bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Influence of dietary‐fibre intake on diabetes and diabetic retinopathy: Sankara Nethralaya‐Diabetic Retinopathy Epidemiology and Molecular Genetic Study (report 26)
Authors: Ganesan Suganeswari , Raman Rajiv , Kulothungan Vaitheeswaran , Sharma Tarun 
Published: May 2011

AbstractBackground:  The present study aims to report the influence of dietary‐fibre intake on diabetes and diabetic microangiopathies among subjects >40 years in Urban IndiaDesign:  Population‐based cross‐sectional study.Participants:  A total of 1383 patients were included in the study, 1261 diabetics and 122 controls.Methods:  All subjects underwent comprehensive eye examination including assessment of diabetic retinopathy using fundus photography. Dietary‐fibre intake was assessed using a validated questionnaire. All questions were validated based on factor analysis (overall communalities value >0.5). The cut‐off for low‐fibre diet was calculated by the average of study scores (≤ 32 for low‐fibre diet).Main Outcome Measures:  Prevalence of diabetes in subjects with low‐fibre diet versus healthy diet and risk of microangiopathies.Results:  Subjects with low‐fibre diet intake, had 1.51 times more risk of microalbuminuria than those with a healthy‐fibre diet. Similarly, the odds of having diabetic retinopathy and sight‐threatening diabetic retinopathy (odds ratio 1.41 [95% CI 1.02–1.94] and odds ratio 2.24 [95% CI 1.01–5.02], respectively) in low‐fibre diet subjects were more. Low‐fibre diet was consumed predominantly by lower socioeconomic status group (11.9 vs. 6.5, P = 0.002).Conclusions:  Subjects with type II diabetes had a lower dietary‐fibre intake. The presence of diabetic retinopathy, sight‐threatening diabetic retinopathy and microalbuminuria were also associated with lower dietary‐fibre intake.
Association of tumour necrosis factor‐alpha ‐308 G/A polymorphism with primary open‐angle glaucoma
Authors: Bozkurt Banu , Mesci Lutfiye , Irkec Murat , Ozdag Burcin B , Sanal Ozden , Arslan Umut , Ersoy Fugen , Tezcan Ilhan 
Published: May 2011

AbstractBackground:  Tumour necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α) is an important proinflammatory cytokine driving axonal degeneration and retinal ganglion cell apoptosis in glaucoma. The aim of the study was to evaluate the association of TNF‐α ‐308 G/A and ‐238 G/A polymorphisms with primary open‐angle glaucoma (POAG).Design:  A prospective, case–control study, university hospital setting.Participants:  Eighty‐six POAG patients and 193 healthy unrelated controls.Methods:  TNF‐α polymorphisms were screened by using direct gene sequencing.Main Outcome Measures:  Frequency of TNF‐α ‐308 G/A and TNF‐α ‐238 G/A promoter polymorphisms in glaucoma and healthy subjects.Results:  The frequencies of TNF‐α ‐308 GA genotype and ‘A’ allele were higher in patients with POAG (22.1% and 12.2%, respectively) in comparison with the control group (10.9% and 6%, respectively) (P = 0.046 and 0.02, respectively), with odds ratios of 2.45 (P = 0.01, 95% CI = 1.23–4.87) and 2.19 (P = 0.013, 95% CI = 1.18–4.08), respectively. Genotype distribution of the TNF‐α ‐238 variants did not yield a statistically significant difference between the two groups (P = 0.87).Conclusion:  TNF‐α ‐308 G/A polymorphism seems to be associated with POAG in Turkish population. However, population‐based studies with large number of subjects and long‐term follow‐up are needed to verify the association of TNF‐α ‐308 G/A polymorphism with glaucoma susceptibility.
The developing clinical problem of chemotherapy‐induced hepatic injury
Authors: Pilgrim Charles H. C. , Thomson Benjamin N. , Banting Simon , Phillips Wayne A. , Michael Michael 
Published: May 2011

