bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Sympatho-vagal responses in patients with sleep and typical vasovagal syncope
Authors: Jardine David L. , Krediet C. T. Paul , Cortelli Pietro , Frampton Christopher M. , Wieling Wouter 
Published: March 2009

Sleep syncope is a recently described form of vasovagal syncope that interrupts sleep. The pathophysiology of this condition is uncertain but a ‘central’ non-baroreflex-mediated trigger has been suggested. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that patients with sleep syncope have abnormal sympatho-vagal responses to non-baroreflex, but normal responses to baroreflex stimuli. We collected historical data from SS patients (patients with vasovagal syncope with sleep syncope; n=16) and NSS patients (patients with vasovagal syncope without sleep syncope; n=35), including demography, and triggers and symptoms during syncope. MBP (mean blood pressure), HR (heart rate) and MSNA (muscle sympathetic nerve activity) in SS patients were compared with NSS patients and matched controls (n=16) during HG (handgrip), CPTs (cold pressor tests), HUT (head-up tilting) and tilt-induced pre-syncope. Patients and controls were of similar age and gender distribution [SS patients, age 46.0±4 years (69% female); NSS patients, 47.3±4 years (63% female); controls, 43.7±5 years (69% female)]. Compared with NSS patients, SS patients reported more fainting episodes: (i) triggered by phobias (75 compared with 37%; P=0.001); (ii) while in the horizontal position (44 compared with 6%; P=0.001); and (iii) associated with abdominal symptoms (69 compared with 9%; P=0.001). Compared with controls, the MBP response to HG was attenuated in SS patients (P=0.016), and MSNA (burst frequency and incidence) responses to CPT were attenuated in both syncope groups (SS, P=0.011 and 0.003 respectively; NSS, P=0.021 and 0.049 respectively). MSNA responses to HUT did not differ. For both non-baroreflex and baroreflex responses, there were no differences in any of the MSNA indices between the syncope groups. Patients with vasovagal syncope, with or without sleep syncope, have very similar sympatho-vagal responses to both non-baroreflex and baroreflex stimuli. This is consistent with sleep syncope being a subform of vasovagal syncope. Attenuation of sympathetic responses to non-baroreflex pathways may be important in the mechanism of vasovagal syncope.
Ethical Service Delivery to Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Populations: A Specific Focus on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Populations
Authors: Masiongale Tedd 
Published: March 2009

Abstract
Purpose: Shifting demographics amid a growing population have given rise to a culturally and linguistically diverse client base. Professionals' recognition and understanding of effective service delivery with individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse groups is improving. Cultural competence is emerging as a necessary skill set for practitioners to deliver clinically competent services with diverse communities including the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) population.
Method: Current literature and Internet sources were used to gather demographic information analyze policy documents related to ethical service delivery and explore current trends and recommendations for appropriate service delivery with a specific focus on the GLBT population.
Results and Conclusions: The demographic makeup of the U.S. population is rapidly changing. Professionals, especially those outside urban areas, are only beginning to understand and adapt their clinical practices to adequately serve the GLBT population. Despite some resistance to change and political maneuvering, which could be construed to contradict ethical service delivery, professionals are realizing that ethical service delivery that embraces a recognition of their own culture and that of the individuals they serve results in greater functional outcomes.
Defining advantage and athletic performance: The case of Oscar Pistorius
Authors: Jones Carwyn , Wilson Cassie 
Published: March 2009

AbstractOlympic style games were first held for athletes with disabilities in Rome in 1960. Today the Paralympic Games (parallel Olympics) feature competition for athletes from six disability groups, including amputee, visually impaired, and spinal cord injury. Olympic hosts, both summer and winter, are now contractually obliged to organize the Paralympics in the same venue. The size and popularity of the games have grown exponentially since their inception, but they remain largely separate from the Olympics themselves. Recently, a very successful Paralympic athlete from South Africa, Oscar Pistorius, made it clear that despite his double below‐the‐knee amputation he wanted to compete in his event (400 m) at the Olympics. Initially, however, Oscar Pistorius was prohibited from competing at any International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) competition on grounds of fairness. On the basis of biomechanical and physiological evidence, the IAAF argued that his highly specialized prosthetic limbs gave him an advantage and were therefore in contravention of Rule 144.2. This rule forbids the use of any technical device (such as prosthetic limbs) that provides the user with an advantage over another athlete not using such a device. This decision was subsequently overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport following an appeal by Pistorius. Using this case as an example, the aim of this paper is to highlight the empirical and ethical difficulties associated with the application of the principle of fairness in sport. In particular, we discuss both the complexity of identifying the nature and size of athletic advantage and the basis for determining its validity. Moreover, we explore how similar difficulties arise when attempting to establish criteria for “relevant athletic performance”. We argue that reasonable rules and norms for competition are not simply inferred from the principle of fairness. Such rules and norms should result from careful judgements informed by scientific, conceptual, and ethical evidence, and be guided by the standards of excellence that best characterize the sport in question.
