bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Failure Risks in the Insurance Industry: A Quantitative Systems Analysis
Authors: Paté‐Cornell Elisabeth , Deleris Léa A. 
Published: August 2009

AbstractWe present in this article the findings from a study on insolvency in the property–casualty insurance industry that was commissioned by the Risk Foundation. The Risk Foundation contacted us for this work to draw from our experience in risk analysis based on systems analysis and probability. Therefore, we provide a different perspective on failure in the insurance industry by opening the “black box” to assess the contribution of different factors to the overall risk. Besides the development of a quantitative model for insolvency risk, our study for the Risk Foundation included insights from (1) unstructured interviews with 15 insurance industry experts and with six insurance regulators in different states, and (2) a statistical analysis of insolvency data (A.M. Best) covering the 1970 through 2005 period. Our focus here is centered on the practical insights that came out of the study, rather than on the technical details that led us to those insights.
ACUPUNCTURE PERCEPTION (DEQI) VARIES OVER DIFFERENT POINTS AND BY GENDER WITH TWO DISTINCT DISTRIBUTION PATTERNS OF DULLNESS AND PAIN
Authors: YIN CHANG SHIK , PARK JONGBAE , LEE JI‐YOUNG , CHAE YOUNBYOUNG , JANG WOO‐CHANG , KIM SEUNG‐TAE , LEE HYEJUNG , PARK HI‐JOON 
Published: August 2009

ABSTRACT Deqi, an acupuncture perception asserted as related with a therapeutic effect and a surrogate measure of the activity of acupuncture treatment, may not be such a simple and single phenomenon as thus‐far presumed. In this study, we investigated the acupuncture perceptions over six points to explore any pattern of individual sensory item intensity over different points and genders from 121 healthy volunteers using a sensory questionnaire with 20 items. Perception data were eligible for factor analysis. Factor analysis produced four subcategories of perceptions: pain (nine items), transmission (three), dullness (four) and soreness (two). Of the acupoints, large intestine 1 (LI1), at the fingertip, showed the highest rating in the pain subcategory and LI4 in the dullness category. Females rated higher than males in spreading and numb perceptions (P < 0.01). This implies acupuncture perceptions entail this site and gender variation and the so‐called deqi perception is not an exception and may not be a therapeutic ingredient, per se.PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSThe insights gained in this study give researchers and acupuncture practitioners information about the gender and site variation of acupuncture perception. In the past, the acupuncture perception or the so‐called deqi as a surrogate measure of the activity of acupuncture treatment, in particular, has been too simplistically handled as if it is a single and simple entity without considerations on possible site and gender variations. Based on this information, the researchers and practitioners of acupuncture medicine may have to adopt a more objective and sensual manner of assessment and anticipation of the patient's perception being treated with acupuncture stimulation, which will contribute to the scientific research and objective verification of the treatment effect and acupuncture‐related perception.
MULTIPLE TIME‐INTENSITY ANALYSIS AND ACCEPTANCE OF RASPBERRY‐FLAVORED GELATIN
Authors: PALAZZO ALESSANDRA B. , BOLINI HELENA M.A. 
Published: August 2009

ABSTRACT Face to face with the scenario of current human nutrition, there is an ever‐growing preoccupation with the provision of healthy and rapidly prepared diets, gelatin being an important product, taking into consideration its properties, such as muscular regeneration and bone strengthening. The objective of this work is to evaluate different brands of raspberry‐flavored gelatin, both traditional and diet, by multiple time‐intensity analysis for sweet, acid and raspberry flavor, as well as an acceptance test with 120 consumers. The statistical analysis included variance analysis, Tukey tests and Internal Preference Map. The results showed that there was no significant difference between all the samples to the time in which the maximum intensity of sweetness and acidity occurs. The results indicated a greater acceptance of the traditional samples, which were preferred by the majority (85% regarding intention to purchase). The aspartame/acessulfame‐potassium edulcorants were those that recorded behavior most distant from sucrose, compared with sodium saccharine and sodium cyclamate edulcorants. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSThe time‐intensity analysis is important to provide how the flavor behavior is for the consumers during the food ingestion and is used in order to obtain the temporal profile of an attribute in a certain product. This analysis is different from the conventional descriptive analysis because it allows the verification of changes in the perception of a product's attribute over time.The sensory results showed in this study should be useful to researchers and product developers who are working with different edulcorants in food, especially in gelatin products.Observing both multiple time‐intensity curves and affective data at the same time, it is possible to determine which intensity and duration of sensory characteristics have influenced the consumer's preference.
Strategies for enhancing bioluminescent bacterial sensor performance by promoter region manipulation
Authors: Yagur‐Kroll Sharon , Bilic Benny , Belkin Shimshon 
Published: August 2009

