bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Post‐traumatic seizure susceptibility is attenuated by hypothermia therapy
Authors: Atkins Coleen M. , Truettner Jessie S. , Lotocki George , Sanchez‐Molano Juliana , Kang Yuan , Alonso Ofelia F. , Sick Thomas J. , Dietrich W. Dalton , Bramlett Helen M. 
Published: October 2010

AbstractTraumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major risk factor for the subsequent development of epilepsy. Currently, chronic seizures after brain injury are often poorly controlled by available antiepileptic drugs. Hypothermia treatment, a modest reduction in brain temperature, reduces inflammation, activates pro‐survival signaling pathways, and improves cognitive outcome after TBI. Given the well‐known effect of therapeutic hypothermia to ameliorate pathological changes in the brain after TBI, we hypothesized that hypothermia therapy may attenuate the development of post‐traumatic epilepsy and some of the pathomechanisms that underlie seizure formation. To test this hypothesis, adult male Sprague Dawley rats received moderate parasagittal fluid‐percussion brain injury, and were then maintained at normothermic or moderate hypothermic temperatures for 4 h. At 12 weeks after recovery, seizure susceptibility was assessed by challenging the animals with pentylenetetrazole, a GABAA receptor antagonist. Pentylenetetrazole elicited a significant increase in seizure frequency in TBI normothermic animals as compared with sham surgery animals and this was significantly reduced in TBI hypothermic animals. Early hypothermia treatment did not rescue chronic dentate hilar neuronal loss nor did it improve loss of doublecortin‐labeled cells in the dentate gyrus post‐seizures. However, mossy fiber sprouting was significantly attenuated by hypothermia therapy. These findings demonstrate that reductions in seizure susceptibility after TBI are improved with post‐traumatic hypothermia and provide a new therapeutic avenue for the treatment of post‐traumatic epilepsy.
Evolving possibilities: postembryonic axial elongation in salamanders with biphasic (Eurcyea cirrigera, Eurycea longicauda, Eurycea quadridigitata) and paedomorphic life cycles (Eurycea nana and Ambystoma mexicanum)
Authors: Vaglia Janet L. , White Kurt , Case Alison 
Published: October 2010

AbstractVaglia, JL., White, K, and Case, A. 2012. Evolving possibilities: postembryonic axial elongation in salamanders with biphasic (Eurcyea cirrigera, Eurycea longicauda, Eurycea quadridigitata) and paedomorphic life cycles (Eurycea nana and Ambystoma mexicanum). —Acta Zoologica (Stockholm) 93: 2–13.Typically, the number of vertebrae an organism will have postembryonically is determined during embryogenesis via the development of paired somites. Our research investigates the phenomenon of postembryonic vertebral addition in salamander tails. We describe body and tail growth and patterns of postsacral vertebral addition and elongation in context with caudal morphology for four plethodontids (Eurycea) and one ambystomatid. Eurycea nana and Ambystoma mexicanum have paedomorphic life cycles; Eurcyea cirrigera, Eurycea longicauda and Eurycea quadridigitata are biphasic. Specimens were collected, borrowed and/or purchased, and cleared and stained for bone and cartilage. Data collected include snout‐vent length (SVL), tail length (TL), vertebral counts and centrum lengths. Eurycea species with biphasic life cycles had TLs that surpassed SVL following metamorphosis. Tails in paedomorphic species elongated but rarely exceeded body length. Larger TLs were associated with more vertebrae and longer vertebrae in all species. We observed that rates of postsacral vertebral addition varied little amongst species. Regional variation along the tail becomes prominent following metamorphosis in biphasic developers. In all species, vertebrae in the posterior one‐half of the tail taper towards the tip. We suggest that a developmental link might exist between the ability to continually add vertebrae and regeneration in salamanders.
Contrast‐enhanced ultrasonography of the prostate: various imaging findings that indicate prostate cancer
Authors: Sano Futoshi , Terao Hideyuki , Kawahara Takashi , Miyoshi Yasuhide , Sasaki Takeshi , Noguchi Kazumi , Kubota Yoshinobu , Uemura Hiroji 
Published: October 2010

