bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Stewardship of the Spanish National Health System
Authors: Bankauskaite Vaida , Novinskey Christina M. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractAlong with resource generation, financing, and health service delivery, stewardship is a key health system function. However, very little empirical analysis has been carried out on it. This paper aims to fill this gap in the literature by assessing the Ministry of Health's (MoHs) role as a steward of the Spanish National Health System (NHS) after the 2001 decentralization reform of health care management to the Autonomous Communities. We use the following stewardship framework with six sub‐functions for the analysis, looking at the MoH's ability to: (1) formulate strategic policy framework; 2) ensure a fit between policy objectives and organizational structure and culture; (3) ensure tools for implementation; (4) build coalitions and partnerships; (5) generate intelligence, and (6) ensure accountability. We describe the stewardship function, identify existing challenges and issues in the Spanish case, and reflect upon methodological aspects of this exercise. We use reports, documents, articles, and official statistics to complete the analysis. Overall, we find the MoH to give an average performance in its role as the steward of the health system. The MoH has progressed particularly well in generating intelligence as well as formulating a strategic policy framework over recent years. However, it lacks the appropriate authority to efficiently coordinate the health system and to ensure that the Autonomous Communities implement policies that are in‐line with overall NHS objectives. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Meta‐analysis of observational studies of serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D levels and colorectal, breast and prostate cancer and colorectal adenoma
Authors: Gandini Sara , Boniol Mathieu , Haukka Jari , Byrnes Graham , Cox Brian , Sneyd Mary Jane , Mullie Patrick , Autier Philippe 
Published: May 2010

AbstractEpidemiological studies have suggested a reduced risk of several cancers associated with high vitamin D status. We performed a systematic review with meta‐analyses of observational studies of serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D level and colorectal, breast and prostate cancer and colonic adenoma. The literature of December 2009 was searched without language restriction. The meta‐regression analysis was done to compute dose‐response effects. Because in case‐control studies, serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D level is measured after the diagnosis of cancer, separate analyses for case‐control and prospective studies were done. We identified 35 independent studies. The seven studies on colorectal adenomas were heterogeneous in terms of endpoint and control for major confounding factors, and we did not perform a meta‐analysis of these data. The summary relative risk (SRR) and (95% confidence interval) for a 10 ng/ml increase in serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D was 0.85 (0.79; 0.91) for colorectal cancer (2,630 cases in 9 studies); 0.89 (0.81;0.98) for breast cancer (6,175 cases in 10 studies); and 0.99 (0.95;1.03) for prostate cancer (3,956 cases in 11 studies). For breast cancer, case‐control studies (3,030 cases) had major limitations and obtained SRR of 0.83 (0.79; 0.87) whereas SRR of prospective studies (3,145 cases) was 0.97 (0.92; 1.03). For colorectal and breast cancer, differences between cases and controls in the season of blood draw or in overweight/obesity or physical inactivity could not explain the results. In conclusion, a consistent inverse relationship between serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D levels and colorectal cancer was found. No association was found for breast and prostate cancer.
Mesenchymal stem cells enhance growth and metastasis of colon cancer
Authors: Shinagawa Kei , Kitadai Yasuhiko , Tanaka Miwako , Sumida Tomonori , Kodama Michiyo , Higashi Yukihito , Tanaka Shinji , Yasui Wataru , Chayama Kazuaki 
Published: May 2010