SummaryBioluminescent bacterial sensors are based upon the fusion of bacterial bioluminescence (lux) genes, acting as a reporter element, to selected bacterial stress‐response gene promoters. Depending upon the nature of the promoter, the resulting constructs react to diverse types of environmental stress, including the presence of toxic chemicals, by dose‐dependant light emission. Two bacterial sensors, harbouring sulA::luxCDABE and grpE::luxCDABE fusions, activated by the model chemicals nalidixic acid (NA) and ethanol, respectively, were subjected to molecular manipulations of the promoter region, in order to enhance the intensity and speed of their response and lower their detection thresholds. By manipulating the length of the promoter‐containing segment (both promoters), by introducing random or specific mutations in the promoter sequence or by duplicating the promoter sequence (sulA only), major improvements in sensor performance were obtained. Improvements included significantly enhanced sensitivity, earlier response times and an increase in signal intensity. The general approaches described herein may be of general applicability for optimizing bacterial sensor performance, regardless of the sensing or reporting elements employed.
Hybridization and invasion: one of North America’s most devastating invasive plants shows evidence for a history of interspecific hybridization
Authors: Blair Amy C. , Hufbauer Ruth A. 
Published: August 2009

AbstractHybridization has been hypothesized to influence invasion through the generation of novel phenotypes and/or increased levels of genetic variance. Based on morphology, hybrids between diffuse knapweed and spotted knapweed, two invasive plants in North America, are present in the invaded range. Some individuals within most diffuse knapweed sites in North America exhibit intermediate diffuse × spotted floral morphology. We examined hybridization at the molecular level, using amplified fragment length polymorphisms. Approximately a quarter of the assayed North American diffuse knapweed individuals exhibited evidence of introgression from spotted knapweed. However, plants with intermediate morphology did not show evidence of mixed ancestry more often than the plants with typical diffuse knapweed morphology. The high proportion of hybrid individuals in North American diffuse knapweed sites found here, combined with evidence from recent studies, suggests that diffuse knapweed was likely introduced with admixed individuals, and the hybrids are not newly created postintroduction. A century of backcrossing with diffuse knapweed has likely decoupled the relationship between morphology and admixture at the molecular level. In contrast to the scenario encountered in North America, in the native range where diploid diffuse and spotted knapweed overlap, hybrid swarms are common. In such sites, the floral phenotype aligns more closely with the genotype.
Clinical significance of serum ornithine carbamoyltransferase in patients with non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis
Authors: Tokushige Katsutoshi , Hashimoto Etsuko , Noto Haruka , Yatsuji Satoru , Tobari Maki , Torii Nobuyuki , Taniai Makiko , Shiratori Keiko , Murayama Hiroshi 
Published: August 2009

Aim:  Ornithine carbamoyltransferase (OCT) is reported to be a liver‐specific marker for the evaluation of hapatocellular damage. In this study, we investigated its clinical significance in non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).Methods:  Serum OCT levels were measured by the ELISA (enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay) method. One hundred and twenty patients with NASH (18 liver cirrhosis induced by NASH and 9 NASH combined with hepatocellular carcinoma) were measured.Results:  The serum levels of OCT and the ratios of OCT : alanine amino transferase (ALT) and OCT : aspartate amino transferase (AST) were increased in parallel with the progression of NASH. Especially, OCT and both ratios were markedly increased in hepatocellular carcinoma. As for the relationship between fibrosis grade and OCT, the serum OCT levels and the ratio of OCT : ALT levels were increased in parallel with liver fibrosis. In NASH patients with ALT within normal range, about 30% showed elevation of OCT.Conclusion:  Serum OCT levels and the ratios of OCT : ALT and OCT : AST increase in parallel with the progression of NASH. It was suggested that OCT is a useful marker in the progression of NASH.
Alternate Pathway of Infection with Hepatozoon americanum and the Epidemiologic Importance of Predation
Authors: Johnson E.M. , Panciera R.J. , Allen K.E. , Sheets M.E. , Beal J.D. , Ewing S.A. , Little S.E. 
Published: August 2009

