bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Allergen‐specific immunotherapy provides immediate, long‐term and preventive clinical effects in children and adults: the effects of immunotherapy can be categorised by level of benefit ‐the centenary of allergen specific subcutaneous immunotherapy
Authors: Jacobsen Lars , Wahn Ulrich , Bilo M Beatrice 
Published: April 2012

AbstractAllergen Specific Immunotherapy (SIT) for respiratory allergic diseases is able to significantly improve symptoms as well as reduce the need for symptomatic medication, but SIT also has the capacity for long‐term clinical effects and plays a protective role against the development of further allergies and symptoms. The treatment acts on basic immunological mechanisms, and has the potential to change the pathological allergic immune response. In this paper we discuss some of the most important achievements in the documentation of the benefits of immunotherapy, over the last 2 decades, which have marked a period of extensive research on the clinical effects and immunological background of the mechanisms involved. The outcome of immunotherapy is described as different levels of benefit from early reduction in symptoms over progressive clinical effects during treatment to long‐term effects after discontinuation of the treatment and prevention of asthma. The efficacy of SIT increases the longer it is continued and immunological changes lead to potential long‐term benefits. SIT alone and not the symptomatic treatment nor other avoidance measures has so far been documented as the therapy with long‐term or preventive potential. The allergic condition is driven by a subset of T‐helper lymphocytes (Th2), which are characterised by the production of cytokines like IL‐4, and IL‐5. Immunological changes following SIT lead to potential curative effects. One mechanism whereby immunotherapy suppresses the allergic response is through increased production of IgG4 antibodies. Induction of specific IgG4 is able to influence the allergic response in different ways and is related to immunological effector mechanisms, also responsible for the reduced late phase hyperreactivity and ongoing allergic inflammation. SIT is the only treatment which interferes with the basic pathophysiological mechanisms of the allergic disease, thereby creating the potential for changes in the long‐term prognosis of respiratory allergy. SIT should not only be recognised as first‐line therapeutic treatment for allergic rhinoconjunctivitis but also as secondary preventive treatment for respiratory allergic diseases.
The extreme male brain revisited: gender coherence in adults
with autism spectrum disorder
Authors: Bejerot Susanne , Eriksson Jonna M. , Bonde Sabina , Carlström Kjell , Humble Mats B. , Eriksson Elias 
Published: April 2012

BackgroundThe ‘extreme male brain’ theory suggests that autism spectrum disorder
(ASD) is an extreme variant of male intelligence. However, somewhat
paradoxically, many individuals with ASD display androgynous physical
features regardless of gender.AimsTo assess physical measures, supposedly related to androgen influence, in
adults with and without ASD.MethodSerum hormone levels, anthropometry, the ratio of 2nd to 4th digit length
(2D:4D) and psychiatric symptomatology were measured in 50 adults with
high-functioning ASD and age- and gender-matched neurotypical controls.
Photographs of face and body, as well as voice recordings, were obtained
and assessed with respect to gender coherence, blindly and independently,
by eight assessors.ResultsWomen with ASD had higher total and bioactive testosterone levels, less
feminine facial features and a larger head circumference than female
controls. Men in the ASD group were assessed as having less masculine
body characteristics and voice quality, and displayed higher (i.e. less
masculine) 2D:4D ratios, but similar testosterone levels to controls.
Androgynous facial features correlated strongly and positively with
autistic traits measured with the Autism-Spectrum Quotient in the total
sample. In males and females with ASD dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate did
not decrease with age, in contrast to the control group.ConclusionsWomen with ASD had elevated testosterone levels and several masculinised
characteristics compared with controls, whereas men with ASD displayed
several feminised characteristics. Our findings suggest that ASD, rather
than being characterised by masculinisation in both genders, may
constitute a gender defiant disorder.
Health anxiety in Australia: prevalence, comorbidity, disability and service use
Authors: Sunderland Matthew , Newby Jill M. , Andrews Gavin 
Published: April 2012

