bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Ten-year experience with surgical treatment of adults with congenital cardiac disease
Authors: Wauthy Pierre , Massaut Jacques , Sanoussi Ahmed , Demanet Hélène , Morissens Marielle , Damry Nasroolla , Dessy Hughes , Malekzadeh-Milani Sophie G. , Deuvaert Frank E. 
Published: October 2010

AbstractThe number of adults with congenital cardiac disease continues to increase, and adult patients are now more numerous than paediatric patients. We sought to identify risk factors for perioperative death and report our results with surgical management of adult patients with congenital cardiac disease. We retrospectively analysed in-hospital data for 244 consecutive adult patients who underwent surgical treatment of congenital cardiac disease in our centre between January, 1998 and December, 2007. The mean patient age was 27.2 plus or minus 11.9 years, 29% were in functional class III or IV, and 25% were cyanosed. Of the patients, half were operated on for the first time. A total of 61% of patients underwent curative operations, 36% a reoperation after curative treatment, and 3% a palliative operation. Overall mortality was 4.9%. Predictive factors for hospital death were functional class, cyanosis, non-sinus rhythm, a history of only palliative previous operation(s), and an indication for palliative treatment. Functional class, cyanosis, type of initial congenital cardiac disease (single ventricle and double-outlet right ventricle), and only palliative previous operation were risk factors for prolonged intensive care stay (more than 48 hours). The surgical management of adult patients with congenital cardiac disease has improved during recent decades. These generally young patients, with a complex pathology, today present a low post-operative morbidity and mortality. Patients having undergone palliative surgery and reaching adulthood without curative treatment present with an increased risk of morbidity and mortality. Univentricular hearts and double-outlet right ventricles were associated with the highest morbidity.
Ready-meal consumption: associations with weight status and cooking skills
Authors: van der Horst Klazine , Brunner Thomas A , Siegrist Michael 
Published: October 2010

AbstractObjectiveThe ready-meal market has grown considerably in recent years. At the same time, a degradation of traditional cooking skills has been observed. Ready meals are often rich in energy, fat and sugar and lack vegetables; however, studies investigating associations between ready-meal consumption, overweight and cooking skills are lacking. The present study examines whether demographic factors, overweight, beliefs about the nutritional value and taste of ready meals and cooking skills are associated with ready-meal consumption.DesignCross-sectional survey.SettingReady-meal consumption, weight status, cooking skills, beliefs about the taste and nutritional value of ready meals and demographic variables were assessed with self-administered questionnaires. Data were analysed with one-way ANOVA and multiple regression analysis.SubjectsA total of 1017 adults from the German-speaking part of Switzerland.ResultsMen reported being more positive about ready meals and having fewer cooking skills compared with women. Overweight adults (BMI > 25 kg/m2) were more positive about nutrients and vitamins in ready meals compared with normal-weight adults. Ready-meal consumption was associated with cooking skills (β= −0·192), age (β=− 0·228), overweight (β= 0·129), nutritional value (β= −0·131), taste (β= −0·126), working status (β= 0·096) and gender (β= 0·084).ConclusionsCooking skills were identified as a strong predictor of ready-meal consumption. The importance of cooking skills as a barrier to healthy eating should be explored, as it is plausible that cooking skills will further decrease in the future. Next, the study provided evidence for an association between ready-meal consumption and overweight. Further research should examine the importance of ready meals for the overweight epidemic.
Fatty Acid and Sterol Composition of a Karenia Brevis Bloom in the Gulf of Mexico
Authors: Leblond J. D. , Chapman P. J. 
Published: October 2010

