bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The In Vitro Chondrotoxicity of Single-Dose Local Anesthetics
Authors: Dragoo Jason L. , Braun Hillary J. , Kim Hyeon Joo , Phan Huy D. , Golish S. Raymond 
Published: January 2012

Background: The administration of amide-type local anesthetics to cartilaginous tissues has revealed potential chondrotoxicity. Purpose: This study evaluated whether administration of single doses of 1% lidocaine, 0.25% bupivacaine, and 0.5% ropivacaine resulted in decreased chondrocyte viability or cartilage matrix degradation in vitro. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Monolayer human chondrocytes and intact cartilage samples were cultured for 1 week in media. Each drug was delivered in a custom bioreactor over its clinical duration of action. A Live/Dead Viability/Cytotoxicity Assay was used to determine the ratio of dead to live cells for monolayer chondrocyte cultures compared with controls. Damage to the cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM) in en bloc cartilage samples was evaluated by analysis of DNA, glycosaminoglycan (GAG), and collagen content. Results: Chondrocytes treated for 3 hours with a single dose of 1% lidocaine exhibited significantly more cell death (7.9%) compared with control media (2.9%; P < .001). No significant difference in cell death was observed in chondrocytes treated for 6 hours with 0.25% bupivacaine (2.7%) versus controls (2.8%; P = .856) or cells treated for 12 hours in 0.5% ropivacaine (2.9%) versus controls (2.4%; P = .084). There was no significant difference in GAG expression ( P = .627) or DNA-normalized GAG expression ( P = .065) between the intact cartilage treatment groups; however, the DNA-normalized GAG expression was markedly lower in cartilage cultures treated with 1% lidocaine (3.36 ± 1.15) compared with those in control media (7.61 ± 3.83). Conclusion: The results of this in vitro study indicate that a single-dose administration of 1% lidocaine resulted in a significant decrease in chondrocyte viability when compared with control cultures. Clinical Relevance: Single-dose injections of 1% lidocaine may be significantly chondrotoxic, and further investigation regarding in vivo chondrotoxicity appears warranted.
Epidemiology of Concussions Among United States High School Athletes in 20 Sports
Authors: Marar Mallika , McIlvain Natalie M. , Fields Sarah K. , Comstock R. Dawn 
Published: January 2012

Background: In the United States (US), an estimated 300,000 sports-related concussions occur annually. Among individuals 15 to 24 years of age, sports are second only to motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of concussions. Purpose: To investigate the epidemiology of concussions in high school athletes by comparing rates and patterns of concussion among 20 sports. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods: Using an Internet-based data collection tool, RIO, certified athletic trainers from a large, nationally disperse sample of US high schools reported athlete exposure and injury data for 20 sports during the 2008-2010 academic years. Results: During the study period, 1936 concussions were reported during 7,780,064 athlete-exposures (AEs) for an overall injury rate of 2.5 per 10,000 AEs. The injury rate was higher in competition (6.4) than practice (1.1) (rate ratio [RR], 5.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 5.2-6.3). The majority of concussions resulted from participation in football (47.1%, n = 912), followed by girls’ soccer (8.2%, n = 159), boys’ wrestling (5.8%, n = 112), and girls’ basketball (5.5%, n = 107). Football had the highest concussion rate (6.4), followed by boys’ ice hockey (5.4) and boys’ lacrosse (4.0). Concussions represented a greater proportion of total injuries among boys’ ice hockey (22.2%) than all other sports studied (13.0%) (injury proportion ratio [IPR], 1.7; 95% CI, 1.4-2.1; P < .01). In gender-comparable sports, girls had a higher concussion rate (1.7) than boys (1.0) (RR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.4-2.0). The most common mechanisms of injury were player-player contact (70.3%) and player–playing surface contact (17.2%). In more than 40% of athletes in sports other than girls’ swimming and girls’ track, concussion symptoms resolved in 3 days or less. Athletes most commonly returned to play in 1 to 3 weeks (55.3%), with 22.8% returning in less than 1 week and 2.0% returning in less than 1 day. Conclusion: Although interest in sports-related concussions is usually focused on full-contact sports like football and ice hockey, concussions occur across a wide variety of high school sports. Concussion rates vary by sport, gender, and type of exposure. An understanding of concussion rates, patterns of injury, and risk factors can drive targeted preventive measures and help reduce the risk for concussion among high school athletes in all sports.
Protective effect of vitamin E and epicatechin against nicotine-induced oxidative stress in rats
Authors: Al-Malki Abdulrahman L , Moselhy Said S 
Published: January 2012

