bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Intermediate‐term oncological efficacy of laparoscopic retroperitoneal lymph node dissection for non‐seminomatous germ cell testicular cancer
Authors: Underwood Willie , Kim Hyung L. 
Published: June 2011

Study Type – Therapy (case series)Level of Evidence 4What’s known on the subject? and What does the study add?Other have reported that laparoscopic RPLND is feasible and safe when performed by skilled laparoscopic surgeons.We show that patients undergoing laparoscopic RPLND do not recur at the site of the lymph node dissection, even when chemotherapy is not given for nodal disease. This shows that laparoscopic RPLND is therapeutically effective in removing tumors that may have spread from the testicle to the retroperitoneum.OBJECTIVE• To assess the therapeutic efficacy of laparoscopic retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (L‐RPLND) for testicular cancer in patients with nodal disease managed without adjuvant chemotherapy.PATIENTS AND METHODS• Consecutive patients undergoing RPLND were treated laparoscopically.• Medical records for 15 patients with pathological stage I and II were reviewed.• A modified template dissection was performed laparoscopically. When metastatic disease was noted on intraoperative frozen section, a bilateral template dissection was performed.RESULTS• All patients had predominantly embryonal carcinoma and/or lymphovascular invasion in their orchidectomy specimen. All patients had normal tumour markers after orchidectomy.• Laparoscopic RPLND was performed without intraoperative complications. The mean operative time was 299 min and mean length of hospital stay was 1.5 days.• After L‐RPLND, two patients were pN1 and five patients were pN2.• Of the patients with nodal disease, five (two pN1 and three pN2) were followed without chemotherapy for a mean of 30 months with no evidence of recurrence. Isolated pulmonary recurrence occurred in two patients with pathologic stage I disease, and another stage I patient had recurrence in the lung and retroperitoneum outside the dissection template.CONCLUSIONS• Laparoscopic RPLND appears to be safe while providing the benefits of minimally invasive surgery.• Although the therapeutic benefit of L‐RPLND needs to be confirmed in additional patients and with longer follow‐up, our results suggest that L‐RPLND provides both diagnostic and therapeutic benefits.
A Linear Variational System for Modelling From Curves
Authors: Andrews James , Joshi Pushkar , Carr Nathan 
Published: June 2011

AbstractWe present a linear system for modelling 3D surfaces from curves. Our system offers better performance, stability and precision in control than previous non‐linear systems. By exploring the direct relationship between a standard higher‐order Laplacian editing framework and Hermite spline curves, we introduce a new form of Cauchy constraint that makes our system easy to both implement and control. We introduce novel workflows that simplify the construction of 3D models from sketches. We show how to convert existing 3D meshes into our curve‐based representation for subsequent editing and modelling, allowing our technique to be applied to a wide range of existing 3D content.
Disease severity affects quality of life of hereditary spastic paraplegia patients
Authors: Klimpe S. , Schüle R. , Kassubek J. , Otto S. , Kohl Z. , Klebe S. , Klopstock T. , Ratzka S. , Karle K. , Schöls L. 
Published: June 2011

Background and purpose:  Hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) causes progressive gait disturbance because of degeneration of the corticospinal tract. To assess its impact on Health‐Related Quality of Life (HRQoL), we analyzed the correlation of HRQoL with disease severity and clinical symptoms in HSP.Methods:  HRQoL was assessed by the Short‐Form 36 (SF‐36) Mental and Physical Component summary scores (MCS and PCS) in 143 German patients with HSP. Disease severity was assessed by the Spastic Paraplegia Rating Scale (SPRS) and landmarks of walking ability. Patients with ‘pure’ or ‘complicated’ HSP were compared.Results:  Higher SPRS scores indicating higher disease severity correlated significantly with lower PCS (r = −0.63; P < 0.0005) and MCS (r = −0.38; P < 0.0005) scores. MCS and PCS were reduced in patients with ‘complicated’ forms compared to ‘pure’ HSP and with decreasing walking ability.Conclusion:  HRQoL is substantially impaired in patients with HSP and decreases with disease severity and the presence of ‘complicating’ symptoms. Patients are most affected by the physical restraints of their disease, but mental health is impaired as well. HRQoL is a valid parameter in HSP that should be considered in upcoming therapeutical trials.
Usefulness of MRA‐DWI mismatch in neuroendovascular therapy for acute cerebral infarction
Authors: Deguchi I. , Dembo T. , Fukuoka T. , Nagoya H. , Maruyama H. , Kato Y. , Oe Y. , Horiuchi Y. , Takeda H. , Tanahashi N. 
Published: June 2011

