bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect‐site concentration of remifentanil attenuating surgical stress index responses to intubation of the trachea
Authors: Mustola S. , Toivonen J. 
Published: March 2010

SummarySurgical Stress Index has been proposed for assessment of surgical stress and analgesia. It is a numeric index based on the normalised pulse beat interval and photoplethysmographic pulse wave amplitude. We determined the effect‐site concentration of remifentanil for attenuation of Surgical Stress Index responses to intubation of the trachea. Thirty ASA 1–2 patients received either deep or normal anaesthesia and then target‐controlled remifentanil. Burst suppression was maintained in the deep group and state entropy at 40–60 (scale 0–91) in the normal group. Mean (SD) effect‐site concentrations of remifentanil attenuating responses in 50% of patients were 2.13 (0.25) ng.ml−1 and 3.05 (0.27) ng.ml−1 in deep and normal groups, respectively (p = 0.034). From probit analysis, EC50 and EC95 of remifentanil (95% CI) were 2.34 (1.97–2.71) ng.ml−1 and 3.19 (2.69–3.69) ng.ml−1 in deep group and 3.17 (2.67–3.67) ng.ml−1 and 3.79 (3.21–4.37) ng.ml−1 in the normal group, respectively. The values from probit analysis and up‐and‐down method did not differ significantly.
Impact of a family‐oriented rehabilitation programme on behavioural and emotional problems in healthy siblings of chronically ill children
Authors: Besier T. , Hölling H. , Schlack R. , West C. , Goldbeck L. 
Published: March 2010

AbstractObjective  To evaluate the impact of a family‐oriented inpatient rehabilitation programme on behavioural and emotional problems in healthy siblings of chronically ill children and to assess the association between these problems and quality of life.Methods  A total of 259 healthy children (4–16 years, M = 8.6 years, SD = 3.3) with a chronically ill sibling were enrolled in the study. Parents filled in the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, while the children answered a self‐report quality of life instrument (LQ‐KID) at the time of admission and discharge from the clinic and at a 6‐month follow‐up. Comparisons were performed with a matched control group from the German general population (n= 777).Results  Significant behavioural or emotional symptoms were found in 30.5% of the healthy siblings, the relative risk of having elevated scores being 2.2 compared with the control group. Symptoms were inversely correlated with quality of life (r=−0.42). During the inpatient rehabilitation, symptoms decreased significantly to a normal level. Similarly, quality of life significantly improved, except in the dimension family relations.Conclusions  Family‐oriented inpatient rehabilitation is a promising approach to improve the mental health of children with a chronically ill sibling.
Natural history of subclinical hyperthyroidism in elderly patients with TSH between 0·1 and 0·4 mIU/l: a prospective study
Authors: Rosario Pedro Weslley 
Published: March 2010

SummaryContext  One important aspect in the decision to treat or not elderly patients with subclinical hyperthyroidism (SCH) is the risk of progression to overt hyperthyroidism (OH).Objective  To define the natural history of endogenous SCH in elderly patients with TSH between 0·1 and 0·4 mIU/l.Design  Prospective study. One hundred and two women aged ≥60 years with persistently low TSH ranging from 0·1 to 0·4 mIU/l and normal free T4 and T3 were studied. Patients using L‐T4 or antithyroid drugs, previously treated for hyperthyroidism, with pituitary disease, using corticosteroids, amiodarone, dopaminergic agonists, with atrial fibrillation or heart disease were excluded. Seven patients had Graves’ disease, 91 had nodular disease and 4 presented no defined cause. The time of follow‐up ranged from 12 to 70 months (median 41 months).Results  Three patients progressed to OH (elevated T4 and/or T3) and four other patients to persistently low TSH (<0·1 mIU/l) in the presence of increase in serum T3 when compared with baseline. These patients were treated. Twenty‐four women presented sustained normalization of TSH and none progressed to hypothyroidism. SCH with TSH in the 0·1–0·4 mIU/l range persisted in 71 patients, 4 of them (5·6%) being treated because of the development of atrial fibrillation or heart disease during follow‐up. The only independent predictor of progression of SCH was an initial TSH value <0·2 mIU/l.Conclusions  In elderly patients with endogenous SCH and TSH between 0·1 and 0·4 mIU/l progression to clinical hyperthyroidism is uncommon (approximately 1% per year), spontaneous TSH normalization may occur, and persistence of SCH for many years is the most likely.
The tight relationship between papillary thyroid cancer, autoimmunity and inflammation: clinical and molecular studies
Authors: Muzza Marina , Degl’Innocenti Debora , Colombo Carla , Perrino Michela , Ravasi Elena , Rossi Stefania , Cirello Valentina , Beck‐Peccoz Paolo , Borrello Maria Grazia , Fugazzola Laura 
Published: March 2010

