bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Two‐dimensional and M‐mode echocardiographic findings in healthy Thoroughbred foals
Authors: Collins NM , Palmer L , Marr CM 
Published: October 2010

Objective The aim of this study was to establish reference values for a series of conventional two‐dimensional (2‐D) and M‐mode echocardiographic variables in Thoroughbred foals at increasing age intervals.Design Nineteen healthy Thoroughbred foals (11 males, 8 females) were examined at 1, 2, 4, 8, 12 and 16 weeks of life. Auscultatory findings were recorded and echocardiographic examinations (2‐D and M‐mode) were performed. Descriptive statistical analyses, including mean, standard deviation and 95% confidence interval for the means, were used to summarise the data. The relationships between selected echocardiographic variables and age, body weight and heart rate were analysed.Results Reference values were determined for 12 routinely used 2‐D and M‐mode echocardiographic variables in healthy Thoroughbred foals at increasing age intervals. Linear relationships between echocardiographic variables and age (P < 0.001) and body weight (P < 0.001) were found, with the linear relationships between echocardiographic variables and body weight being stronger than those with age. Weak (R2≤ 0.37) but significant (P < 0.001) correlations between the echocardiographic variables and heart rate were identified.Conclusions Reference values for 2‐D and M‐mode echocardiographic variables in clinically normal Thoroughbred foals up to 4 months of age and approximately 190 kg body weight may assist in the interpretation of echocardiograms of Thoroughbred foals of similar age and body weight with suspected congenital or acquired cardiac disease.
Diagnostic yield of computed tomography of the brain in first episode psychosis
Authors: Strahl Britta , Cheung York K , Stuckey Stephen L 
Published: October 2010

AbstractIntroduction:  Brain computed tomography (CT) is inconsistently recommended worldwide in the investigative algorithm of patients presenting with first episode psychosis (FEP).The objective of this study is to investigate the clinical efficacy of brain CT in patients presenting with FEP without neurological signs in a major metropolitan teaching hospital.Methods:  The CT brain scan reports of 237 consecutive patients, for which the imaging requests or reports provided a history of FEP but no focal neurological signs, were retrospectively identified within a 6‐year period in a 750‐bed tertiary referral teaching hospital using the radiology information system text‐search function (170 male, 67 female; mean age, 28.3 years). All reports were authored or approved by consultant radiologist. They were reviewed for the presence of any lesion that could cause psychosis and hence alter clinical management. Minor neuroradiological abnormalities were also noted. Hospital Ethics Committee registration and approval were obtained and patient informed consent was not required.Results:  No focal brain lesion potentially responsible for the psychosis or focal lesion requiring surgical intervention was identified in any patient. Findings unable to be directly linked to the psychosis such as evidence of small vessel ischaemic disease, arachnoid cysts, cerebral atrophy, and normal variants were present in 17.6% of patients (45 of 237 studies), none of which led to an alteration of clinical management.Conclusion:  The results of this study postulate that brain CT should not be universally performed in the initial assessment of patients with first episode psychosis without neurological signs.
For discussion: Obtaining consent for ionising radiation: Has the time come?
Authors: Mendelson Richard M 
Published: October 2010

SummaryThe aim of this paper is to promote debate on the issues surrounding the provision of information to, and the obtaining of valid consent from patients exposed to ionising radiation (IR) from diagnostic and interventional imaging procedures. This is especially pertinent in view of recent interest in the risks of IR expressed in the medical and lay press.
Involved‐field radiotherapy with concurrent chemotherapy for limited‐stage small‐cell lung cancer: Disease control, patterns of failure and survival
Authors: Watkins John M , Wahlquist Amy E , Zauls A Jason , Shirai Keisuke , Garrett‐Mayer Elizabeth , Aguero Eric G , Silvestri Gerard A , Sherman Carol A , Sharma Anand K 
Published: October 2010

