bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Mediterranean intercalibration exercise on soft‐bottom benthic invertebrates with special emphasis on the Italian situation
Authors: Occhipinti Ambrogi Anna , Forni Giulia , Silvestri Cecilia 
Published: August 2009

AbstractThe intercalibration exercise is an important step in the building process of the surface water ecological quality assessment, which is required by the Water Framework Directive (WFD). Its aim is to apply the water quality classification in a uniform manner to all the Member States belonging to the same eco‐region. Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Slovenia and Spain participated in the soft‐bottom benthic invertebrate subgroup for the Mediterranean coastal region. The methodologies proposed by Member States were applied and tested; the results were compared and harmonized to establish agreed and comparable boundaries for the benthic invertebrate ecological status classes. The national methods used in the intercalibration process were: for Cyprus and Greece, the Bentix Index; for Slovenia, a combination of AZTI Marine Biotic Index (AMBI), richness and diversity with the use of factor and discriminant analysis (Multimetric AMBI); for Spain, a new index, named MEDOCC, which is an adaptation of the AMBI index to the Western Mediterranean area. Italy and France tested different methods, none of which have been officially adopted. Final class boundary values for the different official classification systems were obtained and compared. Besides describing methods and results obtained by the different countries, the Italian situation is examined in more detail. All the above methods have been applied to Italian data, but the results were not conclusive. Major causes for concern are related to insufficient sites and data, to the lack of real non‐impacted reference sites, and to the difficulties in validating the ecological status classification in sites not showing a pollution gradient.
Melatonin prevents peritoneal adhesions in rats
Authors: Ersoz Nail , Ozler Mehmet , Altinel Ozcan , Sadir Serdar , Ozerhan Ismail Hakki , Uysal Bulent , Topal Turgut , Guven Ahmet , Korkmaz Ahmet 
Published: August 2009

AbstractBackground and Aim:  Intra‐abdominal adhesions are important postoperative complications following abdominal surgery. The adhesions that develop form the basis of more advanced pathology such as intestinal obstruction or infertility. Melatonin is secreted from the pineal gland in a circadian pattern; this molecule has potent antioxidant characteristics and has beneficial effects in many models of inflammation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of melatonin on peritoneal adhesions created in rats.Methods:  A total of 28 Sprague–Dawley male rats were used and divided into four groups. In the first phase of the study, pinealectomy (PINX) was performed on half the animals. An incision was made and sutured in the cecum of all experimental animals in all groups 15 days after the PINX procedure. Some animals were given melatonin orally at a dose of 5 mg/kg daily following the adhesion operation and continued for 15 days. The rats were anesthetized and the abdomen opened after the 15th day (on day 30 of the study). After adhesion scoring based on macroscopic inspection, tissue samples were obtained from the sutured region of the cecum to measure malondialdehyde and hydroxyproline.Results:  Peritoneal adhesion density was significantly higher in the PINX group compared to the control animals; exogenously administered melatonin significantly reduced adhesion formation. The degree of adhesion was also significantly lower in the intact rats given melatonin compared to the control group.Conclusion:  Antioxidant activity increases in the oxidative process. We conclude that melatonin may be an important molecule in preventing peritoneal adhesions.
Optimal dose of intravenous pantoprazole in patients with peptic ulcer bleeding requiring endoscopic hemostasis in Korea
Authors: Choi Kee Don , Kim Nayoung , Jang In‐Jin , Park Young Soo , Cho Joo Youn , Kim Jung‐Ryul , Shin Jai Moo , Jung Hyun Chae , Song In Sung 
Published: August 2009