SummaryObjective  The recent concept that oncogenes responsible for thyroid neoplastic transformation are able to elicit an inflammatory protumourigenic microenvironment raises interest in further studies on papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) associated with thyroid autoimmunity.Patients  The clinical and molecular features, and the expression of inflammation‐related genes, were investigated in a large series of PTCs with and without associated thyroiditis (groups A, n = 128 and B, n = 215).Results  The two groups did not show significant differences in clinical and prognostic features, whereas they harboured a significantly different genetic background (P = 0·001), with RET/PTC1 being more represented in PTCs associated with autoimmunity, and BRAFV600E in patients with PTC alone. A RET/PTC rearrangement was also found in 41% of non‐neoplastic thyroiditis tissues, contralateral to tumours harbouring either RET/PTC or BRAF mutations. The expression of genes encoding CCL20, CXCL8 and l‐selectin was significantly higher in PTC specimens (either with RET/PTC, BRAFV600E or unknown genetic lesion) compared with normal thyroid samples. On the contrary, thyroiditis showed l‐selectin expression levels even higher than PTCs, but CCL20 and CXCL8 levels comparable with normal tissues.Conclusions  The present data extend the knowledge about the tight relationships among oncogenes, thyroiditis and thyroid cancer. A different genetic background among PTCs with and without associated autoimmunity has been firstly demonstrated. The strong association between RET/PTC1 and thyroiditis points to a critical role of this oncoprotein in the modulation of the autoimmune response. Moreover, preliminary expression studies, indicating enhanced expression of inflammatory molecules in PTCs, suggest a proinflammatory, nonautoimmune relationship between thyroiditis and thyroid cancer.
The pharmacodynamic equivalence of levothyroxine and liothyronine: a randomized, double blind, cross‐over study in thyroidectomized patients
Authors: Celi Francesco S. , Zemskova Marina , Linderman Joyce D. , Babar Nabeel I. , Skarulis Monica C. , Csako Gyorgy , Wesley Robert , Costello Rene , Penzak Scott R. , Pucino Frank 
Published: March 2010

SummaryContext  The substitution of liothyronine (L‐T3) for levothyroxine (L‐T4) is commonly employed during thyroid hormone (TH) withdrawal in preparation for diagnostic and therapeutic interventions on thyroid cancer patients. Presently, only limited data are available on the L‐T3 for L‐T4 therapeutic substitution.Objective  To characterize the pharmcodynamic equivalence of L‐T3 and L‐T4.Design  Randomized, double‐blind, cross‐over intervention study.Setting  NIH clinical center.Patients  Ten thyroidectomized patients.Interventions  Study participants were treated with L‐T3 or L‐T4 with a target TSH ≥ 0·5 ≤ 1·5 mU/l for at least 30 days before undergoing inpatient testing. Following testing, subjects crossed‐over according to the same scheme.Main outcome measures  Area under the serum concentration–time curve of TSH from 0 to 60 min (AUC0–60) and peak TSH serum concentration (Cmax) following thyrotropin‐releasing hormone (TRH) stimulation test, total L‐T4 and L‐T3 dose (mcg/kg), and L‐T4/L‐T3 ratio.Results  No difference was observed for time 0 TSH values between L‐T3 and L‐T4 replacement phases (1·48 ± 0·77 vs. 1·21 ± 0·62 mU/l, P = 0·293) at average daily doses of 40·3 ± 11·3 mcg L‐T3 and 115·2 ± 38·5 mcg L‐T4, L‐T3: L‐T4 ratio 0·36 ± 0·06. TRH stimulation test resulted in similar L‐T3 vs. L‐T4 TSH responses with AUC0–60 of 326·1 (95% CI 232·6–457·1) and 247·1 (95% CI 153·8–397·1) mU* min/l (P = 0·285); and Cmax of 6·83 (95% CI 4·88–9·55) and 5·23 (95% CI 3·31–8·3) mU/l (P = 0·383).Conclusions  This is the first study addressing the equivalency between L‐T3 and L‐T4 therapy measured by baseline and TRH‐stimulated TSH. The therapeutic substitution of L‐T3 for L‐T4 was achieved at approximately 1:3 ratio.
d3‐Growth hormone receptor polymorphism in acromegaly: effects on metabolic phenotype
Authors: Montefusco Laura , Filopanti Marcello , Ronchi Cristina L. , Olgiati Luca , La‐Porta Carmen , Losa Marco , Epaminonda Paolo , Coletti Francesca , Beck‐Peccoz Paolo , Spada Anna , Lania Andrea G. , Arosio Maura 
Published: March 2010

