bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Muḥammad, the Illiterate Prophet: An Islamic Creed in the Qur'an and Qur'anic Exegesis*
Authors: Günther Sebastian 
Published: August 2010

The Qur'an identifies the Prophet Muḥammad as al-nabī al-ummī (Q.7:157–158). Muslim consensus has come to perceive this epithet for the Prophet of Islam as indicating conclusively that he was Muḥammad, ‘the illiterate prophet.’ Medieval and modern scholars, however, have drawn attention to further possible meanings of the Qur'anic term ummī. Based on an inquiry into the concepts of literacy and illiteracy in the Qur'an, this study hopes to provide some new insights into a complex issue that is of great significance for Muslims and for the study of Islam. Our findings suggest that a more comprehensive appreciation of the Qur'anic term al-nabī al-ummī can contribute essentially to the understanding of Muḥammad's prophethood and the history of Islam.
Intentions and their Effects on the Legality of Dispositions and Contracts
Authors: al-Shami Abdullah Muhammad 
Published: August 2010

In Islamic law judgements on any human action are usually evaluated in terms of the intention involved. Accordingly, the rules of substantive issues have to be accommodated under the basic principles of Islamic jurisprudence. The understanding of these principles by the juristic scholar is highly rewarding because it will lead the muftī to the right path in deriving legal opinions from the original sources. The basic principle of Islamic jurisprudence, which stipulates that ‘all actions depend on intentions,’ has played an important role in the construction of Islamic jurisprudence. Moreover, this rule has a special place in the theory of Islamic legal contract. So what is the effect of intention in the validity of human actions and legal contracts? It is known that pure intention has significant effects on spiritual worship and legal contracts of transaction. It also gives guidance for earning rewards from Almighty Allah. This article concentrates on the effect of intention in perpetual worship, the concept of action and intention in Islamic legal works, the kind of contract with all its components, and the jurists' views on the effects of intention in human action and legal contract along with their discussion and counter-arguments.
The Legally Acceptable Methods of Spending (al-infāq) According to the Qur'an
Authors: Muḥammad cAli Idrīs Ḥāmid 
Published: August 2010

This study explores the concept of spending (al-infāq) in the Qur'an, which occurs in 234 verses within 57 suras, i.e. half of the total number of suras in the Qur'an. Each of these verses mentions either the actual term infāq (spending), or one of the following: zakā (alms tax), ṣadaqāt (charitable donations), al-qarḍ al-ḥasan (interest-free loans) or iṭcām (the giving of food). These Qur'anic verses call for, order or request that spending be practised; alternately they warn those who neglect infāq. This paper also addresses, through the analysis of related Meccan and Medinan verses, a number of legal issues related to infāq and the methods of carrying this out.
The Qur'an, Faith and the Impact of the Feminist Interpretative Movement on the Arabic Text and its Legacy
Authors: al-Shafīe Hassan 
Published: August 2010

The present study discusses the cultural and intellectual movement, now on the point of prevalence in the contemporary Islamic world, which adopts the Western ‘hermeneutical method’ and applies it to the Qur'an in particular, and Islamic religious texts in general. The author shows this movement's complete disregard for the established principles of tafsīr, the traditional Arab-Islamic rules of Qur'anic interpretation and the related Prophetic aḥādīth as preserved in the authenticated Sunna. The author argues that the ‘hermeneutical method’ starts from the preconceived notion that the Islamic heritage is male-centred and biased against women, both theoretically and practically, and, on this basis, proposes that the time has come for an intellectual break with this premise and the re-interpretation of the Qur'an and faith in the light of Western Christian hermeneutics. This paper proposes that this method fails to take historical events and the civilisational Islamic experience into account.
Aḣmad Ibn Ḣanbal and the Qur'an
Authors: Melchert Christopher 
Published: August 2010

Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal (d. Baghdad, 241/855) was the central, defining figure of Sunnism in the earlier ninth century CE. He was a major collector and critic of ḥadīth, as well as stories of early renunciants, and his collected opinions would form the literary basis of the Ḥanbalī school of law. Men would assert as a badge of orthodoxy that their creed was Aḥmad's (e.g. Muzanī, Ṭabirī, Ashcarī). He famously resisted the Inquisition of Maↄmūn and his successors, refusing to acknowledge that the Qur'an was created. Aḥmad's ideas about the Qur'an are found in collections of his answers to questions (masāↄil), in biographies (both of him personally and of his followers), and in his Musnad. They show a devotion above all to the liturgical use of the Qur'an; for example, how it should be recited aloud, how it should be integrated with the ritual prayer. He did not tend to infer the law directly from the Qur'an, but from ḥadīth, and put together his own version of the text (qirāↄa), although it is not preserved. (The report that he assembled a huge Qur'anic commentary is doubtful.) Therefore, it was not mainly as a record of Islamic law that Aḥmad defended the transcendence of the Qur'an but more directly as the basis of fslamic piety.
Safety and efficacy of rituximab in nonviral cryoglobulinemia vasculitis: Data from the French Autoimmunity and Rituximab registry
Authors: Terrier B. , Launay D. , Kaplanski G. , Hot A. , Larroche C. , Cathébras P. , Combe B. , de Jaureguiberry J. P. , Meyer O. , Schaeverbeke T. , Somogyi A. , Tricot L. , Zénone T. , Ravaud P. , Gottenberg J. E. , Mariette X. , Cacoub P. 
Published: August 2010

AbstractObjectiveManagement of nonviral cryoglobulinemia vasculitis has yet to be defined. Rituximab has emerged as a novel and promising therapeutic alternative, but data are scarce. Our objective was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of rituximab in nonviral cryoglobulinemia vasculitis in off‐trial real‐life patients.MethodsProspective data from the French AutoImmunity and Rituximab (AIR) registry, which includes data on patients with autoimmune disorders treated with rituximab in off‐label conditions, were analyzed.ResultsTwenty‐three patients received treatment with rituximab for cryoglobulinemia vasculitis. Tolerance was marked by the occurrence of side effects in almost half of the patients, including severe infections in 6 (26%) of 23, with a rate of 14.1 per 100 patient‐years. These infections occurred in a particular subset of patients ages >70 years, with essential type II mixed cryoglobulinemia and renal failure with a glomerular filtration rate of <60 ml/minute, and receiving high‐dose corticosteroids. Three of these patients died. In contrast, clinical and immunologic efficacy was noted in all evaluable patients. Clinical relapses occurred in half of the patients after a median time of 13.5 months following rituximab administration, and were more frequent in patients refractory to previous immunosuppressive therapy than in previously untreated patients.ConclusionData from the AIR registry show a dramatic efficacy and a steroid‐sparing effect of rituximab, but also show the occurrence of severe infections in elderly patients with renal failure and high‐dose steroids. The role of rituximab in nonviral cryoglobulinemia vasculitis remains to be defined in well‐designed randomized controlled trials.
Tocilizumab in refractory adult Still's disease
Authors: Puéchal Xavier , DeBandt Michel , Berthelot Jean‐Marie , Breban Maxime , Dubost Jean‐Jacques , Fain Olivier , Kahn Jean‐Emmanuel , Lequen Laurence , Longy‐Boursier Maïté , Perdriger Aleth , Schaeverbeke Thierry , Toussirot Eric , Sibilia Jean ,   Club Rhumatismes Et Inflammation
Published: August 2010

AbstractObjectiveThere is an unmet need for the treatment of adult Still's disease (ASD), the pathogenesis of which may involve interleukin‐6 (IL‐6). We report the first series of patients with ASD treated with tocilizumab (TCZ), a humanized anti–IL‐6 receptor antibody.MethodsAll ASD patients treated with TCZ in France between July 2006 and July 2009 after failure to all available therapies were included in this cohort study. The main outcome measures were the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) improvement criteria and resolution of systemic symptoms at the 3‐ and 6‐month followup periods.ResultsFourteen patients with refractory ASD were included. At the start of TCZ treatment, despite a mean prednisone dosage of 23.3 mg/day, based on a 28‐joint count, mean tender joints were 10.5, mean swollen joints were 7.9, and the mean Disease Activity Score in 28 joints was 5.61. Recurrent systemic involvement, including fever and rash, was present in 7 patients. TCZ was administered at 5–8 mg/kg every 2 or 4 weeks (8 mg/kg/month, n = 9). Eleven patients successfully completed the 6‐month study; 1 withdrew due to necrotizing angiodermatitis, another due to chest pain at each TCZ infusion, and a third due to systemic flare. A good EULAR response was observed in 64% of patients (9 of 14) at 3 months and EULAR remission was observed in 57% (8 of 14) at 6 months. Systemic symptoms were resolved in 86% of patients (6 of 7). Moreover, corticosteroid dose was reduced by 56%. No other severe adverse effects occurred.ConclusionTCZ is a promising new treatment for ASD.
Course of dermal ulcers and musculoskeletal involvement in systemic sclerosis patients in the scleroderma lung study
Authors: Au Karen , Mayes Maureen D. , Maranian Paul , Clements Philip J. , Khanna Dinesh , Steen Virginia D. , Tashkin Donald , Roth Michael D. , Elashoff Robert , Furst Daniel E. 
Published: August 2010

