bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Hydrochloride pioglitazone decreases urinary cytokines excretion in type 2 diabetes
Authors: Hu Yuan‐Yuan , Ye Shan‐Dong , Zhao Li‐Li , Zheng Mao , Wu Feng‐Zhen , Chen Yan 
Published: September 2010

SummaryObjective  To observe the effects of hydrochloride pioglitazone on urinary cytokine excretion in type 2 diabetes and to explore its possible reno‐protective mechanisms.Design  Subjects and Methods. Ninety‐eight patients with type 2 diabetes and a fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels between 7.0 and 13.0 mm and glycated haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) ≥7.0% were assigned randomly to receive either the pioglitazone (DP group) or a sulphonylurea (DS group). Another 49 healthy individuals were chosen as normal controls (group NC). At the start of the study and after 12 weeks of treatment, urinary cytokines including monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 (MCP‐1), transforming growth factor‐β1 (TGF‐β1) and vascular endothelial growth factor were measured and were expressed as a ratio of urinary creatinine excretion. Urinary albumin/creatinine ratio, FBG and HbA1c were determined at the same time.Results  The excretion of each urinary cytokine, corrected for urinary creatinine, was significantly increased in both groups of patients with diabetes, compared with normal controls, and after a 12‐week treatment were significantly decreased by both therapies but the effect of pioglitazone was statistically greater than with sulphonylureas. Urinary albumin/UCr and both systolic and diastolic blood pressure were decreased significantly by pioglitazone (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05) but not by sulphonylurea treatment (P < 0.05), while there was no significant difference in FBG or HbA1c between two groups. There was a positive correlation between the excretion of cytokines and urinary albumin /UCr (all P < 0.01).Conclusions  This study indicates that pioglitazone reduces urinary albumin excretion by a mechanism that is at least partly independent of blood sugar control. The correlation of urinary albumin excretion with improvement in urinary cytokines suggests that this reno‐protective effect of piogliazone in diabetes may be related to local reduction in cytokine activity within the kidney.
Macroprolactinaemia in patients with hyperprolactinaemia: composition of macroprolactin and stability during long‐term follow‐up
Authors: Hattori Naoki , Ishihara Takashi , Saiki Yasuhiko , Shimatsu Akira 
Published: September 2010

SummaryObjective  Macroprolactin, which comprises immunoglobulin G (IgG) or anti‐prolactin (PRL) autoantibody‐bound PRL, is one of the causes of hyperprolactinaemia. This study evaluated the composition and stability of macroprolactin and determined whether the condition was long lasting. We also investigated whether we could predict the composition of macroprolactin based on the ratio of polyethylene glycol (PEG)‐precipitable PRL.Patients  Two hundred and ninety‐two patients with hyperprolactinaemia (252 women and 40 men).Design  We used PEG precipitation to screen for macroprolactinaemia in 625 serum samples from 292 patients with hyperprolactinaemia visiting a city hospital over the last 5·5 years. Macroprolactinaemia was defined by PEG‐precipitable PRL ratio greater than 60%. IgG‐bound PRL and anti‐PRL autoantibodies were measured by protein G and 125I‐hPRL binding studies, respectively. We also examined the autoantibody specificity and binding characteristics.Results  In 39 patients with macroprolactinaemia, IgG‐bound PRL was present in 87% and anti‐PRL autoantibodies in 67%. A non‐IgG‐bound form of macroprolactin was found mainly in sera with marginally elevated PEG‐precipitable PRL. The higher the PEG‐precipitable PRL ratio, the greater the likelihood that autoantibodies were involved in the composition of macroprolactin. The autoantibodies were IgG type and specific to human PRL and had a low affinity and high capacity. Long‐term follow‐up (2–17 years) revealed that the ratios of PEG‐precipitable PRL, IgG‐bound PRL and anti‐PRL autoantibody‐bound PRL were relatively stable.Conclusions  This study showed that higher PEG‐precipitable PRL ratio in macroprolactinaemic sera might preferentially indicate the presence of anti‐PRL autoantibodies and that macroprolactinaemia might be a long‐lasting condition.
Reproductive success in a socially polymorphic spider: social individuals experience depressed reproductive success in isolation
Authors: JONES THOMAS C. , PRUITT JONATHAN N. , RIECHERT SUSAN E. 
Published: September 2010

