bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of the effects by implementing and improving the ‘Flood Hazard Mapping Training Course’
Authors: Ikeda T. , Kuribayashi D. , Tanaka S. 
Published: August 2011

AbstractIn addition to structural measures such as flood protection levees, dams and retarding basins, flood hazard maps (hereafter referred to as ‘FHMaps’), as a part of nonstructural measures, has recently been recognized as more important in Japan, which has suffered from recurrent flood disasters until today. By utilizing the experience of training on flood management, Japan International Cooperation Agency and the International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management implemented the ‘Flood Hazard Mapping Training Course’ (hereafter referred to as ‘FHM‐TC’) for 5 years from FY2004. The FHM‐TC was implemented successfully by improving the framework and curriculum of the training course and by reflecting comments and requests from trainees of the past training courses who participated in the follow‐up activities. This paper introduces the outline of FHM‐TC, which includes the recently developed field exercise method ‘Town‐watching’, and it describes the year‐by‐year improvement of the FHM‐TC from its implementation of the previous years (e.g. the enhancement of the management and support systems), and the development of supporting tools based on the feedbacks of the follow‐up seminars. It also evaluates the effect of the training course on the trainees' understanding level on flood hazard mapping, which was investigated by conducting questionnaire survey and giving simple test to the trainees. Furthermore, it presents the development of a new training course by utilizing the experiences of the FHM‐TC.
Spatial distribution of seroprevalence forAnaplasma phagocytophilum,Borrelia burgdorferi,Ehrlichia canis, andDirofilaria immitisin dogs in Washington, Oregon, and California
Authors: Carrade Danielle , Foley Janet , Sullivan Michael , Foley Colin W. , Sykes Jane E. 
Published: August 2011

Background:In the US little spatially defined information regarding exposure to most vector‐borne pathogens in dogs is available for the states of California (CA), Oregon (OR), and Washington (WA).Objectives:The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the spatial distribution of seroprevalence for 4 vector‐borne pathogens,Anaplasma phagocytophilum,Borrelia burgdorferi,Ehrlichia canis, andDirofilaria immitis, across the 3 western coastal states of the contiguous United States that extend from the northern Mexican to the southern Canadian border.Methods:A convenience sample, targeting blood from 20 pet dogs per county across CA, OR, and WA, was evaluated using a canine point‐of‐care ELISA kit. Geographic coordinates of home zip code were displayed using a geographic information system. A total of 2431 dogs from CA, OR, and WA were tested.Results:The overall seroprevalence was highest forA. phagocytophilum(2.4%), followed byB. burgdorferi(1.2%), andE. canis(0.7%). The prevalence of infection withD. immitiswas 0.7%. At the individual dog level, there was a significant association between seropositivity toB. burgdorferiandA. phagocytophilum(odds ratio=18.7, 95% confidence interval=6.8–47.1). For most positive results, prevalence tended to decrease with increasing latitude; thus, the highest rates of seropositivity occurred in CA, followed by OR, and then WA; one exception was seropositivity forB. burgdorferi, which was higher in WA (0.38%) than in OR (0.15%), but considerably lower than in CA (2.00%). In WA, dogs that tested positive forA. phagocytophilum,E. canis, andB. burgdorferiwere in the southern Puget Sound area. ForD. immitis, none of the dogs in WA was positive.Conclusions:Seropositivity for vector‐borne pathogens is broadly but patchily distributed in dogs in CA, OR, and WA.
Alternative therapeutic advantages of catfish bile on atopic dermatitis: protection of T cell-mediated skin disease via antioxidant activities
Authors: Lee Do Ik , Huh Yoon Joo , Hwang Kwang Woo , Choi YoungWook , Choi Jae-Seok , Han Sam-Yong , Gyoung Young-Soo , Joo Seong Soo 
Published: August 2011

Abstract

Objectives
In the present study, we aimed to examine the anti-atopic properties of bile from the cat fish, Silurus asotus, to determine its possible use as a pharmaceutical product.

Methods
The anti-atopic activities of cat fish bile were examined in a non-cell antioxidant, in-vitro assay (splenocytes and mast cells) and a 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB)-induced atopic dermatitis-like mouse model.