AbstractObjectiveTo evaluate changes in vascular and musculoskeletal involvement in subjects in the Scleroderma Lung Study, a multicenter, double‐blind, randomized, controlled trial comparing placebo treatment with oral cyclophosphamide (CYC) for 1 year in systemic sclerosis patients with interstitial lung disease. Subjects were then followed off the study agent for an additional 12 months.MethodsThe following parameters were noted at baseline and every 6 months for each patient: digital tip ulcers, other dermal ulcers, joint swelling, joint tenderness, large joint contractures, muscle tenderness, muscle weakness, oral aperture, hand extension, and fist closure.ResultsA total of 158 patients were enrolled from 13 centers in the US; 79 were randomized to the CYC group and 79 to the placebo group. There were no differences in dermal ulcer and musculoskeletal measures between the CYC and placebo groups at baseline and 12 and 24 months. Improvement in percent predicted forced vital capacity was associated with improvement in the Rodnan skin thickness score (P < 0.05) at 12 and 24 months, and with increased mean oral aperture at 24 months (P = 0.005).ConclusionThese data document the frequency and course of these vascular and musculoskeletal features over time, therefore providing essential information for sample size calculations and magnitude of effect in future clinical trials. There was no treatment effect of CYC on the vascular and musculoskeletal features described.
Serum IgA rheumatoid factor and pyridinoline in very early arthritis as predictors of erosion(s) at two years: A simple model of prediction from a conservatively treated community‐based inception cohort
Authors: Loët Xavier Le , Brazier Michel , Mejjad Othmane , Boumier Patrick , Daragon Alain , Gayet Alain , Pouplin Sophie , Tron François , Zarnitsky Charles , Vittecoq Olivier , Menard Jean‐François , Fardellone Patrice 
Published: August 2010

AbstractObjectiveTo identify, in conservatively treated, very early arthritis patients, predictors of ≥1 erosion(s) at 2 years, and to construct a prediction model.MethodsCommunity‐based adults (n = 310) who had never taken disease‐modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) or steroids with swelling of ≥2 joints persisting for >4 weeks and lasting <6 months were recruited. Erosion status was assessed at 0, 6, 12, and 24 months; evaluations were comprised of clinical criteria (Disease Activity Score, Health Assessment Questionnaire), C‐reactive protein level, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, autoantibodies, bone and cartilage markers, hand densitometry, and HLA class II shared epitopes. Patients meeting American College of Rheumatology rheumatoid arthritis (RA) criteria or with undifferentiated arthritis (UA) were followed and treated conservatively: one‐third of RA patients and three‐fourths of UA patients received no DMARDs during 2 years; a biologic agent was given to 1.8% of the patients during the first year. The main judgment criterion was ≥1 erosion(s) at 2 years.ResultsAt 2 years, 219 patients were assessed; 31.3% with RA and 10.6% with UA had ≥1 erosion(s). Logistic regression analysis at that time showed erosion(s) strongly associated with serum IgA rheumatoid factor (IgA‐RF) and pyridinoline levels for the 190 patients with no baseline erosions, with the corresponding receiver operating characteristic curve having an area under the curve of 0.77 (95% confidence interval 0.64–0.86). A prediction model was constructed with IgA‐RF thresholds of 5 and 25 IU/ml and a pyridinoline threshold of 10 nM/liter; odds ratios ranged from 1 for IgA‐RF <5 IU/ml and pyridinoline <10 nM/liter to 50.75 for the association of IgA‐RF ≥5 IU/ml and pyridinoline ≥10 nM/liter.ConclusionThis model, using serum IgA‐RF and pyridinoline concentrations, was able to predict ≥1 erosion(s) at 2 years in very early arthritis patients.
Systematic review of the literature informing the systemic lupus erythematosus indicators project: Reproductive health care quality indicators
Authors: Gillis JoAnn Zell , Panopalis Pantelis , Schmajuk Gabriela , Ramsey‐Goldman Rosalind , Yazdany Jinoos 
Published: August 2010

AbstractObjectiveSystemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) primarily affects women of reproductive age. Here we summarize the scientific evidence supporting recently developed quality indicators (QIs) pertaining to reproductive health.MethodsWe used a modification of the RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method to develop QIs for SLE. We performed systematic reviews of the literature pertaining to each proposed indicator. Three indicators focusing on reproductive health were included in the final set. Relevant literature was presented to an expert panel, who rated the validity and feasibility of the indicators.ResultsThree QIs were rated as valid and feasible. These indicators specifically address laboratory testing during pregnancy in SLE, the treatment of antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, and counseling for drugs with teratogenic potential.ConclusionWe used a rigorous method to develop reproductive health QIs for SLE. In the future, these indicators can be used in the assessment and delivery of care to patients with SLE.
Insecticide use and risk of rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study
Authors: Parks Christine G. , Walitt Brian T. , Pettinger Mary , Chen Jiu‐Chiuan , de Roos Anneclaire J. , Hunt Julie , Sarto Gloria , Howard Barbara V. 
Published: August 2010

AbstractObjectiveFarming and agricultural pesticide use has been associated with 2 autoimmune rheumatic diseases, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, risk associated with other residential or work place insecticide use is unknown.MethodsWe analyzed data from the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study (n = 76,861 postmenopausal women, ages 50–79 years). Incident cases (n = 213: 178 for RA, 27 for SLE, and 8 for both) were identified based on self‐report and use of disease‐modifying antirheumatic drugs at year 3 of followup. We examined self‐reported residential or work place insecticide use (personally mixing/applying by self and application by others) in relation to RA/SLE risk, overall and in relation to farm history. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were adjusted for age, race, region, education, occupation, smoking, reproductive factors, asthma, other autoimmune diseases, and comorbidities.ResultsCompared with never used, personal use of insecticides was associated with increased RA/SLE risk, with significant trends for greater frequency (HR 2.04, 95% CI 1.17–3.56 for ≥6 times/year) and duration (HR 1.97, 95% CI 1.20–3.23 for ≥20 years). Risk was also associated with long‐term insecticide application by others (HR 1.85, 95% CI 1.07–3.20 for ≥20 years) and frequent application by others among women with a farm history (HR 2.73, 95% CI 1.10–6.78 for ≥6 times/year).ConclusionThese results suggest residential and work place insecticide exposure is associated with the risk of autoimmune rheumatic diseases in postmenopausal women. Although these findings require replication in other populations, they support a role for environmental pesticide exposure in the development of autoimmune rheumatic diseases.
Associations with digital ulcers in a large cohort of systemic sclerosis: Results from the Canadian Scleroderma Research Group registry
Authors: Khimdas Sarit , Harding Sarah , Bonner Ash , Zummer Brittany , Baron Murray , Pope Janet ,   Canadian Scleroderma Research Group
Published: August 2010

AbstractObjectiveDigital ulcers are a common complication of systemic sclerosis (SSc; scleroderma). Approximately half of SSc patients have had a digital ulcer, but information is lacking on whether digital ulcers are associated with patient demographics and clinical outcomes. We wanted to determine the associations between digital ulcers and other SSc vascular complications and organ involvement.MethodsData from the Canadian Scleroderma Research Group are collected annually on SSc patients, including presence, location, and number of digital ulcers; complications from digital ulcers; internal organ involvement; skin score; and laboratory results. Correlation coefficients, chi‐square test, and logistic regression modeling were done to determine the associations of digital ulcers with other factors, including internal organ complications.ResultsA total of 938 patients were included; 86% were women, the mean age was 55 years, the mean disease duration was 13.6 years, and 50% had limited cutaneous SSc. Eight percent had a digital ulcer currently and 44% had a digital ulcer ever; 53.1% had digital pitting scars. Digital ulcers were associated with increased modified Rodnan skin score (P = 0.0001), hand and finger skin score (P = 0.0001), Health Assessment Questionnaire score (P = 0.0001) and disease duration (P = 0.001), younger age of SSc onset (P = 0.0001), interstitial lung disease (ILD; P = 0.0001), and topoisomerase I (Scl‐70) antibodies (P = 0.0001) in limited and diffuse cutaneous SSc subsets. Digital ulcers were not associated with sex (P = 0.95), smoking (P = 0.9), pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH; P = 0.35), and scleroderma renal crisis (SRC; P = 0.569). Digital ulcers were further associated with reduced diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO; P = 0.0001) and esophageal involvement (P = 0.0001) in diffuse cutaneous SSc only.ConclusionDigital ulcers are associated with worse disease, including skin and lung involvement, but are not associated with PAH and SRC. However, the low DLCO that is associated with SRC could represent ILD or microvasculopathy.
Cost‐effectiveness of biologics in polyarticular‐course juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients unresponsive to disease‐modifying antirheumatic drugs
Authors: Ungar Wendy J. , Costa Vania , Hancock‐Howard Rebecca , Feldman Brian M. , Laxer Ronald M. 
Published: August 2010

AbstractObjectiveJuvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most common chronic pediatric rheumatic disease and can have long‐term effects leading to disability in adulthood. Biologics are a new class of drugs increasingly used to treat JIA. The primary study objective was to determine the incremental costs of biologics per additional responder compared to conventional treatment (methotrexate).MethodsA separate decision model was created for etanercept, infliximab, adalimumab, and abatacept. The study population consisted of polyarticular‐course JIA patients with a prior inadequate response or intolerance to disease‐modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). The effectiveness measure was the proportion of patients who had a treatment response at 1 year according to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Pediatric 30 (Pedi 30) improvement criteria. Direct and indirect costs were calculated in 2008 Canadian dollars. Incremental cost‐effectiveness ratios and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated for each biologic agent using probabilistic sensitivity analyses.ResultsThe additional costs per additional ACR Pedi 30 responder at 1 year were $26,061 (95% CI $17,070, $41,834), $46,711 (95% CI $30,042, $75,787), $16,204 (95% CI $11,393, $22,608), and $31,209 (95% CI $16,659, $66,220) for etanercept, adalimumab, abatacept, and infliximab, respectively.ConclusionBiologics are more effective than methotrexate in achieving a short‐term response in JIA patients with prior inadequate responses to DMARDs; however, this comes at a high annual cost. Adequate long‐term data with respect to both safety and effectiveness are not currently available, nor are utility estimates. Such data will be important to estimate value for money for treating JIA with biologic drugs over the long term.
Robust adaptive MPC for constrained uncertain nonlinear systems
Authors: Adetola Veronica , Guay Martin 
Published: August 2010

AbstractIn this paper, we consider the problem of adaptive model predictive control subject to exogenous disturbances. Using a novel set‐based adaptive estimation, the problem of robust adaptive MPC is proposed and solved for a class of linearly parameterized uncertain nonlinear systems subject to state and input constraints. Two formulations of the adaptive MPC routine are proposed. A general minmax approach is considered. A Lipschitz‐based formulation is also proposed. The closed‐loop robust stability of both approaches is demonstrated. The Lipschitz‐based approach avoids the need for a minmax optimization problem and is amenable to real‐time computation. A simple chemical reactor simulation example is presented that demonstrates the effectiveness of the technique. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
New Concepts and Applications in the Macromolecular Chemistry of Fullerenes
Authors: Giacalone Francesco , Martín Nazario 
Published: August 2010

AbstractA new classification on the different types of fullerene‐containing polymers is presented according to their different properties and applications they exhibit in a variety of fields. Because of their interest and novelty, water‐soluble and biodegradable C60‐polymers are discussed first, followed by polyfullerene‐based membranes where unprecedented supramolecular structures are presented. Next are compounds that involve hybrid materials formed from fullerenes and other components such as silica, DNA, and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) where the most recent advances have been achieved. A most relevant topic is still that of C60‐based donor‐acceptor (D–A) polymers. Since their application in photovoltaics D–A polymers are among the most realistic applications of fullerenes in the so‐called molecular electronics. The most relevant aspects in these covalently connected fullerene/polymer hybrids as well as new concepts to improve energy conversion efficiencies are presented.The last topics disccused relate to supramolecular aspects that are in involved in C60‐polymer systems and in the self‐assembly of C60‐macromolecular structures, which open a new scenario for organizing, by means of non‐covalent interactions, new supramolecular structures at the nano‐ and micrometric scale, in which the combination of the hydrofobicity of fullerenes with the versatility of the noncovalent chemistry afford new and spectacular superstructures.