bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Persistent individual tracking within overall improvement in HbA1cin a UK paediatric diabetes clinic over 15 years
Authors: Edge J. A. , James T. , Shine B. 
Published: June 2010

Diabet. Med. 27, 1284–1288 (2010)AbstractIntroduction There is some evidence of long‐term tracking of HbA1clevels within diabetes centres, but little evidence of individual tracking.Methods HbA1clevels of children in the clinic over a period of 15 years were retrieved from the clinical chemistry laboratory information system. We measured the correlation of HbA1cbetween years (Spearman and Pearson rank correlation), as well as the relationship of HbA1cwith age and the change over time in the clinic.Results Data were collected from 362 children and young people [158 female (44%)], aged 0–18 years (median 10.4 years), with 0–13.6 years of follow‐up (median 4.7 years). Mean HbA1clevels fell from 9.3 ± 1.5% (78 ± 16 mmol/mol) in 2001 to 8.1 ± 1.3% (65 ± 14 mmol/mol) in 2009 in those at least 6 months after diagnosis (P < 0.0001). HbA1clevels gradually rise with increasing age. HbA1clevels from year to year are significantly correlated. This is better for adjacent than subsequent years, but there is a significant correlation up to 9 years from diagnosis. Only 4 of 49 children with a 6‐month HbA1clevel of 9% (75 mmol/mol) or more had a long‐term (2–5 years) median HbA1c< 8% (64 mmol/mol).Conclusions HbA1clevels track in individuals within an improvement in overall clinic levels, suggesting that, if optimal control can be achieved in the first 6 months, it can persist for up to 9 years.
Psychosocial factors associated with use of continuous glucose monitoring
Authors: Ritholz M. D. , Atakov‐Castillo A. , Beste M. , Beverly E. A. , Leighton A. , Weinger K. , Wolpert H. 
Published: June 2010

Diabet. Med. 27, 1060–1065 (2010)AbstractAims  To identify psychosocial factors associated with the use of continuous glucose monitoring by adults with Type 1 diabetes.Methods  Twenty adult patients (aged 45 ± 15 years, diabetes duration 25 ± 19 years, 50% female) followed at our site in the multi‐centre Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation continuous glucose monitoring trial were divided into three groups: Glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) Responders who demonstrated an improvement in glycaemic control with continuous glucose monitoring (baseline HbA1c≥ 7.0%, HbA1c reduction greater than or equal to 0.5%), Hypoglycaemia Responders (baseline HbA1c < 7.0%) who demonstrated decreased time < 3.9 mmol/l while remaining within target HbA1c, and HbA1c Non‐Responders (baseline HbA1c≥ 7.0%, HbA1c reduction less than 0.5%). Subjects participated in semi‐structured interviews focusing on their psychosocial experiences with continuous glucose monitoring.Results  Three major themes were identified that differentiated Responders (including both the HbA1c and Hypoglycaemia groups) from Non‐Responders: (i) coping with frustrations—Responders used self‐controlled rather than emotions‐based coping when faced with continuous glucose monitoring frustrations; (ii) use of information—Responders used retrospective pattern analysis, not just minute‐by‐minute data analysis, in glycaemic management; (iii) ‘significant other’/spousal involvement—Responders endorsed interest, encouragement and participation by their loved ones. Both Responders and Non‐Responders expressed body image concerns when wearing continuous glucose monitoring devices.Conclusions  This qualitative study points to the importance of coping skills, retrospective review of data, and ‘significant other’ involvement in the effective use of continuous glucose monitoring. These findings will inform clinical initiatives to improve patient selection and training in the use of this new technology and have served as the basis for development of quantitative surveys to be used in clinical practice.
Precipitation‐use efficiency along a 4500‐km grassland transect
Authors: Zhongmin Hu , Guirui Yu , Jiangwen Fan , Huaping Zhong , Shaoqiang Wang , Shenggong Li 
Published: June 2010