SummaryObjective  A common polymorphic variant of the growth hormone receptor (GHR) is because of genomic deletion of exon 3 and has been linked with increased responsiveness to exogenous GH. The impact of this polymorphism in acromegaly, a disease characterized by endogenous excess of GH and partial loss of IGF‐I feedback on tumoural GH secretion, is not clear. The aim of this study was to investigate possible influences of d3GHR on the GH/IGF‐I relationship and metabolic parameters in acromegaly.Design and methods  Retrospective study on 76 acromegalic patients. Genotype analysis was carried out on leucocyte DNA by multiplex PCR assay. Clinical, hormonal and biochemical parameters at diagnosis were collected from patients’ medical records.Results  Forty‐two patients (55·3%) were homozygotes for the allele encoding the full‐length GHR (fl/flGHR), 27 patients were heterozygotes (fl/d3) and seven homozygotes (d3/d3) for the genomic deletion of exon 3. Heterozygotes and homozygotes for the d3 allele were considered together (d3GHR) and compared with fl/flGHR patients. d3GHR and fl/flGHR patients showed no difference in GH and IGF‐I levels or in the relationship between these two parameters. Patients bearing d3GHR had a lower body mass index (BMI) than patients bearing fl/flGHR (25·8 ± 2·1 vs. 28·1 ± 4·8 kg/m2, P < 0·05). Diabetes mellitus and hypertension were equally distributed, but more d3GHR patients had a normal glucose tolerance (66·7%vs. 56·3%, P < 0·05). The presence of d3GHR allele, and not BMI or age, was a significant negative predictor of insulin levels 120 min after oral glucose load (β = −80·8, P < 0·05).Conclusions  This study supports the hypothesis that the d3GHR is functionally different from the fl/fl variant mostly for the effects on body weight regulation and on glucose metabolism.
Expression of inflammatory molecules and associations with BMI in children
Authors: Dedoussis George V. Z. , Kapiri Alexandra , Samara Anastasia , Dimitriadis Dimitris , Lambert Daniel , Pfister Michele , Siest Gerard , Visvikis‐Siest Sophie 
Published: March 2010

Eur J Clin Invest 2010; 40 (5): 388–392AbstractBackground  Adipose tissue secrets several adipokines that have been proposed to be enrolled in many inflammatory pathways. Our aim was to investigate the adipokine expression in adipose tissue and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in children.Materials and methods  Thirty‐one (17 males and 14 females) healthy children aged 10·9 ± 1·8 years with a body mass index (BMI) of 19·3 ± 3·5 kg m−2 were enrolled. Adipokines (TNF‐alpha, IL‐6 and leptin) gene expression was quantified by real‐time quantitative PCR in adipose tissue and PBMCs from the same children. Their serum levels were also measured.Results  BMI was positively correlated with leptin gene expression in adipose tissue and with leptin serum levels (β = 0·476, P = 0·006 and β = 0·576, P = 0·003 respectively). Leptin’s serum levels were positively correlated with leptin gene expression in adipose tissue (β = 0·462, P = 0·02). Adipose tissue gene expression of leptin and TNF‐alpha and serum leptin and TNF‐alpha serum levels were positively correlated (β = 0·752, P < 0·001, β = 0·311 and P = 0·015 respectively). In PBMCs, a positive correlation between TNF‐alpha and IL‐6 expression was found (β = 0·526, P = 0·042).Conclusion  We demonstrated powerful correlations of adipokines gene expression in adipose tissue and PBMCs in children, underlying that these molecules share common pathways related to childhood obesity.
Antiphospholipid syndrome: pathogenesis and a window of treatment opportunities in the future
Authors: Mehdi Ali A. , Uthman Imad , Khamashta Munther 
Published: March 2010