INTERSTELLAR EXPOSURE AGES OF LARGE PRESOLAR SiC GRAINS FROM THE MURCHISON METEORITE
Authors: Gyngard Frank , Amari Sachiko , Zinner Ernst , Ott Ulrich 
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACT
We report the Li isotopic compositions of nine large, greater than 5 μm, presolar SiC grains from the Murchison (CM) meteorite. Most of the SiC grains analyzed are isotopically similar in C and Si and morphologically distinct from other presolar SiC grains. Their 7Li/6Li ratios range from ∼9.3 to the solar value (∼12). The 6Li enrichments observed in the grains can only arise from galactic cosmic ray spallation off C atoms during travel through the interstellar medium (ISM) and before incorporation into the meteorite parent body. Using appropriate production rates, we calculate recoil-loss-corrected individual exposure ages of eight grains with 6Li excesses that range from 40 Myr to about 1 Gyr. The long exposure ages (>500 Myr) are consistent with calculations of grain survival lifetimes in the ISM, while the shorter ages (<100 Myr) of two grains are more consistent with previous cosmogenic noble gas studies. Although the sample size is only eight grains, there appears to be little evidence for clustering of exposure ages and no obvious correlation between exposure age and grain size.
On the onset of type I edge localized modes
Authors: G.Y. Antar  , S.I. Krasheninnikov  , P.B. Snyder  , R.A. Moyer  , R. Pugno  , D.S. Gray  
Published: March 2009

The affiliation of the first author should be corrected to read G.Y. Antar, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA, Present address: American University of Beirut, Riad El-Solh, Beirut 1107 2020, Lebanon.The following Acknowledgment should be added: This work was supported in part by the US Department of Energy under DE-FG02-04ER54758 and DE-FC02-04ER54698.
Transcriptionally active gene fragments derived from potentially fast-evolving donor genes in the rice genome
Authors: Wang Xiangfeng , Yu Zhihui , Yang Xiaozeng , Deng Xing-Wang , Li Lei 
Published: March 2009

Abstract
The unprecedented complexity of the transcriptomic data obtained in recent years creates opportunities for new genomic studies aimed at interpolating regulatory code of gene expression and tracing genome evolution. We report here the identification and characterization of a set of 851 intergenic loci that represent transcribed gene fragments (TGFs) ectopically duplicated from 1030 non-transposable element (non-TE) donor genes in the rice genome. We analyzed the genomic context of the TGFs and donor genes. We show that the TGFs have adopted transcriptional orientation and pattern independent of the donor genes. We further show that TGFs have undergone relaxed purifying selection, consistent with their being pseudogenized. We found that the donor genes, which are biased toward certain molecular functions, exhibit an accelerated evolution rate comparing to the genome average. Our results demonstrated a large number of actively TGFs in the rice genome and shed light on the origin, mode of action and function of the TGFs.
Contact: 114jn@virginia.edu
Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Increased expression of CD208 (DC‐LAMP) in epidermal keratinocytes of psoriatic lesions
Authors: HIGAKI Megumu , HIGAKI Yuko , KAWASHIMA Makoto 
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACTPsoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by epidermal hyperproliferation and infiltration of inflammatory leukocytes. The aim of this study was to clarify the role of innate immunity involving dendritic cells (DC) and keratinocytes in psoriasis. We immunohistochemically examined the expression of DC markers such as CD1a, CD83, CD207 (Langerin), CD208 (DC‐LAMP) and CD209 (DC‐SIGN) in psoriatic skin and γ‐interferon (IFN‐γ)/12‐O‐tetradecanoylphorbol‐13‐acetate (TPA)‐stimulated keratinocytes in vitro. CD208 was strongly expressed in basal and suprabasal layer keratinocytes in addition to DC in the perivascular lesions of the psoriatic dermis. Furthermore, the enhanced expression of CD208 in the perinuclear lesions of IFN‐γ‐/TPA‐stimulated keratinocytes was observed in vitro. Because a defect of the granular layer in psoriatic lesions has been recognized, increased expression of lysosome‐related CD208 in the basal and suprabasal keratinocytes of psoriatic lesions might represent aberrant epidermal differentiation. Additionally, these CD208‐positive keratinocytes possessing putative antigen‐processing activity might play a key role as antigen‐presenting cells in psoriatic skin.
