherlands) were included. At the most recent follow‐up appointment, 127 patients (80%) were identified as receiving active SNS therapy. A questionnaire considering bowel habits, quality of life, and self‐reported satisfaction and a 3‐week bowel‐habit diary were mailed to these patients, and 85% responded.Results  Patient satisfaction was clearly related to the number of FI episodes. Patients experiencing full continence were all satisfied, and although the satisfaction rate decreased as the number of FI episodes increased, 46% of the patients with more FI episodes at follow‐up than at baseline were still satisfied. Per‐protocol analysis resulted in a satisfaction rate of 57.3%. In total, 74.7% of the patients receiving active SNS therapy reported a reduction of ≥ 50% in FI episodes, 10.3% of whom were dissatisfied after a median of 46 months of follow‐up.Conclusion  There is a clear relationship between patient satisfaction and improved continence. A total of 57.3% of the patients offered SNS therapy were satisfied at follow‐up. However, 46% of the patients with more FI episodes at follow‐up than at baseline were also satisfied. Therefore, functional outcome of SNS therapy cannot be based only on bowel‐habit diaries and bowel scores.
Increased prevalence of chronic kidney disease in patients with Type 1 diabetes and non‐alcoholic fatty liver
Authors: Targher G. , Pichiri I. , Zoppini G. , Trombetta M. , Bonora E. 
Published: September 2011

Diabet. Med. 29, 220–226 (2012)AbstractAims  We determined whether non‐alcoholic fatty liver is associated with an increased prevalence of chronic kidney disease in Type 1 diabetes.Methods  We studied 343 patients with Type 1 diabetes, who had no history of excessive alcohol consumption or other secondary causes of chronic liver disease. Non‐alcoholic fatty liver was diagnosed by ultrasonography. Chronic kidney disease was defined as presence of either abnormal albuminuria (i.e. urinary albumin/creatinine ratio ≥ 30 mg/g) or estimated glomerular filtration rate of less than 60 ml min−1 1.73 m−2.Results  Compared with those without steatosis, patients with non‐alcoholic fatty liver (n = 182) had significantly lower estimated GFR (83.0 ± 27 vs. 93.3 ± 29 ml min−1 1.73 m−2, P < 0.001) and a greater prevalence of abnormal albuminuria (50.0 vs. 20.5%, P < 0.0001) and chronic kidney disease (54.4 vs. 24.2%, P < 0.0001). Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that non‐alcoholic fatty liver was associated with an increased risk of either abnormal albuminuria (adjusted odds ratio 2.21, 95% CI 1.2–4.1, P = 0.01) or chronic kidney disease (adjusted odds ratio 1.93, 95% CI 1.1–3.6, P = 0.02), independently of age, gender, smoking status, physical activity, diabetes duration, HbA1c, BMI, systolic blood pressure, plasma lipids and use of anti‐hypertensive and lipid‐lowering medications.Conclusions  Our findings demonstrate that ultrasound‐diagnosed non‐alcoholic fatty liver is associated with a higher prevalence of chronic kidney disease in patients with Type 1 diabetes, independently of several risk factors, including the components of the metabolic syndrome.
Imagining Nature Politics in the Era of Australia's Emerging Market in Environmental Services Interventions
Authors: Verran Helen 
Published: September 2011

With the advent of environmental ‘governance by commission’, associated with evidence-based policy and market mechanisms, there is a need to (re)imagine Australia's nature politics. I identify two distinct domains of nature politics – one associated with distribution of goods produced in nature, and another concerned with constituting nature itself. The paper offers two analytically distinct readings of a tender bids hearing to select a contractor to assemble a diagnostic design for a government funded project of river rehabilitation. The tool that enables these incommensurable accounts is a purposefully crafted ethnographic story of the hearing. These dual readings engage alternative framings in order to see alternative political domains. The first reading mobilises an orthodox relativising framing to show a familiar politics evident in the competition for the contract; a politics over the distribution of goods produced from nature. This can be read as a politics over valuing nature. The second reading, proposing an alternative nature politics that should be understood as sitting alongside, utilises an alternative analytic framing. It offers a reading of the tender bids hearing as a politics contesting the form of the entities that should order Australian nature. In concluding I propose that the juxtaposed alternative readings, analyses made with disparate explicit metaphysical commitments, which reveal separate but connected political domains, constitute a politics of imagination, and ask how to configure the analyst who can engage such a politics?
Government Size, the Role of Commitments*
Authors: Albanese Giuseppe , Modica Salvatore 
Published: September 2011

