bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Ascites in infants with severe sepsis – treatment with peritoneal drainage
Authors: PIOTROWSKI ANDRZEJ , SOBALA WOJCIECH , KRAJEWSKI PAWEŁ , FENDLER WOJCIECH , DABROWSKA‐WOJCIAK IWONA 
Published: May 2006

SummaryBackground:  Ascites in neonates and infants is usually caused by cardiac failure and urinary or biliary tract obstruction. The objective of this study was to characterize our experience with ascites as a complication of sepsis.Methods:  We retrospectively collected and analyzed data of patients treated in the intensive care unit (ICU) of the university‐based children's hospital, in whom ascites developed during nosocomial sepsis. Ten infants admitted to the ICU in the first 2 days of life developed sepsis on the mean 31.5 (±21.9) postnatal day. Gram‐negative bacteria were the causative organism in nine cases, and Staphylococcus hemolyticus in one. Because of sepsis, reintubation and mechanical ventilation were necessary. All patients received broad spectrum antibiotics (including meropenem and ciprofloxacin), blood transfusions, catecholamines and intravenous immunoglobulin preparations. Ascites was observed on the median 13.5 day of sepsis (range 3–36), and severely compromised gas exchange. Continuous peritoneal drainage was applied by means of an intravascular catheter placed in the right lower abdominal quadrant.Results:  The mean drained fluid volume was 44.7 (±20.4) ml·kg−1·day−1, drainage was continued for a median of 5.5 (range 1–56) day, and enabled significant reduction of ventilator settings 24 h after its implementation. No severe complications related to drainage occurred; six of 10 babies survived.Conclusions:  Ascites can develop in infants with sepsis and cause respiratory compromise. Continuous drainage of ascitic fluid by means of an intravenous catheter is relatively safe and can improve gas exchange.
Esophageal saturation during antegrade cerebral perfusion: a preliminary report using visible light spectroscopy
Authors: HENINGER CARLY , RAMAMOORTHY CHANDRA , AMIR GABRIEL , KAMRA KOMAL , REDDY V. MOHAN , HANLEY FRANK L. , BROCK‐UTNE JOHN G. 
Published: May 2006

SummaryBackground:  Visible light spectroscopy (VLS) is newer technology that measures real‐time tissue oxygenation. It has been validated in detecting mucosal ischemia in adults. During complex neonatal heart surgery, antegrade cerebral perfusion (ACP) maintains cerebral saturation. Whether ACP maintains peripheral tissue perfusion in humans is not known.Methods:  Five patients undergoing neonatal open heart surgery with hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) were studied using a VLS esophageal probe in addition to bilateral near infrared cerebral oximetry. Three of five patients required ACP for arch repair, while two patients did not. VLS and cerebral saturation data were collected and analyzed in 5 min intervals prior to CPB, during CPB, and during ACP.Results:  In the two patients undergoing heart surgery with routine hypothermic CPB, both cerebral and esophageal saturations were maintained. However in all three neonates requiring ACP, although cerebral saturations did not decrease, esophageal saturation fell below the ischemic threshold (35%). Following establishment of normal CPB, esophageal saturation returned to baseline.Conclusions:  Antegrade cerebral perfusion maintains cerebral oxygen delivery, however, it does not adequately perfuse the esophagus in neonates. This could have clinical implications.
Anesthesia and Prader–Willi syndrome: preliminary experience with regional anesthesia
Authors: LEGRAND RYAN , TOBIAS JOSEPH D. 
Published: May 2006

