bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness of cross polarized light and fluorescence diagnosis for detection of sub‐clinical and clinical actinic keratosis during imiquimod treatment
Authors: Ortonne Jean‐Paul , Gupta Girish , Ortonne Nicolas , Duteil Luc , Queille Catherine , Mallefet Pascal 
Published: February 2010

Please cite this paper as: Effectiveness of cross polarized light and fluorescence diagnosis for detection of sub‐clinical and clinical actinic keratosis during imiquimod treatment. Experimental Dermatology 2010; 19: 641–647.Background:  During treatment of actinic keratosis (AK) lesions with imiquimod sub‐clinical lesions often become visible. It is, however, unclear whether these sub‐clinical lesions would be detectable beforehand.Objective:  The aim of this pilot study was to compare two techniques, cross polarized light photography (CPL) and fluorescence diagnosis (FD) using methyllevulinic acid and illumination with Wood’s lamp for their ability to detect sub‐clinical lesions. These findings were also compared with biopsy results taken before and after treatment with imiquimod 5% cream or vehicle.Methodology:  Twelve patients with at least five clinically visible AK lesions in a single contiguous 20 cm2 area on the head were recruited. Patient eligibility was determined at the screening visit, when they were randomized to treatment. The randomization was 3:1, active to vehicle (nine treated with imiquimod, three with vehicle cream) for a total duration of 24 weeks (six clinic visits). Patients were assessed for baseline AK lesion counts (clinical and sub‐clinical) at the screening visit and final counts at week 20.Results:  The number of clinically observed AK lesions was significantly lower at week 12 and week 20 compared with baseline following imiquimod treatment versus vehicle. The number of counted lesions were significantly higher using the CPL method compared with clinical counting with imiquimod treatment at baseline (8.3 ± 3.4 vs 5.8 ± 1.3; P = 0.027) and week 20 (4.8 ± 2.4 vs 3.0 ± 1.7; P = 0.02) but not in the vehicle group. The FD lesion counting method did not show a significant increase in the number of detected lesions compared with clinical analysis in the imiquimod and placebo groups but when comparisons were performed using pooled data (treatments and visits combined) the results were significant.Conclusion:  The number of sub‐clinical and clinical AK lesions detected during treatment with imiquimod can be better demonstrated using the methods of CPL and FD, but statistical significance was reached only using the CPL method. This is only a preliminary study with a small number of patients and as a result it is difficult to conclude both statistical and clinical significance. However, results were encouraging and indicate that larger studies are needed to demonstrate the relevance of these two new methods for improved detection of clinical and especially sub‐clinical AK lesions.
Reproducible pattern of microRNA in normal human skin
Authors: Holst Line Marie , Kaczkowski Bogumil , Gniadecki Robert 
Published: February 2010

Please cite this paper as: Reproducible pattern of microRNA in normal human skin. Experimental Dermatology 2010; 19: e201–e205.Abstract:  MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate cell growth, differentiation and apoptosis via specific targeting of messenger RNA (mRNA). Aberrant mRNA expression contributes to pathological processes such as carcinogenesis. To take advantage of miRNA profiling in skin disease it is essential to investigate miRNA expression pattern in normal human skin. Here we investigated miRNA expression profiles from skin biopsies of 8 healthy volunteers taken from sun protected and mildly photo damaged skin using the modified protocol for miRNA extraction. We were able to show a constant pattern of miRNA expression between different individuals. We did not find any significant differences in miRNA expression between sun protected and mildly photodamaged skin. These results may be valuable for future design of studies on miRNA expression in skin disease.
Akt inhibition up‐regulates MMP1 through a CCN2‐dependent pathway in human dermal fibroblasts
Authors: Bujor Andreea M. , Nakerakanti Sashidar , Morris Erin , Hant Faye N. , Trojanowska Maria 
Published: February 2010