AbstractWe explore the hypothesis that long‐term commitments affect the dynamics of government expenditure. With the aid of a simple median‐voter model we interpret the pattern of increasing‐then‐constant tax rates observed in OECD countries in the second half of the last century: persistence of public expenditure and a lower bound on new interventions will push government size upward, and preferences of the electorate put a halt to this growth at some point. In this view, the fiscal policy variable is seen to consist of only a part of the total expenditure, the rest being predetermined by its past level.
Estimating carnivoran diets using a combination of carcass observations and scats from GPS clusters
Authors: Tambling C. J. , Laurence S. D. , Bellan S. E. , Cameron E. Z. , du Toit J. T. , Getz W. M. 
Published: September 2011

AbstractScat analysis is one of the most frequently used methods to assess carnivoran diets, and global positioning system (GPS) cluster methods are increasingly being used to locate feeding sites for large carnivorans. However, both methods have inherent biases that limit their use. GPS methods to locate kill sites are biased towards large carcasses, while scat analysis overestimates the biomass consumed from smaller prey. We combined carcass observations and scats collected along known movement routes, assessed using GPS data from four African lion Panthera leo prides in the Kruger National Park, South Africa, to determine how a combination of these two datasets change diet estimates. As expected, using carcasses alone underestimated the number of feeding events on small species, primarily impala Aepyceros melampus and warthog Phacochoerus africanus, in our case, by more than 50%, and thus significantly underestimated the biomass consumed per pride per day in comparison with when the diet was assessed using carcass observations alone. We show that an approach that supplements carcass observations with scats that enables the identification of potentially missed feeding events increases the estimates of food intake rates for large carnivorans, with possible ramifications for predator–prey interaction studies dealing with biomass intake rate.
Who Values Information from a Health Plan Internet‐Based Decision Tool and Why: A Demographic and Utilization Analysis
Authors: Chen Song , Karaca‐Mandic Pinar , Levin Regina 
Published: September 2011

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to investigate factors associated with utilization of health plan Internet‐based decision tools.Data Sources and Study SettingEnrollment, claims, plan design, and web transaction data during 2008 provided by a national health insurer for 253,398 subscribers from 919 employers.Study DesignMultivariate models of the effects of demographic, health, employer, and plan benefit design characteristics on the use of the tool and its individual function categories.Data Extraction MethodsSubscribers, who were either an individual member or a family, were included if at least one family member had 12 months of coverage in 2008. Members older than 65 and those with multiple insurance carriers were excluded.Principal FindingsHigher education, higher income, younger age, female gender, higher co‐morbidity risk, prevalence of chronic conditions, Caucasian race, and English as the primary language were positively associated with using the tool. Plan benefit characteristics such as free preventive coverage, higher deductible, moderate coinsurance rate, family coverage, and enrollment in health savings accounts were also associated with higher likelihood of using the tool.ConclusionsInsurers provide consumers information on cost efficiency, quality, and wellness through Internet‐based decision tools, but more effort is needed to reach certain demographics.
Nighttime Blood Pressure in Cluster Headache
Authors: Santos Lasaosa Sonia , Navarro Calzada Jorge , Velázquez Benito Alba , Pérez Lázaro Cristina 
Published: September 2011

