bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Phosphodiesterase Type 5 (PDE5) Inhibitors in Erectile Dysfunction: The Proper Drug for the Proper Patient
Authors: Corona Giovanni , Mondaini Nicola , Ungar Andrea , Razzoli Elisa , Rossi Andrea , Fusco Ferdinando 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACT

Introduction
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a very common multidimensional disorder affecting men worldwide. Physical illness, reaction to life stresses, or an unhappy couple relationship influence clinical outcome. Phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors are recognized as efficacious and well tolerated, and are the first-line treatment for ED.
Sildenafil, tadalafil, and vardenafil are the most widely used and studied PDE5 inhibitors. Data acquired during a routine diagnostic workup for ED should be taken into account when choosing the best PDE5 inhibitor for the individual patient, creating an individualized treatment plan, and going beyond “experience-based” subjective opinion and unfounded ideas and prejudice regarding currently available drugs.

Aim
As the process of matching a given patient’s profile to any selected PDE5 inhibitor often relies more on physician’s personal convictions than on solid evidence, the aim of this review is to identify the main clinical, demographic, and relational factors influencing the choice of the PDE5 inhibitor to be used for the treatment of ED.

Methods
A systematic literature search and current treatment guidelines were evaluated in a systematic manner.

Main Outcome Measures
The main clinical, cultural, and demographical factors to be considered for the treatment of ED have been identified.

Results
Main factors influencing the choice of the treatment for ED have been described. A short list of items that may help in choosing the right PDE5 inhibitor for the treatment of different patients in daily clinical practice has been prepared.

Conclusions
The simple algorithms prepared should be a useful tool to be used in daily practice, which may help in choosing the right treatment for each subject affected by ED.
Population-Based Estimates of Medical Comorbidities in Erectile Dysfunction in a Taiwanese Population
Authors: Chung Shiu-Dong , Chen Yi-Kuang , Kang Jiunn-Horng , Keller Joseph J. , Huang Chung-Chien , Lin Herng-Ching 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACT

Introduction
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is usually associated with systemic disorders. This population-based study supports and expands on previous research. It also presents data in a Taiwanese male population where existing data on this topic remain sparse.

Aim
The aim of this study is to analyze the prevalence and risk of 36 medical comorbidities in patients with ED compared with the general population.

Methods
A total of 2,213 patients with ED and 11,065 matching controls were selected from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Dataset. We chose 22 comorbidities from the Elixhauser comorbidity index, 10 highly prevalent medical conditions in an Asian population, and four male gender-specific comorbidities for analysis.

Main Outcome Measurement
Conditional logistic regression analyses conditioned on age group and monthly income were performed to investigate the risk of various comorbidities for patients with and without ED, after adjusting for the geographic region and level of urbanization of the patient’s community.

Results
Patients with ED were at an increased risk for multiple systemic comorbidities. Conditional regression analyses showed that patients with ED were at a higher risk for hypertrophy of the prostate (odds ratio [OR] = 12.87), chronic prostatitis (OR = 9.36), alcohol abuse (OR = 3.60), drug abuse (OR = 2.62), urinary incontinence (OR = 2.58), ankylosing spondylitis (OR = 2.19), peripheral vascular disorder (OR = 1.98), ischemic heart disease (OR = 1.94), psychoses (OR = 1.97), depression (OR = 1.88), uncomplicated diabetes (OR = 1.91), complicated diabetes (OR = 1.84), hepatitis B or C (OR = 1.71), hyperlipidemia (OR = 1.69), and chronic pulmonary disease (OR = 1.55) than patients without ED.

