bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of a long‐term oral l‐arginine supplementation on glucose metabolism: a randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial
Authors: Monti L. D. , Setola E. , Lucotti P. C. G. , Marrocco‐Trischitta M. M. , Comola M. , Galluccio E. , Poggi A. , Mammì S. , Catapano A. L. , Comi G. , Chiesa R. , Bosi E. , Piatti P. M. 
Published: May 2012

Aim: This study assessed the efficacy of long‐term l‐arginine (l‐arg) therapy in preventing or delaying type 2 diabetes mellitus.Methods: A mono‐centre, randomized, double‐blind, parallel‐group, placebo‐controlled, phase III trial (l‐arg trial) was conducted on 144 individuals affected by impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and metabolic syndrome (MS). l‐Arg/placebo was administered (6.4 g/day) on a background structured lifestyle intervention for 18 months plus a 12‐month extended follow‐up period after study drug termination. Fasting glucose levels and glucose tolerance after oral glucose tolerance test were evaluated throughout the study.Results: After 18 months, l‐arg as compared with placebo did not reduce the cumulative incidence of diabetes [21.4 and 20.8%, respectively, hazard ratio (HR), 1.04; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.58–1.86] while the cumulative probability to become normal glucose tolerant (NGT) increased (42.4 and 22.1%, respectively, HR, 2.60; 95% CI, 1.51–4.46, p < 0.001). The higher cumulative probability to become of NGT was maintained during the extended period in subjects previously treated with l‐arg (HR, 3.21; 95% CI, 1.87–5.51; p < 0.001). At the end of the extended period, the cumulative incidence of diabetes in subjects previously treated with l‐arg was reduced as compared with placebo (27.2 and 47.1%, respectively, HR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.24–0.75, p < 0.05). During both periods, l‐arg significantly improved insulin sensitivity and β‐cell function.Conclusion: Among persons with IGT and MS, the supplementation of l‐arg for 18 months does not significantly reduce the incidence of diabetes but does significantly increase regression to NGT.
Meta‐Ethical Realism with Good of a Kind
Authors: Blackman Reid D. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractThere is a difference between an object's being good simpliciter and an object's being good of its kind, and the vast majority of philosophers have supposed that it is the former variety of goodness that is relevant to ethics. I argue that one may be a meta‐ethical realist while employing the notion of good of a kind to the exclusion of good simpliciter; I call such a viewkindism. I distinguish between two varieties of kindism, explicate the details of one of those varieties, and defend (that variety of) kindism against possible objections.
Feminisation of poverty in 12 welfare states: Consolidating cross‐regime variations?
Authors: Kim Jin Wook , Choi Young Jun 
Published: May 2012

Kim JW, Choi YJ. Feminisation of poverty in 12 welfare states: consolidating cross‐regime variations?According to some theorists, the feminisation of poverty has become a common feature in the majority of advanced welfare states, but there have been very few attempts to provide a detailed picture from a comparative perspective. Considering this background, the aim of present study was to illuminate the feminisation of poverty in 12 welfare states between the 1980s and the 2000s and to analyse whether there has been any convergence or divergence between these welfare states. The scope and depth of the feminisation of poverty and the changing role of welfare states were assessed via an analysis of the antipoverty role of public transfers in each country. Using the Luxembourg Income Study dataset, this article argues that while the feminisation of poverty has been slowed down and even reversed in certain cases, cross‐regime differences have become increasingly visible.
The Sustainability of a Financialized Urban Megaproject: The Case of Sihlcity in Zurich
Authors: Theurillat Thierry , Crevoisier Olivier 
Published: May 2012

