bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Predictive value of the vitamin K epoxide reductase complex subunit 1 G‐1639A and C1173T single nucleotide polymorphisms in retinal vein occlusion
Authors: Ortak Huseyin , Söğüt Erkan , Demir Helin , Ardagil Aylin , Benli Ismail , Sahin Semsettin 
Published: March 2012

AbstractBackground:  To determine if vitamin K epoxide reductase complex subunit 1 gene polymorphisms have an effect on the risk of having a retinal vein occlusion.Design:  Case‐control study.Participants:  The study population consisted of 68 patients who were newly diagnosed with retinal vein occlusion and 66 sex‐matched controls.Methods:  Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral leukocytes from ethylenediamine tetra‐acetic acid‐anticoagulated blood. Genotyping of the vitamin K epoxide reductase complex subunit 1 G‐1639A (rs 9923231) and C1173T (rs 9934438) single nucleotide polymorphisms was performed using real‐time polymerase chain reaction and commercially available kits.Main Outcome Measures:  A full ophthalmological evaluation was performed in each subject, and all subjects were screened for hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia and diabetes. The genotypes of the vitamin K epoxide reductase complex subunit 1 single nucleotide polymorphisms were determined.Results:  The vitamin K epoxide reductase complex subunit 1 GG and CC genotypes were more frequent (41% vs. 21%; P = 0.021), and the combined GA/AA and CT/CC genotypes were less frequent in patients with retinal vein occlusion than in control subjects. After adjusting for hypertension, age, plasma fibrinogen levels and prevalence of diabetes and hypercholesterolaemia, the GG and CC genotypes were found to be an independent predictor of retinal vein occlusion (B = 2.28; odds ratio = 9.79; P = 0.003; 95% confidence interval: 2.22–43.24).Conclusion:  It was found that subjects with the vitamin K epoxide reductase complex subunit 1 GG and CC genotypes had a higher risk of retinal vein occlusion.
Prevalence of signs and symptoms of ocular surface disease in individuals treated and not treated with glaucoma medication
Authors: Ghosh Sudipta , O'Hare Fleur , Lamoureux Ecosse , Vajpayee Rasik B , Crowston Jonathan G 
Published: March 2012

AbstractBackground:  To determine the prevalence of signs and symptoms of ocular surface disease in two hospital‐based cohorts; glaucoma patients and non‐glaucoma patients.Design:  A cross‐sectional, comparative case series.Participants:  Glaucoma patients (n = 300) prescribed topical glaucoma medications for ≥6 months were compared with control patients (n = 100) who were not applying prescribed topical medications.Methods:  A validated self‐report questionnaire was used to elicit the extent of ocular symptoms. Signs of ocular surface and eyelid disease were assessed along with medication history.Main Outcome Measures:  Signs and symptoms of ocular surface pathology were determined including the tear film break‐up time, fluorescein staining of the cornea and conjunctiva, meibomian gland dysfunction and Schirmer's test.Results:  A significant increase in the prevalence of ocular surface disease signs was observed in the glaucoma population, 70.3%, compared with controls, 33% (P < 0.001). The overall prevalence of clinically significant ocular surface disease symptoms was not significantly different between cohorts, 30.7% versus 24.0%, respectively (P = 0.252). Logistic regression analysis showed that the number of anti‐glaucoma medications and duration of therapy were key predictors of significant ocular surface disease signs in the glaucoma group. There was no significant correlation between signs and symptoms of ocular surface disease in either group after adjusting for age and gender.Conclusions:  Signs and symptoms of ocular surface disease are relatively common in older patients, but signs of ocular surface disease are significantly higher in individuals who instil topical glaucoma therapy.
Case series of cat‐scratch‐inflicted full‐thickness corneal lacerations and a review of the literature
Authors: Chang John H , Mills Richard A , Pater John , Crompton John L 
Published: March 2012

