bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Advantages of laserphyrin compared with photofrin in photodynamic therapy for bile duct carcinoma
Authors: Nonaka Takashi , Nanashima Atsushi , Nonaka Mihoko , Uehara Masataka , Isomoto Hajime , Nonaka Yoshikazu , Nagayasu Takeshi 
Published: March 2011

AbstractBackgroundThe aim of this study was to compare the effects of laserphyrin‐PDT (L‐PDT) on biliary cancer with those of the conventional photosensitizer, photofrin‐PDT (P‐PDT).MethodsAn animal tumor model was established by inoculation of NOZ cells in 4‐week‐old male BALB/c mice. The laser light wavelength was set at 630 nm for P‐PDT and 660 nm for L‐PDT, at a frequency of 10 Hz. Each group received a total energy flux of 60 J/cm2. The proportion of TUNEL (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase‐mediated dUTP‐biotin nick‐end labeling)‐positive cells, expression of VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) and the PCNA (proliferating cell nuclear antigen)‐labeling index (LI) were assessed after PDT.ResultsL‐PDT had significantly more potent apoptotic effects at 48 and 72 h after light exposure compared with P‐PDT (p < 0.001). The mean PCNA‐LI was significantly lower in the L‐PDT group than the P‐PDT group and the index was significantly lower at several time points after PDT (6, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h after laser light exposure) in the L‐PDT than P‐PDT (p < 0.001 vs. control). The cell proliferative activity was significantly decreased at 12 and 24 h after P‐PDT compared with the control (p < 0.001). VEGF expression was significantly higher at 3 h after L‐PDT compared with the control (p < 0.05), whereas it was significantly higher at many time points after P‐PDT (3, 6, 48 and 72 h;p < 0.05 vs. control).ConclusionsL‐PDT is a better approach for biliary cancer than the conventional P‐PDT, based on its potent apoptotic and cytostatic effects.
Portal blood flow via the peribiliary vascular plexus demonstrated by contrast‐enhanced ultrasonography with Sonazoid
Authors: Uchikawa Yuji , Kitamura Hiroshi , Miyagawa Shin‐ichi 
Published: March 2011

AbstractPurposeWe report two cases in which portal blood flow via the peribiliary vascular plexus (PBP) was clearly demonstrated using contrast‐enhanced intra‐operative ultrasonography (CE‐IOUS).MethodsTwo patients who underwent hemihepatectomies were investigated using CE‐IOUS. Before injection of the contrast medium, both the hepatic arterial and portal venous flows of the hemiliver to be resected were interrupted by ligating those corresponding vessels at the hepatic hilum. Subsequently, the perfluorobutane microbubbles were injected intravenously.ResultsIn the early vascular phase, a remarkable intermittent flow was visualized in the lumen of the portal branches whose inflows were interrupted. The flow of the portal vein then disappeared as a result of ligating the hepatic duct concomitantly with the surrounding connective tissue. We considered that the portal venous flow appearing under the condition of total disruption of original inflow was supplied from the hepatic artery through the PBP.ConclusionsThis is the first report of blood flow via the PBP in human liver visualized by dynamic image study.
Transcranial color coded duplex sonography in the intensive care unit
Authors: Llompart-Pou Juan Antonio , Abadal Josep María , Rodríguez-Yago Miguel , Ferreruela Mireia 
Published: March 2011

Abstract

Case report
A case of a 43-year-old male with severe pancreatitis complicated with neurological deterioration is presented.

Methods and result
Different neurosonological examinations using transcranial color coded duplex sonography (TCCS) were combined to obtain a certain diagnosis.