AbstractFinancialization and sustainable urban planning are now two major components of urban production and landscape change in Western cities. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how the intervention of financial actors influences urban sustainability in the building of megaprojects, by developing a conceptual framework for analysis and interpretation. This framework aims first to examine the way in which sustainability has been produced by the different actors involved in a real‐life situation, and then to place these interactions in their institutional, spatial and temporal context. Consequently, sustainability is understood as a social construct which is the object of negotiations that have led to the making of institutional arrangements in order to allow the project to be carried through. This framework has been constructed from the financial geography and urban geography literature on ‘finance, the city and sustainability’ and from a case study. The latter looks at the regeneration of a brownfield site to create a shopping and leisure complex that was the biggest in Switzerland and was purchased by financial actors.RésuméAujourd'hui, la financiarisation et l'urbanisme durable sont deux composantes majeures de la production urbaine et de la transformation du paysage des villes occidentales. L'objectif de l'article est de montrer comment l'intervention d'acteurs financiers influence la durabilité urbaine lors de la construction de mégaprojets à partir de la construction d'un cadre conceptuel, analytique et interprétatif. Ce dernier vise, d'une part, à examiner en situation la manière dont la durabilité a été produite par les différents acteurs impliqués, et d'autre part à situer ces interactions dans leur contexte institutionnel, spatial et temporel. La durabilité est par conséquent entendue comme une construction sociale ayant fait l'objet de négociations qui ont débouché sur un arrangement institutionnel pour que le projet puisse se réaliser. Ce cadre a été construit à partir de travaux en géographie de la finance et en géographie urbaine sur ‘finance, ville et durabilité’ et de l'étude de cas. Cette dernière porte sur la revitalisation d'une friche industrielle en un complexe commercial et de loisirs qui a été le plus grand de Suisse acheté par des acteurs financiers.
Innovations in Practice: Adolescent Mentalization‐Based Integrative Therapy (AMBIT) – a new integrated approach to working with the most hard to reach adolescents with severe complex mental health needs
Authors: Bevington Dickon , Fuggle Peter , Fonagy Peter , Target Mary , Asen Eia 
Published: May 2012

Background‘Hard to reach’ young people are associated by virtue of their serious, multiple, and complex needs, the difficulty of delivering effective help to them, and their poor long‐term outcomes. There is a lack of published evidence relating to the effectiveness of interventions directed at this group.MethodWe review these concerns and the options available to service commissioners and clinicians seeking, if not an evidence‐based approach then at least an evidence‐oriented one. A mentalization‐based multimodal intervention (AMBIT) is briefly described, proposing a new kind of specialist practitioner and taking a radically different approach to treatment manualization.ResultsA brief description is given of the different settings in which AMBIT is currently being developed, deployed, and evaluated, and of lessons learned.ConclusionsAMBIT offers promise as an evolving ‘open source’ framework supporting development of evidence‐based local practice in chaotic complex settings.
The effect of inflation‐induced demand and trade credit on ordering policy of exponentially deteriorating and imperfect quality items
Authors: Jain Divya , Aggarwal Kishor Kumar 
Published: May 2012

AbstractThis paper develops an inventory model for exponentially deteriorating and imperfect quality items when a trade credit is offered by the supplier. As it has been seen that the changing rates of inflation do not just have an effect on the ordered quantity but they also stimulate the demand for products, so this paper considers the combined effect of inflation, deterioration, imperfect quality and ‘’ trade credit policy on the economic ordering policy using a discounted cash flow (DCF) approach. In the study, mathematical models are derived under two different circumstances, i.e., Case I: When the discount offered by the supplier with a condition of making the payment by a specified period, M1 is accepted; and Case II: Discount is not taken and instead the payment is made by the end of the full credit period M (M > M1). Finally, a numerical example demonstrating the applicability of the proposed model has been included.
Paraquat research: do recent advances in limiting its toxicity make its use safer?
Authors: Baltazar Teresa , Dinis‐Oliveira Ricardo Jorge , Duarte José Alberto , de Lourdes Bastos Maria , Carvalho Félix 
Published: May 2012

The use of the herbicide paraquat (1,1′‐dimethyl‐4,4′‐bipyridylium dichloride; PQ) has been fiercely challenged due to its severe acute toxicity, putative neurotoxicity after long‐term exposure and lack of antidotes. Breakthrough research on PQ is therefore required for an effective risk control and to allow a safer use of PQ in the future. The silencing or inhibition of quinone oxidoreductase 2, a NAD(P)H‐independent flavoenzyme, was shown to significantly attenuate PQ toxicity in vitro, in primary pneumocytes and astroglial U373 cells, and to strongly antagonize PQ‐induced systemic toxicity and animal mortality. The novel results reported in this issue of BJP, added to recent findings using sodium salicylate and lysine acetylsalicylate, in which full survival of PQ‐intoxicated rats was also achieved, open the door for new preventative and therapeutic strategies that may lead to safer use of this effective pesticide.LINKED ARTICLE This article is a commentary on Janda et al., pp. 46–59 of this issue. To view this paper visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1476‐5381.2012.01870.x
GPR18 in microglia: implications for the CNS and endocannabinoid system signalling
Authors: McHugh D 
Published: May 2012