AbstractBackground:  To describe the clinical features and management of cat‐scratch‐inflicted corneal lacerations.Design:  Retrospective, observational case series.Participants:  Three patients (aged 3, 7 and 35 years) with cat‐scratch‐inflicted full‐thickness corneal lacerations.Methods:  Retrospective medical chart review and review of the published literature.Main Outcome Measures:  Details of clinical presentation, surgical management, antibiotic treatment and clinical outcomes on longitudinal follow‐up.Results:  Cat‐scratch‐inflicted corneal lacerations are rare. Only five other cases were found in the literature. Wide spectrum of clinical presentation and severity of injuries exists. Two of the cases here required emergency surgical repair of the laceration; however, one case had spontaneously healed and was only diagnosed 5 years after the initial injury. One case required secondary cataract extraction and subsequent excision of a vascularized posterior lens capsule. There were no cases of secondary microbial keratitis or endophthalmitis. All cases had a favourable ocular outcome after at least 6 months of follow‐up.Conclusions:  Cat‐scratch‐inflicted corneal injuries are rare but do occur in Australia, in particular among younger children. If the principles of prompt surgical repair and antibiotic prophylaxis are adhered to, excellent visual outcomes are possible.
Causal implication by rhythmic transcranial magnetic stimulation of alpha frequency in feature‐based local vs. global attention
Authors: Romei Vincenzo , Thut Gregor , Mok Robert M. , Schyns Philippe G. , Driver Jon 
Published: March 2012

AbstractAlthough oscillatory activity in the alpha band was traditionally associated with lack of alertness, more recent work has linked it to specific cognitive functions, including visual attention. The emerging method of rhythmic transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) allows causal interventional tests for the online impact on performance of TMS administered in short bursts at a particular frequency. TMS bursts at 10 Hz have recently been shown to have an impact on spatial visual attention, but any role in featural attention remains unclear. Here we used rhythmic TMS at 10 Hz to assess the impact on attending to global or local components of a hierarchical Navon‐like stimulus (D. Navon (1977) Forest before trees: The precedence of global features in visual perception. Cognit. Psychol., 9, 353), in a paradigm recently used with TMS at other frequencies (V. Romei, J. Driver, P.G. Schyns & G. Thut. (2011) Rhythmic TMS over parietal cortex links distinct brain frequencies to global versus local visual processing. Curr. Biol., 2, 334–337). In separate groups, left or right posterior parietal sites were stimulated at 10 Hz just before presentation of the hierarchical stimulus. Participants had to identify either the local or global component in separate blocks. Right parietal 10 Hz stimulation (vs. sham) significantly impaired global processing without affecting local processing, while left parietal 10 Hz stimulation vs. sham impaired local processing with a minor trend to enhance global processing. These 10 Hz outcomes differed significantly from stimulation at other frequencies (i.e. 5 or 20 Hz) over the same site in other recent work with the same paradigm. These dissociations confirm differential roles of the two hemispheres in local vs. global processing, and reveal a frequency‐specific role for stimulation in the alpha band for regulating feature‐based visual attention.
Lentiviral‐mediated gene delivery reveals distinct roles of nucleus accumbens dopamine D2 and D3 receptors in novelty‐ and light‐induced locomotor activity
Authors: Fernandes Alinda R. , Easton Alanna C. , De Souza Silva Maria A. , Schumann Gunter , Müller Christian P. , Desrivières Sylvane 
Published: March 2012

AbstractThe importance of the dopaminergic system for proper brain activity is demonstrated by findings that alterations in this system lead to severe disabilities, including motor impairment observed in various neurological and psychiatric disorders. Although the roles of specific dopamine receptors in behaviour have been extensively investigated using pharmacological agents and knockout mice, non‐specificity of ligands and compensatory molecular adaptations in mutated animals restrict the interpretation of the results. To overcome these limitations and further explore the role of the dopamine D2 and D3 receptors (D2R and D3R) in rats, we used lentivirus‐mediated gene knockdown and overexpression to specifically manipulate expression levels of these genes in the rat nucleus accumbens (NAcc), a brain area important for spontaneous and induced locomotor responses. Lentiviruses, inducing expression of rat D2R or D3R, or efficient knockdown of either receptor by small hairpin (sh)RNAs, were stereotaxically injected into the NAcc. While knockdown of either receptor significantly reduced spontaneous locomotor activity in a novel but not in a habituated environment, D2R and D3R appeared to contribute in opposite ways to light‐induced locomotor activity. D2R knockdown increased while D3R knockdown decreased locomotor activity in this test. Altogether, our findings suggest that D2R and D3R, expressed in the NAcc, have both shared and non‐overlapping roles in transduction of alerting signals elicited by potentially important sensory and environmental cues.
Anesthesia for Treacher Collins syndrome: a review of airway management in 240 pediatric cases
Authors: Hosking Jane , Zoanetti David , Carlyle Alison , Anderson Peter , Costi David 
Published: March 2012