ABSTRACTAims  Clarifying the spatiotemporal variations in precipitation‐use efficiency (PUE), the ratio of vegetation above‐ground productivity to annual precipitation, will advance our understanding of how ecosystems' carbon and water cycles respond to climate change. Our goal is to investigate the variations in PUE at both regional and site scales along a 4500‐km climate‐related grassland transect.Location  The Inner Mongolian Plateau in northern China and the Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau.Methods  We collected data on 580 sites from four data sources. The data were acquired through field surveys and long‐term in situ observations. We investigated the relationships between precipitation and PUE at both regional and site scales, and we evaluated the effects of the main biotic and climatic factors on PUE at both spatial scales.Results  PUE decreased with decreasing mean annual precipitation (MAP), except for a slight rise toward the dry end of the gradient. The maximum PUE showed large site‐to‐site variation along the transect. Vegetation cover significantly affected the spatial variations in PUE, and this probably accounts for the positive relationship between PUE and MAP. However, there was no significant relationship between inter‐annual variations in precipitation or vegetation cover and PUE within given ecosystems along the transect.Conclusions  The findings of this research contradict the prevailing view that a convergent maximum PUE exists among diverse ecosystems, as presented in previous reports. Our findings also suggest the action of distinct mechanisms in controlling PUE at different spatial scales. We propose the use of a conceptual model for predicting vegetation productivity at continental and global scales with a sigmoid function, which illustrates an increasing PUE with MAP in arid regions. Our approach may represent an improvement over use of the popular Miami model.
Exercise for the treatment and management of overweight women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a review of the literature
Authors: Thomson R. L. , Buckley J. D. , Brinkworth G. D. 
Published: June 2010

SummaryPolycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is characterized by the presence of polycystic ovaries, menstrual dysfunction, infertility and biochemical and clinical hyperandrogenism and is associated with an increased prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors and psychological problems. Despite the well‐established benefits of exercise training and its recommendation as a cornerstone of PCOS management, few well‐controlled randomized studies have been conducted evaluating the benefits of exercise training and specific exercise regimes in women with PCOS. From the limited studies there appears to be a beneficial effect of exercise either alone or in combination with energy restriction has shown to improve fitness, cardiovascular, hormonal, reproductive and psychological outcomes. While the addition of regular exercise to energy restriction appears to only have additional benefits for improving body composition, these greater improvements are likely to have long‐term implications. While lifestyle modification including regular exercise appears to be an effective strategy for the management of overweight PCOS women, methodological limitations in the studies limit the generalizability of the findings. Future research with rigorous study designs is needed to determine specific exercise guidelines that will provide the greatest benefit for these women.
From e‐campus to e‐learning: An overview of ICT applications in Chinese higher education
Authors: Zhao Guodong , Jiang Zhongjiao 
Published: June 2010

AbstractCentring on the application of information and communication technology (ICT) in Chinese higher education, this paper discusses the development of e‐campus in Chinese universities from three different aspects: campus network infrastructure and various management information systems; three modes of e‐learning and its application in higher education institutions; and educational digital resources sharing. Finally, problems encountered during the application of ICT in Chinese higher education and possible solutions are also presented.
Validation of Methods for Identifying Discontinuation of Treatment from Prescription Data
Authors: Nielsen Lars Hougaard , Keiding Niels 
Published: June 2010

SummaryPrescription databases are increasingly used in epidemiological studies concerning the use and the effects of drugs. However, this source of data does not provide direct observations of the time of initiation and discontinuation of drug treatment, and these time points therefore need to be estimated. The paper investigates the validity of methods that are used in the literature to identify discontinuation of treatment from prescription data, and we consider the example of post-menopausal hormone therapy. Validation is investigated in terms of a simulation study based on a multistate model for the relationship between episodes of treatment with hormone therapy and occurrence of prescription refills. The multistate model that is introduced is estimated from joint observations of a prescription registry and a cross-sectional survey, involving techniques from the analysis of backward recurrence times. We demonstrate that estimated time points of discontinuation of treatment are highly uncertain, and this may influence studies concerning the immediate effect of discontinuation of treatment. Despite this limitation, we find that a valid assessment of current treatment status (never, current or previous drug use) can be obtained from prescription data.
Weighted Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve and its Application to Gene Selection
Authors: Li Jialiang , Fine Jason P. 
Published: June 2010