A review of what is presently known about the G protein coupled receptor GPR18 in terms of its expression and distribution, pharmacology and potential implications for central nervous system and endocannabinoid system signalling.LINKED ARTICLES This article is part of a themed section on Cannabinoids. To view the other articles in this section visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bph.2012.167.issue‐8
Consensus principles for wound care research obtained using a Delphi process
Authors: Serena Thomas , Bates‐Jensen Barbara , Carter Marissa J. , Cordrey Renee , Driver Vickie , Fife Caroline E. , Haser Paul B. , Krasner Diane , Nusgart Marcia , Smith Adrianne P. S. , Snyder Robert J. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractToo many wound care research studies are poorly designed, badly executed, and missing crucial data. The objective of this study is to create a series of principles for all stakeholders involved in clinical or comparative effectiveness research in wound healing. The Delphi approach was used to reach consensus, using a web‐based survey for survey participants and face‐to‐face conferences for expert panel members. Expert panel (11 members) and 115 wound care researchers (respondents) drawn from 15 different organizations. Principles were rated for validity using 5‐point Likert scales and comments. A 66% response rate was achieved in the first Delphi round from the 173 invited survey participants. The response rate for the second Delphi round was 46%. The most common wound care researcher profile was age 46–55 years, a wound care clinic setting, and >10 years' wound care research and clinical experience. Of the initial 17 principles created by the panel, only four principles were not endorsed in Delphi round 1 with another four not requiring revision. Of the 14 principles assessed by respondents in the second Delphi round, only one principle was not endorsed and it was revised; four other principles also needed revision based on the use of specific words or contextual use. Of the 19 final principles, three included detailed numbered lists. With the wide variation in design, conduct, and reporting of wound care research studies, it is hoped that these principles will improve the standard and practice of care in this field.
Topical insulin application improves healing by regulating the wound inflammatory response
Authors: Chen Xuelian , Liu Yan , Zhang Xiong 
Published: May 2012

AbstractInflammation, the initiating stage of wound healing, is characterized by increased endothelial permeability, infiltration of inflammatory cells, and secretion of numerous growth factors and chemokines. By controlling wound contamination and infection, as well as inducing the repairing process, inflammatory response plays an irreplaceable role during wound healing. We utilized a variety of approaches to observe the effect of insulin on wound inflammatory response, specifically the effect of insulin on the function of wound macrophages. We also investigated whether insulin‐regulated inflammatory response contributed to insulin‐induced healing. Mice excisional wounds treated with insulin showed advanced infiltration and resolution of macrophages, which correlated with the expression of monocyte chemotactic protein‐1, a potent chemotactic factor for macrophages. Blockage of monocyte chemotactic protein‐1 resulted in reduced macrophages infiltration and impaired wound healing despite the presence of insulin. In vitro studies showed insulin‐facilitated monocytes/macrophages chemotaxis, pinocytosis/phagocytosis, and secretion of inflammatory mediators as well. Our study strongly suggests that insulin is a potent healing accelerant. Regulating wound inflammatory response, especially the quantity and function of macrophages, is one of the mechanisms explaining insulin‐induced accelerated wound healing.
Time course study of delayed wound healing in a biofilm‐challenged diabetic mouse model
Authors: Zhao Ge , Usui Marcia L. , Underwood Robert A. , Singh Pradeep K. , James Garth A. , Stewart Philip S. , Fleckman Philip , Olerud John E. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractBacterial biofilm has been shown to play a role in delaying wound healing of chronic wounds, a major medical problem that results in significant health care burden. A reproducible animal model could be very valuable for studying the mechanism and management of chronic wounds. Our previous work showed that Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PAO1) biofilm challenge on wounds in diabetic (db/db) mice significantly delayed wound healing. In this wound time course study, we further characterize the bacterial burden, delayed wound healing, and certain aspects of the host inflammatory response in the PAO1 biofilm‐challenged db/db mouse model. PAO1 biofilms were transferred onto 2‐day‐old wounds created on the dorsal surface of db/db mice. Control wounds without biofilm challenge healed by 4 weeks, consistent with previous studies; none of the biofilm‐challenged wounds healed by 4 weeks. Of the biofilm‐challenged wounds, 64% healed by 6 weeks, and all of the biofilm‐challenged wounds healed by 8 weeks. During the wound‐healing process, P. aeruginosa was gradually cleared from the wounds while the presence of Staphylococcus aureus (part of the normal mouse skin flora) increased. Scabs from all unhealed wounds contained 107 P. aeruginosa, which was 100‐fold higher than the counts isolated from wound beds (i.e., 99% of the P. aeruginosa was in the scab). Histology and genetic analysis showed proliferative epidermis, deficient vascularization, and increased inflammatory cytokines. Hypoxia inducible factor expression increased threefold in 4‐week wounds. In summary, our study shows that biofilm‐challenged wounds typically heal in approximately 6 weeks, at least 2 weeks longer than nonbiofilm‐challenged normal wounds. These data suggest that this delayed wound healing model enables the in vivo study of bacterial biofilm responses to host defenses and the effects of biofilms on host wound healing pathways. It may also be used to test antibiofilm strategies for treating chronic wounds.
Rapid enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of antibodies against human neutrophil antigens ‐1a, ‐1b, and ‐1c
Authors: Werth Silke , Bayat Behnaz , Tjahjono Yudy , Eskandar John , Berghöfer Heike , Bein Gregor , Sachs Ulrich J. , Santoso Sentot 
Published: May 2012