AbstractIn the Gulf of Mexico, recurring algal blooms caused by Karenia brevis (formerly known as Gymnodinium breve) have significant adverse health and economic impacts. K. brevis is one member of a small group of dinoflagellates, related morphologically and by DNA‐based phylogenetic analysis, that synthesize the carotenoid, gyroxanthin diester, in place of the more widely distributed peridinin. While this novel photopigment has been proposed as a biomarker, especially for remote‐sensing imaging technologies, to detect the emergence of K. brevis blooms, other chemicals such as sterols and triglycerides, respectively, with potential to report the distribution and physiological condition of K. brevis are required. Recent work from our laboratories characterizing the lipids of dinoflagellates has confirmed that K. brevis, together with those few close relatives lacking peridinin, possesses a relatively simple sterol profile comprised of two unusual primary 4‐methyl sterols, designated ED and NED, each with an ergosterol‐type side chain. A recent dinoflagellate bloom in the waters of the north‐west Gulf of Mexico near the Gulf Breeze EPA laboratory provided an opportunity to examine the usefulness of these sterols and other lipids as indicators of K. brevis in phytoplankton communities. Lipid extracts of filtered bloom samples, fractionated to separate free and esterified sterols, were examined by GC–MS of trimethylsilyl ether derivatives. ED and NED were the major sterols found in all bloom samples. Fatty acids found in lipid fractions containing membrane phospholipids, chloroplast‐associated glycolipids, and storage triglycerides, respectively, differed significantly. The glycolipid fraction was found to contain octadecapentaenoic acid [18 : 5(n‐3)], a fatty acid commonly associated with dinoflagellates. The phospholipid fraction was found to contain small amounts of the recently described highly unsaturated fatty acids, octacosaoctaenoic acid [28 : 8(n‐3)] and octacosaheptaenoic acid [28 : 7(n‐6)]. Fatty acids from the triglyceride fraction were more abundant than those associated with glycolipids or phospholipids.
First Report of Cucumber mosaic virus in Sweet Cherry in the People's Republic of China
Authors: Tan H. D. , Li S. Y. , Du X. F. , Seno M. 
Published: October 2010

From the spring of 2003 to the summer of 2006, sweet cherry (Prunus avium) trees in orchards near Lvshun City, in the northeast People's Republic of China, had symptoms suggestive of those caused by Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV; genus Cucumovirus, family Bromoviridae). Symptoms included chlorotic patches or mottling on leaves that were also deformed (4). In April 2006, 20 symptomatic leaves sampled from 10 trees in each of four orchards were assayed for CMV with a CMV-specific antiserum (Agdia Inc., Elkhart, IN) in a double-antibody sandwich-ELISA. Of the 80 symptomatic leaf samples, 27 tested positive for the presence of CMV. CMV was detected in all four orchards, within which incidence varied between 0.5 and 4%. Viral nucleoproteins were purified by differential centrifugation and sucrose density gradient fractionation from symptomatic leaves. Transmission electron microscopy of nucleoproteins revealed isometric particles approximately 30 nm in diameter, which is also typical of CMV. Total RNA was also extracted from 100 mg of symptomatic tissue following a Trizol-based protocol (1). A reverse transcriptase-PCR assay with nucleocapsid gene-specific primers was then used (forward primer 5′-ATGGCGACGTCCTCGTTCA-3′; reverse primer 5′-CATCGTTCCCTTCAAAATAG-3′) (3). A PCR product of approximately 633 bp was obtained. The PCR product was cloned and sequenced. The sequence (GenBank Accession No. HM996559) had 95% identity with the RNA-1 sequence from CMV ‘Fny’ strain in GenBank (Accession No. D00356.1). The People's Republic of China is one of the major producers of sweet cherry in Asia and the spread of CMV in China may cause significant economic losses. Thus, virus-infected material should not be used for propagation and surveys should be undertaken to determine if the aphid vectors capable of transmitting CMV are present (2).To our knowledge, this is the first report of CMV occurring in sweet cherry orchards in the People's Republic of China. References: (1) P. Chomczynski and K. Mackey. Biotechniques 19:942, 1995. (2) F. E. Gildow et al. Phytopathology 98:1233, 2008. (3) T. M. Rizzo and P. Palukaitis. J. Gen. Virol. 70:1, 1989. (4) J. Shang et al. Z. Naturforsch. C 65:73, 2010.
The Arabidopsis Thylakoid Protein PAM68 Is Required for Efficient D1 Biogenesis and Photosystem II Assembly
Authors: Armbruster Ute , Zühlke Jessica , Rengstl Birgit , Kreller Renate , Makarenko Elina , Rühle Thilo , Schünemann Danja , Jahns Peter , Weisshaar Bernd , Nickelsen Jörg , Leister Dario 
Published: October 2010