Background:  This study evaluated the usefulness of MR angiography (MRA)–diffusion‐weighted imaging (DWI) mismatch in neuroendovascular therapy over 3 h after onset of acute cerebral infarction.Methods:  The subjects were 14 cases (age, 73 ± 8.4 years) who had an anterior circulation deficit on DWI/MRA on arrival and underwent neuroendovascular therapy over 3 h after onset. MRA‐DWI mismatch (MDM) (+) was defined as ‘major artery lesion (+) and diffusion‐weighted image‐Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (DWI‐ASPECTS) ≥6’; MDM (−) was defined as ‘major artery lesion (+) and DWI‐ASPECTS <6’.Results:  Reperfusion was achieved in nine of 14 patients (64%) undergoing neuroendovascular therapy. Within the reperfusion group, in the five MDM (+) patients and the four MDM (−) patients, the outcome was a favorable clinical response in the MDM (+) group. The modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores after 90 days were 0–2 in 3 (60%) and 3–6 in 2 (40%) of the MDM (+) group patients and 0–2 in 0 (0%) and 3–6 in 4 (100%) of the MDM (−) group patients. In the MDM (+) group, a good outcome was achieved. However, the number of cases was small, so this was not a significant difference. Within the non‐reperfusion group, in the three MDM (+) patients and the two MDM (−) patients, the mRS scores after 90 days were 0–2 in 1 (33%) and 3–6 in 2 (67%) of the MDM (+) group patients and 0–2 in 0 (0%) and 3–6 in 2 (100%) of the MDM (−) group patients. In both groups, the outcome was poor.Conclusions:  With neuroendovascular therapy, a good outcome with reperfusion was achieved in the MDM (+) group compared to the MDM (−) group. This suggests that the presence or absence of MDM may be useful in determining prognosis after reperfusion.
Motor skill deficits in children with partial hearing
Authors: LIVINGSTONE NUALA , MCPHILLIPS MARTIN 
Published: June 2011

Aim  We examined the effect of partial hearing, including cochlear implantation, on the development of motor skills in children (aged 6–12y).Method  Three independent groups of children were selected: a partial hearing group (n=25 [14 males, 11 females]; mean age 8y 8mo, SD 1y 10mo), a nonverbal IQ‐matched group (n=27 [15 males, 12 females]; mean age 9y, SD 1y 6mo), and an age‐matched group (n=26 [8 males, 18 females]; mean age 8y 8mo, SD 1y 7mo) from three schools with special units for children with partial hearing. All children with partial hearing had a bilateral hearing loss >60 decibels. Motor and balance skills were assessed using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC) and two protocols from the NeuroCom Balance Master clinical procedures.Results  The mean standardized total MABC score of the children with partial hearing (95% confidence interval [CI] 71.8–88.7) was significantly lower than both the age‐matched (95% CI 95.8–111.4; p<0.01) and the IQ‐matched (95% CI 87.6–103.0; p=0.03) comparison groups. The children with partial hearing had particular difficulties with balance, most notably during tests of intersensory demand. However, subgroup analyses revealed that the effect of cochlear implantation was clearly dependent on the nature of the task.Interpretation  Children with partial hearing are at high risk of clinical levels of motor deficit, with balance difficulties providing support for conventional vestibular deficit theory. However, the effect of cochlear implantation suggests that other sensory systems may be involved. A broader ecological perspective, which takes into account factors external to the child, may prove a useful framework for future research.
A glutamine synthetase inhibitor increases survival and decreases cytokine response in a mouse model of acute liver failure
Authors: Jambekar Amruta A. , Palma Elena , Nicolosi Luca , Rasola Andrea , Petronilli Valeria , Chiara Federica , Bernardi Paolo , Needleman Richard , Brusilow William S. A. 
Published: June 2011

