bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Analysis of cases with cesarean scar pregnancy
Authors: Zhang Yu , Gu Yan , Wang Jian‐Mei , Li Yi 
Published: May 2012

AbstractAim:  To discuss the early diagnosis and effective treatment strategy of cesarean scar pregnancy (CSP).Material and Methods:  We reviewed 17 patients in our department diagnosed with CSP between 2005 and 2010, including clinical characteristics, early diagnosis, treatment methods, side‐effects and prognosis.Results:  The average duration of gestation at diagnosis was 46 days (range 37–82) and the interval between CSP and last cesarean scar was 6 years (range 2–15). Fourteen (82%) patients presented with slight vaginal bleeding and two (12%) complained of abdominal discomfort. Fourteen patients were diagnosed with CSP by transvaginal color Doppler ultrasonography (TVCDUS). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed in two cases of CSP when the diagnosis by TVCDUS was difficult. One patient was diagnosed by histological examination of hysterectomy specimens due to life‐threatening bleeding during curettage. Seven patients initially diagnosed with CSP before pregnancy termination were treated conservatively to preserve the uterus without causing maternal complications, ten patients underwent curettage due to incorrect diagnosis, eight patients had excessive vaginal bleeding during curettage and three patients underwent emergency hysterectomy due to hypovolemic shock.Conclusion:  CSP does not have any specific symptoms and can be easily diagnosed incorrectly. Confirmation of a portion of gestational sac in the uterus is important and TVCDUS is the first‐line tool for early diagnosis of CSP. Physicians never perform curettage at diagnosis with CSP, but curettage after uterine artery embolism or methotrexate are better treatments of choice to terminate CSP.
Three‐dimensional conformal brachytherapy boost in locally recurrent or residual cervical carcinoma: Does it impact clinical outcome?
Authors: Bansal Vivek , Kumar Gaurav , Bhutani Ritu , Venkadamanickam Gurusamy , Sharma Surender Kumar , Sigamani Ashok Kumar , Shekhon Rupinder , Rawal Sudhir Kumar 
Published: May 2012

AbstractAim:  To analyze the influence of computed tomography (CT)‐guided 3D conformal interstitial brachytherapy (3D‐IBT) boost for better coverage of target volumes and study the diametric impact to organ at risk in patients with post‐surgery recurrent and residual cervical cancer.Material and Methods:  Fourteen consecutive patients with recurrent or residual cervical cancer who were treated with interstitial brachytherapy as a boost were included in the study. All patients received 50.4 Gy external radiation (EBRT) to whole pelvis with conformal technique to reduce the dose to bowel. The clinical target volume (CTV) and organs at risk were contoured on CT scan with gold seeds being a surrogate marker of initial tumor extent implanted before commencing treatment. The median dose of prescription was 10.5–12 Gy in 3 fractions. Dose volume histogram was calculated to evaluate the dose that covers 100% and 90% of the target volume and dose to the bladder, rectum and bowel (2 mL, 1 mL volume).Results:  The median follow‐up was 12 months (range 6–18). The doses to CTV (D90, D100) ranged from 1141 to 2014 cGy, and 585 to 969 cGy, respectively. The mean cumulative 2‐mL rectal, bladder and bowel doses were 66.70, 73.15 and 61.01 Gy, respectively. Rectal toxicity of grade 2 or more had a strong correlation with the dose delivered (Spearman's correlation, 0.950). The local control rate at one year was 92% with failure seen in one patient only.Conclusion:  Conformal EBRT supplemented with 3D‐IBT seems to be a practical and appropriate approach to give the most optimal therapeutic benefit with the least side‐effects in postoperative recurrent and residual cervical cancer patients.
Corpus luteum hemorrhage in a patient with aplastic anemia
Authors: Sun Wen‐Chao , Li Wei , Chen Qi‐Hui , Tong Jin‐Yi 
Published: May 2012