Results
The results of these experiments revealed that Silurus asotus bile (SAB) scavenges radicals and protects proteins from superoxide attacks, suggesting that SAB suppresses the T helper (Th) type 2-skewed immune response. Th1/Th2 mRNA cytokines (interleukin (IL)-2, interferon (IFN)-γ and IL-4) from mouse splenocytes were effectively inhibited, and the release of β-hexosaminidase in RBL-2H3 mast cells was significantly suppressed by SAB. These results were supported by screening the Th1/Th2 cytokine mRNAs (IL-2, IFN-γ and IL-4) from lymph nodes in DNCB-treated mice. More dramatic results were observed in the histological changes at higher SAB concentrations (5%) compared to the therapeutic control, visualized using hematoxylin–eosin (H&E) staining.

Conclusions
The results presented in this study suggest that SAB may provide functional advantages with regard to treating atopic dermatitis because of its antioxidant and immune-suppressive effects.
Improved motion‐compensated image reconstruction for PET using sensitivity correction per respiratory gate and an approximate tube‐of‐response backprojector
Authors: Dikaios Nikolaos , Fryer Tim D 
Published: August 2011

Purpose:One limitation of positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of the torso is patient motion. Motion‐compensated image reconstruction (MCIR) is one method employed to reduce the deleterious effects of motion. Existing MCIR algorithms use a single sensitivity correction term, which provides inexact normalization for multigate data. Consequently, in this study, the authors derive and examine the performance of an MCIR algorithm with sensitivity correction per gate. In addition, they demonstrate an approximate tube‐of‐response (TOR) backprojector.Methods:Simulated data from the NCAT phantom with six lesions added were used to compare MCIR algorithms with and without the incorporation of sensitivity correction per gate and TOR backprojection to postreconstruction registration (PRR) and images reconstructed without motion correction. To make the simulations more realistic, intragate motion was included. Deformation fields were determined from NCAT anatomical images using a free‐form deformation approach with bending energy regularization.Results:Sensitivity correction per gate and TOR backprojection improved mean lesion contrast‐to‐noise ratio by 6%–8%, with the maximum increase (21%–23%) found for the smallest lesion. These increases were obtained despite a small increase (3%) in noise as measured by standard deviation in a uniform lung region. Sensitivity correction per gate comes at no extra computational cost, whilst replacing line‐of‐response backprojection with TOR backprojection increased the overall computation time by ∼20%. In addition, MCIR was found to be superior to PRR, with one factor contributing to this difference being the differential impact of interpolation following deformation. MCIR was also shown to exhibit super‐resolution.Conclusions:Replacing a single sensitivity correction term in MCIR with sensitivity correction per gate improves lesion detectability. For a small increase in computational expense, further improvements are achieved using an approximate TOR backprojector rather than line‐of‐response backprojection.
Bridging the gap between IMRT and VMAT: Dense angularly sampled and sparse intensity modulated radiation therapy
Authors: Li Ruijiang , Xing Lei 
Published: August 2011

Purpose:To propose an alternative radiation therapy (RT) planning and delivery scheme with optimal angular beam sampling and intrabeam modulation for improved dose distribution while maintaining high delivery efficiency.Methods:In the proposed approach, coined as dense angularly sampled and sparse intensity modulated RT (DASSIM‐RT), a large number of beam angles are used to increase the angular sampling, leading to potentially more conformal dose distributions as compared to conventional IMRT. At the same time, intensity modulation of the incident beams is simplified to eliminate the dispensable segments, compensating the increase in delivery time caused by the increased number of beams and facilitating the plan delivery. In a sense, the proposed approach shifts and transforms, in an optimal fashion, some of the beam segments in conventional IMRT to the added beams. For newly available digital accelerators, the DASSIM‐RT delivery can be made very efficient by concatenating the beams so that they can be delivered sequentially without operator's intervention. Different from VMAT, the level of intensity modulation in DASSIS‐RT is field specific and optimized to meet the need of each beam direction. Three clinical cases (a head and neck (HN) case, a pancreas case, and a lung case) are used to evaluate the proposed RT scheme. DASSIM‐RT, VMAT, and conventional IMRT plans are compared quantitatively in terms of the conformality index (CI) and delivery efficiency.Results:Plan quality improves generally with the number and intensity modulation of the incident beams. For a fixed number of beams or fixed level of intensity modulation, the improvement saturates after the intensity modulation or number of beams reaches to a certain level. An interplay between the two variables is observed and the saturation point depends on the values of both variables. For all the cases studied here, the CI of DASSIM‐RT with 15 beams and 5 intensity levels (0.90, 0.79, and 0.84 for the HN, pancreas, and lung cases, respectively) is similar with that of conventional IMRT with seven beams and ten intensity levels (0.88, 0.79, and 0.83) and is higher than that of single‐arc VMAT (0.75, 0.75, and 0.82). It is also found that the DASSIM‐RT plans generally have better sparing of organs‐at‐risk than IMRT plans. It is estimated that the dose delivery time of DASSIM‐RT with 15 beams and 5 intensity levels is about 4.5, 4.4, and 4.2 min for the HN, pancreas, and lung case, respectively, similar to that of IMRT plans with 7 beams and 10 intensity levels.Conclusion: DASSIS‐RT bridges the gap between IMRT and VMAT and allows optimal sampling of angular space and intrabeam modulation, thus it provides improved conformity in dose distributions while maintaining high delivery efficiency.
Prediction of Failure in Vancomycin-Treated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Bloodstream Infection: a Clinically Useful Risk Stratification Tool
Authors: Moore Carol L. , Lu Mei , Cheema Faiqa , Osaki-Kiyan Paola , Perri Mary Beth , Donabedian Susan , Haque Nadia Z. , Zervos Marcus J. 
Published: August 2011