Conclusion
The results show that patients with ED have a higher prevalence of multiple noncardiovascular comorbidities than the general population in Taiwan.
On the association of ULXs with young superclusters: M82 X-1 and a new candidate in NGC 7479
Authors: Voss R. , Nielsen M. T. B. , Nelemans G. , Fraser M. , Smartt S. J. 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACT
We investigate the spatial coincidence of ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) with young massive stellar clusters. In particular, we perform astrometry on Chandra and Hubble Space Telescope (HST) data of two ULXs that are possibly associated with such clusters.
To date, M82 X-1 is the only ULX claimed to be coincident with a young massive stellar cluster. We remeasure the position of this source with a high accuracy and find that the position of the X-ray source is 0.65 arcsec away from the stellar cluster, corresponding to an offset significance of 3σ.
We also report the discovery of a new candidate, based on observations of NGC 7479. One of the ULXs observed in three X-ray observations is found to be spatially coincident (within 1σ of the position error) with a young supercluster observed in the HST images. In the brightest state, the absorbed luminosity of the ULX is a few times 1040 erg s−1, and in the faintest state below the detection limit of ∼4 times 1039 erg s−1. The luminosity in the brightest state requires an accreting black hole mass of at least 100 M⊙ assuming isotropic emission. However, it is possible that the source is contaminated by X-ray emission from the nearby supernova SN2009jf. In this case, the luminosity of the ULX is in a range where it is strongly debated whether it is a super-Eddington stellar mass black hole or an intermediate-mass black hole. The colours of the host cluster indicate a young stellar population, with an age between 10 and 100 Myr. The total stellar mass of the cluster is ∼5 × 105 M⊙.
Weak- and strong-field dynamos: from the Earth to the stars
Authors: Morin J. , Dormy E. , Schrinner M. , Donati J.-F. 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACT
Observations of magnetism in very low mass stars recently made important progress, revealing characteristics that are now to be understood in the framework of dynamo theory. In parallel, there is growing evidence that dynamo processes in these stars share many similarities with planetary dynamos. We investigate the extent to which the weak-field versus strong-field bistability predicted for the geodynamo can apply to recent observations of two groups of very low mass fully-convective stars sharing similar stellar parameters but generating radically different types of magnetic fields. Our analysis is based on previously published spectropolarimetric and spectroscopic data. We argue that these can be interpreted in the framework of weak- and strong-field dynamos.
Elite Strategies in a Global World: A Typology of Polish Patriots
Authors: Kaftan Joanna 
Published: October 2011