AbstractCorpus luteum hemorrhage may lead to a life‐threatening intraperitoneal hemorrhage in women with bleeding disorders. A 17‐year‐old girl with aplastic anemia presented to the emergency ward with complaints of severe abdominal pain for the last 24 h. On examination, she was noted to be pale with circulatory compromise. Transabdominal pelvic ultrasonography revealed a left complex adnexal mass, 6.9 × 5.1 × 5.1 cm3 in size, with a large anechoic area of fluid in the abdomen. On laparoscopic exploration, there was a massive hemoperitoneum (2.6 L) with a ruptured corpus luteum on the surface of the left ovary. Hemostatic electric coagulation was successfully applied to the bleeding surface. The patient recovered without incident and was transferred to a special hospital for blood disease treatment one week after surgery. We concluded that corpus luteum hemorrhage in women with aplastic anemia can cause therapeutic difficulties. Laparoscopy is feasible for the management of a massive intraperitoneal hemorrhage secondary to a ruptured corpus luteum in such patients.
Migratory pathways of GABAergic interneurons when they enter the neocortex
Authors: Tanaka Daisuke H. , Nakajima Kazunori 
Published: May 2012

AbstractInhibitory gamma‐aminobutyric‐acid‐containing interneurons play important roles in the functions of the neocortex. During rodent development, most neocortical interneurons are generated in the subpallium and migrate tangentially toward the neocortex. They migrate through multiple pathways to enter the neocortex. Failure of interneuron migration through these pathways during development leads to an abnormal distribution and abnormal functions of interneurons in the postnatal brain. Because of recent discoveries regarding the novel origins and migratory pathways of neocortical interneurons, in this article we review the literature on the migratory pathways of interneurons when they enter the neocortex.
Mild activation of poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerase (PARP) is neuroprotective in rat hippocampal slice models of ischemic tolerance
Authors: Gerace Elisabetta , Scartabelli Tania , Formentini Laura , Landucci Elisa , Moroni Flavio , Chiarugi Alberto , Pellegrini‐Giampietro Domenico E. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractIschemic tolerance is a phenomenon in which exposure to a mild preconditioning stress results in resistance to a subsequent lethal ischemic insult. Here we investigated the role of poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerase (PARP) in the development of ischemic tolerance by using organotypic rat hippocampal slices exposed to 30 min oxygen‐glucose deprivation (OGD), which leads to selective injury of the CA1 subregion 24 h later. We developed models of pharmacological preconditioning by exposing slices to subtoxic concentrations of either N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA) or (S)‐3,5‐dihydroxyphenylglycine (DHPG) and then, 24 h later, to 30 min OGD. Under these conditions, we observed a significant reduction in OGD‐induced CA1 damage. Exposure of slices to the PARP‐1 and ‐2 inhibitors TIQ‐A, PJ‐34 and UPF 1069 during preconditioning prevented the development of OGD tolerance in a concentration‐dependent manner. NMDA and DHPG preconditioning increased the activity of PARP, as detected by immunoblots using antibodies against the poly(ADP‐ribose) polymer product, but was not associated with consumption of cellular NAD+ or ATP. Neuroprotection induced by preconditioning was also prevented by the caspase inhibitor Z‐VAD‐FMK. The modest but significant increase in caspase‐3/7 induced by preconditioning, however, was not associated with PARP‐1 cleavage, as occurred with staurosporine. Finally, TIQ‐A prevented the activation of ERK1/2 and Akt induced by NMDA preconditioning, suggesting that the protective mechanism evoked by PARP requires activation of these prosurvival mediators. Our results suggest that preconditioning with appropriate pharmacological stimuli may promote neuroprotective mechanisms triggered by the sublethal activation of two otherwise deleterious executioners such as PARP and caspase‐3/7.
Intermediate fragmentation per se provides stable predator‐prey metapopulation dynamics
Authors: Cooper Jennifer K. , Li Jiqiu , Montagnes David J. S. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractThe extent to which a landscape is fragmented affects persistence of predator‐prey dynamics. Increasing fragmentation concomitantly imposes conditions that stabilise and destabilise metapopulations. For the first time, we explicitly assessed the hypothesis that intermediate levels provide optimal conditions for stability. We examine four structural changes arising from increased fragmentation: increased fragment number; decreased fragment size; increased connectedness (corridors scaled to fragment); increased fragment heterogeneity (based on connectedness). Using the model predator‐prey system (Didinium‐Paramecium) we support our hypothesis, by examining replicated metapopulations dynamics at five fragmentation levels. Although both species became extinct without fragmentation, prey survived at low and high levels, and both survived at intermediate levels. By examining time to extinction, maximum abundances, and population asynchrony we conclude that fragmentation produces structural heterogeneity (independent of environmental heterogeneity), which influences stability. Our analysis suggests why some theoretical, field and microcosm studies present conflicting views of fragmentation effects on population persistence.
Water–sediment niche differentiation in ancient marine lineages of Exiguobacterium endemic to the Cuatro Cienegas Basin
Authors: Rebollar Eria A. , Avitia Morena , Eguiarte Luis E. , González‐González Andrea , Mora Lucy , Bonilla‐Rosso Germán , Souza Valeria 
Published: May 2012

