bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Association Between Vitamin B12 Levels and Mortality in Hospitalized Older Adults
Authors: Tal Sari , Shavit Yoav , Stern Felicia , Malnick Stephen 
Published: February 2010

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of various medications on vitamin B12 status and the association between vitamin B12 levels and mortality.DESIGN: Retrospective cross‐sectional study.SETTING: Four internal medicine departments and the geriatrics department at Kaplan Medical Center (KMC), Rehovot and Harzfeld Geriatrics Hospital, Gedera, Israel.PARTICIPANTS: One thousand five hundred seventy patients aged 65 and older hospitalized at the KMC and Hartzfeld Hospital in 2007.MEASUREMENTS: Blood vitamin B12 levels and demographic, clinical, and laboratory data obtained from electronic medical records.RESULTS: Vitamin B12 deficiency (≤200 pmol/L) was found in 15% of older hospitalized patients. Fifty percent of the patients had high vitamin B12 levels (≥350 pmol/L), 68.2% of whom were aged 80 and older. Metformin use was clearly associated with lower vitamin B12 levels. In patients aged 65 and older, an inverse correlation was found between vitamin B12 levels and albumin, metformin, and angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor use. Age, number of medications, and mortality were linearly correlated with vitamin B12 levels.CONCLUSION: Higher vitamin B12 levels were associated with greater mortality, but it is unclear whether vitamin B12 is a marker or a surrogate marker or even a substance that directly causes death. Further investigation is needed to clarify.
Perspectives of Older Persons on Bathing and Bathing Disability: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Ahluwalia Sangeeta C. , Gill Thomas M. , Baker Dorothy I. , Fried Terri R. 
Published: February 2010

OBJECTIVES: To understand the bathing experiences, attitudes, and preferences of older persons in order to inform the development of effective patient‐centered interventions.DESIGN: Qualitative study using the Grounded Theory framework.SETTING: In‐depth, semistructured interviews were conducted in participants' homes.PARTICIPANTS: Twenty‐three community‐living persons aged 78 and older identified from the Precipitating Events Project (PEP).MEASUREMENTS: Open‐ended questions about bathing habits, personal meaning and purpose of bathing, difficulties and concerns about bathing, preferences for independent bathing, and attitudes toward different types of bathing assistance.RESULTS: Three themes emerged: the importance and personal significance of bathing to older persons; variability in attitudes, preferences, and sources of bathing assistance; and older persons' anticipation of and responses to bathing disability.CONCLUSION: The bathing experiences described by study participants underscore the personal significance of bathing and the need to account for attitudes and preferences when designing bathing interventions. Quantitative disability assessments may not capture the bathing modifications made by older persons in anticipation of disability and may result in missed opportunities for early intervention. Findings from this study can be used to inform the development of targeted, patient‐centered interventions that can subsequently be tested in clinical trials.
Supernates from stored red blood cells inhibit platelet aggregation
Authors: Matheu Frederick A. , McFaul Steve J. 
Published: February 2010

BACKGROUND: Previously, we reported that red blood cells (RBCs) stored in AS‐5 accumulated proinflammatory substances during storage. We observed in those studies that supernates from nonleukoreduced (NLR) RBCs reduced mean anti‐CD41a‐fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) fluorescence on platelets (PLTs), indicative of decreased expression of glycoprotein (GP)IIb/IIIa on the PLT membrane. The objective of this study was to determine if supernates from stored RBCs impaired PLT aggregation as a consequence of reduction in GPIIb/IIIa expression.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Leukoreduced (LR) and NLR RBC units were prepared in AS‐5 and stored at 1 to 6°C for 6 weeks. Supernates from RBC samples collected every 2 weeks were mixed with freshly collected type‐matched blood and incubated for 30 minutes at 37°C. PLTs in each incubated blood sample were evaluated for GPIIb/IIIa expression by flow cytometry and for aggregation response to collagen by whole blood aggregometry.RESULTS: Supernates from stored NLR RBCs reduced CD41a‐FITC fluorescence on PLTs by 15% to 31%. A reduction in fluorescence was induced by supernates of RBCs stored for 14 days and increased as storage time increased. Supernates from Day 42 NLR RBCs reduced the mean amplitude of PLT aggregation by 31% compared to Day 0 supernates and lengthened the time before onset of aggregation by 21%. In addition, amplitude correlated directly and lag time correlated inversely with CD41a‐FITC fluorescence in all samples. Supernates from prestorage LR RBCs did not affect PLT CD41a‐FITC fluorescence or aggregation response.CONCLUSIONS: Substances that decrease expression of GPIIb/IIIa and inhibit PLT aggregation accumulate in NLR RBCs. Accumulation of this material is prevented by leukoreduction.
Effects of red blood cells on hemostasis
Authors: Roeloffzen Wilfried W.H. , Kluin‐Nelemans Hanneke C. , Bosman Lotte , De Wolf Joost Th.M. 
Published: February 2010