Background: The range of American canine hepatozoonosis (ACH) is expanding from the southern USA northward. Transmission of Hepatozoon americanum occurs by ingestion of infected Gulf Coast ticks, Amblyomma maculatum. The source of the protozoan for the tick remains undetermined; infected dogs are unusual hosts for the tick.Objective: Compare possible sources of infection by field investigations of 2 multiple‐dog outbreaks of ACH.Animals: Twenty‐eight privately owned dogs (Canis familiaris), 1 coyote (Canis latrans), 31 wild‐trapped cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus), 24 wild‐trapped field mice (Peromyscus leucopus), and 9 wild‐caught rabbits (Sylvilagus spp.) from sites in eastern Oklahoma were monitored for hepatozoonosis. Six laboratory‐raised cotton rats (S. hispidus), 6 Sprague‐Dawley rats (Rattus norvegicus), 6 C57BL/6J‐Lystbg‐J/J mice (Mus musculus), 6 outbred white mice (M. musculus), 6 New Zealand white rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), and 2 dogs were acquired through commercial vendors for experimental transmission trials of H. americanum.Methods: Four of 15 dogs in a rural neighborhood and 5/12 hunting Beagles were confirmed to be infected by blood smear examination, muscle biopsy, and polymerase chain reaction assay of the 18S rRNA gene of Hepatozoon species. Histories and tick host preferences led to field collections of common prey of canids and experimental transmission trials of H. americanum to selected prey (M. musculus, S. hispidus, R. norvegicus, and O. cuniculus).Results: Dogs with ready access to prey (4/15 dogs) or that were fed prey retrieved from hunts (5/12 hunting Beagles) became infected, providing evidence that predation is an important epidemiologic component of ACH infection. Experimental transmission studies identified a quiescent, infectious stage (cystozoite) of the parasite that provides an alternate mode of transmission to canids through predation, demonstrating that cotton rats, mice, and rabbits but not brown rats may act as paratenic hosts of H. americanum.Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Predation of prey harboring infected A. maculatum or containing cystozoites of H. americanum in their tissues provide 2 modes of transmission of ACH to dogs, putting unconfined dogs at increased risk of infection in endemic areas.
Dacarbazine as Single‐Agent Therapy for Relapsed Lymphoma in Dogs
Authors: Griessmayr P.C. , Payne S.E. , Winter J.E. , Barber L.G. , Shofer F.S. 
Published: August 2009

Background: Multidrug resistance is the most common cause of treatment failure in dogs with multicentric lymphoma. 5‐(3,3‐Dimethyl‐1‐triazeno)‐imidazole‐4‐carboxamide (DTIC) is an atypical alkylator used as standard treatment in human Hodgkin's lymphoma, and has been effective in combination treatment to treat resistant lymphoma in dogs. However, no data are available on the use of DTIC as a single agent in the treatment of relapsed canine lymphoma.Hypothesis: Single‐agent DTIC is effective and safe in treating dogs with lymphoma that relapsed or failed to respond to previous chemotherapy.Animals: Forty client‐owned dogs with relapsed lymphoma.Methods: Dogs were eligible for the retrospective study if they had a histologically or cytologically confirmed diagnosis of lymphoma and had relapsed. Dogs received DTIC (800–1,000 mg/m2 every 2–3 weeks as a 4–5‐hour IV infusion) and were evaluated for response rate and duration. Hematologic and gastrointestinal toxicity was assessed.Results: The overall response rate for dogs being treated with DTIC was 35% (14 dogs) with a median progression‐free interval of 43 days. Thirteen dogs had a partial response and 1 dog had a complete response. Stable disease was achieved in 3 dogs. Mild gastrointestinal toxicity was reported in 3 dogs posttreatment. Thrombocytopenia was the principal toxicity observed 7–14 days after the treatment. Treatments were delayed because of thrombocytopenia.Conclusions: DTIC, when used alone, is effective in the treatment of dogs with relapsed lymphoma.
Tuberculosis Caused by Mycobacterium microti in South American Camelids
Authors: Zanolari P. , Robert N. , Lyashchenko K.P. , Pfyffer G.E. , Greenwald R. , Esfandiari J. , Meylan M. 
Published: August 2009