ABSTRACT

Methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA) is a common cause of bloodstream infection (BSI) and is often associated with invasive infections and high rates of mortality. Vancomycin has remained the mainstay of therapy for serious Gram-positive infections, particularly MRSA BSI; however, therapeutic failures with vancomycin have been increasingly reported. We conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the factors (patient, strain, infection, and treatment) involved in the etiology and management of MRSA BSI to create a risk stratification tool for clinicians. This study included consecutive patients with MRSA BSI treated with vancomycin over 2 years in an inner-city hospital in Detroit, MI. Classification and regression tree analysis (CART) was used to develop a risk prediction model that characterized vancomycin-treated patients at high risk of clinical failure. Of all factors, the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE-II) score, with a cutoff point of 14, was found to be the strongest predictor of failure and was used to split the population into two groups. Forty-seven percent of the population had an APACHE-II score < 14, a value that was associated with low rates of clinical failure (11%) and mortality (4%). Fifty-four percent of the population had an APACHE-II score ≥ 14, which was associated with high rates of clinical failure (35%) and mortality (23%). The risk stratification model identified the interplay of three other predictors of failure, including the vancomycin MIC as determined by Vitek 2 analysis, the risk level of the source of BSI, and the USA300 strain type. This model can be a useful tool for clinicians to predict the likelihood of success or failure in vancomycin-treated patients with MRSA bloodstream infection.
Impaired Parasite Attachment as Fitness Cost of Metronidazole Resistance in Giardia lamblia
Authors: Tejman-Yarden Noa , Millman Maya , Lauwaet Tineke , Davids Barbara J. , Gillin Frances D. , Dunn Linda , Upcroft Jacqueline A. , Miyamoto Yukiko , Eckmann Lars 
Published: August 2011

ABSTRACT

Infections with the diarrheagenic protozoan pathogen
Giardia lamblia
are most commonly treated with metronidazole (Mz). Treatment failures with Mz occur in 10 to 20% of cases and Mz resistance develops in the laboratory, yet clinically, Mz-resistant (Mz
r
)
G. lamblia
has rarely been isolated from patients. To understand why clinical Mz
r
isolates are rare, we questioned whether Mz resistance entails fitness costs to the parasite. Our studies employed several newly generated and established isogenic Mz
r
cell lines with stable, high-level resistance to Mz and significant cross-resistance to tinidazole, nitazoxanide, and furazolidone. Oral infection of suckling mice revealed that three of five Mz
r
cell lines could not establish infection, while two Mz
r
cell lines infected pups, albeit with reduced efficiencies. Failure to colonize resulted from a diminished capacity of the parasite to attach to the intestinal mucosa
in vivo
and to epithelial cells and plastic surfaces
in vitro
. The attachment defect was related to impaired glucose metabolism, since the noninfectious Mz
r
lines consumed less glucose, and glucose promoted ATP-independent parasite attachment in the parental lines. Thus, resistance of
Giardia
to Mz is accompanied by a glucose metabolism-related attachment defect that can interfere with colonization of the host. Because glucose-metabolizing pathways are important for activation of the prodrug Mz, it follows that a fitness trade-off exists between diminished Mz activation and reduced infectivity, which may explain the observed paucity of clinical Mz
r
isolates of
Giardia
. However, the data also caution that some forms of Mz resistance do not markedly interfere with
in vivo
infectivity.
Comparison of Drug Resistance Scores for Tipranavir in Protease Inhibitor-Naïve Patients Infected with HIV-1 B and Non-B Subtypes
Authors: Stürmer Martin , Stephan Christoph , Gute Peter , Knecht Gaby , Bickel Markus , Brodt Hans-Reinhard , Doerr Hans W. , Gürtler Lutz , Lecocq Pierre , van Houtte Margriet 
Published: August 2011

