bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
What Characterizes Persons Who Do Not Report Musculoskeletal Pain? Results from a 4-year Population-based Longitudinal Study (The Epifund Study)
Authors: JONES ELIZABETH A. , McBETH JOHN , NICHOLL BARBARA , MORRISS RICHARD K. , DICKENS CHRIS , JONES GARETH T. , MACFARLANE GARY J. 
Published: April 2009

Objective.To identify and characterize persons in the population who do not report musculoskeletal pain.Methods.This was a population-based 4-year prospective longitudinal study by postal questionnaire. Population sample recruited from general practice registers in North-West England followed up at 15 months and 4 years.Results.Of respondents, 17.4% [95% confidence interval (CI) 16.1%–19.7%] reported no pain in the previous month at all 3 measurement intervals over 4 years. They were characterized by low levels of psychological distress [relative risk (RR) low vs high levels of psychological distress 2.3; 95% CI 1.7–2.9], low levels of depression (2.7; 95% CI 2.0–3.6), low levels of anxiety (2.1; 95% CI 1.6–2.7), low health anxiety (1.6; 95% CI 1.2–2.1), and low illness behavior scores (5.8; 95% CI 4.0–8.3), good quality sleep (3.4; 95% CI 2.6–4.4), no somatic symptoms (RR 0 vs 3 or more, 3.1; 95% CI 1.6–6.3) and no adverse life events in the 6 months prior to baseline data collection (RR 0 vs 3 or more, 3.2; 95% CI 1.6–6.2). On multivariable analysis, good quality sleep, low illness behavior, low psychological distress, and absence of recent adverse life events remained statistically independent predictors of musculoskeletal health. In total, 46% of persons who had all 4 of these characteristics consistently reported being free of pain, compared to only 5% of those who had none.Conclusion.In a general population sample, over a period of 4 years, only around 1 in 6 persons do not report musculoskeletal pain. These persons report low levels of psychological distress and high quality sleep, both of which are potentially modifiable risk factors for the targeting of interventional or preventive strategies.
HLA-G Expression in the Skin of Patients with Systemic Sclerosis
Authors: WASTOWSKI ISABELA J. , SAMPAIO-BARROS PERCIVAL D. , AMSTALDEN ELIANE M.I. , PALOMINO GUSTAVO MARTELLI , MARQUES-NETO JOÃO FRANCISCO , CRISPIM JANAINA C.O. , BIRAL ANA C. , RASSI DIANE M. , CAROSELLA EDGARDO D. , MOREAU PHILIPPE , DONADI EDUARDO A. 
Published: April 2009

Objective.To determine HLA-G expression in skin biopsies from patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), and its association with epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory variables and survival.Methods.Paraffin-embedded skin biopsies obtained from 21 SSc patients (14 limited SSc, 7 diffuse SSc) and from 28 healthy controls were studied. HLA-G expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry.Results.HLA-G molecules were detected in 57% of skin biopsies from patients with SSc (9 from limited SSc, 3 from diffuse SSc), whereas no control sample expressed HLA-G (p = 0.000004). In patients, HLA-G molecules were consistently observed within epidermal and some dermal cells. HLA-G expression was associated with a lower frequency of vascular cutaneous ulcers (p = 0.0004), telangiectasias (p = 0.008), and inflammatory polyarthralgia (p = 0.02). After a 15-year followup, SSc patients who exhibited HLA-G survived longer than patients who did not.Conclusion.HLA-G is expressed in skin biopsies from patients with SSc, and this is associated with a better disease prognosis. This suggests a modulatory role of HLA-G in SSc, as observed in other skin disorders.