SummaryThe constellation of neonatal hypotonia, developmental delay, hypogonadism and obesity caused by hyperphagia was first reported in 1956 and subsequently termed Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS). Genetic analysis has demonstrated abnormalities of chromosome 15. Anesthesia concerns of PWS include morbid obesity, the potential for difficulties with airway management, risk for perioperative respiratory failure, abnormalities in the central control of ventilation and temperature, rare reports of primary myocardial involvement, aggressive and at times violent behavior and glucose intolerance. For the first time, we report the use of regional anesthesia in four patients with PWS. A lumbar plexus catheter was used to provide postoperative analgesia in one patient while regional anesthesia (fasica iliaca block, spinal anesthesia, and lateral vertical infraclavicular block) was used to provide primary intraoperative anesthesia in three other patients while avoiding the need for general anesthesia. Previous reports of the anesthesia care of patients with PWS are reviewed and the potential perioperative implications of the sequelae of PWS are discussed.
Lidocaine pretreatment for the prevention of propofol‐induced transient motor disturbances in children during anesthesia induction: a randomized controlled trial in children undergoing invasive hematologic procedures
Authors: BILOTTA FEDERICO , FERRI FRANCESCA , SORIANO SULPICIO G. , FAVARO ROBERTO , ANNINO LUCIANA , ROSA GIOVANNI 
Published: May 2006

SummaryBackground:  We examined the effect of lidocaine pretreatment before propofol administration on the incidence of transient motor disturbances and on propofol requirements for anesthesia induction in infants and children undergoing repeated painful diagnostic and therapeutic hematological procedures.Methods:  A series of 358 children subgrouped according to the presence of a peripheral‐vein or central venous catheter were randomly assigned to receive an intravenous dose of 2% lidocaine (2.0 mg·kg−1) or an equivalent volume of saline, 1 min before propofol (1.5–3.5 mg·kg−1) injected for anesthesia induction.Results:  The incidence of spontaneous movements was significantly lower in patients pretreated with lidocaine than in those receiving placebo (2.5% vs 29%; P < 0.001, by chi‐square test), as was the propofol induction dose (1.6 ± 0.2 mg·kg−1 vs 2.2 ± 0.3 mg·kg−1; P < 0.001) and pain at the injection site in patients peripheral‐vein catheter (12% vs. 54%; P < 0.001). Lidocaine administration also improved children's acceptance as reported by parents on the Observational Scale of Behavioral Distress administered 2 h after the procedure (6.5 ± 2.5 vs. 9.4 ± 3.3; P < 0.001). Bouts of coughing developed significantly more frequently after lidocaine pretreatment than after placebo (62.5% vs. 17.5%; P < 0.001).Conclusions:  Because lidocaine pretreatment before the induction of propofol‐based anesthesia decreases propofol‐induced motor disturbances, lowers hypnotic requirements and reduces pain at the injection site, without inducing untoward events, thus improving children's and parental acceptance, it should become standard practice in infants and children undergoing repeated painful diagnostic and therapeutic hematological procedures.
Value of bispectral index monitor in differentiating between moderate and deep Ramsay Sedation Scores in children
Authors: MASON KEIRA P. , MICHNA EDWARD , ZURAKOWSKI DAVID , BURROWS PATRICIA E. , PIRICH MICHELE A. , CARRIER MAUREEN , FONTAINE PAULETTE J. , SETHNA NAVIL F. 
Published: May 2006

SummaryBackground:  Pediatric patients who undergo diagnostic radiological imaging studies routinely require moderate or deep sedation to a Ramsay Sedation Score (RSS) of 4 or 5, respectively. The correlation between moderate and deep RSS and bispectral index (BIS) in children has never been validated. This study was designed to determine whether the BIS values correlate with RSS of children sedated for diagnostic imaging studies.Methods:  After Institutional Review Board approval, data were prospectively collected on all children receiving pentobarbital alone for computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. On arrival in the recovery room, any child assigned a Ramsay score of 4 or 5 was subsequently monitored with the BIS. Receiver‐operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to evaluate the discriminative ability of BIS in differentiating depth of anesthesia.Results:  A total of 86 children over 1 year of age were enrolled. Children with Ramsay 4 (moderate) and Ramsay 5 (deep) sedation scores showed no significant difference in age or pentobarbital dose (mg·kg−1). BIS values followed a normal Gaussian‐shaped distribution for both Ramsay scores. There was no significant difference in mean BIS values between the Ramsay groups (P = 0.64). There was a wide variation in BIS values (range of 31–90), which demonstrates that the BIS monitor does not correlate with the clinically assigned RSS depth of anesthesia in children. The ROC curve for BIS is equivalent to a line of nondiscrimination.Conclusion:  BIS has limited ability to distinguish between moderate and deep Ramsay sedation levels in children who receive pentobarbital sedation for diagnostic imaging studies.
Transmission assumptions generate conflicting predictions in host–vector disease models: a case study in West Nile virus
Authors: Wonham Marjorie J. , Lewis Mark A. , Rencławowicz Joanna , Van Den Driessche P. 
Published: May 2006

