bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Epidemiology of hepatitis E: Current status
Authors: Aggarwal Rakesh , Naik Sita 
Published: August 2009

AbstractHepatitis E, caused by infection with hepatitis E virus (HEV), is a common cause of acute hepatitis in areas with poor sanitation. The virus has four genotypes with one serotype: genotypes 1 and 2 exclusively infect humans, whereas genotypes 3 and 4 also infect other animals, particularly pigs. In endemic areas, both large outbreaks of acute hepatitis as well as sporadic cases occur frequently. These cases are usually due to genotype 1 or 2 HEV and are predominantly caused by fecal–oral transmission, usually through contamination of drinking water; contaminated food, materno‐fetal (vertical spread) and parenteral routes are less common modes of infection. The acute hepatitis caused by this virus has the highest attack rates in young adults and the disease is particularly severe among pregnant women. HEV superinfection can occur among persons with pre‐existing chronic liver disease. In non‐endemic regions, locally acquired disease was believed to be extremely uncommon. However, in recent years, an increasing number of cases, due mostly due to genotype 3 or 4 HEV, have been recognized. These are more often elderly men who have other coexisting illnesses, and appear to be related to zoonotic transmission from pigs, wild boars and deer, either food‐borne or otherwise. Also, chronic infection with genotype 3 HEV has been reported among immunosuppressed persons in these regions. A subunit vaccine has been shown to be effective in preventing clinical disease, but is not yet commercially available. Our understanding of hepatitis E epidemiology has undergone major changes in recent years, and the future may hold even more surprises.
Can preoperative CA19‐9 and CEA levels predict the resectability of patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma?
Authors: Kim Young Choon , Kim Hong Joo , Park Jung Ho , Park Dong Il , Cho Yong Kyun , Sohn Chong Il , Jeon Woo Kyu , Kim Byung Ik , Shin Jun Ho 
Published: August 2009

AbstractBackground:  We aimed to explore the predictive ability of preoperative carbohydrate antigen 19‐9 (CA19‐9) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels for assessing tumor resectability (R0 resection) in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma.Methods:  The present study included 72 patients who had been treated surgically for potentially resectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma and 42 patients who had been treated surgically for palliation (bypass surgery) at our institution. Pancreatic adenocarcinoma was histologically confirmed by pathological examination of the resected specimen or, if unresected, by intraoperative biopsy.Results:  For resectable disease, the mean and median values of CA19‐9 were significantly lower than for R1/2 or unresectable disease. The best cut‐off points for CEA, CA19‐9, and tumor size to predict resectability were 2.47 ng/mL, 92.77 U/mL and 11.85 cm3, respectively. A CA19‐9 ≥ 92.77 U/mL and both tumor markers no less than the cut‐off levels predicted the possibility of R1/2 or unresectability with 90.6% and 88.6% accuracy, respectively. However, either tumor marker or both tumor markers less than the cut‐off levels predicted the probability of R0 resection only with 27.1% and 40.6% accuracy, respectively. The independent contributing factors to resectability (R0 resection) by multivariate regression analysis were a CA 19‐9 < 92.77 U/mL, a tumor size < 11.85 cm3, and a less advanced AJCC stage.Conclusion:  The present study demonstrates that preoperative serum CA19‐9 and CEA levels can be used for the prediction of resectability (R0 resection) in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma, which may enable a simple and cost‐effective exclusion of such patients who are unlikely to benefit from surgery.
Natural killer cells – new understanding of basic biology may lead to more effective allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation
Authors: Patil S. , Schwarer T. 
Published: August 2009