Study Type – Diagnostic (non‐consecutive case series)  Level of Evidence 3b What’s known on the subject? and What does the study add? Contrast‐enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) can visualize some prostate cancer lesions. Findings suggestive of cancer have been defined as rapid contrast enhancement; increased contrast enhancement.CEUS could be useful for targeted biopsy in patients with a PSA level <10 ng/mL. The CEUS findings suggestive of prostate cancer are more varied than previously reported. Low‐echogenicity areas containing abnormal blood vessels were also found to represent cancer.OBJECTIVES

To perform transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS) with an ultrasonography (US) contrast agent to visualize prostate cancer.
To explore the possibility of targeted biopsy by studying the findings obtained by different cancerous tissue imaging modalities and evaluating needle biopsies from prostate cancer using contrast‐enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In all, 41 patients undergoing prostate biopsy and 13 patients undergoing prostatectomy received i.v. injection of the US contrast agent (Sonazoid®).
We evaluated pre‐contrast and contrast‐enhanced US images, and then compared ultrasonographic images and the pathological findings.

RESULTS

Cancer was significantly more frequent at the sites of targeted biopsy where CEUS findings suggested cancer (36.3%) than at sites of systematic biopsy (17.7%, odds ratio = 2.7, P = 0.0026).
In cases with prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) level <10 ng/mL, in particular, prostate cancer was detected at a significantly higher rate by targeted biopsy than by systematic biopsy (27.3 vs 9.5%, odds ratio = 3.4, P = 0.013).
Pathological examination found 26 tumours in prostatectomy specimens. The diameters of the 10 CEUS‐identified tumours were significantly greater than those of the 16 lesions missed by US (mean 18.7 vs 5.9 mm).
CEUS findings suggestive of cancer varied widely: strong contrast enhancement, rapid contrast enhancement, vessels with abnormal perfusion and low contrast enhancement.

CONCLUSIONS

CEUS could be useful for targeted biopsy in patients with a PSA level <10 ng/mL.
The CEUS findings suggestive of prostate cancer are more varied than previously reported.
Detailed examination of CEUS images and application of the data to prostate biopsy could lead to more efficient diagnosis.
High‐power potassium‐titanyl‐phosphate laser fibres for endovaporization of benign prostatic hyperplasia: how much do they deteriorate during the procedure?
Authors: Schwartz Julien , Renard Julien , Wolf Jean‐Pierre , Moret Michel , Iselin Christophe E. 
Published: October 2010

Study Type – Therapy (case series)Level of Evidence 4OBJECTIVE• To assess the residual power delivered at the tip of a high‐power (80 W) potassium‐titanyl‐phosphate (KTP) laser (80 W Green Light PVTM, Laserscope®; American Medical Systems, Minnetonka, MN, USA) at the end of a photoselective vaporization of the prostate (PVP) procedure, as well as the deflection angle of the laser beam.MATERIALS AND METHODS• In total, 65 laser fibres were collected at the end of PVP procedures indicated for symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia over a period of 17 months. PVP was performed by two senior urologists.• The power of laser beam at tip exit was measured for each fibre at the end of the procedures using a photodiode whose signal was amplified, and then quantified by a volt multimeter.• The deflection angle was measured using a graduated sphere.RESULTS• Approximately 70% of fibres delivered less than 40 W at the end of the procedure, which is less than the vaporization threshold.• Some 9% of fibres had lost their diffraction capacity with a significant alteration of laser beam angulation. These values were not operator dependent.CONCLUSIONS• The data show that a large proportion of laser fibers deliver a significantly underpowered beam at the end of the procedures.• This seems to be caused by peroperative destruction of the fibers, which results in a progressive loss of efficacy of PVP during procedures.
Comparison of the impact on health‐related quality of life of repeated detrusor injections of botulinum toxin in patients with idiopathic or neurogenic detrusor overactivity
Authors: Gamé Xavier , Khan Shahid , Panicker Jalesh N. , Kalsi Vinay , Dalton Catherine , Elneil Sohier , Hamid Rizwan , Dasgupta Prokar , Fowler Clare J. 
Published: October 2010