BACKGROUND: Several methods exist for the detection of neutrophil antibodies; most of them, however, require fresh neutrophils. In this study, an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using recombinant HNA‐1 antigens (rHNAs) was developed to detect HNA‐1a, ‐1b, and ‐1c alloantibodies in serum samples.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Soluble rHNA‐1a, ‐1b, and ‐1c were isolated from culture supernatant of transfected insect cells. Purified rHNA antigens were immobilized on microtiter wells using antibody against V5‐Tag protein. Sera were added, and bound antibodies were detected by enzyme‐labeled secondary antibodies. In parallel, monoclonal antibody–immobilized granulocyte antigen (MAIGA) was performed with two different monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) against FcγRIIIb (3G8 and BW209).RESULTS: Fifteen MAIGA‐positive sera containing HNA‐1a alloantibodies were tested in ELISA. Thirteen of 15 (86.7%) MAIGA‐positive sera captured by MoAbs 3G8 and/or BW209 reacted specifically with rHNA‐1a. Four (26.7%) HNA‐1a sera showed additional reaction with rHNA‐1c. When anti‐HNA‐1b alloantibodies were analyzed in ELISA, 13 of 15 (86.7%) showed specific positive reaction with rHNA‐1b, and 12 of 15 (80.0%) cross‐reacted with rHNA‐1c. Two HNA‐1c sera reacted specifically with rHNA‐1c. Immunoprecipitation analysis of all ELISA‐negative HNA‐1a and ‐1b sera did not show any specific band indicating false‐positive reaction of these sera in MAIGA assay.CONCLUSIONS: These results suggested that rapid ELISA using recombinant neutrophil antigens may provide a valuable method for rapid screening of human alloantibodies against HNA‐1a, ‐1b, and ‐1c in patients with neutropenia and in blood donors.
Validation of human monoclonal HLA Class I antibodies to evaluate the kinetics of donor chimerism in different cell subsets after double‐cord‐blood transplantation in the NOD/SCID model
Authors: van Hensbergen Yvette , Mulder Arend , Cornelissen Jan J. , Brand Anneke 
Published: May 2012