SummaryIntroduction: Major randomised trials have employed elective nodal irradiation as part of combined modality therapy for limited‐stage small‐cell lung cancer (SCLC). The present investigation describes patterns of failure, disease control, and survival outcomes for involved‐field radiotherapy with concurrent chemotherapy, without elective irradiation of uninvolved mediastinal nodal regions.Methods: Retrospective analysis of SCLC patients treated with curative‐intent accelerated, twice‐daily radiotherapy and concurrent platinum‐based chemotherapy at an academic institution. Treatment fields were reviewed, and patients who completed ≥42 Gy in 1.5 Gy twice‐daily fractions to involved fields (without elective irradiation of uninvolved mediastinal lymphatic regions) were included in the present analysis. Initial patterns of failure, disease control and overall survival were recorded.Results: Fifty‐two patients fulfilled study criteria and were included in the present analysis. All but one patient completed three to four cycles of chemotherapy, and 10 patients experienced grade 3 acute esophagitis. At a median survivor follow‐up of 35 months (range 5.5–91.9), 22 patients were alive (15 without recurrence) and 30 had died (23 of/with disease, four of unknown cause, two of other cause and one of treatment toxicity). Initial site(s) of disease failure were loco‐regional only (11 patients), distant only (14) and loco‐regional plus distant (3). There were no cases of isolated out‐of‐field mediastinal recurrence in the absence of supraclavicular or more distant disease. The estimated 3‐year disease‐free and overall survivals were 36% and 44%, respectively.Conclusions: Involved‐field radiotherapy did not appear to have an adverse impact on the anticipated patterns of failure, disease control, or overall survival in this population of limited‐stage SCLC patients.
Tribulations of a prostate cancer trial – Lessons learned from TOAD, a Cancer Council Victoria and Transtasman Radiation Oncology Group trial
Authors: Duchesne Gillian M , Woo Henry H , Howell Deborah , Kaimakamis Mary , Kemp Evan 
Published: October 2010

SummaryFrom 2004–2009 a total of 226 out of a target of 750 prostate cancer patients have been randomised into the Timing of Androgen Deprivation trial between immediate and delayed androgen deprivation. A screening log was kept by participating centres for the first 928 patients, which documented the reasons for non‐entry into the trial; 42.7% of screened patients were ineligible and a further 33.0% were not entered for other reasons. Fewer than 10% of patients cited not wanting to be part of a clinical trial as a reason for non‐entry. Strategies to improve recruitment included broadening the eligibility criteria, encouraging international collaboration, the use and support of research nurses in the private health care environment, and the use of phone follow‐up. Recruitment will be completed at the number originally intended to inform the interim analysis designed to test the validity of the statistical assumptions, and a combined survival analysis with the Canadian study is planned.
A Novel Phytochemical, Digoxigenin‐3‐O‐Rutin in the Amelioration of Isoproterenol‐Induced Myocardial Infarction in Rat: A Comparison with Digoxin
Authors: Panda Sunanda , Kar Anand 
Published: October 2010

SUMMARYIntroduction: The commonly used cardiac glycoside, digoxin (DIG), has a narrow therapeutic window. Although some investigations were made to counteract its toxic effects, no alternate phytochemical is available till date that is more potent and safer than DIG. Aims: Our main aim was to isolate a novel cardenolide from the seeds of Trigonella foenum graceium and to evaluate its relative potential in comparison to that of DIG. Experimental design: In one experiment effects of the isolated compound at 2.5, 5.0, and 10 mg/kg (p.o.) were evaluated in isoproterenol (ISO)‐induced cardiovascular problems in rats. As the test drug (TDR) reversed most of the ISO‐induced changes, it was subjected to the phytochemical analyses and was identified as digoxigenin‐3‐O‐rutin. In another experiment effects of DIG and rutin (Rtn) were compared with those of TDR or DIG alone. The hydroxyl radical scavenging activity was also measured by electron spin resonance (EPR). Results: digoxigenin‐3‐O‐rutin at 10 mg/kg markedly reduced the ISO‐induced increase in cardiac lipid peroxidation and in the levels of serum creatinine phosphokinase‐MB, glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase, glutamate pyruvate transaminase, lactate dehydrogenase, and creatinine. It also reversed the ISO‐induced changes in the cardiac histomorphology. Interestingly TDR appeared to be more effective than DIG alone or DIG and Rtn in combination. Conclusion: The newly isolated digoxigenin‐3‐O‐rutin appears to be more potent and safe than digoxin. Its higher efficacy could be due to its structural specificity and might have been mediated through its better free radical scavenging action.
Autocrine Interferon Priming in Macrophages but Not Dendritic Cells Results in Enhanced Cytokine and Chemokine Production after Coronavirus Infection
Authors: Zhou Haixia , Zhao Jincun , Perlman Stanley 
Published: October 2010