Conclusion
This case illustrates some of the applications of TCCS at bedside in ICU patients. These sonographic explorations are useful in the monitoring of ICU patients, and may avoid hazardous transfers to the radiology department for the patient.
The biological basis and clinical significance of hormonal imprinting, an epigenetic process
Authors: Csaba György 
Published: March 2011

AbstractThe biological phenomenon, hormonal imprinting, was named and defined by us (Biol Rev, 1980, 55, 47-63) 30 years ago, after many experimental works and observations. Later, similar phenomena were also named to epigenetic imprinting or metabolic imprinting. In the case of hormonal imprinting, the first encounter between a hormone and its developing target cell receptor—usually at the perinatal period—determines the normal receptor-hormone connection for life. However, in this period, molecules similar to the target hormone (members of the same hormone family, synthetic drugs, environmental pollutants, etc), which are also able to bind to the receptor, provoke faulty imprinting also with lifelong—receptorial, behavioral, etc.,—consequences. Faulty hormonal imprinting could also be provoked later in life in continuously dividing cells and in the brain. Faulty hormonal imprinting is a disturbance of gene methylation pattern, which is epigenenetically inherited to the further generations (transgenerational imprinting). The absence of the normal or the presence of false hormonal imprinting predispose to or manifested in different diseases (e.g., malignant tumors, metabolic syndrome) long after the time of imprinting or in the progenies.
Effect of a mitochondria-targeted vitamin E derivative on mitochondrial alteration and systemic oxidative stress in mice
Authors: Mao Gaowei , Kraus George A. , Kim Ikyon , Spurlock Michael E. , Bailey Theodore B. , Beitz Donald C. 
Published: March 2011

The objective of the present study was to determine whether a mitochondria-targeted vitamin E derivative (MitoVit E) would affect certain mitochondrial parameters, as well as systemic oxidative stress. A total of sixty-four mice were fed a high-fat (HF) diet for 5 weeks. They were then switched to either a low-fat (LF) or a medium-fat (MF) diet, and administered orally with MitoVit E (40 mg MitoVit E/kg body weight) or drug vehicle (10 % (v/v) ethanol in 0·9 % (w/v) NaCl solution), every other day for 5 weeks. Mitochondrial ATP and H2O2 production rates in both the liver and the gastrocnemius were not affected by MitoVit E administration in either LF or MF diet-fed mice. However, the number and average size of the subsarcolemmal mitochondria, but not the intermyofibrillar mitochondria, from the soleus muscle were significantly higher in the MF group receiving MitoVit E (MF-E) than in the MF group receiving vehicle only (MF-C). After the mice were switched from the HF diet to the four dietary treatments (LF-C, LF-E, MF-C and MF-E), the decrease in urinary isoprostane concentration was significantly greater in the LF-E group than in the other three groups during the whole study (weeks 6–10). In addition, MitoVit E significantly increased plasma superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in the MF diet-fed group without affecting plasma glutathione peroxidase activity or H2O2 levels. Overall, these data suggest that MitoVit E affects subsarcolemmal mitochondrial density and systemic oxidative stress parameters such as plasma SOD activity and urinary isoprostane concentration.
KORLE AND THE MOSQUITO: HISTORIES AND MEMORIES OF THE ANTI-MALARIA CAMPAIGN IN ACCRA, 1942–5
Authors: ROBERTS JONATHAN 
Published: March 2011

ABSTRACTFrom 1942 to 1945, British and American armed forces attempted to eradicate malaria in Accra by dredging the sacred Korle Lagoon and spraying the city with pesticides. They also conducted experiments on the biting patterns of mosquitoes by using human subjects as bait. But, despite the extent of the anti-malaria campaign, it is largely forgotten by the inhabitants of Accra, and those who do remember it regard it as a nominal event in the history of the city. This article contrasts the official military history of the anti-malaria campaign with oral evidence to determine why the event fails to resonate in the collective memory of the residents of Accra.
REASSESSING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF FIREARMS IN CENTRAL AFRICA: THE CASE OF NORTH-WESTERN ZAMBIA TO THE 1920S
Authors: MACOLA GIACOMO 
Published: March 2011