AbstractBackground: Acute liver failure (ALF) can be induced in mice by administering Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and D‐galactosamine (D‐GalN), which induce an inflammatory response involving tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α production and a hepatocyte‐specific transcriptional block. Under these conditions, binding of TNF‐α to its cognate receptor on hepatocytes eventually leads to their apoptosis.Aims: As part of an effort to identify drugs to treat this disease model, we have investigated whether the glutamine synthetase inhibitor methionine sulfoximine (MSO) could play a protective role, given its effectiveness in the inhibition of brain swelling associated with hyperammonaemia.Methods: Mouse survival, glutamine synthetase activity, hepatocyte apoptosis and induction of inflammatory cytokines were measured in mice treated with MSO before an intraperitoneal injection of LPS/D‐GalN. The effect of MSO on viability and on TNF‐α release was also assessed on inflammatory and liver cells.Results: We have found that, in mice treated with LPS/D‐GalN, MSO (i) drastically increases animal survival; (ii) sharply reduces glutamine synthetase activity, without inhibiting its other target, γ‐glutamyl cysteine synthetase; (iii) inhibits death receptor‐mediated apoptosis in hepatocytes upstream to cytokine binding; (iv) strongly reduces the overall inflammatory cytokine response, including a significant decrease in TNF‐α induction in vivo and ex vivo, and in the interferon‐γ level and signalling.Conclusions: These results demonstrate that the MSO target glutamine synthetase is required for the early steps of the cytokine response to endotoxins, and that its pharmacological inhibition may be exploited to treat inflammation.
A critical review of the contribution of eye movement recordings to the neuropsychology of obsessive compulsive disorder
Authors: Jaafari N. , Rigalleau F. , Rachid F. , Delamillieure P. , Millet B. , Olié J.‐P. , Gil R. , Rotge J.‐Y. , Vibert N. 
Published: June 2011

Jaafari N, Rigalleau F, Rachid F, Delamillieure P, Millet B, Olié J.‐P, Gil R, Rotge J.‐Y, Vibert N. A critical review of the contribution of eye movement recordings to the neuropsychology of obsessive compulsive disorder.Objective:  Dysfunctions of saccadic and/or smooth pursuit eye movements have been proposed as markers of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), but experimental results are inconsistent. The aim of this paper was to review the literature on eye movement dysfunctions in OCD to assess whether or not saccades or smooth pursuit may be used to diagnose and characterize OCD.Method:  Literature was searched using PubMed, ISI Web of Knowledge, and PsycINFO databases for all studies reporting eye movements in adult patients suffering from OCD.Results:  Thirty‐three articles were found. As expected, eye movements of the patients with OCD were mostly assessed with simple oculomotor paradigms involving saccadic and/or smooth pursuit control. In contrast to patients with schizophrenia, however, patients with OCD only displayed rather unspecific deficits, namely slight smooth pursuit impairments and longer response latencies on antisaccade tasks. There was no relationship between these deficits and the severity of patients’ symptoms. Interestingly, eye movements of the patients with OCD were almost never recorded during more complex cognitive tasks.Conclusion:  As in schizophrenia and autism, eye movement recordings during more complex tasks might help to better characterize the cognitive deficits associated with OCD. Such recordings may reveal specific OCD‐related deficits that could be used as reliable diagnostic and/or classification tools.
The global institutionalization of microcredit
Authors: Aagaard Peter 
Published: June 2011

AbstractThis article explains how microcredit as a policy idea has been institutionalized at the transnational level, and what role strategic actors play in the institutional change and governance of microcredit. Special attention is given to three dominant actors, the Grameen Bank, the World Bank, and SKS Microfinance. To explain the emergence of microcredit as a transnational policy idea this article explores the relations between theories of institutional change and Rosenau's concept of spheres of authority.
Novel Treatments for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention
Authors: Huffman Mark D. , Bhatnagar Deepak 
Published: June 2011

SUMMARYThe purpose of this review is to describe novel pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic preventive therapies, as well as new strategies to improve delivery of available therapies. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide, and prevention plays a critical role in curbing the global epidemic. Despite available treatment for tobacco addiction, platelet inhibition, blood pressure, and lipid lowering for reduction of atherosclerotic disease, significant gaps in treatment of total CVD remain. We review a range of new preventive treatment options, including drugs for tobacco cessation, platelet/thrombotic inhibition, lipid‐ and blood pressure‐lowering; nonpharmacologic options such as left atrial appendage closure devices and caloric restriction; and strategies such as fixed‐dose combination drugs, laboratory screening for drug tailoring, and community‐based prevention programs. CVD preventive research continues to evolve and provide clinicians and patients with novel pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic therapies, including new preventive strategies.
Estrogen Receptor Beta Does Not Influence Ischemic Tolerance in the Aged Female Rat Heart
Authors: Tomicek Nanette J. , Miller‐Lee Jennifer L. , Hunter J. Craig , Korzick Donna H. 
Published: June 2011