ABSTRACTCoronaviruses efficiently inhibit interferon (IFN) induction in nonhematopoietic cells and conventional dendritic cells (cDC). However, IFN is produced in infected macrophages, microglia, and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC). To begin to understand why IFN is produced in infected macrophages, we infected bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMM) and as a control, bone marrow-derived DC (BMDC) with the coronavirus mouse hepatitis virus (MHV). As expected, BMM but not BMDC expressed type I IFN. IFN production in infected BMM was nearly completely dependent on signaling through the alpha/beta interferon (IFN-α/β) receptor (IFNAR). Several IFN-dependent cytokines and chemokines showed the same expression pattern, with enhanced production in BMM compared to BMDC and dependence upon signaling through the IFNAR. Exogenous IFN enhanced IFN-dependent gene expression in BMM at early times after infection and in BMDC at all times after infection but did not stimulate expression of molecules that signal through myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88), such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF). Collectively, our results show that IFN is produced at early times postinfection (p.i.) in MHV-infected BMM, but not in BMDC, and primes expression of IFN and IFN-responsive genes. Further, our results also show that BMM are generally more responsive to MHV infection, since MyD88-dependent pathways are also activated to a greater extent in these cells than in BMDC.IMPORTANCECoronaviruses cause diseases with various degrees of severity in humans, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). In domestic and companion animals, coronaviruses induce interferon (IFN) in only a few cell types. In particular, macrophages, which are known to have both protective and pathogenic roles in coronavirus infections, express IFN while dendritic cells do not. Little is known about the basis of these cell-specific differences in IFN induction. Here, we show that an animal coronavirus, mouse hepatitis virus, induces IFN and other IFN-responsive molecules in macrophages, but not in dendritic cells, via a feedback loop that is dependent upon low-level IFN expression at early times after infection. This pathway of cellular activation may be a useful target for modulating macrophage function in order to selectively enhance the antivirus immune response and diminish the pathogenic role of these cells in SARS and other coronavirus infections.
Acupuncture Reduces Crying in Infants with Infantile Colic: A Randomised, Controlled, Blind Clinical Study
Authors: Landgren Kajsa , Kvorning Nina , Hallström Inger 
Published: October 2010

Objective To investigate whether acupuncture reduces the duration and intensity of crying in infants with colic. Patients and methods 90 otherwise healthy infants, 2–8 weeks old, with infantile colic were randomised in this controlled blind study. 81 completed a structured programme consisting of six visits during 3 weeks to an acupuncture clinic in Sweden. Parents blinded to the allocation of their children met a blinded nurse. The infant was subsequently given to another nurse in a separate room, who handled all infants similarly except that infants allocated to receive acupuncture were given minimal, standardised acupuncture for 2 s in LI4. Results There was a difference (p=0.034) favouring the acupuncture group in the time which passed from inclusion until the infant no longer met the criteria for colic. The duration of fussing was lower in the acupuncture group the first (74 vs 129 min; p=0.029) and second week (71 vs 102 min; p=0.047) as well as the duration of colicky crying in the second intervention week (9 vs 13 min; p=0.046) was lower in the acupuncture group. The total duration of fussing, crying and colicky crying (TC) was lower in the acupuncture group during the first (193 vs 225 min; p=0.025) and the second intervention week (164 vs 188 min; p=0.016). The relative difference from baseline throughout the intervention weeks showed differences between groups for fussing in the first week (22 vs 6 min; p=0.028), for colicky crying in the second week (92 vs 73 min; p=0.041) and for TC in the second week (44 vs 29 min; p=0.024), demonstrating favour towards the acupuncture group. Conclusions Minimal acupuncture shortened the duration and reduced the intensity of crying in infants with colic. Further research using different acupuncture points, needle techniques and intervals between treatments is required.
Fine mapping a domestication-related QTL for spike-related traits in a synthetic wheat
Authors: Wang Jin , Liao Xiangzheng , Li Yulian , Zhou Ronghua , Yang Xueju , Gao Lifeng , Jia Jizeng 
Published: October 2010