SummaryThe evolutionary history and ecological differentiation of the genus Exiguobacterium was characterized within natural communities from the Cuatro Cienegas Basin, Mexico. Exiguobacterium comprises both halophilic and alkaliphilic bacteria that are abundant among the aquatic systems of the Cuatro Cienegas Basin. We obtained complete sequences of the 16srRNA gene and partial sequences of four housekeeping genes (citC, rpoB, recA and hsp70) in 183 Exiguobacterium isolates retrieved from distinct aquatic systems. We defined three main phylogroups that are closely related to marine and thermophilic species of the genus. These phylogroups were neither specific to a given aquatic system nor to a particular salinity. Phylogenetic reconstruction indicated the presence of several small clusters within the phylogroups. These clusters consisted of isolates predominantly retrieved from sediment or water. Unifrac and AdaptML analyses confirmed this observation, pointing towards a clear pattern of differentiation linked to either sediment or water habitats. Our results are in line with the concept that niche differentiation is one of the main factors shaping prokaryotic populations and leading to evolutionary divergence.
Low‐ammonia niche of ammonia‐oxidizing archaea in rotating biological contactors of a municipal wastewater treatment plant
Authors: Sauder Laura A. , Peterse Francien , Schouten Stefan , Neufeld Josh D. 
Published: May 2012

SummaryThe first step of nitrification is catalysed by both ammonia‐oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA), but physicochemical controls on the relative abundance and function of these two groups are not yet fully understood, especially in freshwater environments. This study investigated ammonia‐oxidizing populations in nitrifying rotating biological contactors (RBCs) from a municipal wastewater treatment plant. Individual RBC stages are arranged in series, with nitrification at each stage creating an ammonia gradient along the flowpath. This RBC system provides a valuable experimental system for testing the hypothesis that ammonia concentration determines the relative abundance of AOA and AOB. The results demonstrate that AOA increased as ammonium decreased across the RBC flowpath, as indicated by qPCR for thaumarchaeal amoA and 16S rRNA genes, and core lipid (CL) and intact polar lipid (IPL) crenarchaeol abundances. Overall, there was a negative logarithmic relationship (R2 = 0.51) between ammonium concentration and the relative abundance of AOA amoA genes. A single AOA population was detected in the RBC biofilms; this phylotype shared low amoA and 16S rRNA gene homology with existing AOA cultures and enrichments. These results provide evidence that ammonia availability influences the relative abundances of AOA and AOB, and that AOA are abundant in some municipal wastewater treatment systems.
MRSA infections following colorectal surgery in an enhanced recovery programme
Authors: Phillips A. W. , Cranfield K. J. , Horgan A. F. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractAim  The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections in a cohort of patients undergoing elective colorectal resections within an enhanced recovery programme.Method  A prospective database of all patients undergoing colorectal resections by a single surgical team over a 3.5‐year period was reviewed. Demographics including age, gender, body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiologists classification, type of surgery (abdominal or pelvic) and whether or not the procedure was laparoscopic or open were analysed. All patients were screened preoperatively and postoperatively and on discharge for MRSA. Patients found preoperatively to be MRSA positive were excluded from the study.Results  In all, 186 patients underwent colorectal resection over the time reviewed. There were 113 laparoscopic resections, 70 open resections and three laparoscopic converted to open resections. Five patients (2.7%) were found to be MRSA positive postoperatively. All of these had open rather than laparoscopic surgery (P < 0.01). Length of stay for patients that had MRSA infections was significantly longer than those remaining MRSA free (P < 0.05).Conclusion  These results suggest that patients who successfully undergo laparoscopic colorectal resections within an enhanced recovery programme have a lower incidence of postoperative MRSA infections.
Characterization of structure and function of the mouse retina using pattern electroretinography, pupil light reflex, and optical coherence tomography
Authors: Mohan Kabhilan , Harper Matthew M. , Kecova Helga , Ye Eun‐Ah , Lazic Tatjana , Sakaguchi Donald S. , Kardon Randy H. , Grozdanic Sinisa D. ,   CR: BioMed Vision Technologies, Neuroptics Inc.
Published: May 2012