Study Type – Therapy (case series) Level of Evidence 4 What’s known on the subject? and What does the study add? We know that repeated injections of botulinum toxin A are effective in treating refractory detrusor overactivity particularly in NDO.This study shows that in both NDO and IDO repeated injections of the toxin improve quality of life as assessed by three validated questionnaires. The effect is most marked after the first injection in NDO patients but thereafter similar in both groups.OBJECTIVE• To compare the effect of repeated detrusor injections of botulinum toxin (BoNT‐A) on health‐related quality of life (HRQL) in patients with idiopathic (IDO) or neurogenic detrusor overactivity (NDO).PATIENTS AND METHODS• Between 2003 and 2009, 151 patients (109 with NDO and 42 with IDO) were treated by BoNT‐A (Botox®, Allergan Inc., Irvine, CA, USA). Changes in HRQL were assessed using the validated short forms of Urogenital Distress Inventory (UDI‐6), the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire (IIQ‐7) and EuroQOL‐5D (EQ‐5D) before and 4 weeks after BoNT‐A.RESULTS• The maximum number of repeated injections was five (mean ±sd, 2.8 ± 1.05). Mean ±sd follow‐up was 27.49 ± 17.01 months.• The UDI‐6 and IIQ‐7 questionnaires showed a consistent improvement after repeated injections in both groups with detrusor overactivity. The EQ‐5D was not statistically different before and after each injection in either the NDO or IDO population.• After repeated injections, no statistical differences in the change on the UDI‐6 and IIQ‐7 scores were found between NDO and IDO, except after the first treatment, when the decrease in UDI‐6 was higher in NDO than in IDO.• The EQ‐5D anxiety and depression subscore improved in both groups after each injection and with the number of injections.• In IDO, after the second injection, no patient reported extreme anxiety or depression and, after the fourth injection, none had anxiety or depression.• The inter‐injection interval was shorter after the first injection in those with NDO than in IDO but was similar thereafter.CONCLUSIONS• Intradetrusor injections of BoNT‐A improved the HRQL of both NDO and IDO patients.• Although improvement in HRQL was greater and the duration of efficacy shorter in NDO patients after the first injection, there was no significant difference after subsequent injections.• Mean inter‐injection interval in IDO and in NDO patients was similar from the second injection onwards and improvements in HRQL score were the same.
Prepubertal testicular tumours and efficacy of testicular preserving surgery
Authors: Bujons Anna , Sfulcini Jorge Caffaratti , Pascual Merce , Feu Oriol Angerri , Garat José María , Villavicencio Humberto 
Published: October 2010

Study Type – Therapy (case series) Level of Evidence 4 What’s known on the subject? and What does the study add? Testicular tumours in childhood are very rare. Historically, most of these tumours have been considered malignant, but more recent studies indicate that benign lesions, particularly teratoma, are much more frequent than previously thought. Testicular tumours in this age group have traditionally been treated with inguinal radical orchiectomy, but more conservative management has been proposed in view of the higher frequency of benign tumours.In children, most testicular tumours are benign, especially before puberty. A testis‐sparing procedure should be performed in children with a palpable testicular mass and negative tumour markers.OBJECTIVE• To report our experience of testicular tumours in children aged ≤13 years, including our experience with testis‐sparing surgery.PATIENTS AND METHODS• A retrospective study was performed of 15 patients with testicular tumours aged ≤13 years who presented at our centre between 1984 and 2008. The use of testis‐preserving surgery according to indication was investigated and outcomes were recorded.RESULTS• The clinical presentation was increased testicular size with a palpable mass in 80% of the cases. All 15 patients underwent surgery. The tumour was benign in 12 (80%) patients and malignant in three (20%) patients.• Organ‐preserving surgery was planned and achieved in 11 patients (73%).• Pathology of the tumourectomy specimens disclosed benign tumours in all cases: four epidermoid cysts, two teratomas, one juvenile granulosa cell tumour, one haemangioma, one lipoma, one fibrous hamartoma and one splenogonadal fusion.• In four patients who underwent radical orchiectomy, pathology identified one yolk sac tumour (stage I), two mixed germ cell tumours and one gonadoblastoma.CONCLUSIONS• In children, most testicular tumours are benign, especially before puberty. A testis‐sparing procedure should be performed in children with a palpable testicular mass and negative tumour markers.• The lesion, however, should be thoroughly excised to avoid recurrences.
Targeting specific genes for RNA interference is crucial to the development of strong resistance to Rice stripe virus
Authors: Shimizu Takumi , Nakazono‐Nagaoka Eiko , Uehara‐Ichiki Tamaki , Sasaya Takahide , Omura Toshihiro 
Published: October 2010