BackgroundHealth anxiety is associated with high distress, disability and increased health service utilisation. However, there are relatively few epidemiological studies examining the extent of health anxiety or the associated sociodemographic and health risk factors in the general population.AimsTo provide epidemiological data on health anxiety in the Australian population.MethodLifetime and current prevalence estimates, associations between comorbid disorders, psychological distress, impairment, disability and mental health service utilisation were generated using the Australian 2007 National Survey of Mental Hearth and Wellbeing.ResultsHealth anxiety affects approximately 5.7% of the Australian population across the lifespan and 3.4% met criteria for health anxiety at the time of the interview. Age, employment status, smoking status and comorbid physical conditions were significantly related to health anxiety symptoms. Health anxiety was associated with significantly more distress, impairment, disability and health service utilisation than that found in respondents without health anxiety.ConclusionsHearth anxiety is non-trivial; it affects a significant proportion of the population and further research and clinical investigation of health anxiety is required.
Clinical Implication of Highly Sensitive Detection of the BRAF V600E Mutation in Fine-Needle Aspirations of Thyroid Nodules: A Comparative Analysis of Three Molecular Assays in 4585 Consecutive Cases in a BRAF V600E Mutation-Prevalent Area
Authors: Lee Seung-Tae , Kim Sun Wook , Ki Chang-Seok , Jang Ja-Hyun , Shin Jung Hee , Oh Young Lyun , Kim Jong-Won , Chung Jae Hoon 
Published: April 2012

AbstractContext:Detection of the BRAF V600E mutation in fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) specimens may increase the value of FNAC.Objective:The objectives of the study was to compare the diagnostic performance of BRAF assays that differ in sensitivity and to examine the associations between the BRAF V600E mutation status and the clinicopathological features in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC).Design and Setting:Three molecular assays were performed in all subjects and compared with regard to FNAC and histology results.Participants:We evaluated 4585 consecutive patients who were found to have malignant or indeterminate thyroid nodules by ultrasonography.Outcome Measures:All FNAC samples were tested for the BRAF V600E mutation using conventional Sanger sequencing, dual-priming oligonucleotide-PCR, and mutant enrichment with 3′-modified oligonucleotide (MEMO) sequencing.Results:The detection sensitivities of the three molecular assays for the BRAF V600E mutation were 20, 2, and 0.1%, respectively. Compared with conventional Sanger sequencing (n = 673), dual-priming oligonucleotide-PCR and MEMO sequencing detected more tumors with the BRAF V600E mutation (n = 919 and n = 1044, respectively), especially tumors with a benign, indeterminate, or nondiagnostic cytology. All BRAF-positive tumors that were histologically examined were shown to be PTC, regardless of cytology results. The clinical sensitivities of the three assays for detecting PTC were 54.8, 74.4, and 79.7%, respectively. BRAF V600E mutations in microcarcinomas (≤10 mm) were detected more efficiently as the detection sensitivity of the assay increased (P &lt; 0.001). Tumor size correlated significantly with multifocality, extrathyroidal extension, and lymph node metastasis (P = 0.003, P &lt; 0.001 and P &lt; 0.001, respectively), but the BRAF V600E mutation status was not associated with any of those features.Conclusion:Highly sensitive and specific molecular assays such as MEMO sequencing are optimal for detecting the BRAF mutations in thyroid FNAC because these techniques can detect PTC that might be missed by cytology or less sensitive molecular assays.
Essential Nutrients for Bone Health and a Review of their Availability in the Average North American Diet
Authors: Price Charles T , Langford Joshua R , Liporace Frank A 
Published: April 2012