QTL analysis using a BC5F2:3mapping population derived from a cross between Am3, a synthetic hexaploid wheat as a donor parent, and Laizhou953, a Chinese winter wheat cultivar as a recurrent parent, showed that variation at the microsatellite locus Xgwm113 on chromosome 4B was associated with variation in grain number per spike (GN), spike length (SL), and spikelet number per spike (SPI). The Qgn.caas-4B, Qsl.caas-4B, and Qspi.caas-4B were responsible for 16.6%–35.6%, 18.0%–32.3%, and 23.7%–25.9% of the phenotypic variation present in two environments, respectively. Segregation for GN fit a Mendelian monogenic ratio. A subpopulation consisting of 497 plants was used to map the QTL to a 1.2 cM interval between Xgwm113 and Xgwm857. The three spike traits, GN, SL, and SPI, were correlated and were thus probably under the pleiotropic control of the QTL. The Am3 allele had a reduction effect on all three spike traits. Evidence for positive selective history on SSR locus Xgwm113 was supported using Ewens–Watterson’s statistic test on a germplasm panel of wild and landrace entries, suggesting that this genomic region may contain genes under selection during wheat domestication.
Effects of exercise combined with caloric restriction on inflammatory cytokines
Authors: Reed Jennifer L. , De Souza Mary Jane , Williams Nancy I. 
Published: October 2010

Chronic inflammation has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several chronic diseases, such as atherosclerosis and diabetes, as well as certain types of cancers. It has been suggested that circulating biomarkers for inflammation may be modified by exercise; however, few laboratory-based studies have been conducted in nonobese premenopausal women. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the impact of a 4-month exercise training and caloric-restriction intervention with the goal of weight loss on circulating biomarkers of inflammation in sedentary premenopausal women aged 25–40 years (weight, 57 ± 2 kg). Subjects were studied for 6 consecutive menstrual cycles: 1 Screening, 1 Baseline, then 4 interventions (Interventions 1–4). Supervised aerobic training, consisting primarily of treadmill running and elliptical machine exercise, was performed 4 times per week for 40–90 min at 79% ± 0.7% of maximal heart rate. Subjects also consumed 30% fewer calories vs. baseline (1863 ± 58 to 1428 ± 53 kcal·day–1(1 kcal = 4.186 kJ), p < 0.0001). Circulating inflammatory biomarkers, including adiponectin, high-sensitivity (hs) C-reactive protein (CRP), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), and leptin, as well as body composition, aerobic capacity, and energy balance, were measured before and after the intervention. Maximal aerobic capacity increased by 8.5 ± 1.7 mL·kg–1·min–1(p < 0.001) and body mass declined by an average of 3.7 ± 0.5 kg (p < 0.001). Significant reductions in IL-6 (0.39 ± 0.04 to 0.30 ± 0.03 pg·mL–1, p = 0.025), IFN-γ (0.58 ± 0.83 to 0.42 ± 0.64 pg·mL–1, p = 0.030), and leptin (13.18 ± 1.28 to 6.28 ± 0.71 pg·mL–1, p < 0.001) were detected in response to the intervention. No significant changes in adiponectin, hs-CRP, or TNF-α were found. Weight loss in response to exercise training and caloric restriction is effective in reducing inflammatory markers, specifically IL-6 and leptin.
Protein consumption following aerobic exercise increases whole-body protein turnover in older adults
Authors: Murphy Cheryl , Miller Benjamin F. 
Published: October 2010

Research measuring whole-body protein turnover (WBPT) after both exercise and nutrition has generally focused on resistance exercise; however, there is a paucity of data regarding the effect of postaerobic exercise nutrition, especially in older adults. It is not known if postexercise protein feeding has a beneficial effect on protein turnover after low- to moderate-intensity exercise. We investigated whether consuming protein plus carbohydrate (PRO) immediately after an acute bout of aerobic exercise has an additive effect over carbohydrate alone (CHO) on WBPT in older individuals. Twelve healthy older adults (age, 59 ± 4 years) were studied on 2 separate occasions after 1 h of exercise at approximately 50% of maximal rate of oxygen uptake, followed by 4 h of recovery. Immediately following exercise, subjects ingested a CHO (60 g) or an isocaloric PRO beverage (40 g carbohydrate, 20 g whey protein). Whole-body protein metabolism was determined using [1-13C]leucine infusion (60 mg prime; 75 mg·h–1 continuous), and sampling blood and expired breath. Rates of whole-body leucine appearance and oxidation, and nonoxidative leucine disposal during the third and fourth hours of postexercise recovery were higher in the PRO group (2.51 ± 0.55, 0.78 ± 0.37, and 1.71 ± 0.44 µmol·kg–1·min–1, respectively) than in the CHO group (1.81 ± 0.27, 0.33 ± 0.14, and 1.47 ± 0.25 µmol·kg–1·min–1, respectively; p = 0.001). Our results indicate that consumption of a PRO beverage after aerobic exercise increased WBPT to a greater extent than a CHO beverage.
Effects of a highly palatable diet on lipid and glucose parameters, nitric oxide, and ectonucleotidases activity
Authors: Souza Carolina Guerini de , Böhmer Ana Elisa , Müller Alexandre Pastoris , Oses Jean Pierre , Viola Giordano Gübert , Lesczinski Daniel Neumann , Souza Débora Guerini de , Knorr Luísa , Moreira Júlia Dübois , Lhullier Francisco , Souza Diogo Onofre , Perry Marcos Luiz Santos 
Published: October 2010