Summary Rice stripe virus (RSV) has a serious negative effect on rice production in temperate regions of East Asia. Focusing on the putative importance of the selection of target sequences for RNA interference (RNAi), we analysed the effects of potential target sequences in each of the coding genes in the RSV genome, using transgenic rice plants that expressed a set of inverted‐repeat (IR) constructs. The reactions of inoculated transgenic T1 plants to RSV were divided subjectively into three classes, namely highly resistant, moderately resistant and lacking enhanced resistance to RSV, even though plants that harboured any constructs accumulated transgene‐specific siRNAs prior to inoculation with RSV. Transgenic plants that harboured IR constructs specific for the gene for pC3, which encodes nucleocapsid protein, and for pC4, which encodes a viral movement protein, were immune to infection by RSV and were more resistant to infection than the natural resistant cultivars that have been used to control the disease in the field. By contrast, the IR construct specific for the gene for pC2, which encodes a glycoprotein of unknown function, and for p4, which encodes a major non‐structural protein of unknown function, did not result in resistance. Our results indicate that not all RNAi constructs against viral RNAs are equally effective in preventing RSV infection and that it is important to identify the viral ‘Achilles heel’ for RNAi attack in the engineering of plants.
Only half the transcriptomic differences between resistant genetically modified and conventional rice are associated with the transgene
Authors: Montero Maria , Coll Anna , Nadal Anna , Messeguer Joaquima , Pla Maria 
Published: October 2010

SummaryBesides the intended effects that give a genetically modified (GM) plant the desired trait, unintended differences between GM and non‐GM comparable plants may also occur. Profiling technologies allow their identification, and a number of examples demonstrating that unintended effects are limited and diverse have recently been reported. Both from the food safety aspect and for research purposes, it is important to discern unintended changes produced by the transgene and its expression from those that may be attributed to other factors. Here, we show differential expression of around 0.40% transcriptome between conventional rice var. Senia and Senia‐afp constitutively expressing the AFP antifungal protein. Analysis of one‐fifth of the regulated sequences showed that around 35% of the unintended effects could be attributed to the process used to produce GM plants, based on in vitro tissue culture techniques. A further ∼15% were event specific, and their regulation was attributed to host gene disruption and genome rearrangements at the insertion site, and effects on proximal sequences. Thus, only around half the transcriptional unintended effects could be associated to the transgene itself. A significant number of changes in Senia‐afp and Senia are part of the plant response to stress conditions, and around half the sequences for which up‐regulation was attributed to the transgene were induced in conventional (but not transgenic) plants after wounding. Unintended effects might, as such, putatively result in widening the self‐resistance characteristics because of the transgene in GM plants.
Back Where They Once Belonged? Local Response to Afforestation in County Kerry, Ireland
Authors: Carroll Matthew S. , Ní Dhubháin Áine , Flint Courtney G. 
Published: October 2010

AbstractAfforestation has many benefits at the local regional and global scale. The local social impacts of planting new forests, however, depend on a variety of contextual factors and other details including who is doing the planting, which species are being planted, the location of the planting and, perhaps most importantly, existing land uses and their linkage to social and economic circumstances. This article presents case study research into these issues in two places in County Kerry Ireland. Utilising the concept of the differentiated landscape, we examine the somewhat varying social responses to afforestation in the two study sites in light of the different environmental and social and economic circumstances in the two adjacent areas. We conclude that a more locally nuanced approach to forest planting than has been common in the past could well create greater social acceptance of future afforestation and benefits accruing from it.
The Complexity of Theories on Rural Development in Europe: An Analysis of the Paradigmatic Case of Almería (South‐east Spain)
Authors: Galdeano‐Gómez Emilio , Aznar‐Sánchez José A. , Pérez‐Mesa Juan C. 
Published: October 2010