BACKGROUND: Currently there is no sensitive laboratory test to establish the influence of red blood cells (RBCs) on hemostasis. As thromboelastography (TEG) measures hemostasis in whole blood, taking into account the interactions of all cellular elements, we used this instrument to investigate the role that RBCs play in hemostasis.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: In 29 patients with chemotherapy‐induced anemia we studied the effect of progressive anemia on the coagulation profile. In 24 patients with chronic anemia we studied the effect of transfusion of RBCs on coagulation. Finally, in 18 patients we evaluated whether storage time of RBCs has additional effects on hemostasis.RESULTS: We observed a significant negative correlation between hemoglobin and TEG variables related to both clot strength and elasticity (p < 0.05). Moreover, anemia was associated with a delay in the initiation of the coagulation cascade. Correction of anemia by RBC transfusion resulted in significant shortening of this initiation phase with now the opposite effect on clot strength and elasticity. The negative effects on clot quality were significantly worse when fresh RBCs were transfused compared to longer‐stored RBCs. Furthermore, in contrast to the longer‐stored RBCs, fresh RBCs did not enhance initial fibrin formation.CONCLUSIONS: In this study we found that anemia was associated with a delay in the initiation of the coagulation cascade with a finally formed clot with superior strength and viscoelastic properties. Transfusion of RBCs was associated with impaired clot quality, with even worse effects on the initial fibrin build‐up and clot quality by fresh RBCs.
Screening of Canadian Blood Services donors for severe immunoglobulin A deficiency
Authors: Palmer Douglas S. , O'Toole Joan , Montreuil Therese , Scalia Vito , Yi Qi‐Long , Goldman Mindy , Towns Dale 
Published: February 2010

BACKGROUND: Immunoglobulin A (IgA)‐deficient patients with antibodies to IgA require transfusions with IgA‐deficient blood components to either avoid or reduce the frequency of serious adverse reactions. To supply compatible blood components for these individuals, the Canadian Blood Services (CBS) National Testing Laboratory must initially screen and subsequently identify, after confirmatory testing at the American Red Cross (ARC), donors severely deficient in IgA (<0.05 mg/dL).STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The Ouchterlony double immunodiffusion assay was used as an initial screen at CBS to identify IgA‐deficient donors (test sensitivity 2‐4 mg/dL). Sample aliquots from these donors were then sent to the ARC for confirmatory testing using an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay method for severe IgA deficiency (<0.05 mg/dL) and a passive hemagglutination assay to detect anti‐IgA.RESULTS: From November 2007 to December 2008, of 54,594 samples screened initially at CBS there were 137 samples (0.251%) identified as possibly IgA deficient. Of these 137, there were 100 reports returned from ARC confirming severe IgA deficiency in 65 donors (25 female, 40 male) without detectable anti‐IgA and in 35 donors (18 female, 17 male) with anti‐IgA. The remaining 37 donors had IgA levels of more than 0.05 mg/dL.CONCLUSION: Results from the ARC confirmed a frequency of 1 in 546 in the CBS' blood donor population for severe IgA deficiency (<0.05 mg/dL), 1 in 840 for those without anti‐IgA, and 1 in 1560 for those with antibody. Donors repeatedly confirmed as severely IgA deficient without anti‐IgA were considered eligible for the CBS IgA‐deficient donor registry program.
Identification of specificities of antibodies against human leukocyte antigens in blood donors
Authors: Endres Robert O. , Kleinman Steven H. , Carrick Danielle M. , Steele Whitney R. , Wright David J. , Norris Philip J. , Triulzi Darrell , Kakaiya Ram , Busch Michael P. ,   for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Retrovirus Epidemiology Donor Study‐II
Published: February 2010

