bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Urban and Rural Estimates of Poverty: Recent Advances in Spatial Microsimulation in Australia
Authors: TANTON ROBERT , HARDING ANN , MCNAMARA JUSTINE 
Published: November 2009

AbstractThis paper reports on the calculation of poverty rates for small areas in Australia using a spatial microsimulation model. The spatial microsimulation methodology used involves reweighting data from confidentialised unit record files (CURFs) from surveys conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) to small area census data, also from the ABS. The method is described in this paper, and then maps of poverty using poverty rates derived from this small area estimation method are shown for the eastern coast of Australia and its capital cities. Further analysis of poverty rates in capital cities is then conducted. We find that areas of higher poverty risk can be clearly identified within Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane. We also find that areas of high poverty are frequently ‘buffered’ by areas of moderate poverty. This is not always the case since, in some areas, we find a high poverty area neighbouring a low poverty area but, generally, there appears to be a moderate poverty ‘buffer’ in most capital cities.
Labour Relations and the Transfer of Knowledge in Industrial Clusters: Why do Skilled Workers Share Knowledge with Colleagues in Other Firms?
Authors: WILSON LOU , SPOEHR JOHN 
Published: November 2009

AbstractIndustrial clusters are held to offer competitive advantages to firms that accrue from the transfer of tacit knowledge between skilled workers co‐located in spatially bound regions. This paper argues that informal knowledge transfers between skilled employees working in spatially bounded industrial clusters might have an association with the labour relationship between employers and employees. In the literature on industrial clusters general knowledge is readily traded through codified texts and collegial networks but high value, tacit knowledge transfers occur less frequently but are critical to the success of firms located in clusters. Tacit knowledge transfers are held to occur when workers move to other firms because of firm death or poaching but less frequently through contacts between colleagues from other firms. Industrial clusters are said to offer labour market advantages for skilled workers in the form of ample job opportunities and rising wages, which engender firm loyalty and discourage the transfer of tacit knowledge of competitive value to other firms. However, the limited empirical evidence available on actual working conditions for skilled workers in regional industrial clusters indicates that this argument is contestable. Some evidence suggests that there are limited wage premiums accruing to the industrial districts, a limited role for geographic proximity, and weak localised returns on seniority and education. We argue that in such circumstances high value knowledge between workers in different firms might be traded as an act of epistemic solidarity or sociability that disregards the interests of employer organisations. Such actions might vary by region and country in relation to the prevailing system of labour relations. Australian labour relations are offered as a case in point.
Third‐compartment cannulation in alpacas using a polyurethane gastrostomy tube
Authors: Smith GW , Gerard MP , Campbell NB , Foster DM , Smith SM , Davis JL 
Published: November 2009

Objective To develop a simple and effective surgical technique for third‐compartment cannulation in alpacas.Design Prospective study using six adult male alpacas.Methods General anaesthesia was induced and a polyurethane gastrostomy tube was surgically implanted into the distal portion of the third compartment.Results Three of the alpacas retained their cannulas for a 100‐day period; however, three cannulas were dislodged during the study. Two of the three dislodged cannulas were replaced during a second surgical procedure. Cannulas were well tolerated by the alpacas and all animals remained clinically healthy during the study period. Third compartment contents did not leak from the cannulation site. The tubes were manually removed following the completion of the study and the small defect in the body wall quickly healed over in all animals.Conclusion Surgical placement of polyurethane tubes designed for percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy is a useful method of cannulating the third compartment in camelids. This technique can be used for experimental studies and possibly could be used for nutritional support and fluid therapy in sick camelids that might need long‐term care.
Environmental mastitis in intensive high‐producing dairy herds in New South Wales
Authors: Shum LWC , McConnel CS , Gunn AA , House JK 
Published: November 2009