Background: Infection with Mycobacterium microti can cause chronic disease in animals and threaten human health through its zoonotic potential.Objective: To describe clinical findings, diagnostic investigations, necropsy, and epidemiology results in South American camelids (SAC) infected with M. microti, member of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex.Animals: Eleven SAC with tuberculous lesions.Methods: Description of 10 llamas and 1 alpaca, aged 4–18 years, from 6 herds with a history of wasting and weakness admitted to the Vetsuisse‐Faculty of Berne over 8 years.Results: Clinical signs included weight loss, recumbency, and anorexia in late stages of the disease. Respiratory problems were seen in 6 animals of 11. No consistent hematologic abnormalities were identified. Suspect animals were examined in detail by abdominal ultrasonography and thoracic radiology. Abnormal findings such as enlarged mediastinal, mesenteric, or hepatic lymph nodes were seen only in animals with advanced disease. Single comparative intradermal tuberculin test with bovine protein purified derivate (PPD) and avian PPD was negative in all animals. At necropsy, typical tuberculous lesions were found, and confirmed by bacteriological smear and culture, molecular methods, or both.Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Infection caused by M. microti should be considered a differential diagnosis in chronic debilitating disease with or without respiratory signs in SAC. Antemortem confirmation of the diagnosis remains challenging at any stage of infection. Because cases of M. microti infection have been reported in immunocompromized human patients, the zoonotic potential of the organism should be kept in mind when dealing with this disease in SAC.
Serum Serotonin Concentrations in Dogs with Degenerative Mitral Valve Disease
Authors: Arndt J.W. , Reynolds C.A. , Singletary G.E. , Connolly J.M. , Levy R.J. , Oyama M.A. 
Published: August 2009

Background: Increased serotonin (5HT) signaling has been implicated in valvular disease of humans and animals, including canine degenerative mitral valve disease (DMVD). High circulating 5HT concentration is a potential source of increased signaling, and serum 5HT concentrations have not been previously reported in dogs with DMVD.Hypothesis: Dogs with DMVD and small breed dogs predisposed to DMVD have higher serum 5HT concentrations than large breed controls.Animals: Fifty dogs affected with DMVD, 34 dogs predisposed to DMVD but without cardiac murmur or echocardiographic evidence of DMVD, and 36 healthy large breed control dogs.Methods: Prospective analysis. Serum 5HT concentration was measured by an ELISA test.Results: Median serum 5HT concentration was significantly higher in dogs with DMVD and in dogs predisposed to DMVD as compared with controls (DMVD, 765.5 ng/mL [interquartile range, 561.3–944.4]; predisposed, 774.9 ng/mL [528.3–1,026]; control, 509.8 ng/mL [320.8–708.8]; P= .0001). Subgroup analysis of predisposed dogs indicated significantly higher serum 5HT concentrations in Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (CKCS) dogs than in other breeds (CKCS, 855.0 ng/mL [635.8–1,088]; non‐CKCS, 554.2 ng/mL [380.6–648.4]; P= .0023). Age, platelet count, and platelet morphology were not correlated with 5HT concentration in any group.Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Dogs with DMVD had significantly higher serum 5HT concentrations when compared with large breed control dogs. Healthy CKCS dogs had significantly higher serum 5HT concentrations than other healthy dogs predisposed to DMVD. Additional investigation into a possible role of 5HT in the pathogenesis of DMVD is warranted.
Yersinia pestisCan Bypass Protective Antibodies to LcrV and Activation with Gamma Interferon To Survive and Induce Apoptosis in Murine Macrophages
Authors: Noel Betty L. , Lilo Sarit , Capurso Daniel , Hill Jim , Bliska James B. 
Published: August 2009