AbstractRecently, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were reported to migrate to tumor stroma as well as injured tissue. We examined the role of human MSCs in tumor stroma using an orthotopic nude mice model of KM12SM colon cancer. In in vivo experiments, systemically injected MSCs migrated to the stroma of orthotopic colon tumors and metastatic liver tumors. Orthotopic transplantation of KM12SM cells mixed with MSCs resulted in greater tumor weight than did transplantation of KM12SM cells alone. The survival rate was significantly lower in the mixed‐cell group, and liver metastasis was seen only in this group. Moreover, tumors resulting from transplantation of mixed cells had a significantly higher proliferating cell nuclear antigen labeling index, significantly greater microvessel area and significantly lower apoptotic index. Splenic injection of KM12SM cells mixed with MSCs, in comparison to splenic injection of KM12SM cells alone, resulted in a significantly greater number of liver metastases. MSCs incorporated into the stroma of primary and metastatic tumors expressed α‐smooth muscle actin and platelet‐derived growth factor receptor‐β as carcinoma‐associated fibroblast (CAF) markers. In in vitro experiments, KM12SM cells recruited MSCs, and MSCs stimulated migration and invasion of tumor cells through the release of soluble factors. Collectively, MSCs migrate and differentiate into CAFs in tumor stroma, and they promote growth and metastasis of colon cancer by enhancing angiogenesis, migration and invasion and by inhibiting apoptosis of tumor cells.
NF‐κ B‐dependent upregulation of ICAM‐1 by HPV16‐E6/E7 facilitates NK cell/target cell interaction
Authors: Textor Sonja , Accardi Rosita , Havlova Tereza , Hussain Ishraq , Sylla Bakary S. , Gissmann Lutz , Cerwenka Adelheid 
Published: May 2010

AbstractNK cell recognition of tumor cells is mediated by a delicate balance of signals received by MHC class I‐binding inhibitory NK cell receptors and activating NK cell receptors, which mainly bind to virus‐, stress‐ or tumor‐induced ligands. In addition, adhesion molecules such as the intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 (ICAM‐1) and its receptors, the lymphocyte function‐associated antigen‐1 (LFA‐1) and Mac‐1, are crucial for immune synapse formation and NK cell‐mediated killing. In this study, we show that expression of the adhesion molecule ICAM‐1 was rapidly induced by E6 and ‐E7 oncoproteins of HPV16, ‐18, ‐5 and ‐8, but not of HPV38 and ‐6 in primary human keratinocytes after retroviral transduction. ICAM‐1 was upregulated in E6E7‐expressing keratinocytes both at mRNA and protein levels. The observed ICAM‐1 upregulation in HPV16‐E6E7‐expressing keratinocytes was partially dependent on activation of the NF‐κB pathway. Importantly, the upregulated ICAM‐1 expression in HPV16‐E6E7‐expressing keratinocytes led to enhanced conjugate formation with NK cells. We previously showed that HPV16‐positive cervical carcinomas frequently express low levels of inhibitory NK cell ligands and high levels of activating NK cell ligands. Moreover, levels of the adhesion molecule ICAM‐1 are enhanced by HPV16‐E6/E7. Therefore, strategies that aim at harnessing NK cells might be beneficial for the treatment of cervical carcinoma.
A high‐performance parallel‐generalized born implementation enabled by tabulated interaction rescaling
Authors: Larsson Per , Lindahl Erik 
Published: May 2010

AbstractImplicit solvent representations, in general, and generalized Born models, in particular, provide an attractive way to reduce the number of interactions and degrees of freedom in a system. The instantaneous relaxation of the dielectric shielding provided by an implicit solvent model can be extremely efficient for high‐throughput and Monte Carlo studies, and a reduced system size can also remove a lot of statistical noise. Despite these advantages, it has been difficult for generalized Born implementations to significantly outperform optimized explicit‐water simulations due to more complex functional forms and the two extra interaction stages necessary to calculate Born radii and the derivative chain rule terms contributing to the force. Here, we present a method that uses a rescaling transformation to make the standard generalized Born expression a function of a single variable, which enables an efficient tabulated implementation on any modern CPU hardware. The total performance is within a factor 2 of simulations in vacuo. The algorithm has been implemented in Gromacs, including single‐instruction multiple‐data acceleration, for three different Born radius models and corresponding chain rule terms. We have also adapted the model to work with the virtual interaction sites commonly used for hydrogens to enable long‐time steps, which makes it possible to achieve a simulation performance of 0.86 μs/day for BBA5 with 1‐nm cutoff on a single quad‐core desktop processor. Finally, we have also implemented a set of streaming kernels without neighborlists to accelerate the non‐cutoff setup occasionally used for implicit solvent simulations of small systems. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2010
A highly efficient polymer‐anchored palladium(II) complex catalyst for hydrogenation, Heck cross‐coupling and cyanation reactions
Authors: Islam S.M. , Mondal Paramita , Tuhina Kazi , Roy Anupam Singha 
Published: May 2010