Nicotine is a major pharmacologically active and addictive component of tobacco smoke, which is regarded to be a primary risk factor in the development of cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases. Epicatechin is one of the most potent antioxidants present in the human diet. Particularly high levels of this compound are found in tea, apples and chocolate. It has been reported that tea extracts and/or its constituents have antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidative, antitumor and antimutagenic activities. Vitamin E is a major lipid-soluble antioxidant vitamin and free radical scavenger, presents as an integral component of cellular membranes and has important biological functions. The primary mechanism by which vitamin E is proposed to prevent cancer is through their antioxidant properties. The goal of this study is to evaluate the effect of epicatechin alone or combined with vitamin E in inhibiting the oxidative stress induced by nicotine in rats. Results obtained indicated that there was a significant elevation in the levels of malondialdhyde (MDA) in nicotine injected rats. The combined treatment (epicatechin + Vit E) group showed a potential reduction of these parameters more than individual treatment. The activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase were found significantly higher in combined treated than untreated rats. In nicotine group, a negative significant correlation between reduced glutathione and MDA ( r = −0.92) was observed. In conclusion, these results suggested that the supplementation of diet with epicatechin and vitamin E provided antioxidant defense with strong chemopreventive activity against nicotine-induced carcinogenesis.
Modulating effects of selenium in adrenal medulla of rats exposed to 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene
Authors: Talas Zeliha Selamoglu , Ozdemir Ilknur , Ates Burhan , Gok Yetkin , Yilmaz Ismet 
Published: January 2012

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the chemopreventive potential of organoselenium compounds (Se I and Se II) in the well-established rat model treated with 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA), by monitoring the extent of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) activity, adrenomedullin (ADM) level and total RNA level in adrenal medulla. Organic pollutants are the most important environmental factor for the biologic systems. DMBA exposure appears to be associated with a number of physiological disease processes. Methods: The effects of Se I and Se II compounds were investigated on TH activity, ADM and total RNA levels in adrenal medulla of rats exposed to DMBA. Results: TH activity, ADM and total RNA levels were found to be increased significantly due to the effect of DMBA ( p < 0.05). This increase was restricted in the Se I- and Se II-treated groups ( p < 0.05). Conclusion: The present data showed that the organoselenium compounds may have important effects in the maintainance of homeostasis against stress induced by DMBA.
Retrospective Assessment of ADHD Symptoms in Childhood
Authors: Kivisaari Sasa , Laasonen Marja , Leppämäki Sami , Tani Pekka , Hokkanen Laura 
Published: January 2012

Objective: To examine the discriminatory validity of the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS) and its five suggested subscales (Conduct Problems, Impulsivity Problems, Mood Difficulties, Inattention/Anxiety, Academic Concerns) in a Finnish sample. Method: WURS was administered to 114 adults, aged 18 to 55 years. Participants with ADHD ( n = 37) and dyslexia ( n = 36) were compared with healthy controls ( n = 41). Results: The ADHD group scored significantly higher than the control group on all subscales. Compared with the dyslexia group, the ADHD group did not differ in Mood Difficulties or Academic Concerns. Using the total score, the positive predictive value was .53 in this sample and only .21 when the prevalence of ADHD was taken into account. Conclusion: Three out of five domains of WURS are reliable indicators of ADHD. Domains with low discriminatory power, low general prevalence of ADHD, and other developmental disorders within the population decrease the accuracy.
Immunogenic effects of recombinant interferon-beta therapy disrupt the JAK/STAT pathway in primary immune cells from patients with multiple sclerosis
Authors: Gavasso S , Gjertsen BT , Anderssen E , Myhr KM , Vedeler C 
Published: January 2012