SummaryThe partial area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (PAUC) has been proposed for gene selection by Pepe and co-workers and thereafter applied in real data analysis. It was noticed from empirical studies that this measure has several key weaknesses, such as an inability to reflect non-uniform weighting of different decision thresholds, resulting in large numbers of ties. We propose the weighted area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (WAUC) to address the problems that are associated with PAUC. Our proposed measure enjoys a greater flexibility to describe the discrimination accuracy of genes. Non-parametric and parametric estimation methods are introduced, including PAUC as a special case, along with theoretical properties of the estimators. We also provide a simple variance formula, yielding a novel variance estimator for non-parametric estimation of PAUC, which has proven challenging in previous work. The methods proposed permit sensitivity analyses, whereby the effect of differing weight functions on gene rankings may be assessed and results may be synthesized across weights. Simulations and reanalysis of a well-known microarray data set illustrate the practical utility of WAUC.
Cognitive, Linguistic and Adaptive Functioning in Williams Syndrome: Trajectories from Early to Middle Adulthood
Authors: Howlin Patricia , Elison Sarah , Udwin Orlee , Stinton Christopher 
Published: June 2010

Background  Little is known about trajectories of cognitive functioning as individuals with Williams syndrome (WS) move though adulthood.Method  The present study investigated cognitive, linguistic and adaptive functioning in adults with WS aged 19–55 years, using both cross‐sectional and longitudinal approaches.Results  Data from the cross‐sectional study (n = 92; mean age = 32 years) indicated that IQ was comparable across age groups (Full‐Scale IQ mean = 56–57) with Verbal IQ being slightly higher than Performance IQ. Daily Living Skills (as measured by the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales) were significantly higher in older individuals. Language abilities showed no consistent age‐related differences. On formal tests of language, comprehension scores were higher than expressive language scores for almost all individuals, although this pattern was not replicated on the Vineland. In the longitudinal study, a follow‐up of 47 individuals (mean age = 37 years) first assessed 12 years previously, similar trajectories were found. IQ remained very stable (FSIQ = 61–62 at both time points); there were significant improvements on the Social and Daily Living domains of the Vineland and significant decreases in Maladaptive scores. There were no improvements in language over time.Conclusions  The data indicate that adults with WS (at least up to the age of 50 years) show no evidence of deterioration in cognitive skills. Adaptive abilities continue to develop although language shows relatively little improvement with time.
Regulation of markers of synaptic function in mouse models of depression: chronic mild stress and decreased expression of VGLUT1
Authors: Elizalde Natalia , Pastor Pedro M. , Garcia‐García Álvaro L. , Serres Florance , Venzala Elisabet , Huarte Judit , Ramírez Maria Javier , Del Rio Joaquín , Sharp Trevor , Tordera Rosa M. 
Published: June 2010

J. Neurochem. (2010) 114, 1302–1314.AbstractDepression has been linked to failure in synaptic plasticity originating from environmental and/or genetic risk factors. The chronic mild stress model regulates the expression of synaptic markers of neurotransmitter function and associated depressive‐like behaviour. Moreover, mice heterozygous for the synaptic vesicle protein vesicular glutamate transporter 1 (VGLUT1), have been proposed as a genetic model of deficient glutamate function linked to depressive‐like behaviour. Here, we aimed to identify, in these two experimental models, mechanisms of failure in synaptic plasticity, common to stress and impaired glutamate function. First, we show that chronic mild stress induced a transient decrease of different plasticity markers (VGLUT1, synapsin 1, sinaptophysin, rab3A and activity regulated cytoskeletal protein – Arc) but a long‐lasting decrease of the brain derived neurotrophic factor as well as depressive‐like behaviour. The immediate early gene Arc was also down‐regulated in VGLUT1+/− heterozygous mice. In contrast, an opposite regulation of synapsin 1 was observed. Finally, both models showed a marked increase of cortical Arc response to novelty. Increased Arc response to novelty could be suggested as a molecular mechanism underlying failure to adapt to environmental changes, common to chronic stress and altered glutamate function. Further studies should investigate whether these changes are associated to depressive‐like behaviour both in animal models and in depressed patients.
The formation of tau pathological phospho‐epitopes in the axon is prevented by the dephosphorylation of selective sites in primary hippocampal neurons over‐expressing human tau
Authors: Bertrand Johanne , Sénéchal Patrick , Zummo‐Soucy Mathieu , Plouffe Vanessa , Leclerc Nicole 
Published: June 2010