Cornoid lamellae associated with follicular infundibulum and acrosyringium in porokeratosis
Authors: MINAMI‐HORI Masako , ISHIDA‐YAMAMOTO Akemi , IIZUKA Hajime 
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACTSkin lesions of porokeratosis consist of an atrophic center bordered by a peripheral grooved keratotic ridge that corresponds histopathologically to the cornoid lamella. Originally porokeratosis was named based on the assumption that the columns of parakeratosis emerge from the ostia of eccrine ducts. Despite this, it is generally accepted that the cornoid lamellae are rarely related to the acrosyringium. We recently encountered two cases of porokeratosis, where the cornoid lamellae were related to the follicular infundibulums. Therefore, we analyzed the location of the cornoid lamellae in 86 lesions of porokeratosis from 73 patients from our archives. We found that many cornoid lamellae are also detected at follicular infundibulum and acrosyringium. The existence of so many cornoid lamellae at follicular infundibulum and acrosyringium inside the plaques cannot be explained by pure coincidence and may be more than fortuitous.
Case of regional lymphomatoid papulosis confined to the periorbital areas
Authors: KIM Yeon Jin , RHO Yong Kwan , YOO Kwang Ho , KIM Ji Young , SEO Seong Jun , HONG Chang Kwun , MOON Nam Ju , SONG Kye Yong 
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACTA localized form of lymphomatoid papulosis (LyP) has been described very rarely. A 38‐year‐old Korean man presented with a single bean‐sized, non‐tender, erythematous nodule confined to periorbital areas with three recurrences over a 2‐year duration. With findings of biopsy, immunohistochemical staining and T‐cell receptor gene rearrangement, LyP was diagnosed. We report a case of CD30 (Ki‐1)‐positive LyP which developed recurrently and was confined to the periorbital areas.
Case of congenital esophageal stricture by ganglioneuroma and acro‐flexural hyperpigmentation: A coincidence?
Authors: KIM Beom Joon , CHOI Jung Won , YEON Je Ho , SHIN Choong Ho , PARK Kwi Won , CHO Kwang Hyun , KWON Oh Sang 
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACTCongenital hyperpigmentation in the acro‐genital area and simultaneous occurrence of ganglioneuroma in the esophagus have yet to be reported. Herein, we report a 4‐month‐old girl presenting with feeding difficulty by esophageal ganglioneuroma and symmetrically distributed brown pigmented patches on the lips, axillae, dorsa of fingers and toes, and genital area. Although the esophageal stricture was resolved by surgical removal of ganglioneuroma, her skin manifestations remained for over 2 years.
Merkel cell carcinoma of the inguinal lymph node with an unknown primary site
Authors: KIM Eun Jung , KIM Hei Sung , KIM Hyung Ok , JUNG Chan Kwon , KO Yoon‐Ho , KIM Taeg Hyun , PARK Young Min 
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACTMerkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an uncommon and aggressive primary neuroendocrine malignancy of the skin. Frequent local recurrences and disseminations to regional lymph nodes and distant organs are characteristic. MCC within the lymph nodes in the absence of a primary site is rare and has only been reported sporadically. We report a case of MCC presenting as a painless mass in the left inguinal area for 5 months in a 57‐year‐old man. The histopathology of the excised lesion revealed a poorly differentiated basophilic small cell tumor. The tumor cells were positive for cytokeratin 20 and CD56, negative for cytokeratin 7, thyroid transcription factor‐1 and CDX‐2. These immunohistochemical findings were consistent with the diagnosis of a metastatic MCC. Despite extensive clinical and radiological investigation, we failed to identify the origin of the tumor. Our case may represent a lymph node metastasis from an occult or regressed skin primary, but we cannot preclude the possibility of a primary nodal tumor.