AbstractThis review synthesizes the conflicting outbreak predictions generated by different biological assumptions in host–vector disease models. It is motivated by the North American outbreak of West Nile virus, an emerging infectious disease that has prompted at least five dynamical modelling studies. Mathematical models have long proven successful in investigating the dynamics and control of infectious disease systems. The underlying assumptions in these epidemiological models determine their mathematical structure, and therefore influence their predictions. A crucial assumption is the host–vector interaction encapsulated in the disease‐transmission term, and a key prediction is the basic reproduction number, ℛ0. We connect these two model elements by demonstrating how the choice of transmission term qualitatively and quantitatively alters ℛ0and therefore alters predicted disease dynamics and control implications. Whereas some transmission terms predict that reducing the host population will reduce disease outbreaks, others predict that this will exacerbate infection risk. These conflicting predictions are reconciled by understanding that different transmission terms apply biologically only at certain population densities, outside which they can generate erroneous predictions. For West Nile virus, ℛ0estimates for six common North American bird species indicate that all would be effective outbreak hosts.
Sister species within the Triops cancriformis lineage (Crustacea, Notostraca)
Authors: Korn Michael , Marrone Federico , Pérez‐Bote Jose L. , Machado Margarida , Cristo Margarida , Da Fonseca Luís Cancela , Hundsdoerfer Anna K. 
Published: May 2006

We investigated the phylogenetic relationships among the three presently recognized subspecies of the tadpole shrimp, Triops cancriformis, using mitochondrial 16S and 12S rDNA sequences. Our results indicate that the taxon is divided into two distinct lineages. One lineage is formed of T. c. cancriformis populations and samples from northern Spain that had been classified as T. c. simplex in the most recent literature. The second lineage comprises all populations of T. c. mauritanicus and northern African populations of T. c. simplex. These two main lineages separated 2.3 to 8.9 million years ago, based on the range of inferred molecular clocks recognized for crustacean mtDNA sequence divergence. Percentages of divergence are in the range reported for recognized species in other notostracan lineages and we therefore propose to recognize them as two species, Triops cancriformis and Triops mauritanicus. The latter would comprise two subspecies in northern Africa, one consisting of the Moroccan populations of the former T. c. mauritanicus, the other comprising the African populations of the former T. c. simplex. It also includes three as‐yet unnamed lineages. A comparison of morphological characters with the molecular data revealed that the former T. c. simplex cannot be reliably separated from T. c. cancriformis, using morphological characters that have hitherto been used to distinguish among subspecies of T. cancriformis. Our investigation is the first to demonstrate the presence of T. c. cancriformis in Africa (Tunisia). The genetic haplotypes of these populations are identical with haplotypes also occurring in Central and Western Europe, as well as in Sicily. Therefore, we hypothesize that the African populations of T. c. cancriformis represent a result of repeated long‐distance dispersal across the Mediterranean Sea.
Erythema figuratum in septic babesiosis
Authors: Moreno Giménez JC , Jiménez Puya R , Galán Gutiérrez M , Ortega Salas R , Dueñas Jurado JM 
Published: May 2006

AbstractBabesiosis is a rare worldwide‐distributed protozoal zoonosis caused by a haemoprotozoan of the genus Babesia, transmitted through bites of tick of the genus Ixodes. The first demonstrated case of human babesiosis in the world was discovered in Europe, in 1957. However, most of the cases were reported later in the north‐east of the United States where Babesia microti has been the cause of over 300 cases of human babesiosis since 1969. In Europe, the most severe cases are observed in asplenic patients infected by a parasite of cattle, the Babesia divergens. Only two cases of babesiosis have been reported in Spain. We present a case of erythema figuratum associated to septic babesiosis in a non‐splenectomized man, which is currently the third case of babesiosis in Spain.
Treatment of atopic dermatitis with the xenon chloride excimer laser
Authors: Baltás E , Csoma Z , Bodai L , Ignácz F , Dobozy A , Kemény L 
Published: May 2006