AbstractChemotherapy is being administered to an increasing number of patients with colorectal liver metastases (CRLM), whether they have resectable disease or not. Although this may be appropriate to downstage patients with unresectable disease, and offers theoretical advantages to those who have resectable disease, there is a price to be paid in the development of chemotherapy‐induced hepatic injuries (CIHI). These include chemotherapy‐associated fatty liver diseases and sinusoidal injuries. The main chemotherapeutic agents currently used in the adjuvant setting for colorectal carcinoma, and the neoadjuvant treatment of CRLM include 5‐flurouracil, oxaliplatin and irinotecan, and while there are non‐specific and overlapping injury profiles, oxaliplatin does appear to be primarily associated with sinusoidal injury and irinotecan with steatohepatitis. In this review, the rationale for administering chemotherapy to patients with CRLM is presented, and the problems this brings are outlined. The specific injury patterns will be detailed, as well as the data correlating specific chemotherapy regimens to these injury patterns. Finally, the clinical outcomes of patients with CRLM who undergo neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by hepatic resection will be considered. The need for methods to identify patients at risk of CIHI and to recognize established CIHI prior to surgery will be emphasized.
Ketamine as an adjunct to fentanyl improves postoperative analgesia and hastens discharge in children following tonsillectomy – a prospective, double‐blinded, randomized study
Authors: Elshammaa Nabil , Chidambaran Vidya , Housny Walaa , Thomas Joan , Zhang Xue , Michael Rafik 
Published: May 2011

SummaryObjective:  To evaluate the effect of ketamine, as an adjunct to fentanyl, on postoperative analgesia and duration of Postoperative Care Unit (PACU) stay, in children undergoing tonsillectomy.Background:  Ketamine, as an N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate antagonist, has been recognized to have an opioid sparing effect. In addition, it does not depress respiration or affect airway tone. Hence, addition of ketamine could be potentially beneficial in children undergoing tonsillectomy, due to the high incidence of sleep apnea in these patients.Methods:  In a double blinded, randomized trial, 60 ASA status I and II children between 2 and 7 years of age, scheduled to undergo elective tonsillectomy were recruited. They were randomly assigned to one of four groups to receive fentanyl 1 mcg·kg−1 (F1 group), fentanyl 2 mcg·kg−1 (F2 group), ketamine 0.5 mg·kg−1 (K group), or fentanyl 1 mcg·kg−1 plus ketamine 0.5 mg·kg−1 (FK group) pre‐incision. Postoperative pain was scored on arrival to the PACU and at 30, 60, and 90 min thereafter. Any incidence of nausea/vomiting and time to discharge from the PACU were also recorded.Results:  Important predictors found for postoperative pain on arrival to the recovery room are the group (P = 0.02) and duration of surgery (P = 0.02). Least square means and standard errors of pain scores on PACU arrival were 4.87±0.69, 3.04±0.68, 2.10±0.68 and 2.03±0.69 for F1, F2, K and FK groups, respectively. On group‐wise comparison adjusted for surgical time, significant difference was detected between F1 and K (P = 0.02), and F1 and FK (P = 0.0048) groups. Marginal significance was detected in duration of PACU stay among groups (P = 0.08); F2 and FK group had a shorter PACU stay than F1 (P = 0.05 and 0.04 respectively). No significant difference was detected in the need for supplemental analgesia.Conclusion:  We conclude that the administration of ketamine 0.5 mg·kg−1 with 1 mcg·kg−1 fentanyl in children undergoing tonsillectomy may improve postoperative pain control without delaying home discharge.
The effect of dexmedetomidine during myringotomy and pressure‐equalizing tube placement in children
Authors: Pestieau Sophie R. , Quezado Zenaide M. N. , Johnson Yewande J. , Anderson Jennifer L. , Cheng Yao I. , McCarter Robert J. , Pena Maria T. , Finkel Julia C. 
Published: May 2011

SummaryBackground:  Bilateral myringotomy (BMT) is a commonly performed otolaryngologic procedure in children.Objectives:  To examine the effects of intranasal dexmedetomidine, an α2‐adrenoceptor agonist, on time‐averaged pain scores, pain control, need for rescue analgesia, and agitation scores in children undergoing BMT.Methods:  We designed a trial to enroll 160 children randomized to one of four groups: two study groups, dexmedetomidine (1 or 2 μg·kg−1), or two control groups representing our institutional standards of practice (intranasal fentanyl‐2 μg·kg−1 or acetaminophen as needed postoperatively).Results:  After 101 children were enrolled, patient caregivers observed that some enrollees were excessively sedated and required prolonged postanesthesia care unit (PACU) stay. This observation led to an unplanned interim analysis and early trial termination. After data were collected, severe nonnormality of pain and agitation scores necessitated a switch of the outcome to assess repeated measurements of the proportion of patients with pain, severe pain, and agitation. Demographics, time to emergence, and agitation were similar among all groups. The risk of requiring acetaminophen rescue (P < 0.0001) and proportion of patients having pain (P = 0.016) was significantly higher in one control group (rescue analgesia only) compared with fentanyl or dexmedetomidine groups. Importantly, length of stay in the PACU was significantly longer in dexmedetomidine‐2 μg·kg−1‐treated compared with dexmedetomidine‐1 μg·kg−1‐treated, fentanyl‐treated, or the control group, P = 0.0037.Conclusions:  In this trial, we were unable to answer the original question as to the role of dexmedetomidine on time‐averaged pain and agitation scores after BMT. However, our findings clearly demonstrate that in children undergoing BMT, at higher doses, dexmedetomidine significantly prolongs length of stay in the PACU.
Subcontracting, Posted Migrants and Labour Market Segmentation in Finland
Authors: Lillie Nathan 
Published: May 2011