Background: Immunogenicity of recombinant interferon-β (IFN-β) is a known complication in the therapy of relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) that can interfere with efficacy are quantified using in vitro bioassays; however, these assays do not reveal the immunogenic state of the patient and are not predictive of treatment outcome. Objective: Assessment of the impact of NAbs on IFN-β responsive cells and signalling pathways in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) with phospho-specific flow cytometry. Method: PBMCs from 10 IFN-β-treated patients with RRMS, two untreated patients, and two healthy controls were re-stimulated in autologous sera and media with a serial dilution of IFN-β (0–8000 U/ml) and levels of phosphorylation of STAT1/3/4/5/6 transcription factors were quantified in PBMC subtypes (NAb titres 0 to > 6000 neutralizing units). Data was subjected to principal component analysis, Hotelling’s T2, and partial least squares analysis. Results: Three significantly distinct clusters of individuals were revealed in autologous sera: therapy-naïve and healthy, treated NAb-negative, and treated NAb-positive. Compared with controls STATs signalling patterns were modulated in treated NAb-negative patients and inhibited in all treated NAb-positive patients independently of NAb titres. In media no clustering of patients could be found. The predictability of NAb titres based on the phospho-flow data was 74%. Conclusion: Phospho-specific flow cytometry can delineate subset-specific cell responses that can act as surrogates for NAb exposure in blood. Immunogenic effects alter the response in primary cells even at low NAb levels. Cell line-based immunogenicity testing is not readily transferable to the immunogenic response in patients.
Effect of angiotensin type 2 receptor over-expression on the rat mesangial cell fibrotic phenotype: effect of gender
Authors: Pawluczyk Izabella ZA , Harris Kevin PG 
Published: January 2012

Background and aim: The protective role of angiotensin type 2 receptors (AT2-Rs) is still controversial. As AT2-Rs are minimally expressed in adult tissues the aim of the current study was to over-express AT2-Rs in rat mesangial cells in order to ascertain their potential role in modulating renal scarring. Methods: Male and female mesangial cells were transiently transfected with AT2-R or control vector then ‘injured’ with macrophage-conditioned medium (MCM). Culture supernatants and extracted RNA were analysed for evidence of an anti-fibrotic phenotype. Results: Supernatant fibronectin levels in female mesangial cells treated with MCM were reduced in AT2-R transfected cells ( p < 0.001) compared to controls. AT2-R transfected male cells showed a trend towards lower constitutive fibronectin levels. There was no effect of AT2-R transfection on TGF-β or TNF-α secretion; however, IL-1β levels were reduced in male cells treated with MCM. RT-PCR demonstrated that constitutive kallikrein mRNA levels were suppressed in both male and female AT2-R transfected cells. Bradykinin receptors (BkB2-R and BkB1-R) were unaffected in female cells although the BkB1-R was upregulated in male cells treated with MCM. Conclusion: This data provides a case for AT2 receptors playing a protective role in rat mesangial cells independent of the effects of blood pressure control.
Methylation of AR locus does not always reflect X chromosome inactivation state
Authors: Swierczek Sabina I. , Piterkova Lucie , Jelinek Jaroslav , Agarwal Neeraj , Hammoud Sue , Wilson Andrew , Hickman Kimberly , Parker Charles J. , Cairns Bradley R. , Prchal Josef T. 
Published: January 2012

Abstract
Clonality can be established by a lack of mosaicism in a female because of random inactivation of either the maternal or paternal X chromosome early in embryogenesis. The methylation status of CpG sites close to the trinucleotide repeats in exon 1 of the human androgen receptor (AR) X chromosome gene assay (HUMARA) has been used to determine clonality. This HUMARA at times indicated clonal hematopoiesis in healthy elderly women, thus precluding its applicability. We used a clonality assay based on quantitative expression of polymorphic X chromosome genes (qTCA) and found no evidence of clonal hematopoiesis in healthy nonanemic elderly persons. We found instances of discordance between HUMARA results and those obtained by pyrosequencing and qTCA methods, as well as by directly quantifying AR gene expression. To determine the basis of this discrepancy we examined the methylation pattern of the AR locus subject to HUMARA. Notably, we found the extent of DNA methylation to be highly variable at the AR gene in granulocytes of persons with discordant results and also in erythroid burst-forming unit colonies but not in those with clonal hematopoiesis. These data provide the molecular basis of incomplete correlation with the pattern of DNA methylation of this X chromosome AR gene locus.
Mammography screening using independent double reading with consensus: Is there a potential benefit for computer-aided detection?
Authors: Skaane Per , Kshirsagar Ashwini , Hofvind Solveig , Jahr Gunnar , Castellino Ronald A 
Published: January 2012