BACKGROUND: Transfusion‐related acute lung injury (TRALI) is the leading cause of transfusion‐related mortality. Blood centers are implementing TRALI risk reduction strategies based on screening apheresis donors for antibodies to human leukocyte antigens (HLA).STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: HLA antibody screening was performed on 7920 blood donors from the Leukocyte Antibody Prevalence Study (LAPS) using Luminex‐based normalized background (NBG) cutoff ratios of 10.8 (Class I) and 6.9 (Class II). Single antigen bead (SAB) assay cutoffs of 2500 median fluorescence intensity units (Class I) and 1500 (Class II) were established based on results of two subpopulations of LAPS donors. Antibody frequencies against HLA A, B, C, DR, DQ, and DP antigens were determined for screen‐reactive donors with prior pregnancies.RESULTS: SAB reactivity for samples above our multiantigen bead NBG cutoffs was 78% for Class I and 79% for Class II. The SAB‐positive rate increased among women with zero to four or more pregnancies (0.3%‐15.6% Class I and 0.4%‐18% Class II; p < 0.00001). The highest frequency antibodies were DR11 and B15 (4.4% of women with prior pregnancies). The majority of Class I positives contained more than five specificities. For Class II, antibody‐positive women segregated into two groups: a single specificity or more than five specificities.CONCLUSIONS: Identification of HLA antigen specificities supports pregnancy associations previously found with screening assays. The significance of particular HLA specificities for inducing TRALI is currently being evaluated in a large lookback study of recipients of high‐plasma‐volume components from this donor cohort.
Prevalence and Clinical Characteristics Associated With Left Atrial Appendage Thrombus in Fully Anticoagulated Patients Undergoing Catheter‐Directed Atrial Fibrillation Ablation
Authors: WALLACE THOMAS W. , ATWATER BRETT D. , DAUBERT JAMES P. , VOORA DEEPAK , CROWLEY ANNA LISA , BAHNSON TRISTRAM D. , HRANITZKY PATRICK M. 
Published: February 2010

LAA Thrombus Among Anticoagulated AF Patients. Introduction: Catheter‐directed atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation is contraindicated among patients with left atrial appendage (LAA) thrombus. The prevalence of LAA thrombus among fully anticoagulated patients undergoing AF ablation is unknown.
Methods and Results:
We retrospectively evaluated the prevalence of LAA thrombus among 192 consecutive patients undergoing AF ablation between July 2006 and January 2009. Seven of 192 patients (3.6%) had evidence of thrombus on transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) despite being fully anticoagulated on warfarin (international normalized ratio [INR] 2–3) for 4 consecutive weeks prior to echocardiogram. Univariate analysis demonstrated that structural heart disease, large left atrial dimension, and number of AF ablations were associated with thrombus. Three patients with thrombus had paroxysmal AF with normal LV function.
Conclusion:
Despite full anticoagulation, 3.6% of patients undergoing AF ablation had LAA thrombus. We recommend that all patients, regardless of LV function or left atrial size, should undergo preprocedural TEE to exclude the presence of LAA thrombus. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 21, pp. 849‐852, August 2010)
Correlative Anatomy for the Electrophysiologist: Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation. Part II: Regional Anatomy of the Atria and Relevance to Damage of Adjacent Structures During AF Ablation
Authors: MACEDO PAULA G. , KAPA SURAJ , MEARS JENNIFER A. , FRATIANNI AMY , ASIRVATHAM SAMUEL J. 
Published: February 2010

Anatomy for Atrial Fibrillation.  Ablation procedures for atrial fibrillation have become an established and increasingly used option for managing patients with symptomatic arrhythmia. The anatomic structures relevant to the pathogenesis of atrial fibrillation and ablation procedures are varied and include the pulmonary veins, other thoracic veins, the left atrial myocardium, and autonomic ganglia. Exact regional anatomic knowledge of these structures is essential to allow correlation with fluoroscopy and electrograms and, importantly, to avoid complications from damage of adjacent structures within the chest.We present this information as a series of 2 articles. In a prior issue, we have discussed the thoracic vein anatomy relevant to paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. In the present article, we focus on the atria themselves, the autonomic ganglia, and anatomic issues relevant for minimizing complications during atrial fibrillation ablation. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. pp. 829‐836, July 2010)
Reasonable Hope: Construct, Clinical Applications, and Supports
Authors: WEINGARTEN KAETHE 
Published: February 2010