1. Correlated individual differences in behaviour across ecological contexts, or behavioural syndromes, can theoretically constrain individuals' ability to optimally adjust their behaviour for specific contexts.2. Female Anelosimus studiosus exhibit a unique behavioural polymorphism: ‘social’ females are tolerant of conspecifics and aggregate in multi‐female colonies, while ‘solitary’ females aggressively defend their singleton webs from intrusion by adult female conspecifics. Previous work found that social females are also less aggressive toward prey and are more fearful of predators.3. In this study we quantify potential fitness consequences of these correlated behaviours by examining the potential and realised fecundities of the two phenotypes in naturally occurring colonies, and by quantifying their ability to rear offspring as singleton individuals.4. There were no differences in the fecundities of laboratory‐reared females between the phenotypes, nor were there differences in field‐collected brooding females from naturally occurring solitary and social nests.5. Brooding females from solitary and social colonies that were isolated in new nests for the growing season were both capable of rearing their broods; however, females from solitary nests had significantly greater success.6. These results suggest a fitness consequence to the reduced‐aggression syndrome of social females that may represent a general impediment to the evolution of sociality in spiders.
Predictors of parenting stress among Malaysian mothers of children with Down syndrome
Authors: Norizan A. , Shamsuddin K. 
Published: September 2010

AbstractBackground  Having children with intellectual disability can be stressful for most parents. Currently there are very few studies focusing on parenting stress among mothers of children with Down syndrome (DS) in Asia. The present study examined the level of parenting stress experienced by Malaysian mothers of children with DS and evaluated the child and maternal factors that contributed to parenting stress based on Hill's ABC‐X Model (Hill 1949).Methods  We conducted a cross‐sectional study of mothers of children with DS between the ages of 2–12 years during February–June 2008 in Kedah, a state in Peninsular Malaysia. We used self‐administered questionnaires to gather data on parenting stress, child's birth history and current behavioural problems, as well as the maternal sociodemographic characteristics, coping styles and psychological well‐being. Parental Stress Scale (PSS) was used to assess parenting stress. Measures of child's behavioural problem using Pediatric Symptom Checklist, mother's coping style using Carver et al. (1989) COPE inventory and their psychological well‐being using Lovibond and Lovibond (1995) DASS21, a scale assessing depression, anxiety and stress were also carried out.Results  The 147 mothers who participated in the study had an average age of 43.1 years (SD = 7.6 years), of whom 94.6% were married, 57.1% had secondary level education and 28.6% were working outside their home. Based on PSS, mean parenting stress was 37.6 (SD = 8.1). Parenting stress was significantly higher among mothers who reported having children with behavioural problems. However, parenting stress was modified by positive coping styles and negative maternal psychological well‐being. The final model based on hierarchical regression analysis identified maternal depression and lack of acceptance as significant predictors of parenting stress rather than child's behavioural problems.Conclusion  Mean parenting stress among mothers of children with DS significantly differed by behavioural problems in their children. Parenting stress is also significantly correlated with frequent use of acceptance, religious and optimist coping styles, and presence of maternal depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms. However, hierarchical regression analysis identified maternal depression and lack of acceptance of having a child with DS as the most significant predictors of parenting stress in these mothers.
The Vibrio cholerae virulence regulatory cascade controls glucose uptake through activation of TarA, a small regulatory RNA
Authors: Richard Aimee L. , Withey Jeffrey H. , Beyhan Sinem , Yildiz Fitnat , DiRita Victor J. 
Published: September 2010

Summary Vibrio cholerae causes the severe diarrhoeal disease cholera. A cascade of regulators controls expression of virulence determinants in V. cholerae at both transcriptional and post‐transcriptional levels. ToxT is the direct transcription activator of the major virulence genes in V. cholerae. Here we describe TarA, a highly conserved, small regulatory RNA, whose transcription is activated by ToxT from toxboxes present upstream of the ToxT‐activated gene tcpI. TarA regulates ptsG, encoding a major glucose transporter in V. cholerae. Cells overexpressing TarA exhibit decreased steady‐state levels of ptsG mRNA and grow poorly in glucose‐minimal media. A mutant lacking the ubiquitous regulatory protein Hfq expresses diminished TarA levels, indicating that TarA likely interacts with Hfq to regulate gene expression. RNAhybrid analysis of TarA and the putative ptsG mRNA leader suggests potential productive base‐pairing between these two RNA molecules. A V. cholerae mutant lacking TarA is compromised for infant mouse colonization in competition with wild type, suggesting a role in the in vivo fitness of V. cholerae. Although somewhat functionally analogous to SgrS of Escherichia coli, TarA does not encode a regulatory peptide, and its expression is activated by the virulence gene pathway in V. cholerae and not by glycolytic intermediates.
The opening interrupter technique for respiratory resistance measurements in children
Authors: OSWALD‐MAMMOSSER Monique , CHARLOUX Anne , ENACHE Irina , LONSDORFER‐WOLF Evelyne 
Published: September 2010