ABSTRACTBased on a close examination of European travelogues and the evidence produced in the wake of the formulation of colonial gun policies, this article contends that the significance of firearms in Central Africa in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries has been unduly played down in the existing literature. The first substantive section of the article charts the movement of the gun frontier in nineteenth-century north-western Zambia. It foregrounds the new technology's economic and military applications, the means through which north-western Zambians overcame some at least of its limitations, and the plurality of innovative social roles that they attributed to it. Successive sections centre on the pervasiveness of gun-running in the early twentieth century and the implementation and profound social consequences of gun control laws.
North African reference equation for peak nasal inspiratory flow
Authors: Bouzgarou M Denguezli , Saad H Ben , Chouchane A , Cheikh I Ben , Zbidi A , Dessanges J F , Tabka Z 
Published: March 2011

AbstractAim:To assess, in healthy North African subjects, the applicability and reliability of a previously published reference equation and normal values for peak nasal inspiratory flow, and to calculate a peak nasal inspiratory flow reference equation in this population.Subjects and methods:Anthropometric data were recorded in 212 volunteers (100 females and 112 males) aged 13–27 years. Peak nasal inspiratory flow was measured several times. Univariate and multiple linear regression analyses were used to determine the reference equation.Results:The previously published reference equation and normal values did not reliably predict peak nasal inspiratory flow in the study population. In our subjects, the reference equation (r2 = 30 per cent) for peak nasal inspiratory flow (l/min) was 1.4256 × height (m) + 33.0215 × gender (where 0 = female, 1 = male) + 1.4117 × age (years) − 136.6778. The lower limit of normal was calculated by subtracting from the peak nasal inspiratory flow reference value (84 l/min).Conclusion:This is the first published study to calculate a reference equation for peak nasal inspiratory flow in North African subjects. This equation enables objective evaluation of nasal airway patency in patients of North African origin.
Establishing an experimental model of photodynamically induced anterior ischemic optic neuropathy
Authors: WANG R.S. , LV P.L. , WANG W.J. , WANG X.D. , ZHANG X.J. , LI S.N. , WANG J.Z. , ZENG Y.J. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractNumerous methods and drugs have been used to treat anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (AION); however, further investigations to determine the value of treatments for AION have been impeded by the lack of appropriate animal models of AION, significantly impacting on in-depth study of the disease. A rat model of AION was established, and corresponding functional changes of the fundus were observed using fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA), optical coherence tomography (OCT), and flash visual-evoked potential (F-VEP) in order to confirm the reliability of the AION model histopathologically. One day after model establishment, histopathology demonstrated that portions of the optic disc were highly edematous, with edema of nerve fibers and loose tissue, accompanied by displacement of the surrounding retina. At 23 days, the optic disc and surrounding nerve fiber layers had become thinner. None of the above-mentioned changes was observed in the laser, hematoporphyrin derivative (HPD), or naive groups. The results of fundus, FFA, F-VEP, and OCT—within 90 days after model establishment—confirmed that krypton red laser irradiation (647 nm), applied 2 h after HPD injection, can establish an ideal animal model of AION.
High prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in school-age children in Tehran, 2008: a red alert
Authors: Neyestani Tirang R , Hajifaraji Majid , Omidvar Nasrin , Eshraghian Mohammad R , Shariatzadeh Nastaran , Kalayi Ali , Gharavi A'azam , Khalaji Niloufar , Haidari Homa , Zowghi Telma , Nikooyeh Bahareh 
Published: March 2011

AbstractObjectiveTo assess the vitamin D status of 9–12-year-old primary-school children in Tehran during autumn and winter 2007–2008.DesignA descriptive cross-sectional study.SettingPrimary schools of Tehran city, Iran.SubjectsA total of 1111 children aged 9–12 years (573 boys and 538 girls) from sixty primary schools were enrolled in the study. Weight, height, BMI and serum levels of Ca, P, Mg, 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH), osteocalcin and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase of all the participants were assessed. Dietary Ca intake was also evaluated using a quantitative FFQ for a subsample of the study population (n 503). Vitamin D sufficiency was defined on the basis of serum levels of 25(OH)D as either ≥37 nmol/l (criterion 1) or ≥50 nmol/l (criterion 2).ResultsDaily intake of Ca did not differ significantly between boys and girls (929·6 (sd 436·7) mg and 909·5 (sd 465·5) mg, respectively). However, on the basis of the first criterion, approximately 86 % of the children had vitamin D deficiency, with 38·3 % being severely deficient (25(OH)D < 12·5 nmol/l). According to the second criterion, prevalence of vitamin D deficiency rose to 91·7 %. Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was higher in girls than in boys by either criterion. Serum levels of 25(OH)D inversely correlated with iPTH (r = −0·154, P < 0·001) and BMI (r = −0·092, P = 0·002) but directly correlated with duration of sun exposure (r = 0·115, P < 0·001).ConclusionsThe high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among schoolchildren (especially among girls) warrants immediate interventions for proper nutritional support.
TYPE DECOMPOSITION OF A PSEUDOEFFECT ALGEBRA
Authors: FOULIS DAVID J. , PULMANNOVÁ SYLVIA , VINCEKOVÁ ELENA 
Published: March 2011