AbstractBACKGROUND: Precise architectures of steric and electronic properties of palladium species play a crucial role in designing highly functionalized catalyst systems responsible for target organic transformations. Pd catalysts supported on polymer materials have been employed extensively as catalysts not only for hydrogenation but also for coupling reactions in the production of fine chemicals.RESULTS: A new polymer‐anchored Pd(II) complex has been synthesized and characterized. The catalyst shows high catalytic activity in the hydrogenation of styrene oxide, Heck cross‐coupling and cyanation reactions of aryl halides. The effect of various reaction parameters were investigated to optimize reaction conditions. The catalytic system shows good activity in the hydrogenation of styrene oxide (conversion 98%) with a selectivity to 2‐phenylethanol (93%) which is higher than its homogeneous analogues. The catalyst also exhibits excellent catalytic activity for the Heck cross‐coupling and cyanation reactions of various substituted and non‐substituted aryl halides.CONCLUSIONS: Results demonstrate that the catalyst is robust and stable and can be recovered quantitatively by simple filtration and reused several times without loss of activity. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry
Recovery and preservation of phenols from olive waste in ethanolic extracts
Authors: Galanakis Charis M. , Tornberg Eva , Gekas Vassilis 
Published: May 2010

AbstractBACKGROUND: The current trend of upgrading undervalued agricultural by‐products involves the recovery of natural antioxidants. The purpose of this study was to recover phenols from fresh olive mill wastewater (OMW) with their dispersion in 85 mL ethanol per 100 mL and to investigate the effect of processing parameters on the phenol content and antioxidant capacity of the extracts. Moreover, all these characteristics were monitored over a period of 18 weeks in order to examine their preservation inside the ethanolic medium.RESULTS: Extraction time (30–120 min) was not critical for the process, while a pre‐treatment step with the addition of ethanol in lower concentrations (20 mL per 100 mL or less) seems to affect negatively the recovery of the phenols in the final (85 mL per 100 mL) ethanolic medium. A pre‐heating step of OMW at 50–60 °C as well as 80 °C resulted in reduction of the phenol concentrations and antioxidant activities of the extracts, probably due to the generation of enzymatic and non‐enzymatic reactions, respectively. Nevertheless, extracts from the heat treated samples generally preserved their phenol characteristics as well as ferric ions reduction ability and indeed increased their radical scavenging activity during storage.CONCLUSION: Extraction of the phenols was mainly governed by their solubilization in the hydro‐ethanolic mixture as well as the thermal pre‐treatment of OMW. Results can be utilized to optimize the recovery and preservation of phenols from OMW in hydro‐ethanolic mixtures. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry
UV‐reflecting wing scales in the silk moth Antheraea assamensis: Its biophysical implications
Authors: Dey Sudip , Singh Surendra , Dey Samrat , Chaudhury Sudipto , Chakraborty Rahul , Hooroo R.N.K. , Sharma D.K. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractScanning electron microcopy of the wing scales from some specific locations in the silk moth, Antheraea assamensis, revealed the presence of 50–60‐nm‐thick microridges and 80‐nm‐thick air spaces between them. The principle of optics suggests that when the measured average thickness of microridges or lamellae is about 50–60 nm, that of the air‐space between them is about 80–82 nm, then due to the known refractive index of air (1.0) and the infrared refractive index of lamellar cuticle (1.60), the lamellae (microridges) and the intervening lamellar air spaces will have similar optical thickness. A common optical thickness for the two types of layers causes the microridge structures to function in the fashion of a quarter wavelength interference filter and to reflect UV light. Behavioral studies under the natural conditions and short experimental exposure of the moths to artificial UV light suggests that coupling behavior of the moth is governed to a significant extent by these UV‐reflecting wing scales. The importance of the study in overcoming a major problem of low autocoupling efficiency of moths in the Muga Silk Industry is discussed with the help of relevant literature. Microsc. Res. Tech. 74:28‐35, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The long‐lived monsoon depressions of 2006 and their linkage with the Indian Ocean Dipole
Authors: Krishnan R. , Ayantika D. C. , Kumar Vinay , Pokhrel Samir 
Published: May 2010