Objective  To determine the prevalence of mastitis pathogens in high‐producing intensive dairy herds in New South Wales.Design  Field survey.Procedure  Milk samples from the mastitis‐affected quarter were collected from cows on five high‐producing dairy farms in NSW. The 820 samples were cultured using standard microbiological culture techniques.Results  Bacteria or fungi were isolated from 83.3% of samples (683/820). More than two colony types were isolated from 16.7% of samples (137/820), two types from 6.6% (54/820), and one type from 52.3% (429/820). No bacteria were isolated from 24.4% (200/820) of the primary cultures, but enrichment cultures of these samples yielded single colony type bacterial isolates from 36.5% (73/200) of samples. Environmental pathogens, including coliforms, environmental Streptococcus and Staphylococcus spp., made up 91% (555/610) of isolates and accounted for 33.6% (205/610), 41.6% (254/610) and 15.7% (96/610), respectively, of isolates. Escherichia coli accounted for 76.1% (156/205) of the coliform isolates, Streptococcus uberis and Streptococcus dysgalactiae accounted for 32.3% (82/254) and 28.0% (71/254), respectively, of the environmental streptococcal isolates. Contagious pathogens were uncommon, comprising only 2.5% (15/610) of the total isolates.Conclusion  The incidence and causes of mastitis are largely influenced by farm management. The relatively high prevalence of coliform mastitis in the intensive high‐producing herds in this survey contrasts with the low incidence reported in surveys of pasture‐based herds in Victoria. If the Australian dairy industry continues its current trend of intensification, coliform intra‐mammary infections may emerge as an increasingly important cause of mastitis.
Photostabilization Effect of Quercetin on the UV Filter Combination, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane–Octyl Methoxycinnamate
Authors: Scalia Santo , Mezzena Matteo 
Published: November 2009

AbstractThe aim of the study was to investigate the effect of the natural antioxidant quercetin on the photostability of the most widely used combination of UVA (320–400 nm) and UVB (290–320 nm) filters, respectively butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane (BMDBM) and octyl methoxycinnamate (OMC). In order to reproduce the conditions prevalent in commercial sunscreen products, the stabilizing efficacy of quercetin was evaluated in model creams containing BMDBM (3%, wt/wt) together with OMC (4%, wt/wt) and exposed to a solar simulator at an irradiance corresponding to natural sunlight. Quercetin was found to enhance the photostability of the two UV filters in a concentration‐dependent way. Addition of quercetin to the sunscreen formulation significantly reduced the photodegradation of BMDBM and OMC from 40.3 ± 2.4 to 27.7 ± 2.6% and from 51.3 ± 2.1 to 42.2 ± 2.0%, respectively. Moreover, comparative photodegradation studies demonstrated that quercetin was much more effective and at a lower concentration than commonly used stabilizer (octocrylene) and antioxidants (vitamin E, butylated hydroxyanisole). In vitro determination of the UVB and UVA protection parameters showed that the quercetin‐based formulation fulfilled the official requirements on sunscreen products. Because of its photostabilizing and multiple antioxidant properties, quercetin represents a useful additive for the formulation of effective broad‐spectrum sunscreens containing BMDBM and OMC.
Photochemistry of Bacteriochlorophylls in Human Blood Plasma: 1. Pigment Stability and Light‐induced Modifications of Lipoproteins
Authors: Dandler Jörg , Wilhelm Brigitte , Scheer Hugo 
Published: November 2009

AbstractTransmetalated derivatives of bacteriochlorophyll are promising sensitizers in photodynamic therapy. Protocols using short delay times between injection and irradiation cause interest in the photochemistry of these pigments in the blood. Using near‐infrared irradiation where these pigments absorb strongly, we have studied the photochemistry of Zn‐ and Pd‐bacteriopheophorbide (WST09), and of the highly polar taurinated Pd‐derivative, WST11, in isolated fractions of human blood plasma. The stability of all pigments is increased in blood plasma, compared with monomeric solutions. Pd‐bacteriopheophorbide is much more stable than the other two derivatives. It also has a higher capacity for inducing reactive oxygen species, yet the consumption of oxygen is comparable. There is furthermore evidence for photobleaching under anoxic conditions. The generation of hydroperoxides (ROOH) is faster with Pd‐ than with Zn‐complexes; the formation of endoperoxides (ROOR′), measured as thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, is comparable with the two central metals. Formation of both ROOH and ROOR′ is increased in low‐density lipoproteins (LDL) compared with high‐density lipoproteins (HDL), which is probably related to the higher concentration of target molecules in the former. In HDL, extensive cross‐linking is induced among the apolipoproteins; judged from the electrophoretic mobility of LDL and HDL particles, there is also a gross structural change. Photosensitized cross‐linking is much less pronounced with high‐density proteins.
Development of a biochip‐based assay integrated in a global strategy for identification of fusion transcripts in acute myeloid leukemia: a work flow for acute myeloid leukemia diagnosis
Authors: GIUSIANO S. , FORMISANO‐TRÉZINY C. , BENZIANE A. , MAROC N. , PICARD C. , HERMITTE F. , TARANGER‐CHARPIN C. , GABERT J. 
Published: November 2009

