bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Oral mucosal involvement as the sole or main manifestation of linear IgA disease: case report and review of the literature
Authors: Betts A. , Yeoman C.M. , Farthing P.M. 
Published: April 2010

AbstractBackground:  Linear IgA disease is a rare autoimmune subepithelial blistering condition that predominantly affects the skin. Lesions also commonly occur on mucosal surfaces, including the oral mucosa. Demonstration by direct immunofluorescence of IgA deposits in a linear pattern along the basement membrane zone is required for diagnosis.Case report:  A case of linear IgA disease in which oral mucosal involvement remained the sole manifestation of the disease for twenty‐three years is presented.Literature review:  A review of the literature revealed seventeen cases in which the disease manifested itself principally in the oral mucosa. Desquamative gingivitis or gingival erythema appears to be the most common manifestation of the disease. Vesicles and bullae, shallow ulcers, erosions, white striae and white patches are also commonly seen. There may be considerable clinical and histological overlap with other diseases, principally mucous membrane pemphigoid and lichen planus.Conclusion:  Although a number of case reports have been published describing instances in which oral mucosal involvement was the only or main manifestation of the disease, the fact that linear IgA disease can manifest itself as a predominantly oral mucosal condition is not widely appreciated by clinicians. This may lead to potentially serious delays in arriving at the correct diagnosis in these cases.
Cryptic vector divergence masks vector‐specific patterns of infection: an example from the marine cycle of Lyme borreliosis
Authors: Gómez‐Díaz Elena , Doherty Jr Paul F. , Duneau David , McCoy Karen D. 
Published: April 2010

AbstractVector organisms are implicated in the transmission of close to a third of all infectious diseases. In many cases, multiple vectors (species or populations) can participate in transmission but may contribute differently to disease ecology and evolution. The presence of cryptic vector populations can be particularly problematic as differences in infection can be difficult to evaluate and may lead to erroneous evolutionary and epidemiological inferences. Here, we combine site‐occupancy modeling and molecular assays to evaluate patterns of infection in the marine cycle of Lyme borreliosis, involving colonial seabirds, the tickIxodes uriae, and bacteria of theBorrelia burgdorferi s.l.complex. In this cycle, the tick vector consists of multiple, cryptic (phenotypically undistinguishable but genetically distinct) host races that are frequently found in sympatry. Our results show that bacterial detection varies strongly among tick races leading to vector‐specific biases if raw counts are used to calculateBorreliaprevalence. These differences are largely explained by differences in infection intensity among tick races. After accounting for detection probabilities, we found that overall prevalence in this system is higher than previously suspected and that certain vector–host combinations likely contribute more than others to the local dynamics and large‐scale dispersal ofBorreliaspirochetes. These results highlight the importance of evaluating vector population structure and accounting for detection probability when trying to understand the evolutionary ecology of vector‐borne diseases.
Predicting willingness‐to‐sell and its utility for assessing conservation opportunity for expanding protected area networks
Authors: Guerrero Angela M. , Knight Andrew T. , Grantham Hedley S. , Cowling Richard M. , Wilson Kerrie A. 
Published: April 2010

AbstractTranslating maps of priority areas for conservation into activities which actually secure these places is a complex process, overwhelmingly influenced by human and social factors. Spatial conservation prioritizations often assume that land is available for acquisition. Using data gathered through interviews, we predicted land managers willingness‐to‐sell their land. We included this information in spatial prioritization analyses that aimed to identify areas that achieve conservation objectives while maximizing the probability that land will be available for acquisition. As anticipated, our solutions were more likely of being available for acquisition compared to solutions that did not include the willingness‐to‐sell data. Our results illustrate the trade‐off between designing so‐called “optimal” networks of protected areas, and the realities of translating these maps into on‐ground action. We demonstrate how an important aspect of the social context in which conservation is embedded and defines conservation opportunities can be explicitly accounted for in the development of conservation plans.
The natural environment is valuable but not infinitely valuable
Authors: Colyvan Mark , Justus James , Regan Helen M. 
Published: April 2010