ABSTRACTBackground and objective:  The interrupter resistance (Rint) can be calculated from various estimates of alveolar pressure based on mouth pressure during occlusion. We compared Rint, as measured by the opening interrupter technique (Rint1), and the linear back‐extrapolation method (Rint2), with the ‘gold standard’ airway resistance measured by plethysmography (Raw).Methods:  The study included 32 asthmatic children and 11 children with cystic fibrosis, aged 5 to 18 years, who were categorized into non‐obstructed (NObs) (n = 27) and obstructed (Obs) (n = 16) groups. Spirometry and the three different resistance measurements were performed on all children. Rint1 and Raw were assessed after a bronchodilator (BD) test in 16 and nine children, respectively, in the Obs group.Results:  Raw (0.48 ± 0.20 kPa.s/L) was lower than Rint1 (1.04 ± 0.34 kPa.s/L) and Rint2 (0.63 ± 0.18 kPa.s/L) (P < 0.001). Raw, but neither Rint1 nor Rint2, was significantly higher in the Obs group than in the NObs group (0.57 ± 0.23 vs 0.42 ± 0.16 kPa.s/L, P < 0.05). The differences Rint1‐Raw and Rint2‐Raw were correlated with FEV1/VC (P < 0.01 and P < 0.001), and Rint1‐Raw was correlated with height (P < 0.001). After BD significant changes in Rint1 and Raw were observed in 5/9 and 7/9 children, respectively.Conclusions:  Rint2, as well as Rint1, may be underestimated in the most Obs children and may therefore fail to detect severe obstruction. Rint1 is likely to include a non‐negligible contribution from the tissue component, especially in the youngest children. Although not different between Obs and NObs children at baseline, Rint1 did detect bronchodilation in some Obs children.
Effects of changing reference values and definition of the normal range on interpretation of spirometry
Authors: BRAZZALE Danny J. , UPWARD Allyson L. , PRETTO Jeffrey J. 
Published: September 2010

ABSTRACTBackground and objective:  Recent spirometry reference studies are arguably the most valid ever performed and the ATS/ERS now recommend the National Health and Nutrition Assessment Survey (NHANES) equations for North America. It is timely to consider adopting these reference values in Australasia; however, an evaluation of the consequences of such a change is required.Methods:  We analysed data from 1108 patients tested in two pulmonary function laboratories in public hospitals. Lower limits of normal (LLN) were calculated using European Community for Steel and Coal (ECSC) (1993), Knudson (1983), NHANES (1999) and Health Survey of England (HSE) (2004) equations and used to define restriction (FVC < LLN) and obstruction (FEV1/FVC < LLN). This interpretative strategy was also compared with the GOLD definition of obstruction (FEV1/FVC < 70%).Results:  Average age for all patients (50% female) was 60 years (range: 20–91). The mean predicted FVC from NHANES and HSE were similar and consistently higher than those from ECSC and Knudson (average 270 mLs). This translates into a 76% increase in the incidence of ‘restrictive’ interpretations using NHANES data compared with ECSC and Knudson, and a smaller increase of 40% for HSE. Using FEV1/FVC < 70% to diagnose obstruction in those over 65 years would result in false positive rates of approximately 28%. Using the same definition in a younger group (<50 years old) results in a false negative rate of approximately 14%.Conclusions:  Changing to either NHANES or HSE predicted values will significantly increase the rate of ‘restrictive’ interpretation, and alter the rate of obstructive findings. The NHANES and HSE data confirm that using FEV1/FVC < 70% to define obstruction causes misdiagnosis in elderly and younger subjects.
Double inherited thrombophilias and adverse pregnancy outcomes: Fashion or science?
Authors: Larciprete Giovanni , Rossi Federica , Deaibess Therese , Brienza Letizia , Barbati Giulia , Romanini Elisabetta , Gioia Stefano , Cirese Elio 
Published: September 2010