Psychopathological changes and quality of life in hepatitis C virus‐infected, opioid‐dependent patients during maintenance therapy
Authors: Schäfer Arne , Wittchen Hans‐Ulrich , Backmund Markus , Soyka Michael , Gölz Jörg , Siegert Jens , Schäfer Martin , Tretter Felix , Kraus Michael R. 
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACTAims  To examine among maintenance patients (methadone or buprenorphine) with and without hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection (i) the frequency of psychopathological symptoms at baseline and 1‐year follow‐up; (ii) the association between antiviral interferon (IFN) treatment and psychopathological symptoms; and (iii) to explore whether IFN therapy has an effect on 1‐year outcome of maintenance treatment.Design  Naturalistic prospective longitudinal cohort design.Setting  A total of 223 substitution centres in Germany.Participants  A nationally representative sample of 2414 maintenance patients, namely 800 without and 1614 with HCV infection, of whom 122 received IFN therapy.Measures  HCV infection (HCV+/HCV‐), IFN (IFN+/IFN‐) treatment status and clinical measures. Diagnostic status and severity (rated by clinician), psychopathology (BSI—Brief Symptom Inventory) and quality of life (EQ‐5D—EuroQol Group questionnaire).Findings  HCV+ patients revealed indications for a moderately increased psychopathological burden and poorer quality of life at baseline and follow‐up compared to HCV‐ patients. HCV+ patients showed a marked deterioration over time only in the BSI subscale somatization (P = 0.002), and the frequency of sleep disorders almost doubled over time (12.8% at baseline; 24.1% at follow‐up; P < 0.01). IFN treatment, received by 10% of HCV+ patients, did not impair efficacy or tolerability of maintenance therapy and was associated overall with neither increased psychopathological burden nor reduced quality of life.Conclusions  Findings suggest no increased risk among HCV+ patients on maintenance therapy for depressive or other psychopathological syndromes. In our patient sample, IFN treatment was not associated with increased psychopathological burden, reduced quality of life or poorer tolerability and efficacy of maintenance treatment.
Weakening of one more alcohol control pillar: a review of the effects of the alcohol tax cuts in Finland in 2004
Authors: Mäkelä Pia , Österberg Esa 
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACTAims  To review the consequences of the changes in Finnish alcohol policy in 2004, when quotas for travellers' tax‐free imports of alcoholic beverages from other European Union (EU) countries were abolished, Estonia joined the EU and excise duties on alcoholic beverages were reduced in Finland by one‐third, on average.Design  A review of published research and routinely available data.Setting  Finland.Measurements  Prices of alcoholic beverages, recorded and unrecorded alcohol consumption, data on criminality and other police statistics, alcohol‐related deaths and hospitalizations, service use.Findings  Alcohol consumption increased 10% in 2004, clearly more than in the early 2000s. With few exceptions, alcohol‐related harms increased. Alcohol‐induced liver disease deaths increased the most, by 46% in 2004–06 compared to 2001–03, which indicates a strong effect on pre‐2004 heavy drinkers. Consumption and harms increased most among middle‐aged and older segments of the population, and harms in the worst‐off parts of the population in particular.Conclusions  Alcohol taxation and alcohol prices affect consumption and related harms, and heavy drinkers are responsive to price. In Finland in 2004, the worst‐off parts of the population paid the highest price in terms of health for cuts in alcohol prices. The removal of travellers' import quotas, which was an inherent part of creating the single European market, had serious public health consequences in Finland.
Safety and tolerability of omalizumab
Authors: Corren J. , Casale T. B. , Lanier B. , Buhl R. , Holgate S. , Jimenez P. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryBackground
Omalizumab (Xolair®) is a recombinant humanized monoclonal anti‐IgE antibody with proven efficacy in patients with moderate‐to‐severe and severe persistent allergic (IgE‐mediated) asthma.Objective
To review clinical study data to assess the safety profile of omalizumab.Methods
We analysed the safety of omalizumab using data from completed clinical studies (up to 1 year) involving more than 7500 patients with asthma, rhinitis or related conditions and up to 4 years in one study of patients with severe allergic asthma, as well as post‐marketing safety data. Analysis focuses on the risk of immune‐system effects, hypersensitivity reactions, malignant neoplasia, parasitic infections and thrombocytopenia.Results
Omalizumab exhibited a good safety and tolerability profile that was maintained up to 4 years in one study. The incidence of anaphylaxis was 0.14% in omalizumab‐treated patients and 0.07% in control patients. No omalizumab‐treated patient developed measurable anti‐omalizumab antibodies. Post‐marketing, based on estimated exposure of 57 300 patients (June 2003–December 2006), the frequency of anaphylaxis attributed to omalizumab use was estimated to be at least 0.2% of patients. Current clinical trial data do not support an increased risk of malignant neoplasia or thrombocytopenia with omalizumab.Conclusion
Data indicate that the proven efficacy of add‐on omalizumab in patients with moderate‐to‐severe or severe allergic asthma is accompanied by a favourable safety and tolerability profile.