SummaryThree major types of rearrangements are involved in acute myeloid leukemias (AML): t(8;21)(q22;q22), inv(16)(p13q22), and 11q23/MLL abnormalities. Their precise identification becomes essential for diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic choices. Resulting fusion transcripts (FT) are also powerful markers for monitoring the efficacy of treatment, the minimal residual disease (MRD) and could become therapeutic targets. Today, the challenge is to propose an individual follow‐up for each patient even for those with a rare fusion event. In this study, we propose a biochip‐based assay integrated in a global strategy for identification of rare FT in AML, after fluorescence in situ hybridization detection, as described by the World Health Organization classification. Using cell lines, we developed and validated a biochip‐based assay called the AMLFusionChip that identifies every FT of AML1‐ETO, CBFβ‐MYH11 as well as MLL‐AF9, MLL‐ENL, MLL‐AF6, and MLL‐AF10. The original design of our AMLFusionChip.v01 enables the identification of these FT wherever the breakpoint on the partner gene may be. In case of biochip negative result, our 3′RACE amplification strategy enables to clone and then sequence the new translocation partner. This AMLFusionChip strategy fits into the concept of personalized medicine for the largest number of patients.
How much does international normalized ratio monitoring cost during oral anticoagulation with a vitamin K antagonist? A systematic review
Authors: CHAMBERS S. , CHADDA S. , PLUMB J. M. 
Published: November 2009

SummaryNext‐generation oral anticoagulants offer the potential for effective prevention and treatment of thrombosis without the need for repeated monitoring of the international normalized ratio (INR). This systematic review evaluated the costs associated with INR monitoring tests performed as part of the standard management of oral anticoagulation with vitamin K antagonists. Studies published in or after 1990 reporting the costs of INR monitoring were identified from bibliographic databases and manual searches of reference lists. Cost data were extracted and inflated to the year 2006 before purchasing power parity conversion to US dollars. A total of 29 studies reported the cost of one INR test, which was shown to range from $6.19 to $145.70. Cost estimates were based on various combinations of direct medical costs, such as healthcare contacts, equipment, laboratory tests, clerical costs (postage and stationery), telephone calls, quality control, training/education and patient transportation, and indirect costs, such as time lost from work. In conclusion, the cost of INR monitoring varied substantially between studies depending on the monitoring modality and setting, and the cost categories included. When selecting a published estimate, healthcare decision makers should ensure that the chosen estimate reflects local service provision as closely as possible.
Beyond conventional DMARDs: extending TNF‐regulant therapies to the vast majority/less privileged who do need them
Authors: BUTTERS Desley , WHITEHOUSE Michael 
Published: November 2009

AbstractThis article is a plea to find (better) ways to extend the benefits of anti‐cytokine therapies to ensure they will become available as widely as possible. Pessimistically, this will probably involve substituting more affordable, although somewhat less specific, non‐biological agents for present target‐specific bio‐DMARDs (disease‐modifying antirheumatic drugs) to ensure far wider distribution of benefits. Optimistically, new developments in technology and bio‐engineering might dramatically reduce costs of present ‘biological’ therapies. (The antibiotics we now take for granted were once also horrendously expensive.). Pragmatically, one goal for this mission should include seriously pursuing more research and pilot clinical trials of non‐protein combination therapies able to control: (i) TNF or other pro‐inflammatory cytokines; and also (ii) other mediators sustaining chronic inflammation (→pain, effusion, fibrosis, porosis, etc.). This can be immediately facilitated by drawing upon the immense resources of non‐prescription Asia‐Pacific traditional therapies – particularly when these have already been shown to either reduce TNF synthesis or control TNF‐induced responses in preclinical studies. Could this be a major goal for the next decade, helping rectify some of the omissions of the current Bone & Joint Decade 2000–2010?
Association of mannose‐binding lectin gene polymorphisms with Kawasaki disease in the Japanese
Authors: SATO Satoshi , KAWASHIMA Hisashi , KASHIWAGI Yasuyo , FUJIOKA Tao , TAKEKUMA Kouji , HOSHIKA Akinori 
Published: November 2009