AbstractBackground and Aim:  The lowest effective dose of proton pump inhibitors (PPI) for prevention of peptic ulcer rebleeding remains unclear. The objective of the present study was to evaluate whether low‐dose PPI has a similar efficacy to high‐dose i.v. administration for maintaining intragastric pH above 6.Methods:  Sixty‐one patients with bleeding ulcers were randomized into one of three groups after endoscopic hemostasis: pantoprazole 80 mg bolus followed by 8 mg/h; 40 mg, 4 mg/h infusion; and bolus injection of 40 mg every 24 h. Intragastric pH values and rebleeding rates were measured. In addition, pharmacokinetic parameters and association with CYP2C19 polymorphisms and H. pylori infection were assessed.Results:  Mean percentage of time with intragastric pH > 6, and the proportion of patients with pH > 6 for more than 60% of the time were significantly higher in the 40 mg, 4 mg/h infusion group compared to the 40 mg bolus injection. There was no significant difference between the 80 mg, 8 mg/h and the 40 mg, 4 mg/h groups. In the H. pylori (−) group, only 40% of patients that received continuous infusion reached the target pH > 6 for more than 60% of the time; this was significantly lower than the H. pylori (+) group, 87.5% (P = 0.026).Conclusions:  A continuous infusion, regardless of high or low dose, was more effective for acid suppression than a 40 mg bolus PPI injection in Korea. H. pylori infection was an important factor for the maintenance of an intragastric pH > 6.
Risk factors for severe hand foot and mouth disease
Authors: Suzuki Yoko , Taya Keiko , Nakashima Kazutoshi , Ohyama Takaaki , Kobayashi John M. , Ohkusa Yasushi , Okabe Nobuhiko 
Published: August 2009

AbstractBackground:  Hand foot and mouth disease (HFMD) and herpangina are enteroviral infectious diseases caused mainly by Coxsackie virus A (CA) or enterovirus 71 (EV71). From 2000 to 2002, many complicated cases were reported in Japan, therefore a nationwide questionnaire survey was carried out to assess the situation. The subjects were patients with HFMD or herpangina, or other enterovirus infection from 2000 to 2002, who were either hospitalized over 24 h or who died. The response rates were 41.3% in 2000 and 2001 and 31.6% in 2002. The survey period included the year 2000, when HFMD epidemics due to EV71 occurred. To examine risk factors causing complications of enterovirus infection, severe cases of HFMD were focused on.Methods:  HFMD cases in 2000 were divided into two groups according to severity: ‘more severe’ and ‘less severe’. ‘More severe’ was defined as ‘fatal, involving sequelae, or involving hospitalization for 7 days or longer’. Statistical analyses were conducted with Epi info version 3.3 and the association between risk factors and severity was estimated.Results:  The number of patients with more severe and less severe cases was 96 and 103, respectively. There was no difference in sex, age, having siblings and family history between the two groups. There was a significant association between attending child care center and severe HFMD.Conclusions:  It is not clear why attending child care centers was associated with HFMD severity. Further study is needed.
Increased Fos expression among midbrain dopaminergic cell groups during birdsong tutoring
Authors: Nordeen E.J. , Holtzman D.A. , Nordeen K.W. 
Published: August 2009

AbstractDuring avian vocal learning, birds memorize conspecific song patterns and then use auditory feedback to match their vocal output to this acquired template. Some models of song learning posit that during tutoring, conspecific visual, social and/or auditory cues activate neuromodulatory systems that encourage acquisition of the tutor’s song and attach incentive value to that specific acoustic pattern. This hypothesis predicts that stimuli experienced during social tutoring activate cell populations capable of signaling reward. Using immunocytochemistry for the protein product of the immediate early gene c‐Fos, we found that brief exposure of juvenile male zebra finches to a live familiar male tutor increased the density of Fos+ cells within two brain regions implicated in reward processing: the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc). This activation of Fos appears to involve both dopaminergic and non‐dopaminergic VTA/SNc neurons. Intriguingly, a familiar tutor was more effective than a novel tutor in stimulating Fos expression within these regions. In the periaqueductal gray, a dopamine‐enriched cell population that has been implicated in emotional processing, Fos labeling also was increased after tutoring, with a familiar tutor again being more effective than a novel conspecific. As several neural regions implicated in song acquisition receive strong dopaminergic projections from these midbrain nuclei, their activation in conjunction with hearing the tutor’s song could help to establish sensory representations that later guide motor sequence learning.
Neuron synchronization in the rat gracilis nucleus facilitates sensory transmission in the somatosensory pathway
Authors: Malmierca Eduardo , Castellanos Nazareth P. , Nuñez‐Medina Alberto , Makarov Valeri A. , Nuñez Angel 
Published: August 2009