ABSTRACTGenotypes of samples from protease inhibitor-naïve patients in Frankfurt's HIV Cohort were analyzed with five tipranavir resistance prediction algorithms. Mean scores were higher in non-B than in B subtypes. The proportion of non-B subtypes increased with increasing scores, except in weighted algorithms. Virtual andin vitrophenotype analyses of samples with increased scores showed no reduced tipranavir susceptibility. Current algorithms appear suboptimal for interpretation of resistance to tipranavir in non-B subtypes; increased scores might reflect algorithm bias rather than “natural resistance.”
Effect of the Hepatitis C Virus Protease Inhibitor Telaprevir on the Pharmacokinetics of Amlodipine and Atorvastatin
Authors: Lee Jee Eun , van Heeswijk Rolf , Alves Katia , Smith Frances , Garg Varun 
Published: August 2011

ABSTRACT

Telaprevir is a hepatitis C virus protease inhibitor that is both a substrate and an inhibitor of CYP3A. Amlodipine and atorvastatin are both substrates of CYP3A and are among the drugs most frequently used by patients with hepatitis C. This study was conducted to examine the effect of telaprevir on atorvastatin and amlodipine pharmacokinetics (PK). This was an open-label, single sequence, nonrandomized study involving 21 healthy male and female volunteers. A coformulation of 5 mg amlodipine and 20 mg atorvastatin was administered on day 1. Telaprevir was taken with food as a 750-mg dose every 8 h from day 11 until day 26, and a single dose of the amlodipine-atorvastatin combination was readministered on day 17. Plasma samples were collected for determination of the PK of telaprevir, amlodipine, atorvastatin,
ortho
-hydroxy atorvastatin, and
para
-hydroxy atorvastatin. When administration with telaprevir was compared with administration without telaprevir, the least-square mean ratios (90% confidence limits) for amlodipine were 1.27 (1.21, 1.33) for the maximum drug concentration in serum (
C
max
) and 2.79 (2.58, 3.01) for the area under the concentration-time curve from 0 h to infinity (AUC
0-∞
); for atorvastatin, they were 10.6 (8.74, 12.9) for the
C
max
and 7.88 (6.84, 9.07) for the AUC
0-∞
. Telaprevir significantly increased exposure to amlodipine and atorvastatin, consistent with the inhibitory effect of telaprevir on the CYP3A-mediated metabolism of these agents.
Adjunctive Rifampin Is Crucial to Optimizing Daptomycin Efficacy against Rabbit Prosthetic Joint Infection Due to Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Saleh-Mghir Azzam , Muller-Serieys Claudette , Dinh Aurélien , Massias Laurent , Crémieux Anne-Claude 
Published: August 2011

ABSTRACT

Daptomycin is an attractive option for treating prosthetic joint infection, but the 6-mg/kg of body weight/day dose was linked to clinical failure and emergence of resistance. Using a methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA) knee prosthesis infection in rabbits, we studied the efficacies of high-dose daptomycin (22 mg/kg given intravenously [i.v.] once daily [o.d.]; equivalent to 8 mg/kg/day in humans) or vancomycin (60 mg/kg given intramuscularly [i.m.] twice daily [b.i.d.]), both either alone or with adjunctive rifampin (10 mg/kg i.m. b.i.d.). After partial knee replacement with a silicone implant, 10
7
MRSA CFU was injected into the knees. Treatment started 7 days postinoculation and lasted 7 days. Positive cultures were screened for the emergence of mutant strains, defined as having 3-fold-increased MICs. Although
in vivo
mean log
10
CFU/g of daptomycin-treated (4.23 ± 1.44;
n
= 12) or vancomycin-treated (4.63 ± 1.08;
n
= 12) crushed bone was significantly lower than that of controls (5.93 ± 1.15;
n
= 9) (
P
< 0.01), neither treatment sterilized bone (2/12 and 0/12 rabbits with sterile bone, respectively). Daptomycin mutant strains were found in 6/12, 3/12, and 2/9 daptomycin-treated, vancomycin-treated, and control rabbits, respectively; no resistant strains emerged (MIC was always <1 mg/liter). Adjunctive rifampin with daptomycin (1.47 ± 0.04 CFU/g of bone [detection threshold]; 11/11 sterile bones) or vancomycin (1.5 ± 0.12 CFU/g of bone; 6/8 sterile bones) was significantly more effective than monotherapy (
P
< 0.01) and prevented the emergence of daptomycin mutant strains. In this MRSA joint prosthesis infection model, combining rifampin with daptomycin was highly effective. Daptomycin mutant strains were isolated
in vivo
even without treatment, but adjunctive rifampin prevented this phenomenon, previously found after monotherapy in humans.
Impact of Carbapenem Resistance and Receipt of Active Antimicrobial Therapy on Clinical Outcomes of Acinetobacter baumannii Bloodstream Infections
Authors: Esterly John S. , Griffith Milena , Qi Chao , Malczynski Michael , Postelnick Michael J. , Scheetz Marc H. 
Published: August 2011