SUMMARYIntroduction: Ischemic heart disease remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in aged women, with a 2‐ to 3‐fold increase in incidence following menopause. Clinical trials have failed to demonstrate cardioprotective benefit from chronic estrogen (E2) replacement therapy, yet protective effects of E2 have been demonstrated in adult animal models and are mediated by the estrogen receptor (ER) subtypes ERα and ERβ. Aims: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of acute ERβ activation on ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in adult, aged, and aged E2‐deficient female rats. Methods: Hearts were isolated from adult (6 months; n = 9), aged (24 months; n = 13), and aged ovariectomized (OVX; n = 14) female Fischer 344 rats and subjected to 47 min of global I and 60 min of R. Rats were acutely treated with the ERβ‐agonist diarylpropionitrile (DPN; 5μg/kg) or vehicle 45 min prior to I/R; ERβ mRNA and protein levels were also assessed. Results: Acute treatment with DPN had no effect on functional recovery following I/R injury in adult, aged, or aged OVX female rats. Additionally, we were unable to detect ERβ mRNA or protein in the adult or aged female rat myocardium. Conclusions: Here, for the first time, our data suggest that acute ERβ activation does not impact ischemic tolerance in the adult or aged female Fischer 344 rat myocardium and this likely due to a lack of detectable ERβ.
Convergent validity of MCMI‐III clinical syndrome scales
Authors: Hesse Morten , Guldager Steen , Holm Linneberg Inger 
Published: June 2011

Objectives. This study tested the convergent validity of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory‐III (MCMI‐III) clinical syndrome scales.Design. Cross‐sectional survey.Methods. Using a sample of 186 substance abusers from one single town referred for assessment, convergent and discriminant validity of the MCMI‐III and Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) diagnoses was conducted. Additional measures included the Montgomery‐Åsberg Depression Rating Scale and the Beck Anxiety Inventory.Results. A single Axis I factor based on the raw scores correlated adequately with the factor based on the other scales (r= .85), whereas the correlation between the factor based on the MCMI‐III baserate scores was somewhat lower (r= .74), but still indicated substantial convergent validity. For individual disorders, area under the curve (AUC) analyses suggested that the convergent validity of the MCMI‐III and the MINI was adequate. The raw score scales were superior to the baserate adjusted scores in all but one case. Discriminant validity was good for alcohol and drug dependence, moderate for major depression and delusion, and poor for thought disorder and anxiety.Conclusions. The MCMI‐III clinical syndrome scales generally measure the constructs they were intended for. The data did not support that the adjustments used in calculating the baserate scores improved validity.
Analytic representation theory of Lie groups: general theory and analytic globalizations of Harish-Chandra modules
Authors: Gimperlein Heiko , Krötz Bernhard , Schlichtkrull Henrik 
Published: June 2011

AbstractIn this article a general framework for studying analytic representations of a real Lie groupGis introduced. Fundamental topological properties of the representations are analyzed. A notion of temperedness for analytic representations is introduced, which indicates the existence of an action of a certain natural algebra 𝒜(G) of analytic functions of rapid decay. For reductive groups every Harish-Chandra moduleVis shown to admit a unique tempered analytic globalization, which is generated byVand 𝒜(G) and which embeds as the space of analytic vectors in all Banach globalizations of V.
ℤ[1/p]-motivic resolution of singularities
Authors: Bondarko M. V. 
Published: June 2011

AbstractThe main goal of this paper is to deduce (from a recent resolution of singularities result of Gabber) the following fact: (effective) Chow motives with ℤ[1/p]-coefficients over a perfect fieldkof characteristicpgenerate the categoryDMeffgm[1/p] (of effective geometric Voevodsky’s motives with ℤ[1/p]-coefficients). It follows thatDMeffgm[1/p] can be endowed with a Chow weight structurewChowwhose heart isChoweff[1/p] (weight structures were introduced in a preceding paper, where the existence ofwChowforDMeffgmℚ was also proved). As shown in previous papers, this statement immediately yields the existence of a conservative weight complex functorDMeffgm[1/p]→Kb(Choweff[1/p]) (which induces an isomorphism onK0-groups), as well as the existence of canonical and functorial (Chow)-weight spectral sequences and weight filtrations for any cohomology theory onDMeffgm[1/p] . We also mention a certain Chowt-structure forDMeff−[1/p] and relate it with unramified cohomology.
Novel Inhibitors of InhA Efficiently Kill
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
under Aerobic and Anaerobic Conditions
Authors: Vilchèze Catherine , Baughn Anthony D. , Tufariello JoAnn , Leung Lawrence W. , Kuo Mack , Basler Christopher F. , Alland David , Sacchettini James C. , Freundlich Joel S. , Jacobs William R. 
Published: June 2011