AbstractObjective  To perform in vivo analysis of retinal functional and structural parameters in healthy mouse eyes.Animal Studied  Adult C57BL/6 male mice (n = 37).Procedures  Retinal function was evaluated using pattern electroretinography (pERG) and the chromatic pupil light reflex (cPLR). Structural properties of the retina and nerve fiber layer (NFL) were evaluated using spectral‐domain optical coherence tomography (SD‐OCT).Results  The average pERG amplitudes were found to be 11.2 ± 0.7 μV (P50‐N95, mean ± SEM), with an implicit time for P50‐N95 interval of 90.4 ± 5.4 ms. Total retinal thickness was 229.5 ± 1.7 μm (mean ± SEM) in the area centralis region. The thickness of the retinal nerve fiber layer (mean ± SEM) using a circular peripapillary retinal scan centered on the optic nerve was 46.7 ± 0.9 μm (temporal), 46.1 ± 0.9 μm (superior), 45.8 ± 0.9 μm (nasal), and 48.4 ± 1 μm (inferior). The baseline pupil diameter was 2.1 ± 0.05 mm in darkness, and 1.1 ± 0.05 and 0.56 ± 0.03 mm after stimulation with red (630 nm, luminance 200 kcd/m2) or blue (480 nm, luminance 200 kcd/m2) light illumination, respectively.Conclusions  Pattern electroretinography, cPLR and SD‐OCT analysis are reproducible techniques, which can provide important information about retinal and optic nerve function and structure in mice.
Pre‐school children creating and communicating with digital technologies in the home
Authors: McPake Joanna , Plowman Lydia , Stephen Christine 
Published: May 2012

AbstractThere is a limited literature on pre‐school children's experiences withdigital technologiesat home and little discussion of the ways in which children harness these technologies for their own purposes. This paper discusses findings drawn from three studies that investigated the role ofdomestic technologiesanddigital toys and gamesin young children's lives. Specifically, it focuses on children's early communicative and creative experiences, concluding that digital technologies have the potential to expand young children's repertoire of activities in this context. It is therefore important that pre‐school and early years specialists recognise and respond to the expertise children will have already developed by the time they enter formal education, given the increasing technologisation of communicative and creative activities, likely to continue over the life course of those born at the start of the 21st century.Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topicYoung children's emergent communicative and creative competences in the early years represent valuable starting points for their more formal development—particularly in the context of early literacy—when they start school.What this paper addsThis paper explores ways in which these developing competences are supported bydomestic digital technologies—the wide and increasing range of technological tools, ranging from computers and mobile phones to MP3 players and technological toys and games available in the home.It concludes that digital technologies have the potential both to facilitate communicative and creative tasks and to expand young children's repertoires.Implications for practice and/or policyEarly years policy in the UK already draws attention to the need to build on the experiences children bring with them from home, including their experiences of using domestic digital technologies.Practitioners need to develop imaginative ways of responding to what children already know and can do with technology, in the context of communicating and creating, given the growing significance of digital technologies in these fields.
Exposure to environmental toxins and the risk of sporadic motor neuron disease: an expanded Australian case–control study
Authors: Pamphlett R. 
Published: May 2012