AbstractWe have studied the role of the temporal correlation of multiple cell discharges in the facilitation of the somatosensory information transmission from the gracilis nucleus to the primary somatosensory (SI) cortex in anesthetized rats. Pairs of gracilis neurons or gracilis–SI cortical neurons were recorded during application of 20‐ms tactile stimuli in control conditions and after electrical corticofugal stimulation. Cross‐correlation of neural spike trains showed significant changes in synchronization of the neuron firing provoked by the corticofugal stimulation. To quantify the time–frequency alterations in the functional association within neuron pairs we used the wavelet coherence measure. We show that electrical stimulation of the SI cortex induces a short‐lasting facilitation of tactile responses of projecting gracilis neurons if their receptive fields (RFs) overlap with the RF of the stimulated cortical area (matching condition). Moreover, synchronization of discharges of gracilis neurons with a common RF is increased by activation of the corticofugal projection. Synchronization is favored by a stimulus induced synchronous oscillatory activity of projecting neurons in the range 3–10 Hz. In the matching condition synchronous discharges in the gracilis increment the number of spikes elicited in the SI cortex. Thus the efficacy of the sensory transmission from the gracilis nucleus to the SI cortex is modulated by the corticofugal projection through two complementary mechanisms: (i) by changing the responsiveness (number of elicited spikes) of individual gracilis neurons; and (ii) by a dynamic consolidation of gracilis neurons with a common RF into microcircuits generating synchronous spikes.
Health‐related quality of life predicts hospital admission within 1 year in people with diabetes: a nationwide study from Taiwan
Authors: Li C. L. , Chang H. Y. , Lu J. R. 
Published: August 2009

AbstractAims  To investigate whether health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) predicts hospital admission in a nationally representative sample of adults with diabetes.Methods  We conducted a prospective study on persons aged ≥ 18 years with self‐reported physician‐diagnosed diabetes (n = 797) who participated in the National Health Interview Survey in Taiwan, 2001. Of these potential participants, 674 provided consent for data linkage and were successfully linked to the National Health Insurance claims data. We analysed the associations between the Short Form 36 (SF‐36) subscales and summaries and the occurrence of hospital admission for any cause during 2002.Results  Approximately 23% of participants with diabetes had at least one hospital admission during 2002. After adjusting for demographic characteristics, co‐morbidities and diabetics‐related attributes, those who had been admitted to hospital had significantly poorer mean scores on each of the physical dimensions, physical components summary (PCS) and social functioning domain of the SF‐36 at baseline. In logistic regression models, poorer scores on the PCS [odds ratio (OR) = 1.80; 95% confidence interval (CI) = (1.14–2.86)], duration of diabetes ≥ 10 years [OR = 2.10; 95% CI = (1.14–3.89)] and the presence of heart disease [OR = 1.63; 95% CI = (1.01–2.63)] were significantly associated with an increased risk of hospital admission.Conclusion  In people with diabetes, poorer scores on the PCS of the SF‐36 at baseline may provide additional information for assessment of hospital admission risk, independent of other measures of health outcomes.
Childhood growth and age at diagnosis with Type 1 diabetes in Colorado young people
Authors: Vehik K. , Hamman R. F. , Lezotte D. , Norris J. M. , Klingensmith G. J. , Dabelea D. 
Published: August 2009

AbstractObjective  Studies have suggested that the age at diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is decreasing over time. The overload hypothesis postulates that risk factors, such as accelerated growth, may be responsible for this decrease. We assessed changes in age, body mass index (BMI), weight and height at diagnosis with T1D in non‐Hispanic white (NHW) and Hispanic (HISP) young people from Colorado, using data from the IDDM Registry and SEARCH Study.Methods  In three time periods, 656 (1978–1983), 562 (1984–1988) and 712 (2002–2004) young people aged 2–17 years were newly diagnosed with T1D. Age, weight, height and presence of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) at diagnosis with T1D were obtained from medical records. Trends over the three time periods were assessed with regression analyses.Results  Age at diagnosis decreased by 9.6 months over time (P = 0.0002). Mean BMI standard deviation score (SDS), weight SDS and height SDS increased over time (P < 0.0001), while prevalence of DKA decreased (P < 0.0001). Increasing height over time accounted for 15% (P = 0.04) of the decreasing age at diagnosis with T1D.Conclusions  Our study provides evidence that increased linear growth, but not increased BMI or weight over time, may account, at least in part, for the younger age at diagnosis of T1D in Colorado children. This finding supports the hypothesis that increasing environmental pressure resulting from changes in potentially preventable risk factors may accelerate the onset of T1D in children.
Potential impact of the Choices Programme on nutrient intakes in the Dutch population
Authors: Roodenburg A. J. C. , Temme E. H. M. , Davies O. Howell , Seidell J. C. 
Published: August 2009