J. Neurochem. (2010) 114, 1353–1367.AbstractIn tauopathies including Alzheimer’s disease, the axonal microtubule‐associated protein tau becomes hyperphosphorylated at pathological epitopes and accumulates in the somato‐dendritic compartment. However, it remains unclear whether tau becomes phosphorylated at these epitopes in the somato‐dendritic compartment and/or in the axon. In primary hippocampal neurons where human tau was over‐expressed both in the somato‐dendritic compartment and the axon, the pathological epitopes recognized by the antibodies AT8 (S199/S202/T205), AT100 (T212/S214/T217), and AT180 (T231/S235) were found in the somato‐dendritic compartment but not in the axon where tau was either not phosphorylated (T205 and T217) or not simultaneously phosphorylated (T231 and S235) at sites included in the above epitopes. When transfected neurons were treated with the phosphatase inhibitor, okadaic acid, AT8, AT100 and AT180 epitopes were observed in the axon, indicating that tau was dephosphorylated at selective sites of pathological epitopes in this compartment. Expression of tau mutants where one phosphorylation site included in the above epitopes was mutated in alanine showed that the formation of one of these epitopes was not required for the formation of the two others in primary hippocampal neurons. All together our results indicate that in the somato‐dendritic compartment, the kinase and phosphatase activity does not prevent the formation of pathological epitopes whereas in the axon, the amount of tau phosphorylated at the pathological epitopes is regulated by phosphatase activity, most likely that of phosphoserine/phosphothreonine phosphatase 2A, the major tau phosphatase. This indicates that if the pathological epitopes are initially formed in the axon in Alzheimer’s disease brain, the activation of phosphatases could be an efficient way to abolish their generation.
Does comprilan bandage have any influence on peripheral perfusion in patients with oedema?
Authors: Midttun M. , Ahmadzay N. F. , Henriksen J. H. 
Published: June 2010

SummaryAim:  Comprilan bandage may be an attractive treatment of leg oedema, but theoretically bandage could compromise peripheral circulation. The present study was undertaken to investigate circulation in the first toe before, during, and after treatment with comprilan bandage.Methods and study population:  Blood flow rate was measured by the heat‐washout method in the pulp of the first toe of 10 patients (eight women, two men, aged 75–94) with leg oedemas, and systolic toe blood pressure was determined by the strain gauge method. Oedema was scored according to a visual scale, and the patients were treated with comprilan (short stretch) bandage for 1 week. Toe blood flow rate was measured before, during and after the use of the bandages, and toe blood pressure was measured before and after the use of bandages.Results:  According to the visual scale, all subject benefited from the treatment by reduction of oedema, and they reported increased well‐being after. Blood flow rate was not significantly altered during and after the treatment. Systolic toe pressure was normal in all patients (R/L = 94/83 mmHg), and no significant change took place during and after the use of the bandages (92/90 mmHg).Conclusion:  Comprilan bandage has a positive effect on legs oedemas, visually as well as according to the patients well‐being. The treatment does not have any significant influence on toe blood pressure. It cannot, however, be excluded that the use of comprilan bandage may compromise toe blood flow rate slightly (<5%). A larger study with more subjects has to be made to come this closer, and additional capillary blood flow rate should be measured in an area without arteriovenous anastomoses.
Prospective Evaluation of the Change of Predialysis Protein‐Bound Uremic Solute Concentration With Postdilution Online Hemodiafiltration
Authors: Meert Natalie , Waterloos Marie‐Anne , Van Landschoot Maria , Dhondt Annemieke , Ledebo Ingrid , Glorieux Griet , Goeman Jan , Van der Eycken Johan , Vanholder Raymond 
Published: June 2010