The Hypoxic Synovial Environment Regulates Expression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Osteopontin in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
Authors: BOSCO MARIA CARLA , DELFINO SILVANA , FERLITO FRANCESCA , PUPPO MAURA , GREGORIO ANDREA , GAMBINI CLAUDIO , GATTORNO MARCO , MARTINI ALBERTO , VARESIO LUIGI 
Published: April 2009

Objective.Synovial angiogenesis, a critical determinant of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) pathogenesis, is sustained by various mediators, including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and osteopontin (OPN). We characterized the contribution of the local hypoxic environment to VEGF and OPN production by monocytic cells recruited to the synovium in JIA.Methods.Paired synovial fluid (SF) and peripheral blood (PB) samples were collected from 20 patients with JIA. Mononuclear cells (MC) were isolated, and monocytic cells were purified by adherence, maintained in a hypoxic environment, or subjected to reoxygenation. VEGF and OPN protein concentrations were tested in SF, plasma, and culture supernatants by ELISA, and mRNA expression was assessed in freshly purified and cultured cells by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Synovial tissue was obtained at synovectomy from 4 patients with JIA, and analyzed by immunohistochemistry for VEGF, OPN, CD68, and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α).Results.VEGF mRNA expression was increased in SFMC and SF monocytic cells compared to matched PBMC and PB monocytic cells or SF lymphocytes, correlating with significantly higher protein levels in SF relative to plasma samples. Accordingly, OPN mRNA expression in SF monocytic cells was associated with significant increase of SF protein. Immunohistochemistry revealed the presence of both factors in synovial tissues at the level of the lining and sublining layers, which colocalized with intense CD68 and HIF-1α staining, suggesting production by hypoxic synovial monocytic cells. VEGF and OPN expression was abrogated upon SF monocytic cell reoxygenation and maintained by exposure to prolonged hypoxia.Conclusion.Hypoxic synovial monocytic cells are a likely source of VEGF and OPN in JIA. These data point to a role for hypoxia in the perpetuation of synovitis in JIA.
The Relationship Between Renal Activity and Quality of Life in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Authors: APPENZELLER SIMONE , CLARKE ANN E. , PANOPALIS PANTELIS , JOSEPH LAWRENCE , ST. PIERRE YVAN , LI TRACY 
Published: April 2009

Objective.To evaluate the relationship between renal activity and quality of life (QOL) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).Methods.Three hundred eighty-six patients completed annual Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 questionnaires and physicians completed the SLE Disease Activity Index and Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology Damage Index. Concurrent association between renal activity and QOL was evaluated through regression models that adjusted for demographics and nonrenal disease activity and nonrenal damage. To characterize the longitudinal relationship between change in renal activity and change in QOL, all renal activity and QOL data over the entire study were used to estimate a linear trend within each individual patient through hierarchical modeling.Results.In the regression model that assessed the association between renal activity and QOL, on average, each additional renal activity item fulfilled was associated with a 2.04-unit (95% CI 0.88, 3.24) decrease in the physical function subscale, a 5.28-unit (95% CI 2.76, 7.76) decrease in the role-physical subscale, a 2.24-unit (95% CI 0.72, 3.80) decrease in the social function subscale, and a 1.16-unit (95% CI 0.60, 1.72) decrease in the physical component summary score. In the hierarchical model, no association was observed between changes in renal activity and QOL.Conclusion.Patients with SLE and active renal disease concurrently experience a slightly poorer QOL than those without renal disease, especially in the physical domains. Because the confidence intervals were wide, we could not accurately estimate whether a longitudinal change in renal activity was associated with a change in QOL.
Systemic Autoimmune Diseases in Patients with Hepatitis C Virus Infection: Characterization of 1020 Cases (The HISPAMEC Registry)
Authors: RAMOS-CASALS MANUEL , MUÑOZ SANDRA , MEDINA FRANCISCO , JARA LUIS-JAVIER , ROSAS JOSÉ , CALVO-ALEN JAIME , BRITO-ZERÓN PILAR , FORNS XAVIER , SÁNCHEZ-TAPIAS JOSE-MARIA 
Published: April 2009

Objective.To describe the clinical and immunologic characteristics of a large series of patients with systemic autoimmune diseases (SAD) associated with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.Methods.The HISPAMEC Registry is a multicenter international study group dedicated to collecting data on patients diagnosed with SAD with serological evidence of chronic HCV infection. The information sources are cases reported by physicians of the HISPAMEC Study Group and periodic surveillance of reported cases by a Medline search updated up to December 31, 2007.Results.One thousand twenty HCV patients with SAD were included in the registry. Patients were reported from Southern Europe (60%), North America (15%), Asia (14%), Northern Europe (9%), South America (1%), and Australia (1%). Countries reporting the most cases were Spain (236 cases), France (222 cases), Italy (144 cases), USA (120 cases), and Japan (95 cases). The most frequently reported SAD were Sjögren’s syndrome (SS; 483 cases), rheumatoid arthritis (RA; 150 cases), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE; 129 cases), polyarteritis nodosa (78 cases), antiphospholipid syndrome (59 cases), inflammatory myopathies (39 cases), and sarcoidosis (28 cases). Twenty patients had 2 or more SAD. Epidemiological data were available in 677 cases. Four hundred eighty-seven (72%) patients were female and 186 (28%) male, with a mean age of 49.5 ± 1.0 years at SAD diagnosis and 50.5 ± 1.1 years at diagnosis of HCV infection. The main immunologic features were antinuclear antibody (ANA) in 61% of patients, rheumatoid factor (RF) in 57%, hypocomplementemia in 52%, and cryoglobulins in 52%. The main differential aspect between primary and HCV-related SAD was the predominance of cryoglobulinemic-related markers (cryoglobulins, RF, hypocomplementemia) over specific SAD-related markers (anti-ENA antibodies, anti-dsDNA, anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide) in patients with HCV.Conclusion.In the selected cohort, the SAD most commonly reported in association with chronic HCV infection were SS (nearly half the cases), RA and SLE. Nearly two thirds of SAD-HCV cases were reported from the Mediterranean area. In these patients, ANA, RF and cryoglobulins are the predominant immunological features.