Please cite this article as: Akt inhibition up‐regulates MMP1 through a CCN2‐dependent pathway in human dermal fibroblasts. Experimental Dermatology 2010.Abstract:  Akt is a key signalling molecule that was found to be down‐regulated in chronic wounds. Akt blockade has dual antifibrotic effects in human dermal fibroblasts, by up‐regulating matrix metalloproteinase 1 (MMP1) and down‐regulating collagen gene expression (J Invest Dermatol 2008: 128: 1906). The aim of this study was to gain additional insights into the mechanism of MMP1 up‐regulation following Akt blockade. As previous studies showed that CCN2 can be a positive regulator of MMP1, we examined the effects of Akt inhibition on CCN2 expression. Akt blockade using a specific pharmacological inhibitor and Akt siRNA resulted in a significant up‐regulation of CCN2, which correlated with the increase in MMP1. The MMP1 up‐regulation following Akt blockade was partially suppressed by CCN2 siRNA, suggesting that CCN2 is contributing to this effect. Additional experiments showed that CCN2 induces phosphorylation of ERK1/2, Ets1 and c‐Jun. Consistent with the stimulatory role of ERK1/2/Ets1 in the expression of MMP1, the ERK1/2 inhibitor UO126 prevented the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and Ets1 and completely abrogated the induction of MMP1 after CCN2 overexpression, while having no effect on c‐Jun activation. Taken together these results establish CCN2 as a key regulator of MMP1 induction via activation of the ERK1/2/Ets1 pathway. Down‐regulation of Akt signalling leads to inappropriate activation of the CCN2/MMP1 pathway that may contribute to the pathogenesis of chronic wounds. Coordinate expression of CCN2, Akt and MMP1 could be important for normal wound healing to occur. Thus, targeting these specific proteins may represent a promising approach to the therapy of dysregulated wound healing.
Clinics of coeliac disease in children in the 2000s
Authors: Savilahti E , Kolho K‐L , Westerholm‐Ormio M , Verkasalo M 
Published: February 2010

AbstractObjective:  To describe the clinical picture of patients with coeliac disease (CD) and the change in its presentation over the past decades.Study design:  Patients with CD were identified and clinical data collected from hospital records over a 6‐year period (2000–2005).Results:  Altogether 197 patients aged 0.6–15.9 (mean 7.2) years were identified. They were found amongst the child population served by the hospital, the mean number of children at age 0.5–16 years was 268 000 during 2000–2005. The presenting symptom amongst the youngest patients (<3 years) was chronic diarrhoea (in 67%), and amongst older patients, abdominal pain. At the time of diagnosis, growth was severely retarded (height <2 SD for age) in 6.6%; mean height was −0.06 SD and weight + 1% for height. After diet treatment for a mean of 6 months, both height and weight increased significantly. Anaemia and iron deficiency were present in 25% and 43% of patients respectively. Intraepithelial T‐cell receptor gamma/delta cells were pathologic in all 150 specimens studied.Conclusions:  The presentation of CD depends on age. Even when we found six times more patients than during years 1976–1985 in the same hospital, published data on the prevalence of CD suggest that we found only a small minority of children with CD.
Transcriptional expression and gelatinolytic activity of matrix metalloproteinases in Henoch–Schonlein purpura
Authors: Mahajan N , Bisht D , Dhawan V , Singh S , Minz RW 
Published: February 2010

AbstractAim:  Accelerated extracellular matrix breakdown caused by the increased activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) has been implicated in several rheumatological disorders and systemic vasculitides, especially Takayasu’s arteritis and Kawasaki disease. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the potential role of MMPs in Henoch–Schonlein purpura (HSP), an acute type of systemic vasculitis in children.Methods:  We studied the activity of MMP‐2 and MMP‐9 in the sera using gelatin zymography and the transcriptional expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells using semi‐quantitative RT‐PCR in 20 patients with HSP in acute and convalescent phase and in 20 healthy children, who were siblings of the subjects with same age group.Results:  All 20 children with HSP showed increased levels of serum activity of MMP‐2 and MMP‐9 in acute phase as compared with their convalescent phase [MMP‐2 (p > 0.05); MMP‐9 (p > 0.05)] and their control counterparts [MMP‐2 (p < 0.001); MMP‐9 (p < 0.001)]. Similarly, transcriptional expression of MMPs was found to be higher in the acute phase of HSP than in convalescent phase [MMP‐2 (p < 0.05); MMP‐9 (p < 0.001)] and in their healthy controls [MMP‐2 (p < 0.001); MMP‐9 (p < 0.01)].Conclusion:  The presence of excessive transcriptional expression and gelatinolytic activity of MMPs may be downstream to the actual aetiopathogenetic factors.
Corns in dogs; signalment, possible aetiology and response to surgical treatment
Authors: Guilliard M. J. , Segboer I. , Shearer D. H. 
Published: February 2010