AbstractThis study focuses on how Polish elites view the relationship between Polish identity and Poland's place in the world. Samples of priests, politicians, and intellectuals were interviewed in 1999 and 2009. A typology of four ideal types is proposed: ideological nationals, pragmatic nationals, pragmatic transnationals, and ideological transnationals. This typology can be viewed as a continuum of elite emphasis ranging between national and transnational themes. This continuum of emphasis can be seen when examining elite responses to questions concerning NATO membership, EU membership, Polish identity, and Polish democracy. This study finds that while the majority of Polish priests and politicians wished to emphasise national over transnational themes, intellectuals stressed transnational themes. Nevertheless, most acknowledged the inseparable nature of these themes when they talked about the contemporary Polish nation.
Immunochromatographic IgG/IgM Test for Rapid Diagnosis of Active Tuberculosis
Authors: Ben-Selma Walid , Harizi Hedi , Boukadida Jalel 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACT
For rapid diagnosis and discrimination between active tuberculosis (TB) and other pulmonary diseases, we evaluated the clinical usefulness of detection of serum immunoglobulin IgG and IgM antibodies raised against mycobacterial 38-kDa, 16-kDa, and 6-kDa antigens by a commercial rapid immunochromatographic IgG/IgM test (Standard Diagnostics, South Korea) in 246 serum samples from three groups of patients: (i) 171 patients with active TB (128 with pulmonary TB [pTB] and 43 with extrapulmonary TB [epTB]), (ii) 73 patients with pulmonary non-TB diseases, and (iii) two leprosy patients. The sensitivities of IgG and IgM in patients with active TB (pTB and epTB) were 68.4% and 2.3%, respectively. IgG had the best performance characteristics, with sensitivities of 78.1% and 39.5% in sera from patients with active pTB and epTB, respectively, and a specificity of 100%. The sensitivities of IgM were poor and were similar for pTB and epTB (2.3%). In contrast, specificity was very elevated (100%). The combination of IgG with IgM did not improve its sensitivity. IgG-mediated responses against the mycobacterial 38-kDa, 16-kDa, and 6-kDa antigens might constitute a clinically useful tool for presumptive diagnosis and discrimination of active pTB from other pulmonary diseases. Moreover, based on its simplicity and rapidity of application, it could be a screening tool for active pTB in poorly equipped laboratories.
Protein Kinase R Is a Novel Mediator of CD40 Signaling and Plays a Critical Role in Modulating Immunoglobulin Expression during Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection
Authors: Thakur Sheetal A. , Zalinger Zachary B. , Johnson Teresa R. , Imani Farhad 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACTEffective immunoglobulin responses play a vital role in protection against most pathogens. However, the molecular mediators and mechanisms responsible for signaling and selective expression of immunoglobulin types remain to be elucidated. Previous studies in our laboratory have demonstrated that protein kinase R (PKR) plays a crucial role in IgE responses to double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)in vitro. In this study, we show that PKR plays a critical role in IgG expression bothin vivoandin vitro. PKR−/−mice show significantly altered serum IgG levels during respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. IgG2a expression is particularly sensitive to a lack of PKR and is below the detection level in mock- or RSV-infected PKR−/−mice. Interestingly, we show that upon activation by anti-CD40 and gamma interferon (IFN-γ), B cells from PKR−/−mice show diminished major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC II), CD80, and CD86 levels on the cell surface compared to wild-type (WT) mice. Our data also show that PKR is necessary for optimal expression of adhesion molecules, such as CD11a and ICAM-1, that are necessary for homotypic aggregation of B cells. Furthermore, in this report we demonstrate for the first time that upon CD40 ligation, PKR is rapidly phosphorylated and activated, indicating that PKR is an early and novel downstream mediator of CD40 signaling pathways.
Identifying a Role for Toll-Like Receptor 3 in the Innate Immune Response to Chlamydia muridarum Infection in Murine Oviduct Epithelial Cells
Authors: Derbigny Wilbert A. , Shobe LaTasha R. , Kamran Jasmine C. , Toomey Katherine S. , Ofner Susan 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACTBecause epithelial cells are the major cell type productively infected withChlamydiaduring genital tract infections, the overall goal of our research was to understand the contribution of infected epithelial cells to the host defense. We previously showed that Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) is the critical pattern recognition receptor in oviduct epithelial (OE) cells that is stimulated duringChlamydiainfection, resulting in the synthesis of beta interferon (IFN-β). Here, we present data that implicates TLR3 in the expression of a multitude of other innate-inflammatory immune modulators including interleukin-6 (IL-6), CXCL10, CXCL16, and CCL5. We demonstrate thatChlamydia-induced expression of these cytokines is severely disrupted in TLR3-deficient OE cells, whereasChlamydiareplication in the TLR3-deficient cells is more efficient than in wild-type OE cells. Pretreatment of the TLR3-deficient OE cells with 50 U of IFN-β/ml prior to infection diminishedChlamydiareplication and restored the ability ofChlamydiainfection to induce IL-6, CXCL10, and CCL5 expression in TLR3-deficient OE cells; however, CXCL16 induction was not restored by IFN-β preincubation. Our findings were corroborated in pathway-focused PCR arrays, which demonstrated a multitude of different inflammatory genes that were defectively regulated duringChlamydiainfection of the TLR3-deficient OE cells, and we found that some of these genes were induced only when IFN-β was added prior to infection. Our OE cell data implicate TLR3 as an essential inducer of IFN-β and other inflammatory mediators by epithelial cells duringChlamydiainfection and highlight the contribution of TLR3 to the inflammatory cytokine response.
Direct Detection of Staphylococcus Osteoarticular Infections by Use of Xpert MRSA/SA SSTI Real-Time PCR
Authors: Dubouix-Bourandy Anne , de Ladoucette Aymard , Pietri Valerie , Mehdi Nazim , Benzaquen David , Guinand Régis , Gandois Jean-Marc 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACT

We evaluated the Xpert MRSA/SA SSTI real-time PCR assay (Cepheid, Sunnyvale, CA) directly on perioperative bone and joint samples. The sensitivity and specificity for detection of methicillin-susceptible
Staphylococcus aureus
(MSSA), methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA), and methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative
Staphylococcus
were, respectively, 100% and 98.3%, 100% and 100%, and 100% and 95.3%. The median total test turnaround time was 72 min for PCR versus 79 h for culture. Using these rapid results, appropriate antibiotic treatment could be rapidly initiated.
Divergent Rifamycin Susceptibilities of Clostridium difficile Strains in Canada and Italy and Predictive Accuracy of Rifampin Etest for Rifamycin Resistance
Authors: Miller Mark A. , Blanchette Ruth , Spigaglia Patrizia , Barbanti Fabrizio , Mastrantonio Paola 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACT

We tested the activities of rifampin (RIF) and rifaximin (RFX) against 180
Clostridium difficile
clinical isolates selected from Canadian and Italian culture collections. MICs were determined by CLSI agar dilution for both drugs and by Etest for RIF. Sixteen of 85 Italian isolates (18.8%) showed high-level resistance to both rifamycins (MICs, >16 μg/ml), compared to 2 of 95 (2.1%) Canadian isolates. Two new
rpoB
mutations were identified in rifamycin-resistant isolates. RIF susceptibility by Etest correlated completely with susceptibility to both rifamycins determined by agar dilution.
Five-Year Outbreak of Community- and Hospital-Acquired Mycobacterium porcinum Infections Related to Public Water Supplies
Authors: Brown-Elliott Barbara A. , Wallace Richard J. , Tichindelean Carmen , Sarria Juan C. , McNulty Steven , Vasireddy Ravikaran , Bridge Linda , Mayhall C. Glenn , Turenne Christine , Loeffelholz Michael 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACT

Mycobacterium porcinum
is a rarely encountered rapidly growing
Mycobacterium
(RGM). We identified
M. porcinum
from 24 patients at a Galveston university hospital (University of Texas Medical Branch) over a 5-year period.
M. porcinum
was considered a pathogen in 11 (46%) of 24 infected patients, including 4 patients with community-acquired disease. Retrospective patient data were collected, and water samples were cultured. Molecular analysis of water isolates, clustered clinical isolates, and 15 unrelated control strains of
M. porcinum
was performed. Among samples of hospital ice and tap water, 63% were positive for RGM, 50% of which were
M. porcinum
. Among samples of water from the city of Galveston, four of five households (80%) were positive for
M. porcinum
. By pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), 8 of 10 environmental
M. porcinum
were determined to belong to two closely related clones. A total of 26 of 29 clinical isolates subjected to PFGE (including isolates from all positive patients) were clonal with the water patterns, including patients with community-acquired disease. Fifteen control strains of
M. porcinum
had unique profiles. Sequencing of
hsp65
,
recA
, and
rpoB
revealed the PFGE outbreak clones to have identical sequences, while unrelated strains exhibited multiple sequence variants.
M. porcinum
from 22 (92%) of 24 patients were clonal, matched hospital- and household water-acquired isolates, and differed from epidemiologically unrelated strains.
M. porcinum
can be a drinking water contaminant, serve as a long-term reservoir (years) for patient contamination (especially sputum), and be a source of clinical disease. This study expands concern about public health issues regarding nontuberculous mycobacteria. Multilocus gene sequencing helped define clonal populations.
Evaluation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Typing Methods in a 4-Year Study in Schleswig-Holstein, Northern Germany
Authors: Roetzer Andreas , Schuback Sieglinde , Diel Roland , Gasau Frauke , Ubben Tanja , di Nauta Alessia , Richter Elvira , Rüsch-Gerdes Sabine , Niemann Stefan 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACT

In order to evaluate the discriminatory power of different methods for genotyping of
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
complex (MTBC) isolates, we compared the performance of (i) IS
6110
DNA fingerprint typing, (ii) spoligotyping, and (iii) 24-loci mycobacterial interspersed repetitive units-variable number of tandem repeats (MIRU-VNTR) typing in a long-term study on the epidemiology of tuberculosis (TB) in Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost federal state of Germany. In total, we analyzed 277 MTBC isolates collected from patients between the years 2006 and 2010. The collection comprised a broad spectrum of 13 different genotypes, among which strains of the Haarlem genotype (31%) were most prominent, followed by strains belonging to the Delhi and Beijing lineages (7% and 6%, respectively). On the basis of IS
6110
restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and spoligotyping analyses, 211 isolates had unique patterns (76%) and 66 isolates (24%) were in 20 clusters. MIRU-VNTR combined with spoligotyping analyses revealed 202 isolates with unique patterns (73%) and 75 isolates in 18 clusters (27%). Overall, there was 93.1% concordance between the typing results obtained; 198 strains were identified as unique, and 60 isolates were clustered by both typing combinations (including all 31 isolates with confirmed epidemiological links). Of the remaining 19 isolates with discrepant results, 15 were falsely clustered by MIRU-VNTR (six Beijing genotype strains) and four were clustered by IS
6110
RFLP (low IS
6110
copy number) only. In conclusion, in the study population investigated, a minority of isolates, especially of the Beijing genotype, clustered by standard 24-loci MIRU-VNTR and without an obvious epidemiological link may require second-line typing by IS
6110
RFLP or hypervariable MIRU-VNTR loci.
Cleavage and Activation of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Spike Protein by Human Airway Trypsin-Like Protease
Authors: Bertram Stephanie , Glowacka Ilona , Müller Marcel A. , Lavender Hayley , Gnirss Kerstin , Nehlmeier Inga , Niemeyer Daniela , He Yuxian , Simmons Graham , Drosten Christian , Soilleux Elizabeth J. , Jahn Olaf , Steffen Imke , Pöhlmann Stefan 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACT

The highly pathogenic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) poses a constant threat to human health. The viral spike protein (SARS-S) mediates host cell entry and is a potential target for antiviral intervention. Activation of SARS-S by host cell proteases is essential for SARS-CoV infectivity but remains incompletely understood. Here, we analyzed the role of the type II transmembrane serine proteases (TTSPs) human airway trypsin-like protease (HAT) and transmembrane protease, serine 2 (TMPRSS2), in SARS-S activation. We found that HAT activates SARS-S in the context of surrogate systems and authentic SARS-CoV infection and is coexpressed with the viral receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in bronchial epithelial cells and pneumocytes. HAT cleaved SARS-S at R667, as determined by mutagenesis and mass spectrometry, and activated SARS-S for cell-cell fusion in
cis
and
trans
, while the related pulmonary protease TMPRSS2 cleaved SARS-S at multiple sites and activated SARS-S only in
trans
. However, TMPRSS2 but not HAT expression rendered SARS-S-driven virus-cell fusion independent of cathepsin activity, indicating that HAT and TMPRSS2 activate SARS-S differentially. Collectively, our results show that HAT cleaves and activates SARS-S and might support viral spread in patients.
Genomic Sequencing and Characterization of Cynomolgus Macaque Cytomegalovirus
Authors: Marsh Angie K. , Willer David O. , Ambagala Aruna P. N. , Dzamba Misko , Chan Jacqueline K. , Pilon Richard , Fournier Jocelyn , Sandstrom Paul , Brudno Michael , MacDonald Kelly S. 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACT

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is the most common opportunistic infection in immunosuppressed individuals, such as transplant recipients or people living with HIV/AIDS, and congenital CMV is the leading viral cause of developmental disabilities in infants. Due to the highly species-specific nature of CMV, animal models that closely recapitulate human CMV (HCMV) are of growing importance for vaccine development. Here we present the genomic sequence of a novel nonhuman primate CMV from cynomolgus macaques (
Macaca fascicularis
; CyCMV). CyCMV (Ottawa strain) was isolated from the urine of a healthy, captive-bred, 4-year-old cynomolgus macaque of Philippine origin, and the viral genome was sequenced using next-generation Illumina sequencing to an average of 516-fold coverage. The CyCMV genome is 218,041 bp in length, with 49.5% G+C content and 84% protein-coding density. We have identified 262 putative open reading frames (ORFs) with an average coding length of 789 bp. The genomic organization of CyCMV is largely colinear with that of rhesus macaque CMV (RhCMV). Of the 262 CyCMV ORFs, 137 are homologous to HCMV genes, 243 are homologous to RhCMV 68.1, and 200 are homologous to RhCMV 180.92. CyCMV encodes four ORFs that are not present in RhCMV strain 68.1 or 180.92 but have homologies with HCMV (UL30, UL74A, UL126, and UL146). Similar to HCMV, CyCMV does not produce the RhCMV-specific viral homologue of cyclooxygenase-2. This newly characterized CMV may provide a novel model in which to study CMV biology and HCMV vaccine development.