The 1000 Canadian Faces of Lupus: Determinants of Disease Outcome in a Large Multiethnic Cohort
Authors: PESCHKEN CHRISTINE A. , KATZ STEVEN J. , SILVERMAN EARL , POPE JANET E. , FORTIN PAUL R. , PINEAU CHRISTIAN , SMITH C. DOUGLAS , ARBILLAGA HECTOR O. , GLADMAN DAFNA D. , UROWITZ MURRAY , ZUMMER MICHEL , CLARKE ANN , BERNATSKY SASHA , HUDSON MARIE 
Published: April 2009

Objective.To describe disease expression and damage accrual in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and determine the influence of ethnicity and socioeconomic factors on damage accrual in a large multiethnic Canadian cohort.Methods.Adults with SLE were enrolled in a multicenter cohort. Data on sociodemographic factors, diagnostic criteria, disease activity, autoantibodies, treatment, and damage were collected using standardized tools, and results were compared across ethnic groups. We analyzed baseline data, testing for differences in sociodemographic and clinical factors, between the different ethnic groups, in univariate analyses; significant variables from univariate analyses were included in multivariate regression models examining for differences between ethnic groups, related to damage scores.Results.We studied 1416 patients, including 826 Caucasians, 249 Asians, 122 Afro-Caribbeans, and 73 Aboriginals. Although the overall number of American College of Rheumatology criteria in different ethnic groups was similar, there were differences in individual manifestations and autoantibody profiles. Asian and Afro-Caribbean patients had more frequent renal involvement and more exposure to immunosuppressives. Aboriginal patients had high frequencies of antiphospholipid antibodies and high rates of comorbidity, but disease manifestations similar to Caucasians. Asian patients had the youngest age at onset and the lowest damage scores. Aboriginals had the least education and lowest incomes. The final regression model (R2= 0.27) for higher damage score included older age, longer disease duration, low income, prednisone treatment, higher disease activity, and cyclophosphamide treatment.Conclusion.There are differences in lupus phenotypes between ethnic populations. Although ethnicity was not found to be a significant independent predictor of damage accrual, low income was.
Minimal Clinically Important Difference in the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire
Authors: BENNETT ROBERT M. , BUSHMAKIN ANDREW G. , CAPPELLERI JOSEPH C. , ZLATEVA GERGANA , SADOSKY ALESIA B. 
Published: April 2009

Objective.The Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) is a disease-specific composite instrument that measures the effect of problems experienced by patients with fibromyalgia (FM). Utilization of the FIQ in measuring changes due to interventions in FM requires derivation of a clinically meaningful change for that instrument. Analyses were conducted to estimate the minimal clinically important difference (MCID), and to propose FIQ severity categories.Methods.Data from 3 similarly designed, 3-month placebo-controlled, clinical treatment trials of pregabalin 300, 450, and 600 mg/day in patients with FM were modeled to estimate the change in the mean FIQ total and stiffness items corresponding to each category on the Patient Global Impression of Change. FIQ severity categories were modeled and determined using established pain severity cutpoints as an anchor.Results.A total of 2228 patients, mean age 49 years, 93% women, with a mean baseline FIQ total score of 62 were treated in the 3 studies. Estimated MCID on a given measure were similar across the studies. In a pooled analysis the estimated MCID (95% confidence interval) was 14% (13; 15) and for FIQ stiffness it was 13% (12; 14). In the severity analysis a FIQ total score from 0 to < 39 was found to represent a mild effect, ≥ 39 to < 59 a moderate effect, and ≥ 59 to 100 a severe effect.Conclusion.The analysis indicates that a 14% change in the FIQ total score is clinically relevant, and results of these analyses should enhance the clinical utility of the FIQ in research and practice.