AbstractBackground  Narrow‐band ultraviolet B phototherapy is an effictive and safe treatment for atopic dermatitis. We have previously found that the 308 nm xenon chloride excimer laser was more effective than the narrow‐band ultraviolet B light for the treatment of psoriasis, suggesting that ultraviolet B laser might offer advantages over narrow‐band ultraviolet B.Objective  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of the 308 nm excimer laser in atopic dermatitis.Patients and methods  Fifteen patients with atopic dermatitis (less than 20% body area involvement) were treated with a xenon chloride excimer laser (XTRAC laser, Photomedex Inc.) twice weekly. The severity of the atopic dermatitis was assessed via (i) a clinical score characterizing the intensity of erythema, infiltration, lichenification and excoriation; (ii) the quality of life, determined by means of a questionnaire; and (iii) a visual linear analogue scale, with which the patients scored the severity of their pruritus.Results  After 1 month of laser therapy, the clinical scores were significantly lower than the initial values. Similar decreases were observed for the quality of life and pruritus scores. No serious or unpleasant side‐effects were observed.Conclusion  These results suggest that the xenon chloride excimer laser is an effective and well‐tolerated treatment for localized atopic dermatitis.
Cyclosporin A treatment in severe childhood psoriasis
Authors: Pereira TM , Vieira AP , Fernandes JC , Sousa‐Basto A 
Published: May 2006

AbstractThough used occasionally, systemic therapies in severe childhood psoriasis have not been systematically investigated. Cyclosporin A (CysA) is effective in adults with severe psoriasis but there are no extensive data regarding the efficacy and safety of its use in childhood psoriasis. In this paper, we describe six children aged between 11 months and 13 years (average: 7.6 years) treated with CysA microemulsion formulation for severe psoriasis, who had been unresponsive to other treatments. The CysA dose ranged from 2 to 4 mg/kg/day, for periods varying from 8 to 105 weeks (mean: 54 weeks). Dose tapering was gradual after lesion improvement and adjusted according to clinical response. Adjuvant therapy with topical steroids, vitamin D3 ointments, coal tar preparations or anthralin was used in all children. Acitretin was used in three patients for short periods. The children were regularly monitored for serum renal and liver function and blood pressure. Improvement of skin lesions was achieved after between 4 and 30 (mean: 12) weeks of treatment, with complete remission in three children. Relapse of lesions occurred in the other children during CysA reduction, but they responded to a dose increase. The treatment was found to be well tolerated and with no significant side‐effects. CysA can be used in carefully selected and monitored patients and may represent an alternative tool for severe episodes of psoriasis in children, when other therapies are unsuccessful.
The broader cognitive phenotype of autism in parents: how specific is the tendency for local processing and executive dysfunction?
Authors: Bölte Sven , Poustka Fritz 
Published: May 2006

Background:  The objective of this study was to investigate the tendency for local processing style (‘weak central coherence’) and executive dysfunction in parents of subjects with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared with parents of individuals with early onset schizophrenia (EOS) and mental retardation (MR).Method:  Sixty‐two parents of subjects with ASD, 36 parents of subjects with EOS and 30 parents of subjects with MR were examined. Data on two scales indicative of local visual processing (Embedded Figures Test, Block Design) and on three executive function tests (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Tower of Hanoi, Trailmaking Test) were collected for all participants.Results:  Parents of subjects with ASD performed significantly faster on the Embedded Figures Test compared with both control samples. No other substantial group differences were observed.Conclusions:  The findings indicate that an increased tendency for local processing in terms of visual disembedding could be a relatively specific core feature of the broader cognitive phenotype of autism in parents.
Sex of the first hatched chick influences survival of the brood in the herring gull (Larus argentatus)
Authors: Kim S.‐Y. , Monaghan P. 
Published: May 2006