AbstractObjective:  Kawasaki disease (KD) is a systemic vasculitis in childhood; its etiology is unknown. The possibility that KD is an infectious disease has been discussed and investigated for decades, in light of the implication that infections are involved in the pathogenesis of KD. Young children rely on their innate immune system for protection against virus and micro‐organisms. Human mannose binding lectin (MBL) is a C‐type serum lectin synthesized by the liver as an acute phase protein and it plays an important role in the innate immune system. Here, we investigate the relationship between the MBL gene polymorphisms and the occurrence of KD in the Japanese population.Method:  The frequencies of the genotypes, defined as mutations in codons 52, 54 and 57, and the functional promoter variants of the MBL were determined in 45 patients with KD.Results:  The MBL codon‐54 polymorphism frequency of heterozygote (GGC/GAC) and promoter variants were significantly higher in the KD group than that in the control group (P < 0.05). Neither group showed codon 52 nor 57 polymorphisms.Conclusion:  It is possible that mutations of the MBL gene might be related to the trigger of the pathogenesis of Kawasaki disease.
Estimation of monocyte‐chemoattractantprotein‐1 (Mcp‐1) level in patients with lupus nephritis
Authors: ALZAWAWY Ashraf , ZOHARY Magdy , ABLORDINY Magdy , ELDALIE Mona 
Published: November 2009

AbstractAim:  To evaluate the use of non‐invasive estimation of CP‐1 in urine as a good indicator for lupus nephritis activity.Methods:  The study was conducted on 30 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (group I): 15 of these patients were selected without renal involvement (group I [A]), and the other 15 were selected with evidence of renal involvement (group I [B]). Further 10 age‐ and sex‐matched healthy subjects were taken as a control group (group II). The SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI) was applied. Laboratory investigations done for the studied group of patients included: renal function tests (antinuclear antibody) titer, (anti‐double‐stranded DNA) titer, and monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP‐1) level in serum and urine samples.Results:  Serum MCP‐1 was significantly higher in SLE patients with nephritis than in the control group, while no significant difference was found between SLE patients without nephritis and the control group. Urinary MCP‐1 in patients with active lupus nephritis (LN) were significantly higher than both patients with inactive LN and control the group. Urinary MCP‐1 in SLE patients with nephritis was significantly higher than both group I (A) and group II. Urinary MCP‐1 correlated positively with proteinuria, and negatively with creatinine clearance and hemoglobin; thus, urinary MCP‐1 correlates with the severity of nephritis.Conclusion:  Urinary and not serum MCP‐1 is a useful invasive technique for the assessment of renal disease activity in patients with LN.
Lipid peroxidation, glutathione, vitamin E, and antioxidant enzymes in synovial fluid from patients with osteoarthritis
Authors: SUTIPORNPALANGKUL Werasak , MORALES Noppawan P. , CHAROENCHOLVANICH Keerati , HARNROONGROJ Thossart 
Published: November 2009

AbstractAim: To compare levels of lipid peroxidation and antioxidants in synovial fluid from primary knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients with severe cartilage damage undergoing total knee replacement with those in the synovial fluid from injured knee joint patients with intact cartilage undergoing knee arthroscopy.Methods: Thirty‐two OA patients and 10 injured knee joint patients were recruited. Lipid peroxidation (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances [TBARs]), iron and glutathione (GSH) were measured using a colorimetric method. Vitamin E was measured with high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Activities of antioxidant enzymes (glutathione peroxidase [GPx], superoxide dismutase [SOD]) were analyzed with the use of a kinetic method.Results: TBARs, iron and GSH levels in synovial fluid were not significantly different between OA patients and injured knee joint patients. Antioxidant enzymes such as GPx and SOD activities also indicated no significant difference. Only vitamin E level was significantly lower in the synovial fluid of OA patients than in that of the injured knee joint patients.Conclusions: Oxidative stress may have a role in pathogenesis of knee osteoarthritis. Vitamin E supplementation may have a role in the management of patients.
A survey on the management of gout in Malaysia
Authors: YEAP Swan Sim , GOH Emily M. L. , GUN Suk Chyn 
Published: November 2009