AbstractUsing evidence from the shipbuilding and construction industries in Finland, this article shows how trade union responses to the introduction of migrant workers can be conditioned by product markets. Growing numbers of ‘posted workers’, or intra‐European Union work migrants employed via transnational subcontractors, are segmenting the labour market, by competing with domestically domiciled workers whose employment is more tightly regulated. In Finland, the construction worker's union has had a far more assertive and successful approach to enforcing wage norms than the union in shipbuilding. This appears to be related to the greater exposure of shipbuilding to international product market competition.
The ‘Housing Question’ and the State‐Socialist Answer: City, Class and State Remaking in 1950s Bucharest
Authors: CHELCEA LIVIU 
Published: May 2011

AbstractHousing nationalization as a solution to urban inequalities has a long history in European social thought. This article describes housing nationalization in a state‐socialist context. Using a political economy perspective and relying on recently released archival material about housing in 1950s Romania, I argue that nationalization may be regarded as a special type of urban process. Nationalization raised the occupancy rate and intensified the usage of existing housing, desegregated centrally located neighborhoods, turned some residential space into office space for state institutions, facilitated the degradation of the existing housing stock and gradually produced a socialist gentry. Aside from similarities with other state‐socialist nationalizations from the same period, Romanian nationalization resembled the housing policies of other statist regimes. The data also suggest that, even in the context of revolutionary change, the state is a sum of multiple, often diverging projects, rather than a coherent actor.RésuméNationaliser le logement pour résoudre les inégalités urbaines n'est pas une solution nouvelle dans la pensée sociale européenne. Cette option est décrite ici dans le contexte du socialisme d'État. Adoptant l'angle de l'économie politique et s'appuyant sur des archives récemment rendues publiques concernant le logement en Roumanie dans les années 1950, cette étude affirme qu'on peut considérer la nationalisation comme un type particulier de processus urbain. Elle a élevé le taux d'occupation et intensifié l'usage de l'habitat disponible, atténué la ségrégation dans les quartiers centraux, transformé une partie de l'espace résidentiel en espace de bureaux pour des institutions étatiques, facilité la dégradation du parc de logements existant, et généré peu à peu une aristocratie socialiste. Hormis des similitudes avec les nationalisations dans d'autres États socialistes à la même époque, la démarche roumaine a ressemblé aux politiques publiques appliquées au logement dans des régimes étatiques différents. Les données suggèrent aussi que, même dans le contexte d'un changement révolutionnaire, l'État est un agrégat de projets multiples, souvent divergents, et non un acteur homogène.
Utilizing hydroglycolic extract from myrobalan fruits to counteract reactive oxygen species
Authors: Chulasiri M. , Wanaswas P. , Sriaum D. , Nakamat S. , Wongkrajang Y. , Kongsaktrakoon B. , Phornchirasilp S. , Songchitsomboon S. , Leelarungrayub D. 
Published: May 2011

SynopsisThe hydroglycolic (HG) extract from 70% propylene glycol (PG) extraction of myrobalan fruits showed the most appreciable antioxidant efficiency towards 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) in comparison to the extracts from 30, 50, 70 and 100% ethyl alcohol (EA), and 30, 50 and 100% PG . Its total polyphenols were also higher than others. The additional analysis of antioxidant power revealed that this HG extract was able to counteract the induced oxidation caused by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and 2,2′‐azobis(2‐amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (AAPH). The quantification for the antioxidant capacity of the extract showed it was equivalent to 93.78 mg of 6‐hydroxy‐2,5,7,8‐tetramethychroman‐2‐carboxylic acid (Trolox) g−1 by 2,2′‐azino‐bis(3‐ethylbenzthiazoline‐6‐suphonic acid) diammonium (ABTS) assay, and was 140.17 mg ascorbic acid (AA) equivalent g−1 and 107.50 mg Trolox equivalent g−1 by photochemiluminescence (PCL) assay. The incorporation of the HG myrobalan extract into lotion and sunscreen lotion rendered these products to provide the similar antioxidant power as the extract alone.
Patients with early‐onset psoriasis achieve better results following Dead Sea climatotherapy
Authors: Harari M. , Czarnowicki T. , Fluss R. , Ruzicka T. , Ingber A. 
Published: May 2011