AbstractThis article discusses the appeal to infinite value in environmental decision making. We argue that invoking infinite values as a means of faithfully representing the worth of certain parts of the natural environment is a mistake. Infinite values have a number of theoretical and practical problems associated with them. For example, we show that invoking infinite values makes it hard to motivate conservation management decisions with greater probability of success. It is also difficult to motivate decisions that lead to better environmental outcomes, such as an increase in the area of habitat preserved. The upshot is that environmental decision making would be crippled if infinite values were introduced.
Prospective randomized comparative study of macular thickness following phacoemulsification and manual small incision cataract surgery
Authors: Ghosh Sambuddha , Roy Indranil , Biswas Pradyot N. , Maji Dipankar , Mondal Lakshmi K. , Mukhopadhyay Subhalakshmi , Bhaduri Gautam 
Published: April 2010

Abstract.Purpose:  To compare macular thickness following uncomplicated phacoemulsification with foldable acrylic lens and manual small incision cataract surgery (MSICS) with non‐foldable polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) lens implantation.Methods:  Prospective study was carried out with one eye each of 224 patients with senile cataract randomized into two groups, phacoemulsification and MSICS, by simple 1:1 randomization. Following surgery by either of the two methods, macular thickness was measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT) on the 1st, 7th, 42nd and 180th postoperative day. Main outcome measure was postoperative macular thickness.Results:  On the first postoperative day, central subfield mean thickness (CSMT) in MSICS group was 192.8 ± 17.9 μm and that in phacoemulsification group was 192.1 ± 27.4 μm, with no significant difference (p = 0.12). On the 7th day, CSMT in MSICS group (198.9 ± 21.4 μm) was significantly (p = 0.04) more than that in phacoemulsification group (193.1 ± 19.3 μm). On the 42nd day, CSMT in MSICS group was 207.8 ± 26.3 μm and that in phacoemulsification group was 198.3 ± 23 μm, the difference being significant (p = 0.007). Clinically macular oedema was not diagnosed in any of the patients at any visit. The increase in macular thickness was sub‐clinical and did not affect final visual outcome in any patient.Conclusion:  In spite of the greater theoretical risk of increased postoperative inflammation following MSICS, there was no evidence of cystoid macular oedema, either clinically or on OCT. However, chance of sub‐clinical increase in CSMT was more following MSICS compared to phacoemulsification.
Cohorts of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) inVitis vinifera, a typical Mediterranean fruit crop
Authors: Balestrini Raffaella , Magurno Franco , Walker Christopher , Lumini Erica , Bianciotto Valeria 
Published: April 2010

SummaryIn field conditions, grapevine roots normally are colonized by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). However, little is published, from either morphological or molecular studies, on the species composition of these symbionts in production vineyards. The AMF biodiversity of two Piedmont vineyards (at Neive and Lessona), characterized by different soil features, was investigated by morphological and molecular analyses. Several morphotypes were identified from the two vineyard soils. Community composition of AMF, both in soil and root samples, was then analysed with molecular approach to amplify a portion (550 bp) of AM fungal SSU rDNA. Phylogenetic analyses show a different distribution of sequences from the two sites in the main glomeromycotan groups. In the Neive site, theGlomeraceaegroup A is the only one well represented whereas more groups were found at Lessona. Among the more representative operational taxonomic units (OTUs), only one related to theGlomus irregularephylotype was shared between the two vineyard soils. The data obtained in this work together with similar results in literature on this important fruit crop reinforce the concept that the general AMF assemblage structure and composition in vineyards might be influenced more by soil type than by host plant features (age, vegetative stages) or management practices.
Evaluation of the economic impact of California's Tobacco Control Program: a dynamic model approach
Authors: Miller Leonard S , Max Wendy , Sung Hai-Yen , Rice Dorothy , Zaretsky Malcolm 
Published: April 2010