To read this article's abstract in both Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, please visit the article's full‐text page on Wiley InterScience (http://interscience.wiley.com/journal/famp).Hope may be the most laden shorthand term of all time. Everyone wants it; few know how to articulate what it is. Although family therapists frequently work to restore hope with hopeless families, they have contributed little to the abundant literature on hope. I present a new conceptualization of hope—reasonable hope—that reflects how family therapists think and practice. By subscribing to reasonable hope, clinicians enhance their ability to offer accompaniment and bear witness to clients. I describe clinical practices that, informed by reasonable hope, also facilitate its cocreation. Finally, I suggest supports for clinicians who practice reasonable hope.
Mutational analysis of caspase genes in prostate carcinomas
Authors: KIM MIN SUNG , PARK SANG WOOK , KIM YOO RI , LEE JI YOUL , LIM HYEON WOO , SONG SANG YONG , YOO NAM JIN , LEE SUG HYUNG 
Published: February 2010

Kim MS, Park SW, Kim YR, Lee JY, Lim HW, Song SY, Yoo NJ, Lee SH. Mutational analysis of caspase genes in prostate carcinomas. APMIS 2010; 118: 308–12.Evasion of apoptosis is one of the hallmarks of cancer. Of the components of apoptosis machinery, caspases are the main executioners of apoptosis that initiate and propagate the apoptosis, and finally degrade target molecules. Caspase‐encoding genes have been reported to harbor inactivating mutations in many human cancers. However, mutational status of caspase genes in prostate carcinomas has not been identified. The aim of this study was to explore whether caspase genes are somatically mutated in prostate carcinomas. For this, we analyzed entire coding regions of 11 human caspase‐encoding genes (CASP1–10 and 14) in 45 prostate carcinoma tissues by a single‐strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) assay. In this study, however, we detected no somatic mutation of CASP genes in the prostate carcinomas by the SSCP. This is the first report on systematic evaluation of caspase‐encoding gene mutations in human prostate carcinomas, and our data indicate that CASP genes may not be mutated in prostate carcinomas. The data suggest that apoptosis evasion in prostate carcinoma may be dependent on other mechanisms besides genetic alteration of caspase‐encoding genes.
Urban Mexican‐American mothers’ beliefs about caries etiology in children
Authors: Hoeft Kristin S. , Barker Judith C. , Masterson Erin E. 
Published: February 2010

Hoeft KS, Barker JC, Masterson EE. Urban Mexican‐American mothers’ beliefs about caries etiology in children. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 2010; 38: 244–255. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/SAbstract –  Objectives:  Caries is a severe condition which disproportionately affects Latino children in the US. This study sought contextual understanding of urban, low‐income Mexican‐American mothers’ beliefs, perceptions, knowledge and behavior surrounding causes of caries.Methods:  In urban San José, CA, a qualitative study was conducted with a convenience sample of Mexican‐American mothers of young children about their beliefs and knowledge about the causes of caries. Audio‐taped in‐depth interviews with open‐ended questions, primarily in Spanish, were translated to English and then transcribed verbatim. Texts were independently read and thematically analyzed by two researchers.Results:  Even while expressing uncertainty, all 48 mothers mentioned specific causes of caries, most frequently citing candy or juice consumption (85%), poor oral hygiene (65%) and use of the bottle (52%). Mothers rarely recognized cariogenic foods beyond candy, did not know or perform recommended oral hygiene routines, and demonstrated confusion and uncertainty about exactly how baby bottles are detrimental to teeth. Nearly half of these mothers also mentioned secondary cavity causes, such as genetics, lack of calcium, not going to the dentist or lack of fluoride. Mothers did not mention the role of bacteria. While mothers recognized that oral hygiene can counteract the detrimental effects of candy consumption, they did not recognize its beneficial effects in other contexts. Nor did they know about other preventive activities.Conclusions:  Mothers recognized the three major important factors causing caries: sugar consumption, poor oral hygiene and bottle use. However, their knowledge is limited in depth and specificity which restricts development of caries prevention behaviors. More comprehensive education is needed, including about caries prevention (oral hygiene) behaviors, which could lead to an increased sense of self‐efficacy with respect to their children’s oral health.
Marked papillary dermal edema – an unreliable discriminator between polymorphous light eruption and lupus erythematosus or dermatomyositis
Authors: Pincus Laura B. , LeBoit Philip E. , Goddard Deborah S. , Cho Raymond J. , McCalmont Timothy H. 
Published: February 2010