Objectives: To describe the signalment and response to surgical treatment, and to propose aetiopathogenetic mechanisms for the development of paw pad corns in dogs.Methods: A combined retrospective and prospective study was conducted on 30 dogs that presented with paw pad corns. The age, breed and gender of the dogs, together with anatomical positions of the corns were recorded. Surgical treatments involved either excision (n=27) or distal digital ostectomy (n=3). The minimum follow‐up period was one year.Results: The age at presentation was from two to 15 years. All the breeds in this study were either greyhounds or sighthounds. Males were over‐represented. Ninety percent of the corns were found in the digital pads of digits three and four, and 90% were found in the thoracic limbs. The evidence suggests a mechanical aetiology or foreign body penetration. Long‐term response to surgical excision resulted in a recurrence rate of more than 50% (n=27). Distal digital ostectomy gave good results in selective cases (n=3).Clinical Significance: Corns can cause severe chronic lameness in greyhounds and related breeds. Long‐term response to surgical treatments is disappointing but it is recommended as an initial treatment as it can be curative.
‘Getting the kids back to school’: education and the emotional geographies of the 2007 Hull floods
Authors: Convery I. , Balogh R. , Carroll B. 
Published: February 2010

AbstractMajor flood events almost inevitably affect education and are likely to have a lasting impact on a school and community. In this paper, based on interviews with head teachers carried out in Hull during December 2008, we focus on the 2007 flood event in Hull and the way this affected schools and pupils in the city. The paper indicates the importance of reintegrating children (and families) into community structures such as schools as soon as possible after the flood and of creating safe spaces (‘circle time’) within the school classroom for pupils to explore their flood experiences. While we have commented on the potential therapeutic value of circle time in a post‐disaster situation, we acknowledge that more research is required.
Urban pluvial flooding: a qualitative case study of cause, effect and nonstructural mitigation
Authors: Douglas I. , Garvin S. , Lawson N. , Richards J. , Tippett J. , White I. 
Published: February 2010

AbstractHistorically, flood risk management in the United Kingdom has mainly concentrated on river and coastal flooding, yet flooding from surface water runoff is a risk to urban areas. A comprehensive study of the causes, the impact and the consequences as well as the management of serious pluvial flooding in Heywood, Greater Manchester, in 2004 and 2006 revealed that the victims of the floods were unprepared, ill‐informed and confused as to responsibilities before, during and after the event. Householders had to rely on their insurers for loss mitigation, but the response of the insurance industry was varied and inconsistent, and there were difficulties in building in resilience after the event. In 2006, only one property was on the Office of the Water Regulator DG 5 Register on the basis of previous flooding. Thus the area falls between the responsibilities of the Local Authority (LA), the Environment Agency and the water utility. The people affected do not know whom to turn to for assistance. A way forward may be through the establishment of an overriding agency to provide a coherent voice and strategic guidance, supported by dedicated flooding experts within LA planning departments, the adaptation of buildings for flood resilience and through changes within the insurance industry.
Assessment of Imprecision in Gamma Interferon Release Assays for the Detection of Exposure to
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Tuuminen Tamara , Tavast Esko , Väisänen Riitta , Himberg Jaakko-Juhani , Seppälä Ilkka 
Published: February 2010