AbstractEffect algebras, which generalize the lattice of projections in a von Neumann algebra, serve as a basis for the study of unsharp observables in quantum mechanics. The direct decomposition of a von Neumann algebra into types I, II, and III is reflected by a corresponding decomposition of its lattice of projections, and vice versa. More generally, in a centrally orthocomplete effect algebra, the so-called type-determining sets induce direct decompositions into various types. In this paper, we extend the theory of type decomposition to a (possibly) noncommutative version of an effect algebra called a pseudoeffect algebra. It has been argued that pseudoeffect algebras constitute a natural structure for the study of noncommuting unsharp or fuzzy observables. We develop the basic theory of centrally orthocomplete pseudoeffect algebras, generalize the notion of a type-determining set to pseudoeffect algebras, and show how type-determining sets induce direct decompositions of centrally orthocomplete pseudoeffect algebras.
Organizational routines and cognition: an introduction to empirical and analytical contributions
Authors: LAZARIC NATHALIE 
Published: March 2011

Abstract:This article introduces this special issue on routines. It offers some suggestions as to why the concept of routines is considered central in methodological considerations of capabilities and organizational evolution. The contributors to this special issue propose various analytical tools, and provide some missing pieces from the puzzle related to the prominent role of routines. Issues discussed in the papers include methodological individualism. Routines lie between the individual and the firm levels of analysis because they are enacted by individuals in a social context. It is also suggested that a multilevel research agenda provides a finer-grained analysis because organizational routines are not isolated units but are entangled among the various organizational layers.
In situ measurement of the structure of supercooled oxide liquids
Authors: Wilding M. , Benmore C. J. , Weber J. K. R. , Parise J. B. 
Published: March 2011