Eur J Clin Invest 2010; 40 (5): 451–464AbstractBackground Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a systemic autoimmune vascular disease characterized by recurrent thrombotic episodes and/or obstetric complications. Management of this disease has been restricted mainly to anticoagulation; however, in recent years, significant advancement has been made in elucidating the pathophysiology of the disease including antiphospholipid antibody (aPL)‐induced activation of the platelets, endothelial cells, monocytes, complement and coagulation cascade. Stemming from these advances, potential targeted therapeutic approaches have been proposed.Materials and methods We utilized a computer‐assisted search of the literature (MEDLINE, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD, USA) up until September 2009 using the keywords: antiphospholipid syndrome, antiphospholipid antibodies, anticardiolipin antibodies, lupus anticoagulant, anti beta‐2 glycoprotein antibodies, complement system, tissue factor, p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK), nuclear factor kappa B, toll‐like receptors, annexin, Rituximab, statins and tumour necrosis factor.Results Several study groups have separately demonstrated the importance of inflammatory mediators in the pathogenesis of APS. It was also established that tissue factor, MAPK, nuclear factors kappa B, and the complement system are integral to the disease process. Toll‐like receptors and annexin have as well been associated with the disease pathophysiology. Some study groups proposed new targeted therapeutic strategies some of which have shown promising results in preclinical studies. These include Rituximab, complement inhibition, anti‐cytokine therapy, p38 MAPK inhibitors, nuclear factor inhibitors and tissue factor inhibitors.Conclusion As more insight is being gained into the pathophysiology of APS, newer therapeutic strategies are being proposed that might lead to safer and more efficacious treatment modalities in the future.
Spatial and temporal patterns of walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) spawning in the eastern Bering Sea inferred from egg and larval distributions
Authors: BACHELER NATHAN M. , CIANNELLI LORENZO , BAILEY KEVIN M. , DUFFY‐ANDERSON JANET T. 
Published: March 2010

AbstractWalleye pollock Theragra chalcogramma (pollock hereafter) is a key ecological and economic species in the eastern Bering Sea, yet detailed synthesis of the spatial and temporal patterns of pollock ichthyoplankton in this important region is lacking. This knowledge gap is particularly severe considering that egg and larval distribution are essential to reconstructing spawning locations and early life stages drift pathways. We used 19 yr of ichthyoplankton collections to determine the spatial and temporal patterns of egg and larval distribution. Generalized additive models (GAMs) identified two primary temporal pulses of pollock eggs, the first occurring from 20 February to 31 March and the second from 20 April to 20 May; larvae showed similar, but slightly lagged, pulses. Based on generalized cross‐validation and information theory, a GAM model that allowed for different seasonal patterns in egg density within three unique areas outperformed a GAM that assumed a single fixed seasonal pattern across the entire eastern Bering Sea. This ‘area‐dependent’ GAM predicted the highest densities of eggs (i.e., potential spawning locations) in three major areas of the eastern Bering Sea: near Bogoslof Island (February–April), north of Unimak Island and the Alaska Peninsula (March–April), and around the Pribilof Islands (April–August). Unique temporal patterns of egg density were observed for each area, suggesting that pollock spawning may be more spatially and temporally complex than previously assumed. Moreover, this work provides a valuable baseline of pollock spawning to which future changes, such as those resulting from climate variability, may be compared.
Fisheries replenishment of early life taxa: potential export of fish eggs and larvae from a temperate marine protected area
Authors: CREC’HRIOU R. , ALEMANY F. , ROUSSEL E. , CHASSANITE A. , MARINARO J. Y. , MADER J. , ROCHEL E. , PLANES S. 
Published: March 2010