AbstractAim:  To determine to what extent double inherited thrombophilias are associated with adverse obstetric complications correlated with fetoplacental insufficiency, such as preeclampsia, hemolytic anemia elevated liver enzymes and low platelet count (HELLP) syndrome, gestational hypertension, fetal growth restriction (FGR), intrauterine death (ID), abruptio placentae and disseminated intravascular coagulopathy.Methods:  Pregnant women coming to delivery were retrospectively divided into two groups: group A (controls) and group B (cases). Patients belonging to group B had one of the following: severe preeclampsia, HELLP syndrome, gestational hypertension, FGR, intrauterine death, abruptio placentae of disseminated intravascular coagulopathy. We detected methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) A1298C, MTHFR C677T, factor V Leiden, PAI‐1, mutant prothrombin G20210A, plasma homocysteine, antithrombin III, protein S and activated protein C resistance. Normal pregnant women or pregnant women with double defects were enrolled in this study.Results:  The combination of MTHFR C677T mutation with PAI‐1 (5G/5G) mutation was significantly linked with the occurrence of ID. HELLP syndrome was significantly related to the simultaneous presence of factor VIII and X mutations. The combination of MTHFR C677T with factor VIII mutation and the combination of factor II and V mutations were significantly related to the occurrence of abruptio placentae. We found an association between double isoforms MTHFR mutation and FGR.Conclusion:  It seems that some thrombophilias and a combination of thrombophilic factors carry a greater risk than others for a given adverse outcome. Further studies are needed to check the link between thrombophilic gene mutations and adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as recurrent miscarriages and deep venous thrombosis.
Protection Against Nephropathy in Diabetes with Atorvastatin (PANDA): a randomized double‐blind placebo‐controlled trial of high‐ vs. low‐dose atorvastatin1
Authors: Rutter M. K. , Prais H. R. , Charlton‐Menys V. , Gittins M. , Roberts C. , Davies R. R. , Moorhouse A. , Jinadev P. , France M. , Wiles P. G. , Gibson J. M. , Dean J. , Kalra P. A. , Cruickshank J. K. , Durrington P. N. 
Published: September 2010

Diabet. Med. 28, 100–108 (2011)AbstractAims To compare the renal effects of low‐ vs. high‐dose atorvastatin in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus and optimally managed early renal disease.Methods We compared the 2‐year progression of nephropathy in a double‐blind randomized controlled trial of atorvastatin 80 mg/day (n = 60) vs. 10 mg/day (n = 59) in patients with Type 2 diabetes with microalbuminuria or proteinuria [mean (sd): age 64 years (10 years); HbA1c7.7% (1.3%), 61 mmol/mol (10 mmol/mol); blood pressure 131/73 mmHg; renin–angiotensin system blocker use > 80%; dual blockade > 67%] recruited from diabetes clinics in Greater Manchester.Results Over (mean) 2.1 years of follow‐up, the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease estimated glomerular filtration rate declined by 3 ml min−1 1.73 m−2in the combined group. The mean (95% CI) between‐group difference during follow‐up was not significant [2.2 ml min−1 1.73 m−2(−1.1 to 5.4 ml min−1 1.73 m−2),P = 0.20] after adjusting for baseline differences in renal function; positive difference favours 80 mg dose. Similarly, there was no significant difference in creatinine clearance by Cockcroft and Gault [2.5 ml/min (−2.4 to 7.3 ml/min),P = 0.32]; serum creatinine/24‐h urine collections [4.0 ml/min (−4.8 to 12.7 ml/min),P = 0.38]; cystatin C (P = 0.69); or 24‐h urine protein or albumin excretion (P = 0.92;P = 0.93). We recorded no significant between‐group differences in deaths or adverse events.Conclusions In patients with Type 2 diabetes with early renal disease, we found no statistical difference in renal function between those taking high‐ or low‐dose atorvastatin over 2 years. We cannot exclude a beneficial effect of < 1.6 ml min−1 1.73 m−2year−1on Modification of Diet in Renal Disease estimated glomerular filtration rate, or if blood pressure management or if renin–angiotensin system blocker use had not been optimized.
The consequences of complacency: managing the effects of unrecognized Charcot feet
Authors: Wukich D. K. , Sung W. , Wipf S. A. M. , Armstrong D. G. 
Published: September 2010