ABSTRACT

New gamma interferon (IFN-γ) release assays (IGRAs) to detect an exposure to
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
have recently been launched. The majority of the studies in temperate-climate countries agree that these methods have superior specificity and equal or even superior sensitivity over tuberculin skin tests (TSTs) in the diagnosis of latent tuberculosis (TB) infection (LTBI). However, reproducibility data of IGRAs are virtually missing. We assessed within-run, between-run, and total imprecision of two commercial IGRAs by testing samples from subjects with a stable state of TB infection or treated pulmonary TB, a sample from a healthy volunteer, and internal quality control samples. We calculated coefficients of variance (CV%s) to describe assays variability and compared the obtained results to the reported CV%s for other commercial immunodiagnostic methods. We illustrate an example of assay variability near the cutoff zone to demonstrate the necessity of a gray zone. Due to the strict adherence to the standard operation procedures (SOP) adopted in our laboratory, the total imprecision of enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT)- and enzyme immunoassay (EIA)-based IGRAs was at a maximum CV% of 37.8% for the samples with moderate and high reactivities. Imprecision of testing samples with very low reactivity levels or nonreactive samples may, however, exceed 100%. In conclusion, despite multiple steps of the method performance, the analytical imprecision of IGRAs, which in our study design included also between-lot variability and had a component of normal biological variation, was well in accordance with the reported imprecisions of other manual immunodiagnostic tests. The recognition of the variability around the cutoff point advocates the use of a gray zone to avoid ambiguous result interpretations.
Naturally Competent
Acinetobacter baumannii
Clinical Isolate as a Convenient Model for Genetic Studies
Authors: Ramirez Maria Soledad , Don Michelle , Merkier Andrea K. , Bistué Alfonso J. Soler , Zorreguieta Angeles , Centrón Daniela , Tolmasky Marcelo E. 
Published: February 2010

ABSTRACT

Acinetobacter baumannii
A118 was isolated from a patient's blood culture. It is susceptible to several antibiotics, is naturally competent, and supports replication and stable maintenance of four plasmid replicons
. A. baumannii
A118 took up a fluorophore-labeled oligonucleotide analog. These characteristics make this isolate a convenient model for genetic studies.
Significantly Larger Numbers of Methicillin-Resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
Bacteria Are Recovered from Polymicrobial Respiratory and Wound Sites by Use of Chromogenic Primary Media than by Use of Conventional Culture
Authors: Harrington Amanda T. , Mahlen Steven D. , Clarridge Jill E. 
Published: February 2010

ABSTRACT

Previous studies have validated the properties and documented the utility of chromogenic agar for surveillance of methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA). In this study, we used one of the chromagars, MRSA
Select
(Bio-Rad), as one of the primary isolation media for selected wound and respiratory clinical specimens which, in our institution, were typically polymicrobial. We examined a total of 638 specimens; 142 (22%) MRSA isolates were recovered. Twenty-six of these isolates were recovered only on the MRSA
Select
plate, representing a 28% (15/54) increase for endotracheal aspirates/sputa and a 15% increase for superficial wounds/ulcers (11/73) compared to the results with conventional culture. One isolate (1 CFU) was recovered by conventional medium alone. MRSA
Select
has generally been used for surveillance cultures; however, we document that an additional 21% of MRSA isolates would have gone unreported in these selected clinical specimens using only standard culture media. For 40% (6/15) of inpatients, MRSA isolated from the MRSA
Select
plate was the sole indicator of MRSA. Although these isolates can represent either colonization or infection, they are a potential reservoir of infection and nosocomial transmission. Our data support the focused use of chromogenic selective media for the increased detection of MRSA in polymicrobial wound and respiratory specimens, which could have an impact on both clinical treatment and infection control.
Molecular Characterization of
Acinetobacter
Isolates Collected in Intensive Care Units of Six Hospitals in Florence, Italy, during a 3-Year Surveillance Program: a Population Structure Analysis
Authors: Donnarumma Francesca , Sergi Simona , Indorato Cristina , Mastromei Giorgio , Monnanni Roberto , Nicoletti Pieluigi , Pecile Patrizia , Cecconi Daniela , Mannino Roberta , Bencini Sara , Fanci Rosa , Bosi Alberto , Casalone Enrico 
Published: February 2010