Stilbenes as enhancers for gypsy moth (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) nucleopolyhedrovirus
Authors: Shapiro Martin , Argauer Robert A. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractThe stilbenes 4,4′-diaminostilbene-2,2′-disulfonic acid, 4-aminostilbene disulfonic acid, and dinitrostilbene-2,2′-disulfonic acid were tested as enhancers for the gypsy moth,Lymantria dispar(L.), nucleopolyhedrovirus (LdNPV). 4-Amino nitrostilbene disulfonic acid had no effect on the activity (LC50) ofLdNPV, whereas both 4,4′-diaminostilbene-2,2′-disulfonic acid and 4-aminostilbene disulfonic acid were inhibitory. Diethylstilbestrol, a stilbene synthetic estrogen, and two synthetic estrogens (i.e., estradiol-17-acetate, estrone acetate) had no effects on viral activity. Two stilbene dyes (i.e., direct yellow 62, brilliant yellow 6) and a stilbene optical brightener (i.e., Tinopal LPW) significantly increased the activity ofLdNPV. Activity was increased by approximately 230-fold by Tinopal LPW, 26-fold by direct yellow 62, and 36-fold by brilliant yellow 6. This study demonstrates that some stilbenes can act as enhancers, whereas others do not.
Modelling insect demography from capture–recapture data: comparison between the constrained linear models and the Jolly–Seber analytical method
Authors: Schtickzelle Nicolas , Baguette Michel , Boulengé Éric Le 
Published: April 2009

AbstractEntomologists traditionally use the Jolly–Seber analytical method (JSAM) to estimate demographic parameters from capture–mark–recapture data, although more powerful approaches like the constrained linear models (CLM) have been developed and are commonly and successfully applied to vertebrates. Demographic parameters (i.e., survival, capture, and recruitment rates, population size, and sex ratio) of a patchy population of the Bog Fritillary butterfly, Proclossiana eunomia (Esp.) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae), were estimated using CLM on the basis of daily captures of imagoes during 11 yearly generations (1992–2002). Comparing these results with JSAM results obtained on the same data lead us to stress that CLM are far more powerful tools which allow for optimal exploitation of capture–mark–recapture data. This method allows the identification of the variation patterns of demographic parameters and to link them to life-history traits; furthermore it gives more precise estimates of these crucial input parameters for the modelling of population trends and population viability analysis.
Seasonal abundance and synchrony betweenLaricobius nigrinus(Coleoptera: Derodontidae) and its prey, the hemlock woolly adelgid (Hemiptera: Adelgidae)
Authors: Zilahi-Balogh G.M.G. , Humble L.M. , Lamb A.B. , Salom S.M. , Kok L.T. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractLaricobius nigrinusFender, native to the Pacific Northwest, is being evaluated as a potential biological control agent of the hemlock woolly adelgid,Adelges tsugaeAnnand, in the eastern United States. Members of the genusLaricobiusfeed exclusively on adelgids.Adelges tsugaeis found on hemlocks (Tsugasp.) in North America and Asia, but is considered only a pest of eastern [Tsuga canadensis(L.) Carrière] and Carolina (Tsuga carolinianaEngelmann) hemlocks in eastern North America. This is the first detailed study of the life history ofL. nigrinusand its interaction withA. tsugae. Results of a 2-year field study conducted in a seed orchard in British Columbia on the seasonal abundance ofL. nigrinusand its prey,A. tsugae, revealed that (i) the sistens generation ofA. tsugaematures 2-3 months earlier than previously reported in Virginia and Connecticut, (ii) noA. tsugaesexuparae were observed, which differs from findings in Virginia and Connecticut, (iii)L. nigrinusadults undergo an aestival diapause that coincides with diapausing first instarA. tsugaesistens, and (iv) oviposition and subsequent larval development ofL. nigrinuscoincides with oviposition by theA. tsugaesistens adults, indicating good synchrony betweenL. nigrinusand suitable prey stages ofA. tsugae.