AbstractIn recent decades several theories on rural development have been expounded in an attempt to explain some experiences of regional economic growth or to provide recommendations on rural development policies. The objective of this article is to revise this open debate and attempt to introduce more concerns about the delimitation of theories and the mosaic of rural areas in Europe. In this context the present article analyses the paradigmatic development of Almería (south‐east Spain) based primarily on agriculture in a process categorised as an economic miracle. Some authors have attempted to explain this success by mechanisms associated with the endogenous development approach. Nevertheless, this study reveals that Almería's development experience can be categorised as a miscellaneous one, and a mixture of development approaches should therefore be considered as opposed to unidirectional models. This also shows the importance of keeping open the debate on the impact of agrarian activity on rural development.
Weighting Methods for Population-Based Case–Control Studies with Complex Sampling
Authors: Li Yan , Graubard Barry I. , DiGaetano Ralph 
Published: October 2010

SummaryComplex sample designs, involving stratified and/or multistage sampling with sample weighting, along with frequency matching, are used to select controls or cases for case–control studies. Examples that motivated this paper are the Kaposi sarcoma case–control study that was conducted in Sicily and the US kidney cancer case–control study. Survey design-based approaches can be inefficient for the analysis of case–control studies with frequency matching. We propose a weighting method that post-stratifies control sample weights to the estimated population distribution of the matching variables among cases. This weighting maintains the efficiency of frequency matching. The method proposed is evaluated by using simulation studies and is applied to the two case–control studies.
Simultaneous and Two-Step Reconciliation of Systems of Time Series: Methodological and Practical Issues
Authors: Di Fonzo Tommaso , Marini Marco 
Published: October 2010

SummaryThe reconciliation of systems of time series subject to both temporal and contemporaneous constraints can be solved in such a way that the temporal profiles of the original series be preserved ‘at best’ (the movement preservation principle). A new feasible simultaneous reconciliation procedure is presented, which exploits the sparsity of the linear system to be solved. A two-step reconciliation strategy might be more suitable in the case of large systems. We compare the results of the simultaneous and two-step approaches for two data sets from real life.
A Multivariate Band-Pass Filter for Economic Time Series
Authors: Azevedo João Valle e 
Published: October 2010

SummaryWe develop a multivariate filter which is an optimal (in the mean-squared error sense) approximation to any absolutely summable and stationary distributed lag of a series of interest containing at most one unit root, e.g. the ideal filter that isolates business cycle fluctuations in macroeconomic time series. This requires knowledge of the true second-order moments of the data. Otherwise these can be estimated and we show empirically that the method still leads to significant improvements of the extracted signal in realtime, i.e. in the end of the sample. Contrary to current practice, we allow an arbitrary number of covariates to be employed in the estimation of the signal. We illustrate the application of the filter by constructing a business cycle indicator for the US economy. The filter can additionally be used in any similar signal extraction problem demanding accurate realtime predictions.
Evidence for a deficit in volitional action generation in patients with obsessive‐compulsive disorder
Authors: Kloft Lisa , Kischkel Eva , Kathmann Norbert , Reuter Benedikt 
Published: October 2010

AbstractObsessive‐compulsive disorder (OCD) patients show deficits in tasks of executive functioning like the antisaccade (AS) task. These deficits suggest problems in response inhibition or volitional saccade generation. Thirty patients (15 nonmedicated) and 30 healthy subjects performed antisaccades and simple volitional saccades (SVS), that is, centrally cued saccades. In SVS, two aspects of volitional saccade generation were disentangled: response selection and initiation. Latencies of OCD patients were increased in volitional saccades independent of response selection demands. AS performance did not differ. Across groups, latencies in AS were faster than in SVS. Medicated patients did not differ from nonmedicated patients. In sum, response initiation is deficient in OCD patients, which may reflect a general problem in volitional action generation. This deficit did not affect antisaccade performance, possibly due to a lower volitional demand in that task.