AbstractThe natural killer (NK) cells are part of the innate immune system and are responsible for initial defences in the surveillance against malignant cells and virally infected cells. In addition to direct cytotoxicity, cytokines produced by NK cells amplify the immune response and help control the neoplasm/pathogen. Several activating and inhibitory receptors responsible for NK cell activation are recently characterized and play a crucial role in tumour eradication. These include, but are not limited to, the killer immunoglobulin‐like receptors, C‐type lectin receptors and natural cytotoxicity receptors. The downstream signalling of some of these receptors is also characterized. The net balance in the sum of the signals generated by ligation of activating and inhibitory receptors determines the final outcome, cytotoxicity versus tolerance. NK cell‐based immunotherapy can be successfully exploited in the haematopoietic stem cell transplantation for the treatment of haematological malignancies and has a potential to separate the beneficial graft versus leukaemia effect from, often dangerous, graft versus host disease. This article reviews the NK receptors important in NK‐mediated cytotoxicity in allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
Testing for monogenic diabetes among children and adolescents with antibody‐negative clinically defined Type 1 diabetes
Authors: Rubio‐Cabezas O. , Edghill E. L. , Argente J. , Hattersley A. T. 
Published: August 2009

AbstractAims  Monogenic diabetes is frequently misdiagnosed as Type 1 diabetes. We aimed to screen for undiagnosed monogenic diabetes in a cohort of children who had a clinical diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes but were pancreatic autoantibody‐negative.Methods  We studied 252 patients diagnosed clinically with Type 1 diabetes between 6 months and 17 years of age. Pancreatic autoantibodies [islet cell autoantibodies (ICA), glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies (GADA) and/or insulinoma‐associated antigen‐2 antibodies (IA2A)] were absent in 25 cases (9.9%). The most frequent genes involved in monogenic diabetes [KCNJ11 and INS for neonatal diabetes and HNF1A and HNF4A for maturity‐onset diabetes of the young (MODY)] were directly sequenced.Results  Two of the 25 (8%) antibody‐negative patients had de novo heterozygous mutations in INS; c.94G>A (G32S) and c.265C>T (R89C). The two patients presented with non‐ketotic hyperglycaemia at 8 and 11 months of age. In contrast, the four antibody‐positive patients who presented at a similar age (6–12 months) had a more severe metabolic derangement, manifested as ketosis in all four cases, with ketoacidosis in two. At ages 15 and 5 years, both INS mutation patients were prescribed a replacement dose of insulin with good glycaemic control [glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) 7.0 and 7.2%]. No mutations were found in KCNJ11, HNF1A or HNF4A.Conclusions  The identification of patients with monogenic diabetes from children with clinically defined Type 1 diabetes may be helped by clinical criteria including the absence of pancreatic autoantibodies.
Trends in yield and effects of screening intervals during 17 years of a large UK community‐based diabetic retinopathy screening programme
Authors: Misra A. , Bachmann M. O. , Greenwood R. H. , Jenkins C. , Shaw A. , Barakat O. , Flatman M. , Jones C. D. 
Published: August 2009

AbstractAims  To describe changes in risk profiles and yield in a screening programme and to investigate relationships between retinopathy prevalence, screening interval and risk factors.Methods  We analysed a population of predominantly Type 2 diabetic patients, managed in general practice, and screened between 1990 and 2006, with up to 17 years’ follow‐up and up to 14 screening episodes each. We investigated associations between referable or sight‐threatening diabetic retinopathy (STDR), screening interval and frequency of repeated screening, whilst adjusting for age, duration and treatment of diabetes, hypertension treatment and period.Results  Of 63 622 screening episodes among 20 788 people, 16 094 (25%) identified any retinopathy, 3136 (4.9%) identified referable retinopathy and 384 (0.60%) identified STDR. The prevalence of screening‐detected STDR decreased by 91%, from 1.7% in 1991–1993 to 0.16% in 2006. The prevalence of referable retinopathy increased from 2.0% in 1991–1993 to 6.7% in 1998–2001, then decreased to 4.7% in 2006. Compared with screening intervals of 12–18 months, screening intervals of 19–24 months were not associated with increased risk of referable retinopathy [adjusted odds ratio 0.93, 94% confidence interval (CI) 0.82–1.05], but screening intervals of more than 24 months were associated with increased risk (odds ratio 1.56, 95% CI 1.41–1.75). Screening intervals of < 12 months were associated with high risks of referable retinopathy and STDR.Conclusions  Over time the risk of late diagnosis of STDR decreased, possibly attributable to earlier diagnosis of less severe retinopathy, decreasing risk factors and systematic screening. Screening intervals of up to 24 months should be considered for lower risk patients.
Diuretics and diabetes incidence—an appeal against the reluctance to prescribe a medication that is safe and proven
Authors: Siebenhofer A. , Jeitler K. , Rakovac I. , Horvath K. 
Published: August 2009