AbstractA highlight of the 2006 boreal summer monsoon season was the enhanced activity of long‐lived monsoon depressions and low‐pressure systems (LPS) over the Indian region. Another important phenomenon during this period was the evolution of a positive Indian Ocean Dipole (PIOD) event. Although previous studies have investigated the impact of PIOD on the large‐scale monsoon response, their influence on monsoon LPS activity is not well understood. Based on detailed diagnostic analyses of monsoon LPS during 2006, as well as those associated with other PIOD events during 1958–2007, the present work addresses two specific issues concerning the roles of (a) PIOD‐induced large‐scale circulation changes and (b) internal feedbacks between latent heating and dynamics, in sustaining the monsoon LPS activity. The results show that PIOD conditions generally favour increased propensity of long‐lived (>5 days) LPS with long westward tracks extending into northwest India. The average contribution of long‐lived monsoon LPS to the total is found to be approximately 12% higher during PIOD episodes as compared to non‐PIOD. The PIOD events showed two important large‐scale elements conducive for enhancement of LPS activity: (a) strengthening of cross‐equatorial moisture transport from south‐eastern tropical Indian Ocean into the Bay of Bengal and (b) enrichment of barotropic instability of monsoon flow. Estimates of latent‐heating profiles from TRMM‐satellite products during the 2006 LPS showed heating in the mesoscale updrafts above 600 hPa with maximum approximately 400 hPa; while cooling prevailed in lower levels. Stratiform precipitation covered approximately 70–85% of rain area during the prolonged LPS; and the large‐scale monsoon Hadley‐type circulation was found to be intensified with strong mid‐level inflows entering the stratiform rain region. The overall findings suggest that the PIOD‐induced background circulation together with internal feedbacks between mesoscale convective systems and large‐scale circulation can effectively enhance the longevity of monsoon LPS. These results should serve as important inputs for numerical weather forecasting of extreme rainfall events associated with the regional monsoon phenomenon. Copyright © 2010 Royal Meteorological Society
Simultaneous determination of thyroxine and triiodothyronine in pharmaceutical formulations using capillary electrophoresis with amperometric detection
Authors: Sun Yan , Zhao Xiaoyin , Li Ping , Shi Guoyue , Zhou Tianshu 
Published: May 2010

AbstractA simple, reliable and repeatable method, based on CE with amperometric detection has been developed for the simultaneous separation and determination of thyroxine (T4) and 3,3′,5‐triiodothyronine (T3). A carbon disk electrode was used as working electrode in this system and exhibited a good response at 1.05 V (versus Hg/Hg2Cl2, 3 mol/L KCl) for two analytes. The CE separations were investigated in detail. At 21 kV of applied voltage, the two compounds were separated within 11 min in 0.05 mol/L Na2B4O7‐NaOH buffer (pH 11.3). And the detection limits were as low as 1.0×10−7 mol/L for T4 and 8.5×10−8 mol/L for T3 (S/N=3), respectively. The proposed method was applied to analyze T4 and T3 in pharmaceutical formulations, and the results were satisfactory.
PP13 stability in first trimester maternal serum and whole blood
Authors: Cowans N. J. , Stamatopoulou A. , Jaakohuhta S. , Hentunen S. , Spencer K. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractBackgroundMaternal serum placental protein 13 (PP13) has been proposed as a marker for prenatal screening of pre‐eclampsia (PE) and other adverse pregnancy outcomes. This study aims to examine the stability of PP13 at different routine temperatures.MethodsMaternal serum pools and whole blood samples were stored at ‘30 °C’, room temperature or refrigerator temperature. Further, serum pools were also subjected to repeated freeze–thaw cycles. PP13 was measured at set time points using an AutoDELFIA® research assay.ResultsLevels of PP13 are stable, defined as less than 10% change in concentration, in serum for 17.4 h at ‘30 °C’, 3.4 days at room temperature and for at least 34 days at refrigerator temperature. PP13 concentration is not altered following three −20 °C to room temperature freeze–thaw cycles. PP13 is stable in whole blood for at least 3 days at all three temperatures studied.ConclusionsPP13 is a suitably stable molecule and can be treated under routine laboratory and normal transport temperatures. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
There is a trend in the utilization of psychotropics among elderly towards recommended drugs
Authors: Lesén Eva , Carlsten Anders 
Published: May 2010