Osteoporosis and low bone mineral density affect millions of Americans. The majority of adults in North America have insufficient intake of vitamin D and calcium along with inadequate exercise. Physicians are aware that vitamin D, calcium and exercise are essential for maintenance of bone health. Physicians are less likely to be aware that dietary insufficiencies of magnesium, silicon, Vitamin K, and boron are also widely prevalent, and each of these essential nutrients is an important contributor to bone health. In addition, specific nutritional factors may improve calcium metabolism and bone formation. It is the authors’ opinion that nutritional supplements should attempt to provide ample, but not excessive, amounts of factors that are frequently insufficient in the typical American diet.In contrast to dietary insufficiencies, several nutrients that support bone health are readily available in the average American diet. These include zinc, manganese, and copper which may have adverse effects at higher levels of intake. Some multivitamins and bone support products provide additional quantities of nutrients that may be unnecessary or potentially harmful.The purpose of this paper is to identify specific nutritional components of bone health, the effects on bone, the level of availability in the average American diet, and the implications of supplementation for each nutritional component. A summary of recommended dietary supplementation is included.
Materiality Judgments and the Resolution of Detected Misstatements: The Role of Managers, Auditors, and Audit Committees
Authors: Keune Marsha B. , Johnstone Karla M. 
Published: April 2012

ABSTRACT
This study investigates how manager and auditor incentives, along with audit committee characteristics, are associated with materiality judgments about detected misstatements. Using data on detected misstatements that occurred between 2003 and 2006, we find auditors' incentives to protect their reputations weaken the effect of managerial incentives associated with the pressure created by analyst following; auditors are less likely to allow managers to waive material misstatements as audit fees increase. Regarding audit committee characteristics, results reveal that audit committees with greater financial expertise are less likely to allow managers to waive material misstatements compared to audit committees with less expertise.
Data Availability: Data used in the study are available from public sources.
Diabetes Knowledge and Its Relationship With Achieving Treatment Recommendations in a National Sample of People With Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Stark Casagrande Sarah , Ríos Burrows Nilka , Geiss Linda S. , Bainbridge Kathleen E. , Fradkin Judith E. , Cowie Catherine C. 
Published: April 2012

OBJECTIVE
We examined the prevalence of knowledge of A1C, blood pressure, and LDL cholesterol (ABC) levels and goals among people with diabetes, its variation by patient characteristics, and whether knowledge was associated with achieving levels of ABC control recommended for the general diabetic population.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
Data came from 1,233 adults who self-reported diabetes in the 2005–2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Participants reported their last ABC level and goals specified by their physician (not validated by medical record data). Analysis included descriptive statistics and logistic regression.

RESULTS
Among participants tested in the past year, 48% stated their last A1C level. Overall, 63% stated their last blood pressure level and 22% stated their last LDL cholesterol level. Knowledge of ABC levels was greatest in non-Hispanic whites, lowest in Mexican Americans, and higher with more education and income (all P ≤ 0.02). Demographic associations were similar for those reporting physician-specified ABC goals at the American Diabetes Association–recommended levels (A1C &lt;7%, blood pressure &lt;130/80 mmHg, and LDL cholesterol &lt;100 mg/dL). Nineteen percent of participants stated that their provider did not specify an A1C goal compared with 47% and 41% for blood pressure and LDL cholesterol goals, respectively. For people who self-reported A1C &lt;7.0%, 83% had an actual A1C &lt;7.0%. Otherwise, participant knowledge was not significantly associated with risk factor control, except for in those who knew their last LDL cholesterol level (P = 0.046 for A1C &lt;7.0%). Results from logistic regression corroborated these findings.

CONCLUSIONS
Ample opportunity exists to improve ABC knowledge. Diabetes education should include behavior change components in addition to information on ABC clinical measures.
State Differences in the Reporting of Diabetes-Related Incorrect Cause-of-Death Causal Sequences on Death Certificates
Authors: Cheng Tain-Junn , Lu Tsung-Hsueh , Kawachi Ichiro 
Published: April 2012

OBJECTIVE
To examine state differences in the reporting of diabetes-related incorrect cause-of-death (COD) causal sequences on death certificates in the U.S.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study to determine the prevalence of two types of incorrect COD causal sequences with data from the Multiple Cause Mortality File of the year 2004.

RESULTS
Among deaths in which diabetes was reported as the first diagnosis on line a, b, c, or d in Part I of the death certificate in the U.S., 21% had below diabetes placement error (ranged from 30% in Maryland to 7% in Hawaii) and 11% had above diabetes placement error (ranged from 18% in Kentucky to 5% in California). The net effects of the two types of error ranged from −0.7% in Nevada to 19.6% in the District of Columbia.