Diabet. Med. 27, 130–135 (2010)AbstractThe publication of the scientific report of the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) in Germany on the ‘Comparative evaluation of the benefits and harms of different antihypertensive drug classes [diuretics, beta‐blockers, angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, calcium‐channel blockers and angiotensin II (AT‐II) blockers] as first‐choice therapy for patients with essential hypertension’ raised an enormous public debate, particularly as diabetes incidence was not judged to be a patient‐relevant outcome. In this assessment, the overall view of the patient‐relevant results was that diuretics can be used as first‐line antihypertensive treatment. Diabetes incidence is highest with diuretics, but minimal differences in fasting plasma glucose of ∼ 0.28 mmol/l are magnified by the transformation of continuous blood glucose values into categorical data: with the establishment of thresholds, the diagnosis of diabetes depends on being above a certain blood glucose value. The protective cardiovascular effects of diuretics do not seem to be reduced in hypertensive patients who develop new‐onset diabetes during treatment. Since blood pressure control is often worse, detection, treatment and control should be urgently improved. The debate on antihypertensive agents is mainly of scientific interest and has only minor clinical relevance for everyday patient care.
Intraepidermal nerve fibre density at wrist level in diabetic and non‐diabetic patients
Authors: Thomsen N. O. B. , Englund E. , Thrainsdottir S. , Rosén I. , Dahlin L. B. 
Published: August 2009

AbstractAims  Myelinated nerve fibre pathology has been demonstrated at wrist level in diabetic patients. We examined if quantification of intra‐epidermal nerve fibre density (IENFD) in hairy and glabrous skin at wrist level could detect signs of subclinical small nerve fibre neuropathy.Methods  In 35 diabetic patients who were age and gender matched with 31 non‐diabetic patients, punch biopsies were obtained in conjunction with surgical carpal tunnel release. Biopsies were immunostained with anti‐protein gene product (PGP) 9.5. The IENFD was quantified using manual counting by light microscopy.Results  We could not demonstrate significant differences in IENFD between diabetic or non‐diabetic patients. Additionally, no differences were found between patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes or in diabetic patients with and without neurophysiologic signs of mild peripheral neuropathy. However, the IENFD was significantly higher in hairy skin compared with glabrous skin. Furthermore, the IENFD was significantly higher in females than in males and correlated with age, but not with duration of diabetes or glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c).Conclusions  In mild neuropathy no difference in IENFD at the wrist level could be detected between diabetic and non‐diabetic patients. Independent of diabetes, we found IENFD to be higher in hairy skin compared with glabrous skin and higher in females than in males. These results must be taken into consideration when assessing small nerve fibre pathology in the upper extremity.
The role of fruit juice in the diet: an overview
Authors: Caswell H. 
Published: August 2009

SummaryOver recent years, consumers have shown an increasing interest in health and wellbeing, with many wanting food and drink products that are healthy and nutritious, yet fit in with busy lifestyles. Fruit juice is one beverage that has seen a dramatic increase in consumer purchasing since the 1970s, and is now consumed by nearly half the UK population. While the beneficial effects of consuming diets rich in fruit and vegetables are well documented, the specific health effects of consuming fruit juice are less so. Further, the role of fruit juice in conditions such as obesity has also recently come under scrutiny, due to questions over how liquid calories affect subsequent energy intake. Limitations in the literature in this area include a lack of studies looking at different types of fruit juices and their effects on health, as well as studies that differentiate fruit juice from fruit and vegetable intake. Consuming a diet rich in fruit and vegetables (to which fruit juice can count once towards the 5 A DAY target) can help to reduce an individual's risk of suffering from a variety of chronic diseases, and should therefore be encouraged.
Policy and action for cancer prevention – highlights from a new report by the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research
Authors: Beck K. , Thompson R. L. , Allen K. 
Published: August 2009