ObjectiveTo evaluate the long-term net economic impact of the California Tobacco Control Program.MethodsThis study developed a series of dynamic models of smoking-caused mortality, morbidity, health status and healthcare expenditures. The models were used to evaluate the impact of the tobacco control programme. Outcomes of interest in the evaluation include net healthcare expenditures saved, years of life saved, years of treating smoking-related diseases averted and the total economic value of net healthcare savings and life saved by the programme. These outcomes are evaluated to 2079. Due to data limitations, the evaluations are conducted only for men.ResultsThe California Tobacco Control Program resulted in over 700 000 person-years of life saved and over 150 000 person-years of treatment averted for the 14.7 million male California residents alive in 1990. The value of net healthcare savings and years of life saved resulting from the programme was $22 billion or $107 billion in 1990 dollars, depending on how a year of life is discounted. If women were included, the impact would likely be much greater.ConclusionsThe benefits of California's Tobacco Control Program are substantial and will continue to accrue for many years. Although the programme has resulted in increased longevity and additional healthcare resources for some, this impact is more than outweighed by the value of the additional years of life. Modelling the programme's impact in a dynamic framework makes it possible to evaluate the multiple impacts that the programme has on life, health and medical expenditures.
Smoking-attributable cancer mortality in California, 1979–2005
Authors: Cowling David W , Yang Juan 
Published: April 2010

BackgroundThe adult smoking prevalence has declined more in California than the rest of the US in the past 2 decades. Further, California has faster declines in cancer mortality, lung cancer incidence and heart disease mortality. However, no study has examined smoking-related cancer mortality between California and the rest of the US.MethodsThe smoking-attributable cancer mortality rate (SACMR) from 1979 to 2005 in California and the rest of the US are calculated among men and women 35 years of age or older using the Joinpoint regression model to calculate the SACMR annual percentage change. The SACMR is the sum of the smoking-attributable death rates of 10 smoking-attributable cancers.ResultsThe SACMR has declined more in California (25.7%) than the rest of the US (8.9%) from 1979 to 2005. California men had a lower SACMR than the rest of the US over the entire study period, with the difference tripling from 7.4% in 1979 to 23.9% in 2005. The difference of female SACMR between California and the rest of the US went from 17.9% higher in 1979 to 13.4% lower in 2005.ConclusionsCalifornia's SACMR decrease started 7 years earlier than the rest of the US (1984 vs 1991), and California experienced an accelerated decline of SACMR compared to the rest of the US overall and among men and women from 1979 to 2005. Although the SACMR started declining before the creation of the California Department of Public Health, California Tobacco Control Program, the SACMR rate of decline in California accelerated after the programme's inception.
The quarter that changed the world
Authors: Roeseler April , Burns David 
Published: April 2010

BackgroundThe California Department of Public Health (CDPH), California Tobacco Control Program (CTCP) is one of the longest-running comprehensive tobacco control programmes in the USA, resulting from a 1988 ballot initiative that added a 25-cent tax on each pack of cigarettes and a proportional tax increase on other tobacco products. This programme used a social norm change approach to reduce tobacco use.MethodsThe operation, structure, evolution, programme dissemination and results are reviewed.ResultsThe sustained programme implementation has reduced adult per capita cigarette consumption by over 60% and adult smoking prevalence by 35%, from 22.7% in 1988 to 13.8% in 2007. From 1988 to 2004, lung and bronchus cancer rates in California declined at nearly four times the rate of decline seen in the rest of the USA and the programme is associated with an $86 billion savings in healthcare costs. Youth smoking rates among 12–17 years olds are the second lowest in the nation.ConclusionsThe social norm change approach is effective at reducing tobacco consumption, adult smoking and youth uptake. This approach resulted in declines in tobacco-related diseases and is associated with savings in healthcare expenditures. In considering CTCP's effectiveness, the takeaway message is that it should be viewed as a unified programme rather than a collection of independent interventions. The programme was designed and implemented as one where the parts complement and reinforce each other. Its effectiveness is dependent on its comprehensive strategy rather than any one part of the intervention.
An evaluation of the California community intervention
Authors: Modayil Mary V , Cowling David W , Tang Hao , Roeseler April 
Published: April 2010