BACKGROUND: Double‐cord‐blood transplantation (DCBT) in patients is typically accompanied by predominance of a single unit. The causative mechanism, however, is unknown. Identifying the dynamics of mixed donor chimerism in general and in specific subpopulations may help to resolve this question. We conducted studies in a mouse model to develop a new analytic method using anti‐human HLA Class I allele–specific monoclonal antibodies (HLA‐MoAbs) in flow cytometry.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Single‐cord‐blood transplantation or DCBT from HLA‐mismatched donors was performed in NOD/SCID mice. Bone marrow (BM) and peripheral blood were collected from 3 to 20 weeks after transplantation. Donor chimerism was determined quantitatively within human platelets (hPLTs), human CD45+ (hCD45+) cells, and human myeloid and lymphocyte subsets by flow cytometry.RESULTS: Both cord donors stably engrafted in NOD/SCID. The sensitivity to detect chimerism measured with all HLA‐MoAbs was 1% (>10 cells/µL). In mouse BM, the percentage of human cells measured with hCD45+ versus HLA‐MoAbs correlated excellently (r = 0.999). Donor origin could be defined with HLA‐MoAbs for nearly all (>93.6%) human cells in mouse peripheral blood and BM in all lineages. Chimerism of hPLTs in peripheral blood correlated well with hCD45+ cells in BM enabling frequent measurement of chimerism from early after transplantation onward.CONCLUSION: This approach using HLA‐MoAbs enables longitudinal analysis of double‐mixed human chimeric populations despite low absolute concentrations of human hematopoietic cell subsets in peripheral blood and BM in mice. Lacking reactivity with mouse cells, the HLA‐MoAbs are suitable for use in other mouse models and in humans to identify the mechanisms involved in DCBT.
Plasma expander and blood storage effects on capillary perfusion in transfusion after hemorrhage
Authors: Hightower C. Makena , Salazar Vázquez Beatriz Y. , Cabrales Pedro , Tsai Amy G. , Acharya Seetharama A. , Intaglietta Marcos 
Published: May 2012

BACKGROUND: Treating hemorrhage with blood transfusions in subjects previously hemodiluted with different colloidal plasma expanders, using fresh autologous blood or blood that has been stored for 2 weeks, allows identifying the interaction between type of plasma expander and differences in blood storage.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Studies used the hamster window chamber model. Fresh autologous plasma, 130‐kDa starch‐based plasma expander (hydroxyethyl starch [HES]), or 4% polyethylene glycol–conjugated albumin (PEG‐Alb) was used for 20% of blood volume (BV) hemodilution. Hemodilution was followed by a 55% by BV 40‐minute hemorrhagic shock period, treated with transfusion of fresh or blood that was stored for 2 weeks. Outcome was evaluated 1 hour after blood transfusion in terms of microvascular and systemic variables.RESULTS: Results were principally dependent on the type of colloidal solution used during hemodilution, 4% PEG‐Alb yielding the best microvascular recovery evaluated in terms of the functional capillary density. This result was consistent whether fresh blood or stored blood was used in treating the subsequent shock period. Fresh blood results were significantly better in systemic and microvascular terms relative to stored blood. HES and fresh plasma hemodilution yielded less favorable results, a difference that was enhanced when fresh versus stored blood was compared in their efficacy of correcting the subsequent hemorrhage.CONCLUSION: The type of plasma expander used for hemodilution influences the short‐term outcome of subsequent volume resuscitation using blood transfusion, 4% PEG‐Alb providing the most favorable outcome by comparison to HES or fresh plasma.
The Limits of Diagnosis: Sex, Law, and Psychiatry in a Case of Contested Marriage
Authors: Pinto Sarah 
Published: May 2012

AbstractIn India, psychiatrists are often called on to offer diagnostic evaluations in cases of contested marriage, providing a form of adjudication at the crux of medicine, law, and kin‐life. In this article I consider one such case, asking how its complexities expose fissures in the structures of knowledge that attend to damaged sexual subjects. Suggesting that a “hermeneutics of discord”—forming an account out of several contradictory stories—offers insight into kinship relations as they are refashioned in the shadow of authoritative agents, I ask, what are the gendered stakes of the relationship of law to medicine? What kind of “truth” is possible at this juncture? And what disciplinary capacities are engaged and delimited in the social process of diagnosis (not just its ends)? [gender, psychiatry, law, mental illness, marriage, kinship]
Translating Love
Authors: Dureau Christine 
Published: May 2012

AbstractThis article addresses relationships between personal experience and cross‐cultural understanding of maternal love. I analyze claims of mutual maternal understanding by women on Simbo, Western Solomon Islands, highlighting the contexts in which they expressed love in compassionate terms and the interplay of fieldwork intersubjectivity. Although assumptions of a priori emotional comprehension grounded in apparently similar experiences are problematic, it is possible to develop degrees of mutual emotional knowledge through the exchanges of participant‐observation. The concept of “emotional communities” serves as a fruitful way of conceptualizing both the diverse contexts in which people express aspects of taru (love) and the emotional engagement of cross‐cultural fieldwork. [emotion, motherhood, Solomon Islands, intersubjectivity, emotional communities, fieldwork]