SummaryIn 2007, the World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research produced food, nutrition and physical activity recommendations for personal and public health goals for reducing cancer risk. A companion publication, Policy and Action for Cancer Prevention, addresses the external influences on people's eating and physical activity habits over a lifetime and evaluates potential actions to change these behaviours. The Policy Report makes recommendations for policies and actions that will help achieve the public health goals for reducing cancer risk. The recommendations are addressed to policy‐makers and decision‐takers at international, national and local level. These recommendations, if implemented, will help influence and change the lifestyle choices that people make, thereby reducing the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases within the population. The overarching message of the Policy Report is that public health is everyone's business. The protection and improvement of public health does not happen by accident – it requires policies and actions to be implemented by all relevant sectors of society.
Can soyabean isoflavones mimic the effects of energy restriction on healthy ageing?
Authors: Ions L. , Wakeling L. , Ford D. 
Published: August 2009

SummaryEnergy restriction is the only known robust dietary measure effective in increasing lifespan across a wide variety of species. Our current research indicates a role for the best‐established dietary mimetic of energy restriction, the red grape polyphenol resveratrol, in altering information carried by DNA at a level superimposed on the information provided by the sequence of bases, known as epigenetic marking. These effects appear to share a common pathway with some of the effects of energy restriction that involve the protein Sirt1. Preliminary observations made in human intestinal cells reveal that isoflavones found in the soyabean may share some of these functional properties and so highlight the potential for a diet rich in these compounds to promote healthy ageing.
EuroFIR Synthesis report No 7: Food composition explained
Authors: Church S. M. 
Published: August 2009

Summary
Introduction
Why food composition databases are important
How food composition databases are produced
Considerations in the use of food composition databases
Conclusions and future role of EuroFIR
Acknowledgements
References and further reading

SummaryFood composition data are fundamental to the quantitative study of nutrition and are widely used in a variety of fields, including public health. However, knowledge of both the compilation and the limitations of food composition databases, which contain information on the concentrations of nutrients in food, is beneficial to ensure that users understand how to utilise the data appropriately. This guide provides background information on the importance of food composition data, and then explains the processes involved in producing and compiling these data. It then offers guidance on some of the key issues that users should be familiar with when using andmanipulating food composition data. Suggestions for further reading are given for users who may need more detailed information on specific topics and the resources produced by the EuroFIR (European Food Information Resource) Network of Excellence are highlighted.
Capacity Development as the Model for Development Aid Organizations
Authors: Kühl Stefan 
Published: August 2009

ABSTRACTSociological studies of organizational fashions tend to focus on commercial firms. This article looks at the Capacity Development concept that is globally applied as a model in governmentally supported development assistance organizations. The organizations themselves adopt the concept, asserting that an increase in ‘capacities’ in developing countries will contribute to a higher success rate for projects. This article argues that a primary function of concepts such as Capacity Development is to meet the legitimacy requirements of development assistance organizations. The more the effectiveness of these organizations is criticized or challenged, the more they feel the need to defend themselves by developing new — and hopefully more effective — concepts.
Developing Exclusion: The Case of the 1961 Land Reform in Colombia
Authors: Galvis Juan Pablo 
Published: August 2009

ABSTRACTThe modern project of rural development has been seen as one of increasing incorporation, control and rationalization of territory by the state. Evidence from the formulation of the Colombian land reform policy of 1961 gives more nuance to this general conceptualization. Those places where the state intervened through large‐scale resettlement programmes conceived within the framework of Cold War development are the same places where war and the drug economy — the most serious threats to the state itself — took root and grew. This article examines this contradiction. It interrogates the idea of modern development as a project that necessarily brings subjects and territories into the realm of state control. It also attempts to provide a counterweight to arguments about the territorialization of the war in Colombia being the outcome of state inaction and lack of development.
World Bank‐directed Development? Negotiating Participation in the Nam Theun 2 Hydropower Project in Laos
Authors: Singh Sarinda 
Published: August 2009