AimWe conducted this study to determine key community-level factors associated with higher tobacco control programme performance.MethodsA combination of surveys, administrative and fiscal data were collected to measure local county-level health department performance over a 7-year period. Longitudinal analyses were performed using generalised estimating equations to examine whether counties that exerted higher effort were successful in creating more tobacco retail licensing (TRL) and secondhand smoke policies. Several social, political and contextual factors were examined as confounders.ResultsLocal county health departments (CHDs) that demonstrated high effort on their work plans increased the proportion of residents covered by TRL policies (7.2%; 95% CI −1.7 to 16.1%) compared to CHDs with lower levels of effort. Having legislators who voted in favour of tobacco control bills was found to significantly increase the passage of local TRL policies. CHDs demonstrating higher efforts also increased the proportion of residents covered by secondhand smoke policies (9.2%; 95% CI −3.5 to 21.9%).ConclusionThere was strong evidence that higher county-level efforts predicted an increasing number of local tobacco control policies. Evaluations using integrated designs are recommended as effective strategies to provide a more accurate assessment of how well community-level interventions catalyse community-wide change.
Tobacco marketing in California and implications for the future
Authors: Roeseler April , Feighery Ellen C , Cruz Tess Boley 
Published: April 2010

BackgroundTobacco marketing influences tobacco use initiation, maintenance of use, and it undermines comprehensive tobacco control programmes. Policies to ban the impact of tobacco marketing are most likely to be more effective if they are comprehensive, as partial bans shift marketing to non-banned forms of media. A comprehensive approach to reducing tobacco marketing includes documentation through monitoring, media and policy interventions and aggressive enforcement of existing laws.MethodsThis paper summarises California tobacco industry monitoring of events and retail outlets, and findings about exposure to and beliefs about tobacco industry marketing among youths and adults conducted during the period 2000 through 2008.ResultsThere was no overall change in the average number of cigarette materials per store, and an increase in the percentage of stores with advertisements promoting price discounts for cigarettes. Stores with cigarette advertisements near candy displays declined from 12.5% (95% CI 9.8% to 15.2%) to 1% (95% CI 0.2% to 1.9%) of stores, and advertisements at or below the eye-level of children declined from 78.6% (95% CI 75.2% to 82.0%) to 31% (95% CI 27.1% to 34.9%) of stores. Overall, the number of public events with tobacco sponsorship declined from 77.3% to 48.1%. This trend was consistent with a significant decline noted among high school students and adults who reported seeing tobacco advertisements at events or attending a tobacco company-sponsored event.ConclusionsTobacco industry monitoring, media, policy and enforcement interventions may have contributed to observed changes in tobacco marketing and to declines in reported exposure to tobacco marketing.
Circuit resistance training in sedentary women: body composition and serum cytokine levels
Authors: Ferreira Fabiano Candido , de Medeiros Alexandra Ivo , Nicioli Cristiane , Nunes João Elias Dias , Shiguemoto Gilberto Eiji , Prestes Jonato , Verzola Roberto Mário Machado , Baldissera Vilmar , de Andrade Perez Sérgio Eduardo 
Published: April 2010

Exercise can generate alterations in body composition and modulate the immune system. The objective of this study was to verify whether a circuit resistance training (CRT) protocol can increase lean body mass (LM), and reduce fat body mass (FM) and the percent of FM (%FM) of sedentary women, without inducing inflammatory responses, indicated by serum cytokine levels. The initial hypothesis was that CRT would improve body composition, without changing serum cytokine levels. The study consisted of 14 healthy, sedentary women, aged 33–45 years (mean ± SD, 40.23 ± 3.98 years), with a normal body mass index. They participated in 3 sessions per week of CRT, which included 2 rounds in 9 stations with 1 set of 8–12 repetition maximum at each station, for 10 weeks. During the 10-week CRT period, participants maintained their pretraining nutritional standard. Body composition was analysed with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry both pre- and post-training. Blood samples were collected after 96 h of rest pre- and post-training, and 5 min, 24 h, and 48 h after the second and last training sessions to measure serum cytokine levels by flow cytometry. The nutritional standard was accompanied throughout the study period with 24-h dietary recall. Increases in LM (35.937 ± 4.926 to 39.130 ± 4.950 kg) and decreases in FM (21.911 ± 8.150 to 17.824 ± 4.235 kg) and %FM (37.10 ± 10.84 to 31.19 ± 6.06), without concurrent changes in serum cytokine levels, and in the nutritional standard (α = 0.05). The proposed CRT improved body composition and did not induce any changes in serum cytokine levels characteristic of the inflammatory response in women.
Skeletal muscle mitochondrial and metabolic responses to a high-fat diet in female rats bred for high and low aerobic capacity
Authors: Naples Scott P. , Borengasser Sarah J. , Rector R. Scott. , Uptergrove Grace M. , Morris E. Matthew , Mikus Catherine R. , Koch Lauren G. , Britton Steve L. , Ibdah Jamal A. , Thyfault John P. 
Published: April 2010