Improved analysis and modelling of soil diffuse reflectance spectra using wavelets
Authors: Viscarra Rossel R. A. , Lark R. M. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryDiffuse reflectance spectroscopy using visible (vis), near‐infrared (NIR) and mid‐infrared (mid‐IR) energy can be a powerful tool to assess and monitor soil quality and function. Mathematical pre‐processing techniques and multivariate calibrations are commonly used to develop spectroscopic models to predict soil properties. These models contain many predictor variables that are collinear and redundant by nature. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) is often used for their analysis. Wavelets can be used to smooth signals and to reduce large data sets to parsimonious representations for more efficient data storage, computation and transmission. Our aim was to investigate their potential for the analyses of soil diffuse reflectance spectra. Specifically we wished to: (i) show how wavelets can be used to represent the multi‐scale nature of soil diffuse reflectance spectra, (ii) produce parsimonious representations of the spectra using selected wavelet coefficients and (iii) improve the regression analysis for prediction of soil organic carbon (SOC) and clay content. We decomposed soil vis‐NIR and mid‐IR spectra using the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) using a Daubechies’s wavelet with two vanishing moments. A multiresolution analysis (MRA) revealed their multi‐scale nature. The MRA identified local features in the spectra that contain information on soil composition. We illustrated a technique for the selection of wavelet coefficients, which were used to produce parsimonious multivariate calibrations for SOC and clay content. Both vis‐NIR and mid‐IR data were reduced to less than 7% of their original size. The selected coefficients were also back‐transformed. Multivariate calibrations were performed by PLSR, multiple linear regression (MLR) and MLR with quadratic polynomials (MLR‐QP) using the spectra, all wavelet coefficients, the selected coefficients and their back transformations. Calibrations by MLR‐QP using the selected wavelet coefficients produced the best predictions of SOC and clay content. MLR‐QP accounted for any nonlinearity in the data. Transforming soil spectra into the wavelet domain and producing a smaller representation of the data improved the efficiency of the calibrations. The models were computed with reduced, parsimonious data sets using simpler regressions.
Invertebrate grazing during the regenerative phase affects the ultimate structure of macrophyte communities
Authors: ELGER ARNAUD , WILLBY NIGEL J. , CABELLO‐MARTINEZ MÓNICA 
Published: March 2009

Summary1. Although the biomass of freshwater macrophytes consumed by invertebrate herbivores (excluding crayfish) is usually low, there is growing evidence that invertebrates do exert a structuring effect on macrophyte communities. To explain this, we postulated that the effect of invertebrates may be concentrated on macrophytes during their regenerative phase.2. We tested this hypothesis by means of a mesocosm‐based experiment, in which we investigated the effects of different densities of pond snails [Lymnaea stagnalis (L.)] on macrophytes regenerating from the natural sediment propagule bank.3. After 2 months, a diverse macrophyte community had established in the absence of snails, mainly from sexual propagules. Under moderate snail grazing (4 individuals m−2), the ultimate biomass of macrophytes was similar, but its species composition differed dramatically. Only a few unpalatable taxa, such as Ceratophyllum demersum and Nymphaeaceae, persisted. Moreover, the relative success of macrophytes regenerating from vegetative rather than sexual propagules improved. Under higher snail grazing (20 m−2), all macrophytes disappeared before the end of the experiment.4. These results confirm that snails at natural densities can have a strong effect on the ultimate structure of macrophyte communities by selectively consuming some species at a juvenile stage. Therefore, the regenerative phase can be seen as a window of opportunity for invertebrate grazers, which can have a qualitative effect on communities that is disproportionate to the biomass consumed.