AbstractBackground  Plaque psoriasis has recently been divided in two types, which differ in severity and inheritance according to the age of the patient at the onset of the disease.Aim  To compare the effect of Dead Sea climatotherapy (DSC) on these two types of disease, with early vs. late onset, and to determine the impact of this treatment on the response rate.Methods  The files of 605 patients who were suffering from plaque psoriasis were retrieved from the database of the Research Institute at the Dead Sea (RIDS) and divided in two groups, types I and II, according to whether the age at the onset of the disease was under or over 40 years, respectively. The primary outcome for the assessment of DSC was Psoriasis Assessment of Severity Index of 95 (PASI 95), which indicates that the PASI improvement percentage reached 95%. Logistical regression was used to identify the factors that related to the observed outcome.Results  By the end of the study, 74% of the patients in group 1 reached PASI 95 in comparison to 62% in group 2. The 95% confidence interval for the odds ratio (OR) of the effect in group 2 in comparison to that of group 1 was [0.31, 0.99], which implies that group 1 responded better to treatment in comparison to group 2. Cut‐off values for patients who were aged 30 and 20, respectively, exhibited similar trends; 75% vs. 65% and 78% vs. 68% for groups 1 and 2, respectively.Conclusions  Efficacy rates following DSC were impressively high for plaque psoriasis patients. Contrary to our hypothesis, the treatment effect was found to inversely correlate with the age of the patient at disease onset.
Going, going, . . . gone? The decline of party membership in contemporary Europe
Authors: VAN BIEZEN INGRID , MAIR PETER , POGUNTKE THOMAS 
Published: May 2011

AbstractThis article offers an overview of levels of party membership in European democracies at the end of the first decade of the twenty‐first century and looks also at changes in these levels over time, comparing party membership today with figures from both 1980 and the late 1990s. While relying primarily on the direct and individual membership figures as reported by the parties themselves, the fit of the data with survey data is explored and it is concluded that the two perform well in terms of convergent validity. The differences between large and small democracies are examined, as well as old and new democracies, and it is found that levels of party membership are related to both the size and age of the democratic polity in question. Finally, the implications of the patterns observed in the membership data are discussed, and it is suggested that membership has now reached such a low ebb that it may no longer constitute a relevant indicator of party organisational capacity.
Indication, management, and outcome of brachycephalic dogs requiring mechanical ventilation
Authors: Hoareau Guillaume L. , Mellema Matthew S. , Silverstein Deborah C. 
Published: May 2011

AbstractObjectives
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To evaluate the frequency, and need for mechanical ventilation (MV) in a population of brachycephalic dogs (BD) compared with non‐BD. Also, to describe the pre‐MV abnormalities, ventilator settings used, the cardiovascular and pulmonary monitoring results and complications encountered in the same BD population. In addition, we sought to identify factors associated with successful weaning and describe outcomes of BD requiring MV.Design
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Retrospective observational study (1990–2008).Setting
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University Small Animal Teaching Hospital.Animals
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Fifteen BD managed with MV.Interventions
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None.Measurements and Main Results
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Signalment, indication for MV, ventilator settings, arterial blood gas values, duration of MV, complications, and outcome were recorded for each patient enrolled in study. BD were more likely to receive MV than non‐BD (P=0.036). Out of the 15 dogs that fulfilled the inclusion criteria 7 (47%) underwent MV for impending respiratory fatigue, 6 (40%) for hypoxemia and 2 for hypercapnea. The most common underlying disease was aspiration pneumonia. Duration of MV ranged from 2 to 240 hours (median 15 hours). Seven patients were weaned (47%). Seven dogs had a temporary tracheostomy tube and 5 of them (71%) were weaned. Dogs that were weaned had a significantly greater preweaning trial PaO2/FiO2 ratio than those that were not (359 ± 92 versus 210 ± 57 mm Hg, P=0.025). No significant difference for weaning success between dogs with and those without a tracheostomy was detected (P=0.132). The discharge rate was 27% (all from the respiratory fatigue group).Conclusion
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Among all dogs admitted to ICU, BD were more likely to receive MV than non‐BD. Aspiration pneumonia was frequently identified as the underlying cause of respiratory compromise. The survival rate for BD undergoing MV was not markedly different from previous studies. Weaning of BD from MV may be facilitated by employing preemptive strategies such as performing tracheostomy tube placements.
Antidepressant‐like effect induced by systemic and intra‐hippocampal administration of DNA methylation inhibitors
Authors: Sales Amanda J , Biojone Caroline , Terceti Mateus S , Guimarães Francisco S , Gomes Marcus VM , Joca Sâmia RL 
Published: May 2011