Background.— It has been proposed that desaturation of oxygen during an apnea event is the trigger for cluster headache. Obstructive sleep apnea has been associated with a higher than normal cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Some obstructive sleep apnea syndrome patients lack the sleep‐related, nocturnal decrease, or “dip” in blood pressure, which is seen in normal individuals.Objective.— The aim of this study is to assess whether this non‐dipper pattern is present in cluster headache patients.Design and Methods.— A total of 30 normotensive cluster headache patients underwent an ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. “Non dippers” were defined as patients with a nighttime mean blood pressure fall <10%.Results.— Fifteen cluster headache patients (50%) were non‐dippers, a frequency higher than expected. The pattern of nocturnal non‐dipping is associated with a higher body mass index. Non‐dipper patients displayed higher mean nighttime systolic and diastolic blood pressure. No significant difference was observed in the mean 24‐hour and daytime blood pressure.Conclusions.— The high incidence (50%) of non‐dipper pattern in both processes, cluster headache and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, provides support for the hypothesis of a relationship between theses 2 disorders.
Aging and Left Ventricular Mass and Function in People with End‐Stage Renal Disease
Authors: Tripepi Giovanni , Mattace‐Raso Francesco , Sijbrands Eric , Witteman Jacqueline , Rapisarda Francesco , Malatino Lorenzo , Mallamaci Francesca , Zoccali Carmine 
Published: September 2011

OBJECTIVES: To identify the main age‐related factors responsible for cardiomyopathy in people with end‐stage renal disease (ESRD).
DESIGN: Cross‐sectional.
SETTING: Dialysis unit.
PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred fifty‐four individuals undergoing chronic dialysis.
MEASUREMENTS: Left ventricular (LV) systolic function (assessed according to midwall fractional shortening (mwFS)) and LV mass index (LVMI).
RESULTS: At echocardiography, 196 (77%) participants displayed LV hypertrophy (LVH) and 123 (48%) had LV systolic dysfunction. On univariate analysis, age was related directly to LVMI (correlation coefficient (r)=0.33, P<.001) and inversely to mwFS (r=−0.23, P<.001) and a 10‐year increase in age was associated with 4.2‐g/m2.7 greater LVMI and 0.5% lower mwFS. Albumin, pulse pressure, cardiovascular comorbidities, and C‐reactive protein were age‐related risk factors for LVMI and mwFS, whereas hemoglobin was an age‐dependent risk factor only for LVMI and heart rate and diabetes mellitus only for mwFS. After adjusting for age‐related risk factors, the predictive value of age for cardiomyopathy was substantially less (–67%) and the age‐dependent variability in LVMI and mwFS was much attenuated (−61%), and neither was significant.
CONCLUSION: This study suggests that in people with ESRD, the relationship between age and cardiomyopathy is largely dependent on age‐related risk factors and that interventions focused on modifiable risk factors linked to age (e.g., malnutrition and inflammation) could attenuate the detrimental effect of aging on cardiovascular risk in the dialysis population.
Piezoelectric Materials for High Temperature Sensors
Authors: Zhang Shujun , Yu Fapeng 
Published: September 2011

Piezoelectric materials that can function at high temperatures without failure are desired for structural health monitoring and/or nondestructive evaluation of the next generation turbines, more efficient jet engines, steam, and nuclear/electrical power plants. The operational temperature range of smart transducers is limited by the sensing capability of the piezoelectric material at elevated temperatures, increased conductivity and mechanical attenuation, variation of the piezoelectric properties with temperature. This article discusses properties relevant to sensor applications, including piezoelectric materials that are commercially available and those that are under development. Compared to ferroelectric polycrystalline materials, piezoelectric single crystals avoid domain‐related aging behavior, while possessing high electrical resistivities and low losses, with excellent thermal property stability. Of particular interest is oxyborate [ReCa4O (BO3)3] single crystals for ultrahigh temperature applications (>1000°C). These crystals offer piezoelectric coefficients deff, and electromechanical coupling factors keff, on the order of 3–16 pC/N and 6%–31%, respectively, significantly higher than those values of α‐quartz piezocrystals (~2 pC/N and 8%). Furthermore, the absence of phase transitions prior to their melting points ~1500°C, together with ultrahigh electrical resistivities (>106 Ω·cm at 1000°C) and thermal stability of piezoelectric properties (< 20% variations in the range of room temperature ~1000°C), allow potential operation at extreme temperature and harsh environments.
Influence of surface treatments on the flexural strength of denture base repair
Authors: de Paula Pereira Rodrigo , Delfino Carina Sinclér , Butignon Luis Eduardo , Vaz Marcos André Kalabaide , Arioli‐Filho João Neudenir 
Published: September 2011