Abstract
Photosystem II (PSII) is a multiprotein complex that functions as a light-driven water:plastoquinone oxidoreductase in photosynthesis. Assembly of PSII proceeds through a number of distinct intermediate states and requires auxiliary proteins. The photosynthesis affected mutant 68 (pam68) of Arabidopsis thaliana displays drastically altered chlorophyll fluorescence and abnormally low levels of the PSII core subunits D1, D2, CP43, and CP47. We show that these phenotypes result from a specific decrease in the stability and maturation of D1. This is associated with a marked increase in the synthesis of RC (the PSII reaction center-like assembly complex) at the expense of PSII dimers and supercomplexes. PAM68 is a conserved integral membrane protein found in cyanobacterial and eukaryotic thylakoids and interacts in split-ubiquitin assays with several PSII core proteins and known PSII assembly factors. Biochemical analyses of thylakoids from Arabidopsis and Synechocystis sp PCC 6803 suggest that, during PSII assembly, PAM68 proteins associate with an early intermediate complex that might contain D1 and the assembly factor LPA1. Inactivation of cyanobacterial PAM68 destabilizes RC but does not affect larger PSII assembly complexes. Our data imply that PAM68 proteins promote early steps in PSII biogenesis in cyanobacteria and plants, but their inactivation is differently compensated for in the two classes of organisms.
Low‐dose, short‐term ciclosporin (Neoral®) therapy is effective in improving patients’ quality of life as assessed by Skindex‐16 and GHQ‐28 in mild to severe psoriasis patients
Authors: OKUBO Yukari , NATSUME Shoko , USUI Kae , AMAYA Misato , TSUBOI Ryoji 
Published: October 2010

AbstractTherapies for psoriasis have focused not only on ameliorating the severity of the skin lesions, but also on the quality of life (QOL). Here, the efficacy of low‐dose, short‐term administration of ciclosporin (Neoral®, as CyA) was investigated. Forty‐one psoriasis patients were given CyA orally (3 mg/kg per day) twice daily before breakfast and dinner until the psoriatic area and severity index (PASI) scores decreased by at least 75%. Surveys were conducted before and after the therapy to ascertain QOL, itch, nail condition, joint pain, stress associated with topical application and therapy satisfaction. QOL was assessed by using the Japanese version of Skindex‐16 specific to skin diseases, and the Japanese version of the GHQ‐28, which assesses mental health. Data collected from 35 patients were analyzed. Remission was achieved in 26 patients (74%), and the average length required to achieve remission was 101.5 days. The average PASI score significantly decreased from 17.8 to 3.3 after the therapy. Remission lasted 6 months or longer in 40% of the patients. The average length of time before restarting systemic therapy was 182.0 days. This duration for patients with PASI scores of <13 was 287.5 days while for patients with PASI scores of ≥13, it was significantly shorter at 120.1 days. Five adverse events were recorded in three patients, but were not serious. The total Skindex‐16 score significantly decreased especially in the “emotions’ and “functioning” categories. GHQ scores also significantly decreased in “somatic symptoms,”“anxiety and insomnia,” and “depression”. With regard to patients’ satisfaction with their therapy, 88.5% of the patients reported “satisfied” or “slightly satisfied”. These results demonstrate that low‐dose, short‐term administration of CyA (3 mg/kg per day) is one of the best therapies for psoriasis patients with PASI scores of <13, while QOL assessment is a very useful tool for evaluating the value of therapy.
How best to measure change in evaluations of treatment for substance use disorder
Authors: Marsden John , Eastwood Brian , Wright Craig , Bradbury Colin , Knight Jonathan , Hammond Paul 
Published: October 2010

ABSTRACTAims  To compare the performance of the Jacobson & Truax (JT) reliable change index (RCI) with three alternative methods, using data from individuals receiving treatment for substance use disorders.Design  English National Treatment Outcome Monitoring Database for publicly funded specialist community pharmacological and psychosocial interventions.Participants  New adult admissions to treatment across England (1 January–31 December 2008), with in‐treatment clinic progress review conducted after an average of 122.8 days for 18 163 individuals.Measurements  Self‐reported days using heroin, crack, cocaine powder and alcohol during the 4 weeks before admission and clinical review, recorded using the Treatment Outcomes Profile and analysed using a multi‐level, mixed‐linear model, with both observed and true scores to estimate the effect of regression to the mean (RTM). Differences in performance among the JT RCI and the alternative methods were assessed by the proportion assigned to a reliably ‘improved’, ‘unchanged’ or ‘reliably deteriorated’ category; level of agreement; difference in effect size for observed and true scores; and receiver operating characteristic parameters.Findings  When compared to the alternative methods, the JT RCI was more conservative in assigning individuals to the improved category, and it showed no evidence of inferiority on any measure. For each method, all individuals categorized as reliably deteriorated and the majority of those categorized reliably improved had outcome scores which fell beyond that expected by RTM. Substituting true scores for observed scores moderated the size of the change effect associated with reduced use of the four substances, but this remained statistically significant.Conclusions  The Jacobson & Truax Reliable Change Index appears to be the optimal measure of change for evaluations of treatment for substance use disorder, in that it is the most conservative for assessing improvement and at least as accurate on all other criteria. Any evaluation of change needs to take account of regression to the mean.
Opioid dependence latent structure: two classes with differing severity?
Authors: Shand Fiona L. , Slade Tim , Degenhardt Louisa , Baillie Andrew , Nelson Elliot C. 
Published: October 2010