SummaryIn May 2006, the Choices Programme was launched in The Netherlands – products can qualify for a health stamp by meeting pre‐set nutritional criteria. Currently, more than 120 partners in food manufacturing, retail and catering have joined the initiative. There is an increasing recognition and appreciation of the health stamp by consumers. Moreover, the initiative has given a clear incentive to participating companies to reformulate products to give them a healthier profile. The objective of the present study is to assess the potential effect on nutrient intakes in the Dutch population after replacing normally consumed foods in diets with foods that are eligible to carry a Choices stamp.Usual nutrient intakes were calculated using deterministic modelling with the Monte Carlo risk assessment model. Inputs for the modelling were food intakes (Dutch Food Consumption Survey 2003) and composition of foods from the Dutch food composition database. For a selection of nutrients, three scenarios were calculated and compared: (1) nutrient intakes ‘as measured’, based on the original Dutch Food Consumption Survey data; (2) replacement of all non‐complying foods, where possible, with a food complying with the Choices criteria; and, because this could lead to a decreased energy intake, (3) same as (2) but nutrient intakes corrected for the difference in energy content between the original and the replacement food.Calculations of usual intake distributions showed that energy intakes were reduced by 15% by replacing normally consumed foods with foods carrying the Choices stamp. Intakes of nutrients with a maximal intake limit were also reduced (between −23% for sodium and −63% for trans fatty acids). Intakes of nutrients with a minimal intake limit increased (between +5% for folic acid and +28% for fibre), except for carbohydrate (−16%) and unsaturated fatty acids (polyunsaturated fatty acids −1% and monounsaturated fatty acids −28%). When the data were corrected for energy intake, the difference was still apparent, but smaller for the nutrients with maximal intake limits and larger for most of the nutrients with minimal intake limits, except for carbohydrate and unsaturated fatty acids.From the results, it can be concluded, based on data from the Dutch Food Consumption Survey 2003, that replacing normally consumed foods in the diet with foods that carry the Choices health stamp can potentially lead to substantial improvements in nutrient intakes. These results demonstrate the potential positive impact of the Choices Programme on nutrient intakes in the Dutch population.
World Bank Influence and Institutional Reform in Argentina
Authors: Tuozzo Maria F. 
Published: August 2009

ABSTRACTDuring the 1990s, reforms concerned with ‘good governance’ became popular with multilateral and bilateral lenders. This trend was led by the World Bank, which claimed that in order to achieve economic development, institutions mattered. This article looks at governance reforms in Argentina, specifically in the judicial sector, and contends that World Bank involvement affected the nature, reach and depth of these initiatives. The influence of the Bank can be traced through three dimensions that have characterized its approach to institutional reform: donor‐driven designs for project reform; reliance on technical approaches; and restricted forms of decision making in project initiatives. Such an approach to institutional change conditioned domestic reform in Argentina and contributed to piecemeal and inadequate initiatives. The author also argues that the Bank's approach in Argentina can be traced to wider strategies that derive from embedded institutional practices and ideological foundations within the institution that throw into question the Bank's capacities to promote such reforms.
‘Social Development’ as Neoliberal Trojan Horse: The World Bank and the Kecamatan Development Program in Indonesia
Authors: Carroll Toby 
Published: August 2009