CONCLUSIONS
Because the rates of incorrect reporting of diabetes-related COD causal sequence varied across states, the comparability of the diabetes death rate between states may have been compromised.
Circulating Levels of Phthalate Metabolites Are Associated With Prevalent Diabetes in the Elderly
Authors: Lind P. Monica , Zethelius Björn , Lind Lars 
Published: April 2012

OBJECTIVE
Phthalates are ubiquitous industrial high-volume chemicals known as ligands to peroxisome proliferator–activated receptors (PPARs). Because PPAR-γ agonists modulate insulin sensitivity and are used to treat type 2 diabetes, we investigated whether circulating levels of phthalate metabolites are related to prevalent type 2 diabetes.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
A total of 1,016 subjects, aged 70 years, were investigated in the Prospective Investigation of the Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors Study. Four phthalate metabolites were detected in almost all participant sera by an API 4000 liquid chromatograph/tandem mass spectrometer. Type 2 diabetes was defined as the use of pharmacological hypoglycemic agents or a fasting plasma glucose &gt;7.0 mmol/L.

RESULTS
A total of 114 subjects were shown to have diabetes. Following adjustment for sex, BMI, serum cholesterol and triglycerides, educational level, and smoking and exercise habits, high levels of the phthalate metabolites monomethyl phthalate (MMP) (P &lt; 0.01), monoisobutyl phthalate (MiBP) (P &lt; 0.05), and monoethyl phthalate (MEP) (P &lt; 0.05), but not mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, were associated with an increased prevalence of diabetes. Using the fasting proinsulin–to–insulin ratio as a marker of insulin secretion and the homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance index as a marker of insulin resistance, MiBP was mainly related to poor insulin secretion, whereas MEP and MMP mainly were related to insulin resistance.

CONCLUSIONS
The findings in this cross-sectional study showed that several phthalate metabolites are related to diabetes prevalence, as well as to markers of insulin secretion and resistance. These findings support the view that these commonly used chemicals might influence major factors that are regulating glucose metabolism in humans at the level of exposure of phthalate metabolites seen in the general elderly population.
Hypomagnesemia in Type 2 Diabetic Nephropathy
Authors: Sakaguchi Yusuke , Shoji Tatsuya , Hayashi Terumasa , Suzuki Akira , Shimizu Morihiro , Mitsumoto Kensuke , Kawabata Hiroaki , Niihata Kakuya , Okada Noriyuki , Isaka Yoshitaka , Rakugi Hiromi , Tsubakihara Yoshiharu 
Published: April 2012

OBJECTIVE
There is now growing evidence that magnesium (Mg) deficiency is implicated in type 2 diabetes and its complications. However, it has not been fully elucidated whether hypomagnesemia is a predictor of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in type 2 diabetic nephropathy.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
This retrospective cohort study included 455 chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients (144 with type 2 diabetic nephropathy and 311 with nondiabetic CKD) who were hospitalized at Osaka General Medical Center for a CKD educational program between April 2001 and December 2007. The primary outcome was progression to renal replacement therapy. Participants were categorized based on serum Mg level into Low-Mg (serum Mg level ≤1.8 mg/dL) and High-Mg (serum Mg level &gt;1.8 mg/dL) groups with the previously published normal lower limit chosen as the cutoff point.

RESULTS
Of the subjects with type 2 diabetic nephropathy, 102 progressed to ESRD during follow-up (median, 23 months). A multivariate Cox proportional hazards model showed that after adjustment for various demographic factors and laboratory data, the Low-Mg group had a 2.12-fold higher risk of ESRD than the High-Mg group (95% CI 1.28–3.51; P = 0.004). In contrast, 135 of the nondiabetic CKD subjects progressed to ESRD during follow-up (median, 44 months). No significant difference in outcome was found between the Low- and High-Mg groups of this population (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.15; 95% CI 0.70–1.90; P = 0.57).