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions worldwide and is stimulated by the ready availability of food rich in fat and sugar (highly palatable diet). This type of diet increases the risks of obesity-associated pathologies, such as insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease. Nitric oxide, a potent endogenous vasodilator, is decreased in these pathologies, mostly as a result of insulin resistance. Ectonucleotidases are ecto and soluble enzymes that regulate the availability of the nucleotides ATP, ADP, and AMP and the nucleoside adenosine in the vascular system, thereby affecting vasoconstriction, vasodilatation, and platelet aggregation homeostasis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a highly palatable diet on serum lipid and glucose parameters, nitric oxide, and ectonucleotidase activity. Forty male Wistar rats were fed 1 of 2 diets for either 45 days or 4 months: standard chow (SC, n = 10) or a highly palatable diet enriched with sucrose (HP, n = 10). Body mass, visceral fat mass, glucose tolerance, cholesterol (total, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and non-HDL), serum triacylglycerol, liver triacylglycerol, and free glycerol were increased in the HP group after 45 days and after 4 months, whereas insulin levels were not different between the groups at either time. Furthermore, levels of nitric oxide metabolites and ATP, ADP, and AMP hydrolysis were significantly lower in the HP group (p < 0.05) after 4 months. In conclusion, the consumption of the HP diet for 4 months induced overall corporal and metabolic changes, and decreased nitric oxide metabolites and ectonucleotidase activity, thereby promoting an appropriate environment for the development of cardiovascular diseases, without apparent changes in insulin levels.
Influence of high-fat diet from differential dietary sources on bone mineral density, bone strength, and bone fatty acid composition in rats
Authors: Lau Beatrice Y. , Fajardo Val Andrew , McMeekin Lauren , Sacco Sandra M. , Ward Wendy E. , Roy Brian D. , Peters Sandra J. , LeBlanc Paul J. 
Published: October 2010

Previous studies have suggested that high-fat diets adversely affect bone development. However, these studies included other dietary manipulations, including low calcium, folic acid, and fibre, and (or) high sucrose or cholesterol, and did not directly compare several common sources of dietary fat. Thus, the overall objective of this study was to investigate the effect of high-fat diets that differ in fat quality, representing diets high in saturated fatty acids (SFA), n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), or n-6 PUFA, on femur bone mineral density (BMD), strength, and fatty acid composition. Forty-day-old male Sprague–Dawley rats were maintained for 65 days on high-fat diets (20% by weight), containing coconut oil (SFA; n = 10), flaxseed oil (n-3 PUFA; n = 10), or safflower oil (n-6 PUFA; n = 11). Chow-fed rats (n = 10), at 105 days of age, were included to represent animals on a control diet. Rats fed high-fat diets had higher body weights than the chow-fed rats (p < 0.001). Among all high-fat groups, there were no differences in femur BMD (p > 0.05) or biomechanical strength properties (p > 0.05). Femurs of groups fed either the high n-3 or high n-6 PUFA diets were stronger (as measured by peak load) than those of the chow-fed group, after adjustment for significant differences in body weight (p = 0.001). As expected, the femur fatty acid profile reflected the fatty acid composition of the diet consumed. These results suggest that high-fat diets, containing high levels of PUFA in the form of flaxseed or safflower oil, have a positive effect on bone strength when fed to male rats 6 to 15 weeks of age.