ABSTRACTThe omnipotence of the World Bank on a global scale means that it is often regarded as the most influential partner in bringing about transformations in developing countries. This article contributes to ongoing discussions of this issue by examining some effects of the Bank's participatory agenda in one of its flagship projects, the Nam Theun 2 (NT2) hydropower scheme in Laos. Critical accounts suggest that the Bank's promotion of participation in donor‐dependent countries like Laos is either a guise or an imposition. These propositions are considered in two settings where participation was debated around the time of the Bank's loan appraisal for NT2: first, an international stakeholders’ workshop held in Vientiane; and second, some international attempts to identify the concerns of villagers living near the NT2 dam site. In workshops and villages, participation is a negotiated performance whereby competing representations emerge through the interaction between village, state and international actors. More generally, this article shows that a grounded view of development can attend to the practices that constrain the hegemonic tendencies of the World Bank, even while maintaining awareness of the potency of its policies and interventions.
Tilting Methods for Assessing the Influence of Components in a Classifier
Authors: Hall Peter , Titterington D. M. , Xue Jing-Hao 
Published: August 2009

SummaryMany contemporary classifiers are constructed to provide good performance for very high dimensional data. However, an issue that is at least as important as good classification is determining which of the many potential variables provide key information for good decisions. Responding to this issue can help us to determine which aspects of the datagenerating mechanism (e.g. which genes in a genomic study) are of greatest importance in terms of distinguishing between populations. We introduce tilting methods for addressing this problem. We apply weights to the components of data vectors, rather than to the data vectors themselves (as is commonly the case in related work). In addition we tilt in a way that is governed by L2-distance between weight vectors, rather than by the more commonly used Kullback–Leibler distance. It is shown that this approach, together with the added constraint that the weights should be non-negative, produces an algorithm which eliminates vector components that have little influence on the classification decision. In particular, use of the L2-distance in this problem produces properties that are reminiscent of those that arise when L1-penalties are employed to eliminate explanatory variables in very high dimensional prediction problems, e.g. those involving the lasso. We introduce techniques that can be implemented very rapidly, and we show how to use bootstrap methods to assess the accuracy of our variable ranking and variable elimination procedures.
Efficacy and safety of boosted and unboosted atazanavir‐containing antiretroviral regimens in real life: results from a multicentre cohort study
Authors: Giuntini R , Martinelli C , Ricci E , Vichi F , Gianelli E , Madeddu G , Abeli C , Palvarini L , Penco G , Marconi P , Grosso C , Pellicano G , Bonfanti P , Quirino T 
Published: August 2009

BackgroundAtazanavir (ATV) has demonstrated high efficacy and safety in both treatment‐naïve and treatment‐experienced patients. Some comparative data are available on the durability of ritonavir‐boosted (ATV/r) and unboosted formulations, but there are no data on clinicians' motivations for choosing one or another in everyday practice. The aim of this study was to evaluate the long‐term efficacy of boosted and unboosted ATV in a cohort of treatment‐experienced patients.MethodsAll patients included in the study were enrolled in an observational cohort within the Surveillance Cohort Long‐Term Toxicity Antiretrovirals (SCOLTA) Project. Data on CD4 cell count, HIV viral load, metabolic parameters and adverse events of grade 3–4 are collected through an on‐line system every six months. The duration of treatment with ATV was evaluated using the Kaplan–Meier curve and boosted and unboosted regimens were compared using the log‐rank test.ResultsA total of 509 patients starting ATV as a component of their antiretroviral therapy were enrolled in the SCOLTA Project at the time of the study. Boosted ATV was received by 379 patients (74.5%) while 130 (25.5%) were treated with the unboosted formulation. The last therapeutic regimen did not influence the choice of ATV formulation. The mean observational time was 23.9 months. At the end of follow‐up, 58.5% of patients on unboosted ATV and 58.1% of patients on ATV/r continued the treatment and no statistically significant differences were observed for ATV durability between the formulations or among the single causes of therapy interruption.ConclusionsOur results suggest that, in unselected clinical settings, ATV‐containing antiretroviral therapy is durable and safe in both its formulations.