AbstractAlthough protein‐bound uremic compounds have been related to outcome in observational studies, few current dialysis strategies provide more removal of those compounds than standard hemodialysis. We evaluated the evolution of protein‐bound uremic solutes after a switch from high‐flux hemodialysis to postdilution hemodiafiltration (n = 13). We compared predialysis solute concentration at 4, 5, and 9 weeks versus baseline for several protein‐bound compounds and water‐soluble solutes, as well as for β2‐microglobulin. After 9 weeks of postdilution hemodiafiltration, a significant decrease versus baseline could be detected for total concentration of protein‐bound solutes: p‐cresylsulfate (3.98 ± 1.51–3.17 ± 1.77 mg/dL, −20%, P <  0.01) and 3‐carboxyl‐4‐methyl‐5‐propyl‐2‐furanpropionic acid (0.72 ± 0.52–0.64 ± 0.46 mg/dL, −11%, P < 0.01). For the other protein‐bound solutes, hippuric acid, indoleacetic acid, and indoxylsulfate, no change in total concentration could be detected. The concentration of the middle molecule, β2‐microglobulin, decreased as well after 9 weeks of postdilution hemodiafiltration (24.7 ± 9.3–18.1 ± 6.7 mg/L, −27%, P < 0.01). For water‐soluble compounds, no significant change of concentration was found. Postdilution hemodiafiltration in comparison to high‐flux hemodialysis provided significant reduction of predialysis concentration of protein‐bound compounds, especially those with the highest protein binding, and of β2‐microglobulin, by −11 to −27% in 9 weeks.
Optimal Moving Angle of Pusher Plate in Occlusive‐Type Pulsatile Blood Pump
Authors: Choi Hyuk , Lee Hwansung , Choi Jaesoon , Lee Jung Joo , Nam Kyoung Won , Park Jun Woo , Park Yongdoo , Sun Kyung , Lee Heung‐Man 
Published: June 2010

AbstractSince the occlusive‐type pulsatile extracorporeal blood pump (Twin‐Pulse Life Support System; Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea) received the CE mark of the European Directives and Korea Food and Drug Administration approval (2004) for short‐term applications as an extracorporeal life support system, the pump system has been tested for hemolysis. This pump system was recently upgraded with an ameliorated pusher plate to reduce hemolysis. In this study, numerical analysis and in vitro tests were performed to determine the optimal conditions for increasing the durability of the blood sac and pump output. During the simulation, the minimum sliding interface force (SIF) for the angle of the pusher plate movement (PPM) was calculated (40–70°). In the in vitro durability test, the angle of the PPM was increased gradually from 40 to 70° in 10° increments, and the mean time to failure (MTTF) of the blood sac was calculated. Fifteen tests were conducted for each case: 40, 50, 60, and 70° (n = 15 each). The MTTF of the blood sac was defined as the time when a crack of the blood sac occurred. The longer lifetime of the blood sac at 60° of the PPM (297.0 h) than that at 50° (197.6 h) was attributed to the lower SIF value (−0.13, normalized value) at 60° of the PPM.
Ictal Epileptic Headache Mimicking Status Migrainosus: EEG and DWI‐MRI Findings
Authors: Belcastro Vincenzo , Striano Pasquale , Pierguidi Laura , Calabresi Paolo , Tambasco Nicola 
Published: June 2010

(Headache2010;••:••‐••)We report a case of a patient with status migrainosus unresponsive to analgesic therapy in whom electroencephalographic recording revealed an epileptic origin. Intravenous administration of lorazepam induced the prompt resolution of the symptoms.