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Epigenetic modifications are thought to play an important role in the neurobiology of depression. Antidepressant treatment induces histone acetylation in the hippocampus, which is associated with transcriptional activation, whereas stress increases DNA methylation, which is associated with transcriptional repression. Because the specific involvement of DNA methylation in the regulation of depressive‐like behaviours is not yet known, we have investigated the effects induced by systemic or intra‐hippocampal administration of inhibitors of DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) in rats submitted to a range of behavioural tests.EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Rats received i.p. injections of 5‐aza‐2‐deoxycytidine (5‐azaD, 0.1–0.8 mg·kg−1), 5‐azacytidine (5‐azaC, 0.4–3.2 mg·kg−1), imipramine (15 mg·kg−1) or vehicle and were submitted to the forced swimming test (FST) or open field test (OFT). Other groups of rats received intra‐hippocampal injection of DNMT inhibitors.KEY RESULTS Systemic administration of DNMT inhibitors induced a dose‐dependent antidepressant‐like effect, which was followed by decreased DNA methylation and increased brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in the hippocampus. Hippocampal inhibition of DNA methylation induced similar behavioural effects. No treatment induced any locomotor effects in the OFT. Antidepressant‐like effects of 5‐azaD were confirmed in mice submitted to the FST or the tail suspension test.CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Systemic, as well as hippocampal, inhibition of DNA methylation induced antidepressant‐like effects. These effects could be associated with increased hippocampal expression of BDNF. Our data give further support to the hypothesis that DNA methylation is an important epigenetic mechanism involved in the development of depressive‐like behaviours.
Cell‐Free Layer Formation in Small Arterioles at Pathological Levels of Erythrocyte Aggregation
Authors: ONG PENG KAI , JAIN SWATI , NAMGUNG BUMSEOK , WOO YEON I. , KIM SANGHO 
Published: May 2011

Please cite this paper as: Ong, Jain, Namgung, Woo and Kim (2011). Cell‐Free Layer Formation in Small Arterioles at Pathological Levels of Erythrocyte Aggregation. Microcirculation 18(7), 541–551.AbstractObjective:  To test our hypothesis that an elevation in the aggregation level of red blood cells found in human pathological conditions will significantly enhance cell‐free layer formation in small arterioles.Methods:  Visualization of arteriolar blood flow in rat cremaster muscle was carried out in both normal and reduced flow conditions before and after Dextran 500 infusion to simulate physiological and pathological levels of red blood cell aggregation in humans.Results:  Both normalized mean (p < 0.0001) and SD (p < 0.002) of the layer width were significantly enhanced after hyper‐aggregation induction in reduced flow conditions (mean pseudoshear rate = 57.3 ± 7.2/sec). Normalized mean and SD of the layer width generally increased with decreasing vessel radius and this effect was most pronounced with hyper‐aggregation in reduced flow conditions. The threshold pseudoshear rate at which the layer formation became more pronounced when compared with non‐aggregating condition was higher with hyper‐aggregation (217/sec) than normal‐aggregation induction (139/sec).Conclusion:  Our findings confirmed the formation of a prominent cell‐free layer in the arterioles under higher shear conditions at pathological aggregation levels and this effect became more pronounced in smaller arterioles in normalizing the layer to the vessel radius.
The effect of exploratory talk on the development of sentence structure in able writers
Authors: Robins Gill 
Published: May 2011

AbstractThis one‐term practitioner research study, conducted with 33 Year 5 children, considers the impact of teaching exploratory talk skills on the learning of the class, with particular consideration of the development of the ability of gifted and talented children to manipulate and control sentence structure to create effect. Beginning with metatalk activities, the class defined new talk rules, putting them into practice in an action‐research project. The study then went on to consider the detailed application of these skills in a focus group of six gifted children. In order to meet with the requirements of a wider study, the impact of this focus group on the learning of the whole class was observed. While many children, both those in the focus group and the wider class, appeared to embrace exploratory talk as a route to independence of the class teacher, some children were more reluctant to engage. The article concludes with an evaluation of the impact of exploratory talk.