Background Double reading improves the cancer detection rate in mammography screening. Single reading with computer-aided detection (CAD) has been considered to be an alternative to double reading. Little is known about the potential benefit of CAD in breast cancer screening with double reading. Purpose To compare prospective independent double reading of screen-film (SFM) and full-field digital (FFDM) mammography in population-based screening with retrospective standalone CAD performance on the baseline mammograms of the screen-detected cancers and subsequent cancers diagnosed during the follow-up period. Material and Methods The study had ethics committee approval. A 5-point rating scale for probability of cancer was used for 23,923 (SFM = 16,983; FFDM = 6940) screening mammograms. Of 208 evaluable cancers, 104 were screen-detected and 104 were subsequent (44 interval and 60 next screening round) cancers. Baseline mammograms of subsequent cancers were retrospectively classified in consensus without information about cancer location, histology, or CAD prompting as normal, non-specific minimal signs, significant minimal signs, and false-negatives. The baseline mammograms of the screen-detected cancers and subsequent cancers were evaluated by CAD. Significant minimal signs and false-negatives were considered ‘actionable’ and potentially diagnosable if correctly prompted by CAD. Results CAD correctly marked 94% (98/104) of the baseline mammograms of the screen-detected cancers (SFM = 95% [61/64]; FFDM = 93% [37/40]), including 96% (23/24) of those with discordant interpretations. Considering only those baseline examinations of subsequent cancers prospectively interpreted as normal and retrospectively categorized as ‘actionable’, CAD input at baseline screening had the potential to increase the cancer detection rate from 0.43% to 0.51% ( P = 0.13); and to increase cancer detection by 16% ([104 + 17]/104) and decrease interval cancers by 20% (from 44 to 35). Conclusion CAD may have the potential to increase cancer detection by up to 16%, and to reduce the number of interval cancers by up to 20% in SFM and FFDM screening programs using independent double reading with consensus review. The influence of true- and false-positive CAD marks on decision-making can, however, only be evaluated in a prospective clinical study.
Use of Hydrogen Peroxide in Neurosurgery: Case Series of Cardiovascular Complications
Authors: Spiriev Toma , Prabhakar Hemanshu , Sandu Nora , Tzekov Christo , Kondoff Slavomir , Laleva Lili , Schaller Bernhard ,   for Trigemino-Cardiac-Reflex-Examination-Group (TCREG)
Published: January 2012

Objectives Postoperative complications induced by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) are described in the neurosurgical literature and mainly involve oxygen venous emboli, postoperative pneumocephalus; some of them even fatal. However, recently there are more and more published case reports for significant cardiac dysrhythmia related to the use of this chemical agent during routine neurosurgical interventions. Design Retrospective, two-centre study. Setting Retrospective review of clinical/radiological documentation (including preoperative medical history, operation report and intraoperative anesthesiology data charts). Participants Patients scheduled for cranial neurosurgical interventions. Main outcome measures Intraoperative occurrence of trigeminocardiac reflex (TCR), according the earlier defined by our group criteria, or other severe cardiovascular complications related to the intraoperative use of H2O2. Results Five cases were included in the study fulfilling the strict inclusion/exclusion criteria. Two of the cases were recognized as intraoperative TCR, in the other three cases the cardiovascular effects were possibly due to TCR in one, mechanical stimulation of vital centre in anterior hypothalamus, brainstem, or either mechanical or thermal action of H2O2. Conclusions According to this two-centre study, we can give, for the first time, evidence that cardiovascular complications according to the intraoperative use of H2O2 in neurosurgery are not rare with an incidence of 3%. Special reference is given to the occurrence of the TCR in this context.
Consultations with General Practitioners on Patient Safety Measures Based on Routinely Collected Data in Primary Care
Authors: Tsang Carmen , Majeed Azeem , Aylin Paul 
Published: January 2012