Diabet. Med. 28, 195–198 (2011)AbstractAims  Several authors have discussed an early prodromal state of neuroarthropathy (stage 0 Charcot) prior to the development of frank radiographic changes. However, very few reports are available that detail the outcomes of these patients. The purpose of this study was to report on the outcomes of patients with undetected early Charcot neuroarthropathy of the foot.Methods  Twenty patients, from two health science centres, were diagnosed retrospectively with stage 0 Charcot neuroarthropathy and were managed after referral from outside facilities. We evaluated any complications, including ulcer formation, infection, progression into active Charcot neuroarthropathy and the need for surgical reconstruction. Patients who did not progress to an active Charcot neuroarthropathy (Group I) were compared with those (Group II) who did progress to the destructive phase.Results  The diagnosis of Charcot neuroarthropathy was missed in 19 of 20 patients prior to referral. The average delay in treatment in Group I was 4.1 ± 0.7 weeks compared with 8.7 ± 6.8 weeks in Group II (Mann–Whitney U‐test = 24.5, n1 = 15, n2 = 7, P < 0.05 two‐tailed). Sixteen of 22 feet (72%) developed a complication during their treatment course. Group II experienced more complications than Group I (66.7% compared with 14.3%). Overall, eleven of 22 feet (50%) required surgical treatment; however, no patient required an amputation during the follow‐up course.Conclusions  This study reveals that outcomes of stage 0 Charcot neuroarthropathy feet depend on proper recognition and early management. To reduce the rate of future complications for Charcot foot should be the goal of all treatment.
Aberrant Asociality: How Individual Differences in Social Anhedonia Illuminate the Need to Belong
Authors: Silvia Paul J. , Kwapil Thomas R. 
Published: September 2010

AbstractThe need to belong, a fundamental concept in psychology, organizes a wide range of findings in the study of interpersonal relationships. We suggest that human belongingness needs can be illuminated by examining when they go awry. We review research on social anhedonia, a trait that involves a marked disinterest in interpersonal contact. Social anhedonia has a long history in clinical psychology, particularly in the study of schizotypy and schizophrenia‐spectrum disorders, but it is just starting to get attention from social and personality psychologists. Three lines of research—cross‐sectional studies of individual differences, longitudinal studies of risk for psychopathology, and experience‐sampling studies of interpersonal behavior—suggest that (1) social anhedonia represents genuine social disinterest, not merely shyness, introversion, or social anxiety, and (2) people high in social anhedonia have consistently poorer functioning, including a higher risk for developing schizophrenia‐spectrum disorders. Just as satisfied relatedness needs promote flourishing, dysfunctional social needs promote psychopathology.
Economic security arrangements in the context of population ageing in India
Authors: Bloom David E. , Mahal Ajay , Rosenberg Larry , Sevilla Jaypee 
Published: September 2010

AbstractThe rapid ageing of India's population, in conjunction with migration out of rural areas and the continued concentration of the working population in the informal sector, has highlighted the need for better economic security arrangements for the elderly. Traditional family ties that have been key to ensuring a modicum of such security are beginning to fray, and increased longevity is making care of the elderly more expensive. As a result, the elderly are at increased risk of being poor or falling into poverty. In parallel with its efforts to address this issue, the Government of India and some of the Indian states have initiated an array of programmes for providing some level of access to health care or health insurance to the great majority of Indians who lack sufficient access. Formal‐sector workers have greater social security than those in the informal sector, but they only represent a small share of the workforce. Women are particularly vulnerable to economic insecurity. India's experience offers some lessons for other countries. Although there is space for private initiatives in the social security arena, it is clear that most such efforts will need to be tax‐financed. The role that private providers can play is substantial, even when most funding comes from public sources, but such activity will face greater challenges as more individuals seek benefits. India has also shown that implementation can often be carried out well by states using central government funds, with a set of advantages and disadvantages that such decentralization brings. Finally, India's experience with implementation can offer guidance on issues such as targeting, the use of information technology in social security systems, and human resource management.