SummaryObjectives:  To review airway management with anesthesia for children with Treacher Collins syndrome (TCS) and determine whether intubation was more difficult with increasing age.Background:  Treacher Collins syndrome is a rare disorder of craniofacial development characterized by maxillary, zygomatic, and mandibular dysplasia. TCS is associated with difficult intubation, but reports of airway management are limited to case reports and small cases series. Children with TCS may require multiple general anesthetics, and it has been suggested that intubation becomes more difficult with increasing age.Methods:  A retrospective case note review of children with TCS from birth to 18 years undergoing anesthesia from 1971 to 2011 in a single center was performed. Demographic data, procedure type, anesthesia type, method of airway management, modified Cormack–Lehane (MCL) grade of laryngoscopic view, and any other descriptions of airway difficulty or complications were collated.Results:  Of 59 patients with TCS, 35 children underwent a total of 240 anesthetics, most commonly for craniofacial surgery. Final airway management consisted of face mask 17%, laryngeal mask airway 16%, endotracheal intubation 49%, and 18% had a preexisting tracheostomy. The laryngeal mask airway provided an adequate airway in all cases when it was used. MCL grade was recorded in 97 cases involving 28 patients: 7% grade 1, 9% grade 2a, 31% grade 2b, 26% grade 3, and 27% grade 4. Fifteen (54%) patients were MCL grade 4 on at least one occasion. Failed intubation occurred in 6 (5%) of 123 cases of planned intubation. The procedure was canceled in two cases (0.8%) because of failure to intubate. Intubation techniques other than conventional direct laryngoscopy were used in 41% of cases. MCL grade increased with increasing age (P = 0.007).Conclusions:  Most children with TCS have difficult laryngoscopic views with many requiring specialized intubation techniques. Direct laryngoscopy becomes more difficult with increasing age. The laryngeal mask airway is a good choice of airway when endotracheal intubation is not required.
Health‐related lifestyle, physical and mental health in children of alcoholic parents
Authors: SEREC MAŠA , ŠVAB IGOR , KOLŠEK MARKO , ŠVAB VESNA , MOESGEN DIANA , KLEIN MICHAEL 
Published: March 2012

AbstractAim. To identify potential differences between children of alcoholics (COAs) and controls in their health‐related lifestyle, mental and physical health.Methods. The recruitment of COAs took place in inpatient and outpatient treatment and rehabilitation units. Controls were recruited in elementary and high schools. 57 COAs (72% response rate) and 84 controls (88% response rate) aged between 12 and 18 years completed a postal questionnaire about their health‐related lifestyle, and mental and physical health.Results. Bivariate analysis showed that COAs' families have higher unemployment rates and lower economic status (P = 0.000). COAs reported poorer school performance (P = 0.000), spending more time in sedentary (television: P = 0.000, Internet: P = 0.014, music: P = 0.040) and less time in physical activities (P = 0.048), having poorer eating habits (fruits and vegetables: P = 0.001, sweets: P = 0.001, fast food: P = 0.000, soft drinks: P = 0.004), a higher substance use (cigarettes: P = 0.030; marijuana: P = 0.564, heavy drinking: P = 0.050) and more mental health difficulties (emotional symptoms: P = 0.015, conduct problems: P = 0.012, suicidal tendencies: P = 0.007, mental disorder: P = 0.040). Among COAs, girls reported more emotional and somatic symptoms compared to boys (P = 0.020 and P = 0.047, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that after controlling for socioeconomic status, significant mental health and health‐related lifestyle inequalities between COAs and controls persist.Conclusion. Our findings suggest that COAs have a less healthy lifestyle and more mental health difficulties above and beyond the poorer economic environment they live in.[Serec M, Švab I, Kolšek M, Švab V, Moesgen D, Klein M. Health‐related lifestyle, physical and mental health in children of alcoholic parents. Drug Alcohol Rev 2012;31:861–870]
Tissue‐type‐specific transcriptome analysis identifies developing xylem‐specific promoters in poplar
Authors: Ko Jae‐Heung , Kim Hyun‐Tae , Hwang Ildoo , Han Kyung‐Hwan 
Published: March 2012