CONCLUSIONS
Hypomagnesemia is a novel predictor of ESRD in patients with type 2 diabetic nephropathy.
Towards understanding of protein adsorption behavior on plasma polymerized pyrrole film
Authors: Zhang Zhihong , Li Guijuan , Yan Fufeng , Zheng Xianjun , Li Xili 
Published: April 2012

Abstract
Plasma polymerized pyrrole-like (PPpy) films exhibit good environmental stability and offer high reactivity with biomolecules. The present paper follows on from previous work on PPpy films applied as DNA immobilization/hybridization and describes the adsorption kinetics of bovine serum albumin (BSA) on PPpy films. Atom force microscopy was used to detect the surface roughness of PPpy surfaces obtained at different input powers or for different polymerization time, including the surface roughness before and after BSA adsorption. The influence of experimental conditions (i.e., the plasma input power, the polymerization time, the concentration of BSA, and the pH values of buffer solutions) on protein adsorption was investigated in situ by Surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy (SPR). SPR analysis confirmed the differently dynamic adsorption behavior of BSA on PPpy films under various experimental conditions. The adsorption constant, K a , was deduced from Langmuir isotherm equations, which were simulated using experimental data collected by SPR and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Analysis of the combination data of SPR and EIS indicates that PPpy films under various conditions show completely different adsorption behaviors and could be applied as biomaterials for electrochemical protein sensing or as protein-resistant.
Synthesis, crystal structure, spectroscopic and thermal investigations of neodymium(III) biphenyl-4,4′-dicarboxylate framework
Authors: Łyszczek Renata , Mazur Liliana 
Published: April 2012

Abstract
The three-dimensional complex {[Nd(bpdc)1.5(DMF)]·1.4DMF}n (DMF=N,N′-dimethylformamide, bpdc=biphenyl-4,4′-dicarboxylate) was synthesized using the solvothermal method. The crystal structure of the neodymium(III) complex has been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction method at 100(2) K. The polymeric structure consists of neodymium polyhedra bridged by bpdc ligands. Eight-coordinated Nd(III) atoms are surrounded by seven oxygen atoms from six bpdc moieties and one oxygen atom from the DMF molecule. The 3D structure of the complex contains two types of channels occupied by DMF molecules. Thermal analysis revealed that DMF molecules are lost in a stepwise manner. The infrared spectrum confirmed full deprotonation of acid and presence of DMF molecules in the structure.
Portait d'un paysan "réformateur" dans la société féodale au Japon, le cas de Ninomiya Sontoku
Authors: Kanamori Osamu 
Published: April 2012

Summary - Portrait of a "Reformer" Countryman in Feudal Society, the case of Ninomiya Sontoku
Ninomiya Sontoku was a countryman who worked in the first half of the XlXth century, especially in the Tochigi and the Ibarabi areas. To contemporary Japanese, he is best known as a laborious and patient person, despite any unfavourable childhood situation.
Before Japan's defeat in the Second World War, most primary school classrooms had a statue of Sontoku as a child, carrying logs on his back.
He was litterally the ethical ideal of obedience, docility and assiduity but also a loyal Japanese citizen. However, after the War, the image of Sontoku was marked by one of the sharpest diclines of all those in traditionnal culture. Today, the Hôntoku movement inspired by his work still exists, but its importance is minor, in comparison to what it had at the beginning of the century. None the less, we must question whether the image of Sontoku as a docile and diligent child truly reflects his activities. Curiously, the use of his image intentionally ignores his activities as an adult, the image of the innovator of the countryside.
In our article, we first relate his biographical data in order to present an overview of all his activities ; then we analyse his theorical of writings. In the process, we emphasize the fundamentally practical nature of his thought, his omnipresent judgement of On (kind of obligation) and his important dichotomy concerning the Way of the Sky and the Way of Human kind. While analysing the apparent monotony in one of his shihô, we notice that his monotonous style deliberatly conceals his intent to instruct the less cultivated farmers.
Next, by referring to school text books, we take a look at the way of his posthumous image - one which is ideologically marked by nationalism - was used. In conclusion, we evaluate his scope and limits as an innovator of the countryside in the context of decaying feudal society.