AbstractDifferences in the growth rate of male and female offspring can result in different parental rearing costs for sons and daughters. Such differences may also influence the survival chances of male and female offspring when conditions are unfavourable. In birds, hatching asynchrony leads to hierarchical competition for food between siblings. Therefore, the sex of the chick in the first hatched position in the brood may influence breeding success by affecting the extent to which the later hatched chicks can compete for resources. The interaction between brood sex composition and chick performance in the herring gull Larus argentatus was examined under different environmental conditions. When environmental conditions were relatively good, chick survival within broods was better when a female was first to hatch, an effect that was most obvious later in the season. When conditions were poorer however, sex of the first hatched chicks was not related to brood survival. In neither situation did the overall primary sex ratio differ from equality. However in the year of relatively good food availability, the first chick in the brood was more likely to be male early in the season, which was when the disadvantageous effects on brood survival of males being in this position are weakest.
Limb development in pouch young of the brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) and tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii)
Authors: Lentle R. G. , Kruger M. C. , Mellor D. J. , Birtles M. , Moughan P. J. 
Published: May 2006

AbstractWe examined the allometric scaling of limb bones, forelimb and hindlimb musculature, and bone mineral content of the brushtail possum Trichosurus vulpecula and tammar wallaby Macropus eugenii eugenii to determine whether the pattern of development of these parameters in early pouch development fits in with the mechanical requirements necessary for true climbing following birth. In the brushtail possum the rates of increase of the forelimb and hindlimb bone widths with body mass were generally significantly lower than those predicted from the hypothesis of ‘static strain similarity’, that is 0.375, and were not significantly different from isometry. Conversely, the rates of increase of limb bone lengths with body mass were significantly greater than predicted, that is >0.25 in this species. In the wallaby the rates of increase in the widths of forelimb bones with body mass were lower than predicted by the hypothesis of static strain similarity whereas those of the hindlimb bones were higher. Again the rates of increase in forelimb and hindlimb bone lengths were all greater than predicted by the static strain hypothesis. These findings show that the neonates of both species had short wide forelimb bones better able to withstand the strain of body mass. Mineral content was lower in the forelimb bones of the pouch young of smaller body size in both species whereas the mineral content of wallaby hindlimb bones was relatively decreased in larger animals. The length of long bones scaled with positive allometry in relation to the associated mass of muscles in the limbs of both species, indicating that greater muscle mass per unit length in the neonate may compensate for the relatively low leverage of the neonatal limb bones. However, the more positive allometric scaling of the length of the hindlimb bones in relation to muscle mass indicates that the neonatal hindlimb has relatively greater muscle mass per unit length of bone. Given the relatively gracile form of the hindlimb bones, this suggests that neonatal forelimb morphology in these two species may result from the timing of birth in relation to limb development rather than the precocious specialization of the forelimb for early locomotion.
Effect of predation risk on the presence and persistence of yellow‐bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris) colonies
Authors: Blumstein D. T. , Ozgul A. , Yovovich V. , Van Vuren D. H. , Armitage K. B. 
Published: May 2006

AbstractHabitat selection may have population level consequences and ultimately may influence a population's local persistence or extinction. We capitalized on a long‐term study (1962–2004) of yellow‐bellied marmotsMarmota flaviventrisin and around the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Gothic, Colorado, USA, and compared habitat characteristics associated with food availability and predation risk to explain variation in persistence of marmots at 27 sites, and their absence at 22 additional, randomly selected sites. We classified sites as persistent, intermittent or null based on whether there was a history of extinction; intermittent sites periodically went extinct and null sites never had marmots. Logistic regression analyses revealed that environmental variables associated with visibility and safety, rather than food, correctly classified sites as persistent or non‐persistent as well as persistent or intermittent. Discriminant function analysis that included the null sites revealed that the same visibility‐related characteristics predicted where marmots were found. These results highlight the importance of variation in safety among sites in predicting long‐term population persistence, as well as a species' distribution.