AbstractAim:  The aim of this study was to ascertain the management of gout by doctors in Malaysia.Methods:  A cross‐sectional questionnaire survey was carried out among doctors attending rheumatology post‐graduate courses, where gout was not a lecture topic.Results:  A total of 128 questionnaires were analyzed, of which the majority (67: 52.3%) were general practitioners. In the treatment of acute gout, 68.0% use non‐selective non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), 53.9% use selective COX‐2 inhibitors (coxibs), 66.4% use colchicine and 10.2% use allopurinol (ALLO). In the treatment of chronic gout, 36.7% use NSAIDs, 44.5% use coxibs, 19.5% use colchicine and 93% use ALLO. In both acute and chronic gout, corticosteroids (CS) are not used by over 90% of respondents. Fifty percent would stop ALLO during an acute attack. 95.3% do not start ALLO during an acute attack; 87.5% would start ALLO after the attack, with a median of 14 days afterwards. Once ALLO was started, 54.7% would continue indefinitely. Regarding target urate levels while on treatment, 10.9% would be satisfied with a high normal range, 21.9% middle of the range, 18.0% low normal range and 45.3% anywhere within the normal range. Fifteen percent would treat asymptomatic hyperuricemia.Conclusions:  In Malaysia, anti‐inflammatory agents are most commonly used for the treatment of acute and chronic gout, with corticosteroid usage at a low level. However, there are areas of concern regarding the diagnosis of gout and the usage of ALLO which are not consistent with current guidelines.
Rheumatoid arthritis in paintings: a tale of two origins
Authors: YEAP Swan Sim 
Published: November 2009

AbstractRheumatoid arthritis (RA) is thought to be a ‘recent’ disease in that descriptions of it were only noted in the 17th century. However, a study of paintings would suggest that RA could have been present as early as the 15th century, when artists started to paint the human body accurately rather than figuratively. Thus, it was possible to deduce from their paintings the occurrence of various medical conditions. If present, RA with its typical finger deformities should be apparent. This review discusses the known occurrences of RA‐type deformities in paintings and places this in the context of the origins of the disease.
A case of refractory vasculitic ulcers in a systemic lupus erythematosus patient responding to rituximab and hyperbaric oxygen therapy
Authors: LUI Nai‐Lee , THUMBOO Julian , FONG Kok‐Yong 
Published: November 2009

AbstractLarge refractory vasculitic ulcers are not commonly seen in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. We report a case of refractory vasculitic ulcers responding to rituximab, a monoclonal antibody directed against CD20 cells leading to prolonged B cell depletion. This treatment was initiated after treatment with high‐dose steroids and other immunosuppressants were ineffective/associated with significant side‐effects. Following treatment with rituximab, there was sustained clinical improvement and subsequent reduction of prednisolone dose. Rituximab was well‐tolerated. Concomitant methotrexate therapy and hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) may have aided the recovery of the patient’s vasculitic ulcers. This case and anecdotal reports have illustrated the efficacy and safety of rituximab in the treatment of refractory SLE‐related vasculitic ulcers. Further studies to determine the long‐term efficacy and side‐effects would be useful.
Tate modules of universal p-divisible groups
Authors: Lau Eike 
Published: November 2009

AbstractA p-divisible group over a complete local domain determines a Galois representation on the Tate module of its generic fibre. We determine the image of this representation for the universal deformation in mixed characteristic of a bi-infinitesimal group and for the p-rank strata of the universal deformation in positive characteristic of an infinitesimal group. The method is a reduction to the known case of one-dimensional groups by a deformation argument based on properties of the stratification by Newton polygons.