doi: 10.1111/j.1741‐2358.2011.00454.xInfluence of surface treatments on the flexural strength of denture base repairObjective:  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the flexural strength of repairs made with autopolymerising acrylic resin after different treatments of joint surfaces.Material and Methods:  Fifty rectangular specimens were made with heat‐polymerised acrylic resin and 40 were repaired with autopolymerising acrylic resin following joint surface treatments: group 1 (intact specimens), group 2 (chemical treatment: wetting with methyl‐methacrylate for 180 s), group 3 (abraded with silicon carbide paper), group 4 (abraded and wetting with methyl‐methacrylate for 180 s) and group 5 (without surface treatment). The flexural strength was measured by a three‐point bending test using a universal testing machine with a 100 Kgf load cell in the centre of repair at 5 mm/min cross‐head speed. All data were analysed using one‐way anova and Tukey HSD test for multiple comparisons (p < 0.05).Results:  Among repaired specimens, groups 2 and 4 had 66.53 ± 3.4 and 69.38 ± 1.8 MPa mean values and were similar. These groups had superior flexural strength than groups 3 and 5 that were similar and had 54.11 ± 3.4 and 51.24 ± 2.8 MPa mean values, respectively. Group 1 had a mean value of 108.30 ± 2.8 MPa being the highest result.Conclusion:  It can be concluded that the treatment of the joint surfaces with methyl‐methacrylate increases the flexural strength of denture base repairs, although the strength is still lower than that observed for the intact denture base resin. Abrasion with sandpaper was not able to influence the flexural strength of repaired denture bases.
The Importance of Sexual Self-Disclosure to Sexual Satisfaction and Functioning in Committed Relationships
Authors: Rehman Uzma S. , Rellini Alessandra H. , Fallis Erin 
Published: September 2011

ABSTRACT

Introduction
Past research indicates that sexual self-disclosure, or the degree to which an individual is open with his or her partner about sexual preferences, is a key aspect of sexual satisfaction and that partner's lack of knowledge about one's sexual preferences is associated with persistent sexual dysfunction.

Aims
To replicate and extend past research by examining (i) how one's own levels of sexual self-disclosure are related to one's own sexual health (after controlling for partner's levels of sexual self-disclosure); (ii) how one's partner's levels of sexual self-disclosure are associated with one's own sexual health (after controlling for one's own levels of sexual self-disclosure); and (iii) whether gender moderates the associations between sexual self-disclosure and sexual health.

Main Outcome Measures
Scores from the Golombok Rust Inventory of Sexual Satisfaction and the Sexual Communication Satisfaction Scale.

Methods
A cross-sectional dyadic study using a convenience sample of 91 heterosexual couples in long-term committed relationships. Data were analyzed using the Actor–Partner Interdependence Model.

Results
One's own level of sexual self-disclosure is positively associated with one's own sexual satisfaction, β = −0.24, t(172.85) = −3.50, P &lt; 0.001. Furthermore, partner's level of sexual self-disclosure is associated with men's sexual satisfaction but not with women's sexual satisfaction, β = −0.45, t(86.81) = −4.06, P &lt; 0.001 and β = 0.02, t(87.00) = 0.20, ns, respectively. The association between own self-disclosure and sexual problems is stronger for women as compared with men, β = −0.72, t(87.00) = −6.31, P &lt; 0.001 and β = −0.24, t(86.27) = −3.04, P &lt; 0.01, respectively.

Conclusions
Our results demonstrate that sexual self-disclosure is significantly associated with sexual satisfaction and functioning for both men and women, albeit in different ways. Our findings underscore the importance of sexual self-disclosure and highlight the importance of the interpersonal level of analysis in understanding human sexuality.