Objectives To gauge the opinions of doctors working, or interested, in general practice on monitoring patient safety using administrative data. The findings will inform the development of routinely collected databased patient safety indicators in general practice and elsewhere in primary care. Design Non-systematic participant recruitment, using personal contacts and colleagues’ recommendations. Setting Face-to-face consultations at participants’ places of work, between June 2010 and February 2011. Participants Four general practitioners (GPs) and a final year medical student. The four clinicians had between eight to 34 years of clinical practice experience, and held non-clinical positions in addition to their clinical roles. Main outcome measures Views on safety issues and improvement priorities, measurement methods, uses of administrative data, role of administrative data in patient safety and experiences of quality and safety initiatives. Results Medication and communication were the most commonly identified areas of patient safety concern. Perceived safety barriers included incident-reporting reluctance, inadequate medical education and low computer competency. Data access, financial constraints, policy changes and technology handicaps posed challenges to data use. Suggested safety improvements included better communication between providers and local partnerships between GPs. Conclusions The views of GPs and other primary care staff are pivotal to decisions on the future of English primary care and the health system. Broad views of general practice safety issues were shown, with possible reasons for patient harm and quality and safety improvement obstacles. There was general consensus on areas requiring urgent attention and strategies to enhance data use for safety monitoring.
Association of copy number variation in the AHI1 gene with risk of obesity in the Chinese population
Authors: Huang Liansha , Teng Dacai , Wang Hao , Sheng Guoqing , Liu Tonghua 
Published: January 2012

ObjectiveThe prevalence of obesity has increased dramatically over the past decade. Gene copy number variants (CNVs) have been recognized as a hereditable source of susceptibility in human complex diseases including obesity. Recent studies have shown that Abelson helper integration site 1 (Ahi1) gene has a significant contribution in the homeostasis regulation in mouse models of obesity. A study was therefore carried out to investigate whether CNVs inAHI1gene contribute to human obesity.Subjects and methodsWe analyzed samples from 70 Chinese overweight adults and 74 healthy controls for DNA copy number change using the Affymetrix single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) 6.0 array. Validation of CNVs ofAHI1was achieved by real-time PCR using the ΔΔCtmethod.ResultsCopy number gain analysis revealed significant gains (P=0.0017) ofAHI1gene copy number in 17 of 70 (24.3%) samples but only four of 74 (5.4%) controls overall. Then we studied the frequency distribution of CNVs inAHI1gene according to body mass index (BMI) grade. Five out of 28 (18.5%) at-risk obese, six out of 26 (26.9%) moderate obese, and six out of 17 (29.4%) severe obese subjects studied showed increasedAHI1gene copy number.ConclusionsThe result suggested that there was a significant linear trend for increasingAHI1gene copy number frequencies with increasing BMI.
Risk of elevated resting heart rate on the development of type 2 diabetes in patients with clinically manifest vascular diseases
Authors: Bemelmans Remy H H , Wassink Annemarie M J , van der Graaf Yolanda , Nathoe Hendrik M , Vernooij Joris W P , Spiering Wilko , Visseren Frank L J 
Published: January 2012

ObjectiveSympathetic nerve activation is causally related to insulin resistance as both a cause and a consequence. Resting heart rate (RHR) reflects sympathetic nerve activity. We investigated the effect of RHR on the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in patients with clinically manifest vascular diseases.DesignData were used from the second manifestations of arterial disease (SMART) study: a prospective cohort study of patients with clinically manifest vascular diseases (n=3646).MethodsRHR was obtained using an electrocardiogram. Patients were followed up for incident type 2 diabetes (n=289) during a median period of 5.5 (interquartile range 3.2–8.4) years. The relation between RHR and incident T2DM was estimated by Cox proportional hazard analysis. As age was an effect modifier (P=0.048), analyses were stratified for age.ResultsPatients in quartile 4 (Q4) of RHR had a 65% increased risk of T2DM compared with those in Q1 (reference; hazard ratios (HR), 1.65; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.15–2.36) adjusted for age, gender, smoking, estimated glomerular filtration rate, systolic blood pressure, location of vascular disease, and antihypertensive medication. Every 10 beats per minute (bpm) increase in RHR increased the risk for T2DM with 10% (HR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.00–1.21) in the total population. This risk was particularly high in subjects aged 55–63 years (per 10 bpm: HR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.04–1.43) and was independent of the location of vascular disease and beta-blocker use.ConclusionsIncreased RHR, an indicator of sympathetic nerve activity, is associated with an increased risk for T2DM in patients with manifest vascular diseases, particularly in middle-aged patients.