ABSTRACTYersinia pestis, the agent of plague, uses a type III secretion injectisome to deliver Yop proteins into macrophages to counteract phagocytosis and induce apoptosis. Additionally, internalizedY. pestiscan survive in the phagosomes of naïve or gamma interferon (IFN-γ)-activated macrophages by blocking vacuole acidification. TheY. pestisLcrV protein is a target of protective antibodies. The binding of antibodies to LcrV at the injectisome tip results in neutralization of the apoptosis ofY. pestis-infected macrophages and is used as an in vitro correlate of protective immunity. The cytokines IFN-γ and tumor necrosis factor alpha can cooperate with anti-LcrV to promote protection against lethalY. pestisinfection in mice. It is not known if these phagocyte-activating cytokines cooperate with anti-LcrV to increase the killing of the pathogen and decrease apoptosis in macrophages. We investigated how anti-LcrV and IFN-γ impact bacterial survival and apoptosis in cultured murine macrophages infected withY. pestisKIM5.Y. pestisKIM5 opsonized with polyclonal or monoclonal anti-LcrV was used to infect macrophages treated with or without IFN-γ. The phagocytosis and survival of KIM5 and the apoptosis of macrophages were measured at different time points postinfection. The results show that anti-LcrV reduced apoptosis at an early time point (5 h) but not at a later time point (24 h). Polyclonal anti-LcrV was unable to inhibit apoptosis at either time point in IFN-γ-activated macrophages. Additionally, anti-LcrV was ineffective at promoting the killing of KIM5 in naïve or activated macrophages. We conclude thatY. pestiscan bypass protective antibodies to LcrV and activation with IFN-γ to survive and induce apoptosis in murine macrophages.
Variation in T-SPOT.
TB
Spot Interpretation between Independent Observers from Different Laboratories
Authors: Franken Willeke P. J. , Thijsen Steven , Wolterbeek Ron , Bouwman John J. M. , el Bannoudi Hanane , Kik Sandra V. , van Dissel Jaap T. , Arend Sandra M. 
Published: August 2009

ABSTRACT

T-SPOT.
TB
is a specific assay for the diagnosis of tuberculosis. The assay needs to be performed with freshly isolated cells, and interpretation requires training. T-SPOT.
TB
has been used in various clinical-epidemiological settings, but so far no studies have evaluated the effect of interobserver variation in test reading. Our aim was to evaluate variation between different observers in reading T-SPOT.
TB
results. The study was nested within an ongoing cohort study, in which part of the T-SPOT.
TB
had been performed with frozen material. Culture plates were read visually by four different observers from two laboratories and by two automated readers. Of 313 T-SPOT.
TB
assays, 235 were performed with fresh cells and 78 were performed with frozen cells. No significant difference was found between results obtained with fresh cells and those obtained with frozen cells. The percentage of positive results varied between readers by maximally 15%; five/six raters were within a 6% difference in positive results. Analysis of the observed interrater differences showed that some individuals systematically counted more spots than others did. Because test interpretation includes subtraction of background values, this systematic variance had little influence on interindividual differences. The test result as positive or negative varied between independent raters, mainly due to samples with values around the cutoff. This warrants further study regarding determinants affecting the reading of T-SPOT.
TB
.
homB
Status of
Helicobacter pylori
as a Novel Marker To Distinguish Gastric Cancer from Duodenal Ulcer
Authors: Jung Sung Woo , Sugimoto Mitsushige , Graham David Y. , Yamaoka Yoshio 
Published: August 2009

ABSTRACT

The
hom
family of
Helicobacter pylori
outer-membrane proteins, especially the
homB
gene, has been suggested as a novel virulence factor; however, the clinical association and function of this gene are still unclear. We evaluated the presence of the
homA
,
homB
, and
cagA
genes in 286 strains isolated from patients in the U.S. and Colombian populations (126 with gastritis, 96 with duodenal ulcer, and 64 with gastric cancer) by PCR. The results were compared with the clinical presentation and gastric injury. The prevalence of the
homB
gene was significantly higher in strains isolated from gastric-cancer patients (71.9%) than in those from duodenal ulcer patients (52.1%) (
P
= 0.012). In a multivariate analysis, the presence of the
cagA
gene significantly increased the risk for developing gastric cancer and duodenal ulcer, with the presence of the
homB
gene acting as a factor that could distinguish gastric cancer from duodenal ulcer (adjusted odds ratio, 3.033; 95% confidence interval, ∼1.37 to ∼6.73).
cagA
status was correlated with
homB
status (
r
= 0.323;
P
< 0.01). A histological analysis showed that
cagA
status was associated with inflammation and atrophy both in the antrum and in the corpus, while
homB
status was associated with inflammation and atrophy in the corpus.
homB
gene status might be susceptible to gastric-cancer development such that the
homB
gene is used as a factor for discriminating the risk of gastric cancer from that of duodenal ulcer.