ABSTRACT

Drug resistance in
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
has become a serious global health threat, which is now complicated by the emergence of extensively drug-resistant strains. New drugs that are active against drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) are needed. We chose to search for new inhibitors of the enoyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) reductase InhA, the target of the first-line TB drug isoniazid (also known as isonicotinoic acid hydrazide [INH]). A subset of a chemical library, composed of 300 compounds inhibiting
Plasmodium falciparum
enoyl reductase, was tested against
M. tuberculosis
. Four compounds were found to inhibit
M. tuberculosis
growth with MICs ranging from 1 μM to 10 μM. Testing of these compounds against
M. tuberculosis in vitro
revealed that only two compounds (CD39 and CD117) were bactericidal against drug-susceptible and drug-resistant
M. tuberculosis
. These two compounds were also bactericidal against
M. tuberculosis
incubated under anaerobic conditions. Furthermore, CD39 and CD117 exhibited increased bactericidal activity when used in combination with INH or rifampin, but CD39 was shown to be toxic to eukaryotic cells. The compounds inhibit InhA as well the fatty acid synthase type I, and CD117 was found to also inhibit tuberculostearic acid synthesis. This study provides the TB drug development community with two chemical scaffolds that are suitable for structure-activity relationship study to improve on their cytotoxicities and bactericidal activities
in vitro
and
in vivo
.
walK
and
clpP
Mutations Confer Reduced Vancomycin Susceptibility in
Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Shoji Mitsutaka , Cui Longzhu , Iizuka Risa , Komoto Akira , Neoh Hui-min , Watanabe Yukiko , Hishinuma Tomomi , Hiramatsu Keiichi 
Published: June 2011

ABSTRACT

Vancomycin-intermediate
Staphylococcus aureus
(VISA) is generated from vancomycin-susceptible
Staphylococcus aureus
by multiple spontaneous mutations. We previously reported that sequential acquisition of mutations in the two-component regulatory systems
vraSR
and
graRS
was responsible for the VISA phenotype of strain Mu50. Here we report on the identification of a novel set of regulator mutations, a deletion mutation in two-component regulatory system
walRK
(synonyms,
vicRK
and
yycFG
), and a truncating mutation in a proteolytic regulatory gene,
clpP
, responsible for the raised vancomycin resistance in a laboratory-derived VISA strain, LR5P1-V3. The contributory effect of the two mutations to vancomycin resistance was confirmed by introducing the
walK
and
clpP
mutations into the vancomycin-susceptible parent strain N315LR5P1 by a gene replacement procedure. The vancomycin MIC of N315LR5P1 was raised from 1 to 2 mg/liter by the introduction of the
walK
or
clpP
mutation, but it was raised to 4 mg/liter by the introduction of both the
walK
and
clpP
mutations. The vancomycin MIC value of the double mutant was equivalent to that of strain LR5P1-V3. Like VISA clinical strains, LR5P1-V3 and the double mutant strain LR5P1
walK
*
clpP
* exhibited a thickened cell wall, slow growth, and decreased autolytic activity. Transcriptional profiles of the mutants with gene replacements demonstrated that introduction of both the
walK
and
clpP
mutations could alter expression of dozens or hundreds of genes, including those involved in cell envelope and cellular processes, intermediary metabolism, and information pathway. A mutation prevalence study performed on 39 worldwide clinical VISA strains showed that 61.5, 7.7, 10.3, and 20.5% of VISA strains harbored mutations in
walRK
,
clpP
,
graRS
, and
vraSR
, respectively. The mutation of
walRK
was most frequently carried by VISA strains. Together, these results suggested that the mutations of
walK
and
clpP
identified in LR5P1-V3 constitute a new combination of genetic events causing vancomycin resistance in
Staphylococcus aureus
.