Timing of acaracide treatments for control of low-level populations of Varroa destructor (Acari: Varroidae) and implications for colony performance of honey bees
Authors: Gatien P. , Currie R.W. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractThe timing of acaracide treatments for control of low-level populations of Varroa destructor Anderson et Trueman has implications for colony performance of honey bees, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Replicated colonies with low levels of V. destructor were left untreated, exposed to fluvalinate at each of two doses for 42 days, or exposed to three applications of formic acid, with the four treatments applied in either spring or fall. Varroa destructor densities were measured by alcohol wash and drop boards, and both gave similar estimates. Over the course of one season, the mean abundance of V. destructor increased from 0.002 to 0.11 mites per bee. Extended broodless periods during winter reduced the mean abundance of V. destructor by 28%, but mite mortality over winter was not high enough to prevent the need for treatment the following year. Apistan® was more effective than formic acid in both spring and fall treatments. Doses of one or two strips of Apistan® per colony were equally effective in spring or fall treatments. The mean abundance of V. destructor remained low throughout the season following spring treatment with either dose of Apistan®. Fall formic-acid treatments were more effective than spring treatments. Fluvalinate residues in samples of honey and wax collected from brood chambers and from honey supers were slightly higher in colonies treated with two strips of Apistan® than with one strip, but no detectible residue was found in extracted honey from 4500 commercial colonies treated in spring with Apistan® one strip per brood chamber for single or double storey hives. The levels of V. destructor in this study did not affect honey production or colony survival over winter.
Biology, ecology, and management of dogwood borer in eastern apple orchards
Authors: Bergh J. Christopher , Leskey Tracy C. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractThe dogwood borer,Synanthedon scitula(Harris) (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae), has the broadest host range of the clearwing moths and is considered to be an economically important pest of many ornamental, fruit, and nut trees. Since the 1980s, dogwood borer has been recognized as an increasingly important, indirect pest of apple,Malus domesticaBorkh. (Rosaceae), in eastern North America, owing mainly to increased plantings of apple on size-controlling rootstocks that promote the formation of adventitious root initials (burr knots) on the rootstock and scion. Burr knots appear to be preferred oviposition sites for dogwood borer females, although infestations can also be initiated in wounds, pruning cuts, and crotches on the branches and trunk. Larval feeding in burr knots does not adversely affect the growth and vigor of apple trees, but their mining outward from burr knots into vascular tissue can ultimately cause tree decline and death. Chlorpyrifos is the most effective insecticide for controlling dogwood borer. A supplemental label in the United States permits post-bloom, trunk drench applications of chlorpyrifos specifically for control of borers in apple, with several restrictions that preclude control of infestations higher in the tree. The ongoing review of pesticide tolerances dictated by the 1996 Food Quality Protection Act of the United States of America makes the long-term availability of this chemical uncertain. Cultural practices, such as deeper planting or berming, can reduce the likelihood of infestation of new apple plantings by dogwood borer, although they do not preclude infestations from developing above the graft union. This review and discussion is based on our contention that research toward the development of alternative, behaviorally based management strategies for dogwood borer in apple and other economically important host plants is warranted. Our review and synthesis of the dogwood borer literature revealed important gaps in knowledge about basic aspects of its biology that pertain directly to the development of alternative control tactics based on behavioral manipulation. There is considerable confusion surrounding the sex pheromone of dogwood borer and conflicting results on the response of males to isomers and blends of isomers of its purported pheromone. Studies using sex attractants to monitor its phenology in apple and non-apple habitats have yielded discrepant results and conclusions. Differences in the effectiveness of commercially available pheromone lures for trapping dogwood borer have been reported and the ability of pheromone traps to accurately reflect emergence or population density remains in question. Regardless of pronounced differences in the duration and modality of the seasonal flight of dogwood borer among different geographical regions within its range, the conclusion of univoltinism across most of its range has been perpetuated, based on extremely limited developmental data collected exclusively from individuals that developed on dogwood.