AbstractAn ichthyoplankton survey was conducted at the periphery of Cabrera National Park (Balearic Islands, Western Mediterranean Sea) in July 2004, using bongo nets, fixed nets and collection of oceanographic data. This work focused on analysing the distribution of eggs and larval stages of some fishery‐targeted taxa (Coris julis, Epinephelus spp., Sciaena umbra and Scorpaena sp.) whose adult abundances and/or biomass are higher in the reserve and therefore would be likely to show gradients of larval abundance attributable to the existence of the Marine Protected Area (MPA). Oceanographic data indicated there was water column stratification, horizontal distribution of surface water masses and hydrodynamic features linked with Mediterranean seasonality. During the summer sampling, eggs and larvae of targeted fish taxa were mainly located in the northeast of the MPA, near the coast. An effect of depth and current was demonstrated for Coris julis and Epinephelus spp. and there appears to be an offshore gradient for the other targeted taxa, especially for the egg stages. These data highlight the fact that the Cabrera archipelago is a potential important spawning area for targeted fishery species.
Growth and catabolism in isotopic incorporation: a new formulation and experimental data
Authors: Carleton Scott A. , Del Rio Carlos Martinez 
Published: March 2010

Summary 1. We propose a new model that uses an organism’s change in mass to estimate isotope incorporation rates. Our model is a re‐parameterization of a widely used one‐compartment‐first‐order kinetic model that estimates the rate of isotopic incorporation as a function of time. If animals are growing exponentially and fractional growth rates are measured, the time model allows partitioning the contribution of growth and catabolic turnover to isotopic incorporation. The model can be extended to include more than one‐compartment. 2. Our model makes the same assumptions but uses mass change as an independent variable. It estimates the ratio of the contribution of catabolic turnover to growth. 3. To test the model, we fed juvenile Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) at three different rations and measured their change in mass and tissue δ13C isotopic composition for 128 days. 4. Fish grew exponentially and fractional growth rates differed significantly between rations. The contribution of catabolism (tissue replacement) to isotopic incorporation was 2·6 to 5 times higher than growth (tissue addition) in liver. In muscle tissue, the contribution of catabolism and growth were roughly equivalent for all rations. 5. When we used the parameters of the mass model to re‐parameterize the time model we found a relatively good fit (r2 = 0·8 ± 0·1, mean ± SD) to the isotopic incorporation data. 6. The mass model estimated a smaller, and more biologically realistic range of δ∞ values than did the time model which suggests that it might yield better results when isotopic incorporation experiments are not carried on long enough to yield estimates of the asymptotic isotopic value of an animal’s tissues after a diet shift. 7. Rather than being alternatives, the time and mass models are complementary in that they allow us to see the same phenomenon from different perspectives.
Mechanics of bite force production and its relationship to diet in bats
Authors: Santana Sharlene E. , Dumont Elizabeth R. , Davis Julian L. 
Published: March 2010

Summary 1. In vertebrates, bite force is a measure of whole organism performance that is associated with both cranial morphology and dietary ecology. Mechanistic studies of bite force production have identified morphological features associated with bite force, and linked bite force with diet, but this approach has rarely been used in mammals. 2. Mammals are a good system with which to investigate the function of the feeding apparatus because of the relative simplicity of their skulls and their high dietary diversity. Phyllostomid bats are one of the most trophically and morphologically diverse groups of mammals, but we know little about the relative importance of biomechanical variables in producing bite force or how these variables vary with diet. 3. We combined in vivo measurements of bite force with assessments of muscular and bony morphology to build and validate a model describing the mechanics of bite force production in 25 species of bats. We used this model to investigate how bats with different diets vary in biomechanical parameters that contribute to bite force. In addition to traditional dietary categories, we used a functional definition of diet that reflects the mechanical demands (hardness) of the food items in the natural diet. 4. Our model provided good predictions of in vivo bite forces and highlighted behavioural variation that is inherent in the in vivo data. The temporalis generates the highest moment about the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) axis, but the moment generated by the masseter is the most important variable in explaining variation among species. The dietary classification based on the hardness of the diet was more effective than traditional dietary categories in describing biomechanical differences among groups. The temporalis generated the highest proportion of the moment about the TMJ axis in species with very hard and hard diets, the masseter was most important for species with soft diets, and the medial pterygoid was most important for species with liquid diets. 5. Our results highlight the utility of combining a modelling approach with in vivo data when conducting ecomorphological studies, and the importance of ecological classifications that reflect functional importance of performance traits.