Background: The clinical differential diagnosis of photo‐distributed papules and plaques includes polymorphous light eruption (PMLE) and lupus erythematosus (LE). These entities share many histopathological features. However, in most contemporary textbooks, a broad band of papillary dermal edema is reported to be characteristic of PMLE and not seen in LE. Nonetheless, older reports describe papillary dermal edema in LE, including acute cutaneous LE (ACLE) in patients with systemic LE (SLE) and early lesions of discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE). Older reports also describe papillary dermal edema in microscopic sections of dermatomyositis (DM). Methods: Retrospective review. Results: Nine cases of LE (including two patients with acute lesions of SLE, six with DLE and one unclassifiable) and three cases of DM were identified in which sections showed striking papillary dermal edema. Attributes of chronicity, such as epidermal atrophy, follicular plugging and basement membrane thickening, were present concurrently in many sections. Conclusions: Marked papillary dermal edema does not reliably distinguish PMLE from LE as it can be seen in ACLE, early and late lesions of DLE and DM. This phenomenon has been underemphasized in recent reports and textbooks. Furthermore, papillary dermal edema in chronic lesions of DLE has not been previously reported.Pincus LB, LeBoit PE, Goddard DS, Cho RJ, McCalmont TH. Marked papillary dermal edema – an unreliable discriminator between polymorphous light eruption and lupus erythematosus or dermatomyositis.
The anti‐apoptotic protein G1P3 is overexpressed in psoriasis and regulated by the non‐coding RNA, PRINS
Authors: Szegedi Krisztina , Sonkoly Enikő , Nagy Nikoletta , Németh István Balázs , Bata‐Csörgő Zsuzsanna , Kemény Lajos , Dobozy Attila , Széll Márta 
Published: February 2010

Please cite this paper as: The anti‐apoptotic protein G1P3 is overexpressed in psoriasis and regulated by the non‐coding RNA, PRINS. Experimental Dermatology 2010; 19: 269–278.Abstract:  Psoriasis Susceptibility‐Related RNA Gene Induced by Stress (PRINS) is a non‐coding RNA overexpressed in lesional and non‐lesional psoriatic epidermis and induced by stress. Its function in healthy and psoriatic skin is still not known. Here, we report that PRINS regulates G1P3, a gene with anti‐apoptotic effects in keratinocytes. siRNA‐mediated inhibition of PRINS gene resulted in altered cell morphology and gene expression alterations, as demonstrated in a microarray experiment. One of the genes regulated by PRINS ncRNA was G1P3, an interferon‐inducible gene with anti‐apoptotic effects in cancer cells. Interestingly, we found that G1P3 was 400‐fold upregulated in hyperproliferative lesional and ninefold upregulated in non‐lesional psoriatic epidermis compared to healthy epidermis. In vitro, G1P3 protein levels were highest in proliferating keratinocytes and siRNA‐mediated downregulation of G1P3 resulted in increased cell apoptosis. These data indicate that G1P3 inhibits spontaneous keratinocyte apoptosis and hence its high expression in psoriatic skin may contribute to the development of psoriatic lesions. We hypothesize that the deregulation of the PRINS ncRNA may contribute to psoriasis and results in decreased sensitivity to spontaneous keratinocyte apoptosis via the regulation of G1P3.
Molecular analysis of the CART gene in overweight and obese Italian children using family‐based association methods
Authors: Rigoli L , Munafò C , Di Bella C , Salpietro A , Procopio V , Salpietro C 
Published: February 2010

AbstractAim:  In our study, we evaluated if CART gene A1475G and ΔA1457 polymorphisms could be associated with obesity.Patients and methods:  We recruited 133 Italian trios from among 103 (50 males and 53 females) overweight children (mean age 10.5 years, range 6–14 years; mean BMI 26.1 ± 3.2 kg/m2), and 30 (16 males and 14 females) obese children (mean age 9.0 years, range 6–11 years; mean BMI 32.3 ± 2.0 kg/m2). We also selected 187 non‐obese unrelated controls.Results:  The allele frequencies of the A1475G single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) were significantly higher in overweight children (0.07) than in control children (0.02) (p = 0.03) and control adults (0.02) (p = 0.02). Moreover, the allele frequencies were significantly different between obese children (0.08) and control children (0.02) (p = 0.03), and between obese children (0.08) and control adults (0.02) (p = 0.02). The ΔA1457 SNP showed no significant association with overweight/obesity. TDT statistic revealed a preferential transmission of the 1475G allele from heterozygous parents to overweight children (p < 0.01) and to obese children (p < 0.05). No statistically significant excess transmission of the ΔA1457 allele was found.Conclusion:  Our results supported the hypothesis that inherited variations of the CART gene could influence the development of obesity also in Italian children.