ABSTRACT

The strain diversity and the population structure of nosocomial
Acinetobacter
isolated from patients admitted to different hospitals in Florence, Italy, during a 3-year surveillance program, were investigated by amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP). The majority of isolates (84.5%) were identified as
A. baumannii
, confirming this species as the most common hospital
Acinetobacter
. Three very distinct
A. baumannii
clonal groups (A1, A2, and A3) were defined. The A1 isolates appeared to be genetically related to the well-characterized European EU II clone. A2 was responsible for three outbreaks which occurred in two intensive care units. Space/time population dynamic analysis showed that A1 and A2 were successful nosocomial clones. Most of the
A. baumannnii
isolates were imipenem resistant. The genetic determinants of carbapenem resistance were investigated by multiplex PCR, showing that resistance, independently of hospital origin, period of isolation, or clonal group, was associated with the presence of a
bla
OXA-58-like
gene and with IS
Aba2
and IS
Aba3
elements flanking this gene.
bla
OXA-58
appeared to be horizontally transferred. This study showed that the high discriminatory power of AFLP is useful for identification and typing of nosocomial
Acinetobacter
isolates. Moreover the use of AFLP in a real-time surveillance program allowed us the recognition of clinically relevant and widespread clones and their monitoring in hospital settings. The correlation between clone diffusion, imipenem resistance, and the presence of the
bla
OXA-58-like
gene is discussed.
Coamplification of HIV-1 Proviral DNA and Viral RNA in Assays Used for Quantification of HIV-1 RNA
Authors: Wan H. , Seth A. , Rainen L. , Fernandes H. 
Published: February 2010

ABSTRACT

Elevated HIV-1 viral load (VL) observed in specimens frozen
in situ
in plasma preparation tubes (PPTs) compared to EDTA plasma specimens may affect therapeutic monitoring of HIV-infected patients. The increase in viral load is cell associated and minimized when plasma from the PPT is aspirated or recentrifuged prior to freezing. This study investigates the contribution of integrated HIV-1 proviral DNA to elevated VL in the quantification of HIV-1 RNA in plasma. Fifty paired specimens collected in EDTA tubes and PPTs frozen
in situ
were used for analysis. HIV-1 VL was measured using the COBAS Amplicor Monitor ultrasensitive test version 1.5. Contaminating proviral DNA was detected using a nested PCR targeting the
Alu
repeat in human genomic DNA and HIV
pol
gene simultaneously. Treatment of the specimen with DNase resulted in significantly lower quantifiable HIV-1 RNA in specimens from PPTs compared to the corresponding EDTA tubes (
P
= 0.004). After the RNA was destroyed by heat treatment, the mean HIV-1 RNA VL decreased by 79% in the EDTA tube compared to 65% in the PPT. The nested PCR amplified integrated proviral DNA in nucleic acid extracted from plasma in PPT and EDTA specimens with high viral load values. Likewise, a semiquantitative densitometric analysis revealed that the total amount of genomic DNA in the PPT was higher than that in the EDTA tube. Our investigation clearly shows that both proviral DNA and intracellular RNA are amplified simultaneously in the COBAS Amplicor HIV-1 Monitor assay and that proviral DNA contributes to the elevated VL in plasma frozen in PPTs.
Molecular Epidemiology of Multidrug-Resistant
Acinetobacter baumannii
in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Naples, Italy, Shows the Emergence of a Novel Epidemic Clone
Authors: Giannouli Maria , Cuccurullo Susanna , Crivaro Valeria , Di Popolo Anna , Bernardo Mariano , Tomasone Federica , Amato Gerardino , Brisse Sylvain , Triassi Maria , Utili Riccardo , Zarrilli Raffaele 
Published: February 2010

ABSTRACT

The molecular epidemiology of multidrug-resistant
Acinetobacter baumannii
was investigated in two intensive care units of the V. Monaldi university hospital in Naples, Italy, from May 2006 to December 2007. Genotype analysis by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), trilocus sequence-based typing (3LST), and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) of
A. baumannii
isolates from 71 patients identified two distinct genotypes, one assigned to PFGE group A, 3LST group 1, and ST2 in 14 patients and the other to PFGE group B, 3LST group 6, and ST78 in 71 patients, that we named ST2/A and ST78/B, respectively. Of these, ST2/A corresponded to European clone II identified in the same hospital during 2003 and 2004; ST78/B was a novel genotype that was isolated for the first time in May 2006 but became prevalent during 2007. The ST78/B profile was also identified in five patients from two additional hospitals in Naples during 2007. The ST2/A and ST78/B isolates were resistant to all antimicrobials tested, including carbapenems, but were susceptible to colistin. Both ST2/A and ST78/B isolates possessed a plasmid-borne carbapenem-hydrolyzing oxacillinase gene,
bla
OXA-58
, flanked by IS
Aba2
and IS
Aba3
elements at the 5′ and 3′ ends, respectively. The selection of the novel ST78/B
A. baumannii
clone might have been favored by the acquisition of the
bla
OXA-58
gene.