ABSTRACTAims  To examine the structure of illicit opioid abuse and dependence within an opioid dependent sample and its relationship to other clinical variables.Design, setting and participants  A cross‐sectional study of 1511 opioid dependent individuals recruited through opioid pharmacotherapy clinics in the Sydney area, Australia.Measurements  A face‐to‐face structured interview covering substance use and dependence, psychiatric history, child maltreatment, family background, adult violence and criminal history. Dimensional, latent class and factor mixture models were fit to the opioid abuse and dependence data. Classes were then compared on a range of demographic and clinical covariates.Findings  A two‐class, one‐factor model provided the best fit of all the models tested. The two classes differed with respect to endorsement probabilities on a range of abuse and dependence criteria, and also with respect to the odds of other drug dependence diagnoses, antisocial personality disorder and non‐fatal opioid overdose. Within‐class severity was associated with similar variables: other drug dependence, borderline personality disorder and opioid overdose.Conclusion  In an in‐treatment, opioid‐dependent sample, there appears to be two classes of individuals exhibiting distinct patterns of abuse and dependence criteria endorsement and to differ on externalizing but not internalizing disorders. This study provides preliminary evidence that the proposed DSM‐V opioid use disorder distinction between moderate and severely dependent people is valid. Class one participants were not only more severely dependent, but had greater odds for opioid overdoses, other drug dependence and antisocial personality disorder.
Can childhood asthma be predicted at birth?
Authors: Lødrup Carlsen K. C. , Mowinckel P. , Granum B. , Carlsen K.‐H. 
Published: October 2010

SummaryBackground
Early life appears optimal for prevention of asthma, but interventions require a relevant target population, to date not clearly identified at birth.Objective
We therefore aimed to identify the predicting capacity of factors known around birth for asthma and rhinitis at 10 years.Methods
The included 614 healthy term babies with lung function measured at birth in the 1992/1993 Environment and Childhood Asthma study in Oslo attended a 10‐year follow‐up visit including a structured interview and skin prick test (SPT) for allergies. The logistic regression analyses included 37 general variables from an extensive birth questionnaire; lung function; cord blood total immunoglobulin E and soluble CD14. A history of asthma, current asthma, history of rhinitis and ‘healthy’ (no history of asthma, rhinitis and negative SPT) was predicted on a group level and individual predicted probabilities were calculated.Results
The predictability of the models [area under the curve (95% confidence intervals)] was 0.74 (0.69, 0.79), 0.72 (0.64, 0.78), 0.69 (0.54, 0.72) and 0.67 (0.62, 0.71) for a history of asthma, current asthma, rhinitis and ‘healthy’, respectively. The best model predicted a history of asthma correctly in 93/124 (75%), and incorrectly in 176/490 (36%) children without asthma. The positive predictive values for all outcomes were low (19–61), the highest predicting healthy.Conclusion
Although at best 75% of children with a history of asthma could be predicted at birth, an intervention applied to our predicted high‐risk children would be started more often in children without than with future disease. Parental allergic disease alone appears insufficient to identify high‐risk populations in future studies of asthma and allergic disease. Cite this as: K. C. Lødrup Carlsen, P. Mowinckel, B. Granum and K.‐H. Carlsen, Clinical & Experimental Allergy, 2010 (40) 1767–1775.
Semen quality in men with Y chromosome aberrations
Authors: Antonelli A. , Marcucci L. , Elli R. , Tanzi N. , Paoli D. , Radicioni A. , Lombardo F. , Lenzi A. , Gandini L. 
Published: October 2010