AbstractPurposeTo analyse trends in sales of potentially inappropriate psychotropic substances (PIPS) in relation to drugs recommended by Drug and Therapeutics Committees (DTC drugs) among 75‐year olds and among individuals born 1925 in Sweden.MethodsTrends in sales of PIPS and DTC drugs among 75‐year olds and among individuals born 1925 in Sweden during 2000–2008 were analysed with linear regression models. Sales were measured as defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants and day. PIPS were defined according to a proposal from the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare. The selection of DTC drugs was based on a review of recommendations from local DTCs.ResultsAmong 75‐year olds, PIPS sales decreased 38% and DTC drugs sales increased 31% from 2000 to 2008. The hypnotic PIPS decreased 45%, while the DTC hypnotics increased 36%. The total sales of PIPS to individuals born in 1925 decreased 12% from 2000 to 2008. The DTC drugs increased 115%. Sales of hypnotic PIPS decreased 12%, and the hypnotic DTC drugs increased 120%.ConclusionsThe findings indicate a trend towards the utilization of DTC drugs rather than PIPS. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effect of support structure on the activity of Cr/nanosilica catalysts and the morphology of prepared polyethylene
Authors: Mohamadnia Zahra , Ahmadi Ebrahim , Nekoomanesh Mehdi , Ramazani Ali , Mobarakeh Hamid Salehi 
Published: May 2010

AbstractPhillips‐type catalysts are responsible for the commercial production of more than one‐third of all polyethylene sold worldwide. Many types of chromium‐based catalysts are used in the Phillips polymerization process. Ordered mesoporous silica structures were synthesized using various surfactant species. Chromium nitrate nonahydrate (Cr(NO3)3·9H2O) complex was grafted onto the surface of pure silica and was used for ethylene polymerization. The materials were characterized using X‐ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption‐desorption, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. In the as‐synthesized materials, Cr3+ is present as a surface species in pseudo‐octahedral coordination. After calcination, Cr3+ is almost completely oxidized to Cr6+, which is anchored onto the surface in various oxidative states. The catalyst polymerization activity is dependent on the chromium loading, the pre‐calcination temperature and the support properties. In particular, the chromium catalyst prepared using spherical SBA‐15 is more active than the other catalysts investigated. Porous and nano‐fibrous polyethylene samples were prepared using various silica‐supported chromium catalytic systems. Differential scanning calorimetry results show that the melting point of samples produced with the SBA‐15‐supported catalyst is higher than that of samples produced with Cr/SiO2 under the same conditions, which could be related to the existence of an extended‐chain structure. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry
Effects of a short‐term rehabilitation program on airway inflammation in children with cystic fibrosis
Authors: Moeller Alexander , Stämpfli Simon F. , Rueckert Beate , Rechsteiner Thomas , Hamacher Juerg , Wildhaber Johannes H. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractBackgroundRespiratory therapy in cystic fibrosis (CF) consists of airway clearance, infection control, and reduction of airway inflammation. It is well recognized that physical activity as well as daily chest physiotherapy, enhance airway clearance. We investigated the effects of pulmonary rehabilitation, including physical activity and chest physiotherapy, on airway inflammation in children with CF.MethodsEighteen children with stable CF (six females), aged 8.2–16.2 years, participating in a 3‐week multidisciplinary inpatient rehabilitation program were recruited. Assessment at the beginning and the end of the program included clinical score, pulmonary function test, exhaled breath condensate (EBC) and sputum analysis. Sputum supernatant and EBC were analyzed for interleukin (IL)‐1b, 6, 8, 10, 12, tumor necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α) and LTB4.ResultsMedian (IQR) symptom scores decreased from 19 [23] to 16 [21], P = 0.005. Vital capacity and FVC increased significantly (P < 0.05). However no difference was found for the total sputum cells and sputum as well as EBC cytokines between the two visits. Significant correlations were found for sputum IL‐1 (+), IL‐6 (−), and IL‐8 (+) to total sputum cell count and neutrophils and for IL‐8 to TNF‐α.ConclusionsWe have shown that a short‐term inpatient rehabilitation for children with stable CF with intensive physical activity mainly improve subjective clinical symptoms and measures of lung function such as VC and FVC but does not influence airflow obstruction and airway inflammation as assessed by sputum and EBC analysis. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2010; 45:541–551. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.