SummaryPlant biotechnology offers a means to create novel phenotypes. However, commercial application of biotechnology in crop improvement programmes is severely hindered by the lack of utility promoters (or freedom to operate the existing ones) that can drive gene expression in a tissue‐specific or temporally controlled manner. Woody biomass is gaining popularity as a source of fermentable sugars for liquid fuel production. To improve the quantity and quality of woody biomass, developing xylem (DX)‐specific modification of the feedstock is highly desirable. To develop utility promoters that can drive transgene expression in a DX‐specific manner, we used the Affymetrix Poplar Genome Arrays to obtain tissue‐type‐specific transcriptomes from poplar stems. Subsequent bioinformatics analysis identified 37 transcripts that are specifically or strongly expressed in DX cells of poplar. After further confirmation of their DX‐specific expression using semi‐quantitative PCR, we selected four genes (DX5, DX8, DX11 and DX15) for in vivo confirmation of their tissue‐specific expression in transgenic poplars. The promoter regions of the selected DX genes were isolated and fused to a β‐glucuronidase (GUS)‐reported gene in a binary vector. This construct was used to produce transgenic poplars via Agrobacterium‐mediated transformation. The GUS expression patterns of the resulting transgenic plants showed that these promoters were active in the xylem cells at early seedling growth and had strongest expression in the developing xylem cells at later growth stages of poplar. We conclude that these DX promoters can be used as a utility promoter for DX‐specific biomass engineering.
Best friends: children use mutual gaze to identify friendships in others
Authors: Nurmsoo Erika , Einav Shiri , Hood Bruce M. 
Published: March 2012

AbstractThis study examined children’s ability to use mutual eye gaze as a cue to friendships in others. In Experiment 1, following a discussion about friendship, 4‐, 5‐, and 6‐year‐olds were shown animations in which three cartoon children looked at one another, and were told that one target character had a best friend. Although all age groups accurately detected the mutual gaze between the target and another character, only 5‐ and 6‐year‐olds used this cue to infer friendship. Experiment 2 replicated the effect with 5‐ and 6‐year‐olds when the target character was not explicitly identified. Finally, in Experiment 3, where the attribution of friendship could only be based on synchronized mutual gaze, 6‐year‐olds made this attribution, while 4‐ and 5‐year‐olds did not. Children occasionally referred to mutual eye gaze when asked to justify their responses in Experiments 2 and 3, but it was only by the age of 6 that reference to these cues correlated with the use of mutual gaze in judgements of affiliation. Although younger children detected mutual gaze, it was not until 6 years of age that children reliably detected and justified mutual gaze as a cue to friendship.
Mosuos’ awareness of taxonomic relations in word associations, lexicon decisions and semantic categorizations
Authors: ZHANG JIJIA , LIN NA , LI DEGAO 
Published: March 2012

Zhang, J., Lin, N. & Li, D. (2012). Mosuos’ awareness of taxonomic relations in word associations, lexicon decisions and semantic categorizations. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 53, 191–199.The development of representations for taxonomic categories is influenced by many factors, such as age, life experiences, and education. It was hypothesized that Mosuos might be aware of taxonomic relations differently than Hans, as indicated by Sha (1996). Three experiments – word associations, lexicon decisions, and semantic categorizations – were conducted on young adults of Mosuos and Hans and consistent results were obtained: the Mosuos were found both similar to and different from the Hans in their experimental performance. They were apparently aware of taxonomic relations less than the Hans among categories of different levels and among categories of basic level, consistent with the conclusion that the uniqueness of a specific culture influences the people’s representations for the hierarchically structured taxonomic categories (López, Atran, Coley, Medin & Smith, 1997). The present forms of education did not seem to be as effective as educators expected to help promote Mosuo children’s development of knowledge of taxonomic categories. If school education would be available that is compatible with the cultural value of a relatively isolated, small population, such as Mosuos, and is of practical value for the young children to develop a better knowledge of the world, then a study would be of critical value into how educated individuals would be different from uneducated ones in their awareness of taxonomic relations.
Causality, Mediation and Time: A Dynamic Viewpoint
Authors: Aalen Odd O. , Røysland Kjetil , Gran Jon Michael , Ledergerber Bruno 
Published: March 2012