SummaryInfertile males sometimes bear structurally balanced chromosome aberrations, such as translocations and inversions, which involve both autosomes and sex chromosomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate genotype–phenotype correlations in a sample of infertile men with various types of Y chromosome abnormalities. In particular, we examined the effect of (i) balanced structural aberrations such as translocations between sex chromosomes and autosomes; (ii) unbalanced structural aberrations such as deletions or isodicentrics, both [idic(Yp)] and [idic(Yq)]. We studied 13 subjects bearing Y chromosome aberrations. Each patient underwent seminal fluid examination, andrological inspection, hormone study, testicular ultrasound, conventional and molecular cytogenetic analysis and study of Y chromosome microdeletions. Comparison of genotype and sperm phenotype in infertile patients with various Y chromosome aberrations revealed the key role of meiotic pairing defects in arresting spermatogenesis, both in the presence and in the absence of azoospermic factor microdeletions and cell mosaicism. The failure of meiosis and, in consequence, spermatogenesis may be a result of the failure to inactivate the X chromosome in the meiotic prophase, which is necessary for normal male spermatogenesis to take place.
Smoking withdrawal shifts the spatiotemporal dynamics of neurocognition
Authors: Kozink Rachel V. , Lutz Avery M. , Rose Jed E. , Froeliger Brett , McClernon F. Joseph 
Published: October 2010

ABSTRACTSmoking withdrawal is associated with significant deficits in the ability to initiate and maintain attention for extended periods of time (i.e. sustained attention; SA). However, the effects of smoking abstinence on the temporal dynamics of neurocognition during SA have not been evaluated. Twenty adult smokers underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging scans following smoking as usual and after 24‐hours abstinence. During scanning they completed a SA task with two levels of task difficulty, designed to measure both sustained (i.e. over the duration of the task) and transient (i.e. event‐related) activation. Smoking abstinence significantly decreased task accuracy regardless of task difficulty. Compared to smoking as usual, abstinence resulted in decreased sustained activation in right inferior and middle frontal gyri but increased transient activation across dispersed cortical areas including precuneus and right superior frontal gyrus. Greater task difficulty was associated with even greater transient activation during abstinence in mostly right hemisphere regions including right inferior frontal gyrus. These findings suggest smoking withdrawal shifts the temporal and spatial dynamics of neurocognition from sustained, right prefrontal activation reflecting proactive cognitive control (Braver, Gray & Burgess 2009) to more dispersed and transient activation reflecting reactive control.
Neurotoxicity and persistent cognitive deficits induced by combined MDMA and alcohol exposure in adolescent rats
Authors: Hernandez‐Rabaza Vicente , Navarro‐Mora Graciela , Velazquez‐Sanchez Clara , Ferragud Antonio , Marin Maria P. , Garcia‐Verdugo Jose M. , Renau‐Piqueras Jaime , Canales Juan J. 
Published: October 2010

ABSTRACTRecent trend assessments of drug consumption reveal an increase in the simultaneous use of several drugs at raves, clubs and college settings among youngsters and young adults. We studied in adolescent rats the effects of repeated exposure to cocaine and 3,4‐methylenedioxymethanphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy), given alone or in combination with alcohol, on memory performance, adult hippocampal neurogenesis and neurotoxicity. Rats were trained two weeks after the drug treatments in the radial arm maze. The results showed that only rats exposed to combinations of alcohol and MDMA exhibited significant memory deficits. Alcohol, MDMA and combinations thereof significantly decreased 5‐bromodeoxyuridine labeling in the dentate gyrus (DG), indicating reduced survival of neuronal precursors. None of the treatments altered the length of the dendritic arbors of doublecortin (DCX)‐positive neurons or the number and length of DCX‐negative gaps in the DG. Thus, changes in adult neurogenesis were not causally related to the cognitive alterations induced by the treatments. Only the combination of alcohol and MDMA significantly decreased the population of mature granule neurons in the DG and increased the presence of cluster of differentiation 11b+ reactive microglia in the bordering areas of the subgranular zone. Critically, memory impairment was correlated with granule cell depletion. These observations demonstrate that exposure to alcohol and MDMA during adolescence, at doses that do not provoke apparent cognitive impairment when given separately, causes neurotoxic alterations affecting the DG region as well as persistent memory deficits. The findings highlight the elevated risk associated with the concurrent recreational use of alcohol and MDMA.