This paper will describe the results of in situ high-energy X-ray measurements performed on stable and supercooled oxide liquids using containerless techniques. As will be discussed in the companion paper (Weber et al.), the use of an aerodynamic levitator furnace with laser heating allows the structures of refractory oxide liquids to be probed. Because of the contactless nature of this sample environment liquids can be deeply supercooled, and this provides opportunities to study the metastable structures of supercooled liquids. Of particular interest are the so-called fragile liquids that depart from Arrhenius-law viscosity behaviour and that, by definition, have temperature-dependent structures. The focus of this paper is the study of two oxide systems, MgO–SiO2 and Al2O3–SiO2. These two liquids have highly disordered stable liquid structures that differ substantially from the structures of the equivalent glasses. We present data showing how these structures change when supercooled and demonstrate dramatic changes in short-range (coordination number) and intermediate-range order during vitrification. These data have been collected by isothermal measurement and also fast quenching methods using the recently developed method of rapid acquisition using a Perkin Elmer amorphous silicon flat panel detector; this gives a large Q coverage for incident energies of >115 keV. The rapid data acquisition enables the vitrification process to be observed directly.
Modulation of Abscisic Acid Signaling in Vivo by an Engineered Receptor-Insensitive Protein Phosphatase Type 2C Allele
Authors: Dupeux Florine , Antoni Regina , Betz Katja , Santiago Julia , Gonzalez-Guzman Miguel , Rodriguez Lesia , Rubio Silvia , Park Sang-Youl , Cutler Sean R. , Rodriguez Pedro L. , Márquez José A. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractThe plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) plays a crucial role in the control of the stress response and the regulation of plant growth and development. ABA binding to PYRABACTIN RESISTANCE1 (PYR1)/PYR1-LIKE (PYL)/REGULATORY COMPONENTS OF ABA RECEPTORS intracellular receptors leads to inhibition of key negative regulators of ABA signaling, i.e. clade A protein phosphatases type 2C (PP2Cs) such as ABA-INSENSITIVE1 and HYPERSENSITIVE TO ABA1 (HAB1), causing the activation of the ABA signaling pathway. To gain further understanding on the mechanism of hormone perception, PP2C inhibition, and its implications for ABA signaling, we have performed a structural and functional analysis of the PYR1-ABA-HAB1 complex. Based on structural data, we generated a gain-of-function mutation in a critical residue of the phosphatase, hab1W385A, which abolished ABA-dependent receptor-mediated PP2C inhibition without impairing basal PP2C activity. As a result, hab1W385A caused constitutive inactivation of the protein kinase OST1 even in the presence of ABA and PYR/PYL proteins, in contrast to the receptor-sensitive HAB1, and therefore hab1W385A qualifies as a hypermorphic mutation. Expression of hab1W385A in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants leads to a strong, dominant ABA insensitivity, which demonstrates that this conserved tryptophan residue can be targeted for the generation of dominant clade A PP2C alleles. Moreover, our data highlight the critical role of molecular interactions mediated by tryptophan-385 equivalent residues for clade A PP2C function in vivo and the mechanism of ABA perception and signaling.
Constrained polynomial fitting for recovery of regional gravity
Authors: Abokhodair Abdulwahab A. 
Published: March 2011

ABSTRACTIsolation of a regional field from a Bouguer map has always been an ambiguous and troublesome problem. It is often argued that the ambiguity arises from lack of specific criteria under which the problem may be formulated. In this paper, I show that by adopting Skeels’ definition of the regional field and its corollary, criteria needed to extract the field with minimum ambiguity may be developed. The definition and its corollary allow formulation of the regional field separation problem as a weighted (robustified) and constrained least‐square fitting problem with constraints extracted directly from the Bouguer map. To emphasize the constraints, I formulate the problem from the perspective of prior information constrained by observational data. The new formalism offers several advantages: weighted fitting is more robust than ordinary least squares fitting, providing a simple mechanism to eliminate data outliers and reduce the undesirable influence of local gravity disturbances. Introducing constraints into the fitting procedure effectively reduces ambiguity and increases the resolution of the fitted regional field. Moreover, imposing conditions on the fitted regional field directly from the Bouguer map is tantamount to incorporating prior information about the underlying geology and structure of the area with minimum human subjectivity. The procedure was tested on simulated and actual data sets with excellent results. Indeed the test results indicate that with properly placed constraints, the regional field may be recovered in a manner that closely emulates the graphical method.
Application of the nearly perfectly matched layer for seismic wave propagation in 2D homogeneous isotropic media
Authors: Chen Jingyi 
Published: March 2011

ABSTRACTNumerical modelling plays an important role in helping us understand the characteristics of seismic wave propagation. The presence of spurious reflections from the boundaries of the truncated computational domain is a prominent problem in finite difference computations. The nearly perfectly matched layer has been proven to be a very effective boundary condition to absorb outgoing waves in both electromagnetic and acoustic media. In this paper, the nearly perfectly matched layer technique is applied to elastic isotropic media to further test the method's absorbing ability. The staggered‐grid finite‐difference method (fourth‐order accuracy in space and second‐order accuracy in time) is used in the numerical simulation of seismic wave propagation in 2D Cartesian coordinates. In the numerical tests, numerical comparisons between the nearly perfectly matched layer and the convolutional perfectly matched layer, which is considered the best absorbing layer boundary condition, is also provided. Three numerical experiments demonstrate that the nearly perfectly matched layer has a similar performance to the convolutional perfectly matched layer and can be a valuable alternative to other absorbing layer boundary conditions.