Background and purposeIt remains unclear what role environmental toxins play in sporadic motor neuron disease (SMND) and its most common subtype, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (SALS). Most previous studies of this issue have contained only small numbers of SMND cases. We sought to re‐examine possible associations between toxins and SMND in a large Australian case–control study.MethodsQuestionnaire data were available from 787 patients with SMND (614 with SALS) and 778 non‐related controls. Individuals were asked whether they had been exposed to metals or chemicals/solvents at work or to herbicides/pesticides. Chi‐square tests with odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated for responses, and significance levels were corrected for multiple testing.ResultsMen were more likely to acquire SALS if they worked with metals (OR = 1.95, 95% CI = 1.24–3.07) or chemicals/solvents (OR = 1.96, 95% CI = 1.46–2.61) or if they had been exposed to herbicides or pesticides (OR = 1.77, 95% CI = 1.30–2.39). Women who had worked with chemicals or solvents also appeared to be at increased risk of acquiring SALS (OR = 1.71, 95% CI = 1.22–2.40).ConclusionsThese results support previous reports that exposures to metals or chemicals are associated with SMND. A suggested protocol for future multinational studies of environmental toxins and SMND is presented.
Detection of microbleeds in post‐mortem brains of patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration: a 7.0‐Tesla magnetic resonance imaging study with neuropathological correlates
Authors: De Reuck J. , Deramecourt V. , Cordonnier C. , Auger F. , Durieux N. , Bordet R. , Maurage C. A. , Leys D. , Pasquier F. 
Published: May 2012

BackgroundMicrobleeds (MBs) are frequently detected in brains of patients with Alzheimer dementia and rare in those with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). This study investigates for the first time the topographic distribution of MBs on a T2*‐weighted gradient‐echo 7.0‐T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in post‐mortem FTLD brains.Patients and methodsThe neuropathological and MRI findings in 12 FTLD brains were compared with eight age‐matched controls. The presence of cerebrovascular lesions was evaluated on a coronal section of a cerebral hemisphere at the level of the mamillary body and on a horizontal section through pons and cerebellum. On MRI, the distribution and the number of cortical focal signal intensity losses, representing MBs, were assessed on coronal sections at the frontal, the central and the occipital level of a cerebral hemisphere.ResultsOverall, cerebrovascular lesions were rare. Only white matter damage was significantly more severe in FTLD brains compared with controls (P = 0.03). On MRI, MBs were only significantly prevalent in the deep cortical layers (P < 0.01) and borderline increased in the middle cortical layers (P = 0.07) of the frontal section.ConclusionsCerebrovascular lesions are rare in FTLD. The white matter damage has to be considered as part of the neurodegenerative process. MBs prevail in the frontal regions with the most severe neuronal damage and probably represent associated disruption of the blood–brain barrier.
Reduced release and binding of perforin at the immunological synapse underlies the age‐related decline in natural killer cell cytotoxicity
Authors: Hazeldine Jon , Hampson Peter , Lord Janet M. 
Published: May 2012

SummaryPhysiological aging is accompanied by a marked reduction in natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxicity (NKCC) at the single cell level, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. To address this issue, we isolated NK cells from healthy young (≤ 35 years) and old (≤ 60 years) subjects and examined the effect of age on events fundamental to the process of NKCC. Simultaneous assessment of NKCC and NK cell–target cell conjugate formation revealed a marked age‐associated decline in NK cell killing but comparable conjugate formation, indicating a post‐target cell binding defect was responsible for impaired NKCC. Despite a reduction in the proportion of NK cells expressing the activatory receptor NKp46, NK cells from old donors were not hyporesponsive to stimulation, as no age‐associated difference was observed in the expression of the early activation marker CD69 following target cell coculture. Furthermore, intracellular levels of the key cytotoxic effector molecules perforin and granzyme B, and the fusion of secretory lysosomes with the NK cell membrane were also similar between the two groups. However, when we examined the binding of the pore‐forming protein perforin to the surface of its target cell, an event that correlated strongly with target cell lysis, we found the percentage of perforin positive target cells was lower following coculture with NK cells from old subjects. Underlying this reduction in binding was an age‐associated impairment in perforin secretion, which was associated with defective polarization of lytic granules towards the immunological synapse. We propose that reduced perforin secretion underlies the reduction in NKCC that accompanies physiological aging.