SummaryTime dynamics are often ignored in causal modelling. Clearly, causality must operate in time and we show how this corresponds to a mechanistic, or system, understanding of causality. The established counterfactual definitions of direct and indirect effects depend on an ability to manipulate the mediator which may not hold in practice, and we argue that a mechanistic view may be better. Graphical representations based on local independence graphs and dynamic path analysis are used to facilitate communication as well as providing an overview of the dynamic relations ‘at a glance’. The relationship between causality as understood in a mechanistic and in an interventionist sense is discussed. An example using data from the Swiss HIV Cohort Study is presented.
Attachment and callous‐unemotional traits in children with early‐onset conduct problems
Authors: Pasalich Dave S. , Dadds Mark R. , Hawes David J. , Brennan John 
Published: March 2012

Background:  Antisocial children with callous‐unemotional (CU) traits appear to be disconnected from other people’s emotions; although little is known about their experience of the parent‐child emotional bond. This study examined parent‐child attachment relationships and levels of CU traits in conduct‐problem children.Method:  Attachment classifications in boys (M = 6.31 years) with disruptive behaviour disorders were assessed using the Manchester Child Attachment Story Task. Multiple informants rated children’s CU traits.Results:  Independent of severity of conduct problems, high levels of CU traits were associated with more insecure attachment; specifically, disorganised attachment representations; however, CU traits were not associated with avoidant representations.Conclusions:  Among conduct‐problem children, those higher on CU traits appear to be at increased risk of experiencing disruptions in parent‐child attachment relationships; attachment may be an important area for treatment and prevention efforts for CU traits in young children.
An investigation into the reporting and management of late terminations of pregnancy (between 22+0 and 26+6 weeks of gestation) within NHS Hospitals in England in 2006: the EPICure preterm cohort study
Authors: Draper ES , Alfirevic Z , Stacey F , Hennessy E , Costeloe K ,   for the EPICure Study Group
Published: March 2012

Please cite this paper as: Draper E, Alfirevic Z, Stacey F, Hennessy E, Costeloe K, for the EPICure Study Group. An investigation into the reporting and management of late terminations of pregnancy (between 22+0 and 26+6 weeks of gestation) within NHS Hospitals in England in 2006: the EPICure preterm cohort study. BJOG 2012;119:710–715.Objective  To review all late terminations of pregnancy, between 22+0 and 26+6 weeks of gestation, collected as part of the EPICure2 study.Design  Prospective cohort study.Setting  All National Health Service (NHS) hospitals providing perinatal services for extremely preterm infants.Population  All births between 22+0 and 26+6 weeks of gestation in England during 2006.Methods  Data were collected for the defined cohort of births, including terminations of pregnancy, by designated unit staff using a standardised questionnaire. Rigorous validation processes were established to ensure comprehensive data collection. Gestational age was validated using a hierarchical classification of scan dates, certain date of last menstrual period and working gestation. Data for terminations of pregnancy (TOPs) were categorised into two groups, terminations for fetal abnormality and for maternal or fetal compromise, and were analysed in terms of their reporting, management and outcomes.Main outcome measures  Classification, rate of feticide and outcome following TOP.Results  Of 3782 births between 22+0 and 26+6 weeks of gestation, 647 (17.1%) were TOPs; of these 584 (90.3%) were for fetal abnormality and 63 (9.7%) for maternal or fetal compromise. Feticide was carried out in 489 of 584 (83.7%) TOPs for fetal abnormality, and in 38 of 63 (60.3%) of the TOPs for maternal or fetal compromise. Live births resulted following 2.2% TOPs for fetal abnormality and 4.8% TOPs for maternal or fetal compromise.Conclusion  Terminations of pregnancy represent a relatively large proportion of very preterm births. Fetal abnormalities are the main cause for these terminations, and most include feticide. Better screening strategies are required to avoid the need for late terminations of pregnancy for fetal abnormalities.