Rats selected artificially to be low-capacity runners (LCR) possess a metabolic syndrome phenotype that is worsened by a high-fat diet (HFD), whereas rats selected to be high-capacity runners (HCR) are protected against HFD-induced obesity and insulin resistance. This study examined whether protection against, or susceptibility to, HFD-induced insulin resistance in the HCR–LCR strains is associated with contrasting metabolic adaptations in skeletal muscle. HCR and LCR rats (generation 20; n = 5–6; maximum running distance ∼1800 m vs. ∼350 m, respectively (p < 0.0001)) were divided into HFD (71.6% energy from fat) or normal chow (NC) (16.7% energy from fat) groups for 7 weeks (from 24 to 31 weeks of age). Skeletal muscle (red gastrocnemius) mitochondrial-fatty acid oxidation (FAO), mitochondrial-enzyme activity, mitochondrial-morphology, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α), and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor δ (PPARδ) expression and insulin sensitivity (intraperitoneal glucose tolerance tests) were measured. The HFD caused increased adiposity and reduced insulin sensitivity only in the LCR and not the HCR strain. Isolated mitochondria from the HCR skeletal muscle displayed a 2-fold-higher rate of FAO on NC, but both groups increased FAO following HFD. PGC-1α mRNA expression and superoxide dismutase activity were significantly reduced with the HFD in the LCR rats, but not in the HCR rats. PPARδ expression did not differ between strains or dietary conditions. These results do not provide a clear connection between protection of insulin sensitivity and HFD-induced adaptive changes in mitochondrial function or transcriptional responses but do not dismiss the possibility that elevated mitochondrial FAO in the HCR may play a protective role.
Ground and gamma band energy systematics in even xenon and barium nuclei
Authors: Singh Yuvraj , Bihari Chhail , Varshney A. K. , Dhiman S. K. , Gupta K. K. , Gupta D. K. 
Published: April 2010

Rotation–vibration coupling parameter b at different spins is calculated on fitting the experimental energy for each nucleus in the framework of the General Asymmetric Rotor Model (Zhi. Phys. Rev. C, 51, 141 (1995)). Taking the even and odd spin energy sequences of the gamma band as separate bands besides the yrast band at large asymmetry (γ ≥ 20°), three values of the moment of inertia parameters a (ar, ae, and ao) are calculated from the band head energies. A striking correlation in a and b versus the product of the number of valance protons and neutrons (NpNn) is obtained. These trajectories and the γ versus NpNn correlation (Yan et al. Phys. Rev. C, 48, 1046 (1993)) are capable of predicting the unknown energies of the ground and gamma bands of even xenon and barium nuclei, knowing only an external parameter NpNn. This introduces the possibility of a simpler description of the structural evolution of these transitional nuclei.
Sub-Poissonian photon statistics of light in interaction of two-level atoms in superposed states with a single mode superposed coherent radiation
Authors: Kumar Rakesh , Prakash Hari 
Published: April 2010

We study sub-Poissonian photon statistics of light in interaction of a single mode radiation, initially either in a coherent state or in a superposed coherent state with an assembly of two-level atoms using the Hamiltonian, H = ω(a+a + Sz) + g(aS+ + a+ S–) in natural units, where a+ and a are creation and annihilation operators, Sz, S ± are the collective Dicke operators, g is the coupling constant, and ω is the energy of the photons and also the separation between the two atomic levels. We study the cases of (i) a single two-level and (ii) of two two-level atoms interacting with a single mode coherent or superposed coherent radiation. We find that for large coupling time gt, Fano factor shows collapses and revival phenomena, and that the variation is large for small mean number of photons. We also find that in the case of two two-level atoms, photon statistics shows larger sub-Poissonian than the case of a single two-level atom, and that there is no definite relationship between squeezing and sub-Poissonian photon statistics of light.