ABSTRACT

Nosocomial
Acinetobacter baumannii
bloodstream infections occur with significant prevalence and mortality. The relationship between carbapenem resistance in
A. baumannii
and patient outcomes remains unclear. A retrospective cohort study was conducted on patients with
A. baumannii
bacteremia. Outcomes, controlling for confounders, were compared for carbapenem-nonresistant
A. baumannii
(CNRAB) and carbapenem-resistant
A. baumannii
(CRAB). The primary outcome studied was all-cause hospital mortality, and the secondary endpoints evaluated were time to mortality, time to negative cultures, and length of stay postinfection for survivors. A total of 79 patients, 37 infected with CRAB and 42 with CNRAB, were studied. Hospital mortality was greater in the CRAB group as determined based on bivariate analysis (
P
< 0.01); however, this effect was nullified when controlling for relevant confounders with logistic regression and a Cox proportional-hazards model (
P
= 0.71 and 0.75, respectively). Values for time to mortality and time to negative cultures did not differ between the groups. The median number of days of stay postinfection for survivors was greater for the CRAB group than the CNRAB group (14 versus 6.5;
P
< 0.01). Patients who received active antimicrobial therapy were less likely to die (93.5% versus 74.2%;
P
= 0.02), regardless of carbapenem susceptibility classifications, and this result was robust in the multivariate model (
P
= 0.02). Trends existed for improved outcomes in patients receiving an active beta-lactam, and patients fared worse if they had received a polymyxin as an active agent. Patients with CRAB bloodstream infections were more chronically ill and had more comorbidities. Inactive therapy was more important than carbapenem susceptibility with respect to outcomes, was a strong predictor of death, and is potentially modifiable.
Macroscopic Biofilms in Fracture-Dominated Sediment That Anaerobically Oxidize Methane
Authors: Briggs B. R. , Pohlman J. W. , Torres M. , Riedel M. , Brodie E. L. , Colwell F. S. 
Published: August 2011

ABSTRACT

Methane release from seafloor sediments is moderated, in part, by the anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) performed by consortia of archaea and bacteria. These consortia occur as isolated cells and aggregates within the sulfate-methane transition (SMT) of diffusion and seep-dominant environments. Here we report on a new SMT setting where the AOM consortium occurs as macroscopic pink to orange biofilms within subseafloor fractures. Biofilm samples recovered from the Indian and northeast Pacific Oceans had a cellular abundance of 10
7
to 10
8
cells cm
−3
. This cell density is 2 to 3 orders of magnitude greater than that in the surrounding sediments. Sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes indicated that the bacterial component is dominated by
Deltaproteobacteria
, candidate division WS3, and
Chloroflexi
, representing 46%, 15%, and 10% of clones, respectively. In addition, major archaeal taxa found in the biofilm were related to the ANME-1 clade,
Thermoplasmatales
, and
Desulfurococcales
, representing 73%, 11%, and 10% of archaeal clones, respectively. The sequences of all major taxa were similar to sequences previously reported from cold seep environments. PhyloChip microarray analysis detected all bacterial phyla identified by the clone library plus an additional 44 phyla. However, sequencing detected more archaea than the PhyloChip within the phyla of
Methanosarcinales
and
Desulfurococcales
. The stable carbon isotope composition of the biofilm from the SMT (−35 to −43‰) suggests that the production of the biofilm is associated with AOM. These biofilms are a novel, but apparently widespread, aggregation of cells represented by the ANME-1 clade that occur in methane-rich marine sediments.