ABSTRACTThis article seeks to reconceptualize the post‐Washington consensus (PWC) by focusing not simply upon the institutional structures and ideology promoted by it, but the manner in which these are promoted on the ground. The aim is to reveal a central distinction between the Washington consensus and the PWC that has been somewhat neglected: their diverging approaches to implementation. The author focuses on the World Bank‐funded Kecamatan Development Program (KDP) in Indonesia, a project that is viewed by some as being somewhat unorthodox. He argues that in addition to its promotion of the latest round of institutional reforms, what is really different about KDP, compared with older approaches to market‐led development typical of the Washington consensus, is the manner in which it delivers its mix of neoliberalism. What is radical about a programme like KDP is that it constitutes a new Trojan horse for embedding market‐centred norms and practices.1 In general, this is demonstrative of a key difference between the Washington consensus and the PWC that has been undervalued in many analyses of the dominant development paradigm: the methods used to embed and sustain liberal markets.
Diagnosis of advanced fibrosis in HIV and hepatitis C virus‐coinfected patients via a new noninvasive index: the HGM‐3 index
Authors: Resino S , Micheloud D , Miralles P , Bellón JM , Vargas A , Catalán P , Álvarez E , Cosín J , Lorente R , López JC , Muñoz‐Fernández MA , Berenguer J 
Published: August 2009

BackgroundNoninvasive tests are increasingly being used for the assessment of liver fibrosis. We aimed to develop a serum index for the identification of advanced fibrosis (F≥3) in HIV/hepatitis C virus (HCV)‐coinfected patients.MethodsWe carried out a cross‐sectional study on a group of 195 patients comprised of an estimation group (EG; n=127) and a validation group (VG; n=68) who all underwent liver biopsy and had not received previous interferon therapy. Liver fibrosis was estimated using the METAVIR score. We developed a new serum index (HGM‐3) dependent on levels of platelets, alkaline phosphatase, hepatic growth factor, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase‐1 and hyaluronic acid.ResultsIn the EG, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC‐ROC) of HGM‐3 for identification of F≥3 was 0.939 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.899, 0.979] which was significantly higher than the AUC‐ROC of the HGM‐2, FIB‐4, aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio (APRI) and Forns' indexes. With HGM‐3 <0.135 for F<3, 57 patients were correctly identified and two patients were misclassified. We found the presence of F<3 with 96.6% certainty. The negative likelihood ratio (LR) was <0.1 and the diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) was >40. With HGM‐3 >0.570 in the EG for F≥3, 31 patients were correctly identified, and five patients were misclassified. We found the presence of F≥3 with 86.1% certainty. The positive LR was >12 and the DOR was >40. For the VG, the diagnostic accuracy values were similar to the values for the EG.ConclusionsHGM‐3 appears to be an accurate noninvasive method for the diagnosis of bridging fibrosis and cirrhosis in HIV/HCV‐coinfected patients.
Dollar Dominance, Euro Aspirations: Recipe for Discord?
Authors: COHEN BENJAMIN J. 
Published: August 2009

AbstractAfter nearly a century of dominance of the international monetary system, has the US dollar finally met its match in the euro? When Europe's economic and monetary union (EMU) came into existence in 1999, many observers predicted that the euro would soon join America's greenback at the peak of global finance. Achievements, however, have fallen short of aspiration. After an initial spurt of enthusiasm, international use of the euro actually appears now to be levelling off, even stalling, and so far seems confined largely to a limited range of market sectors and regions. The euro has successfully attained a place second only to the greenback – but it remains, and is likely to remain, a quite distant second without a determined effort by EMU authorities to promote their money's global role. The temptation will surely be great. In practical terms, it is difficult to imagine that EMU authorities will refrain entirely from trying to promote a greater role for the euro. But that, in turn, could turn out to be a recipe for discord with the United States, which has never made any secret of its commitment to preserving the greenback's worldwide dominance. A struggle for monetary leadership could become a source of sustained tensions in US–European relations. Fortunately, however, there seems relatively little risk of a destabilizing escalation into outright geopolitical conflict.
Does Bilateralism Foster Co‐operation in Europe? An Experimental Approach of Comparative Merits of Bilateralism and Multilateralism*
Authors: MY KENE BOUN , VERCHERE ALBAN , BERTRAND STEPHANE 
Published: August 2009

AbstractEurope is oscillating between increased integration and permanent risk of dissolution. In this framework, one often debates the role of bilateral relations, with the following question: does bilateralism foster or delay overall co‐operation? We address this question in an experimental framework where we study the behaviour of agents who are confronted with a multiplicity of prisoners' dilemma games, either in abilateralor amultilateralway. We surprisingly observe that the co‐operationbetween allis significantly higher when interactions are bilateral and that the difference between these two institutional contexts is growing in time in favour of bilateralism.