bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
What is the optimal time to repair atrioventricular septal defect and common atrioventricular valvar orifice?
Authors: Kogon Brian E. , Butler Hunter , McConnell Michael , Leong Traci , Kirshbom Paul M. , Kanter Kirk R. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractObjectiveWith improvements in technology and surgical technique, paediatric cardiologists are challenging surgeons to repair balanced atrioventricular septal defects in smaller patients. Early repair minimizes aggressive medical therapy to prevent heart failure, maintains growth, and limits exposure to elevated pulmonary pressures. We compare the outcomes of repair among different-sized children.MethodsFrom December 2002 to July 2005, 92 patients underwent repair of an atrioventricular septal defect with common atrioventricular valvar orifice and balanced ventricles. We reviewed operative and postoperative data. We excluded patients weighing more than 10 kilograms, but included those who underwent concomitant closure of a patent oval foramen or atrial septal defect, or ligation of a patent arterial duct. Those requiring other concomitant procedures were excluded from the analysis.ResultsThe median weight at repair was 4.9 kilograms, with a range from 2.93 to 7.9 kilograms, and the median age was 5.1 months, with a range from 0.39 to 9.6 months. Operative data included the time required for cardiopulmonary bypass, aortic cross-clamping, and the overall procedure. These times were not significantly affected by decreasing weight. Postoperative continuous data included duration of ventilation and length of intensive care unit and hospital stay. Stay in intensive care (p = 0.006) and hospital (p = 0.007) both increased significantly with decreasing weight. Postoperative categorical data included presence of residual ventricular septal defects, regurgitation across the left atrioventricular valve, and complications. While there was no difference in residual defects (p = 0.166) or valvar regurgitation (p = 0.729), there was a significantly higher presence of complications with decreasing weight (p = 0.0043). There was no mortality, and no persistent heart block requiring placement of a permanent pacemaker.ConclusionsOur data shows that, with the exception of a slightly longer and more complicated postoperative course, early surgery for symptomatic patients with atrioventricular septal defects and common atrioventricular valvar orifice can be undertaken safely and effectively in smaller children with excellent outcomes.
The prevalence of coronary arterial abnormalities in pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum and their influence on surgical results
Authors: Louise Calder A. , Peebles Charles R. , Occleshaw Christopher J. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractBackgroundThe relatively high mortality in patients with pulmonary atresia and intact ventricular septum may be related to the presence of significant coronary arterial anomalies. This retrospective review of cineangiocardiograms was undertaken to further elucidate the types and variety of such coronary arterial abnormalities, and to assess their effect on postoperative survival.Material and resultsDetails regarding coronary arterial anatomy and abnormalities were assessed in 116 patients. We noted the site and severity of lesions, and the presence of fistulous communications from the right ventricle to the coronary arteries, assessing the proportion of left ventricular myocardium affected by coronary arterial interruptions or significant stenoses, in other words, the amount dependent on coronary circulation from the right ventricle. We also measured diameters of the tricuspid and mitral valves. Fistulas were found in 87 patients (75%), interruptions of major coronary arteries in 40 patients (34%), lack of connections between the coronary arteries and the aorta in 18 patients (16%), and single origin of a coronary artery, with the right coronary artery arising from the left, in 6 patients (5%). We found increased mortality in 47 patients (40%) who had a right ventricular-dependent coronary arterial circulation. The presence of fistulas in itself was not associated with higher mortality, but the presence of coronary arterial interruptions (p = 0.05), and a higher myocardial score (p = 0.0009), were.ConclusionWe encountered a higher prevalence of both coronary arterial abnormalities and right ventricular-dependent circulation than previously reported. Awareness of the severity of the coronary arterial abnormalities should assist in planning treatment.
Misperceptions, inactivity and maternal factors may drive obesity
among Barbadian adolescents
Authors: Gaskin Pamela S , Broome Hedy , Alert Colin , Fraser Henry 
Published: June 2007

AbstractObjectivesTo describe (1) the prevalence of overweight and obesity and their
association with physical activity; (2) the effect of different cut-off
points for body mass index (BMI) on weight status categorisation; and (3)
associations of weight status with perceptions of body size, health and diet
quality.DesignA cross-sectional study.SettingSecondary schools in Barbados.SubjectsA cohort of 400 schoolchildren, 11–16 years old, selected to study
physical education practices.ResultsPrevalence of overweight (15% boys; 17% girls) and obesity (7% boys; 12%
girls) was high. Maternal obesity, as defined by the International Obesity
Task Force (IOTF) BMI cut-off points, predicted weight status such that
reporting an obese mother increased the odds of being overweight by 5.25
(95% confidence interval: 2.44, 11.31). Physical activity was inversely
associated with weight status; however levels were low. Recreational
physical activity was not associated with weight status in either category.
Overweight subjects tended to misclassify themselves as normal weight and
those who misclassified perceived themselves to be of similar health status
to normal-weight subjects. The National Center for Health Statistics and
IOTF BMI cut-off points produced different estimates of overweight and
obesity.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that inadequate physical activity and ignorance related
to food and appropriate body size are promoting high levels of adiposity
with a strong contribution from maternal obesity, which may be explained by
perinatal and other intergenerational effects acting on both sexes.
Prevalence studies and local proxy tools for adiposity assessment are
needed.
Monetary costs of dietary energy reported by young Japanese women: association with food and nutrient intake and body mass index
Authors: Murakami Kentaro , Sasaki Satoshi , Okubo Hitomi , Takahashi Yoshiko , Hosoi Yoko , Itabashi Mami 
Published: June 2007

AbstractObjectiveLittle is known about the relationship of monetary diet costs to dietary intake and obesity, particularly in non-Western populations. This study examined monetary cost of dietary energy in relation to diet quality and body mass index (BMI) among young Japanese women.DesignDietary intake was assessed by a validated, self-administered, diet history questionnaire. Diet costs were estimated using retail food prices. Monetary cost of dietary energy (Japanese yen 1000 kcal−1) was then calculated. BMI was computed from self-reported body weight and height.SubjectsA total of 3931 female Japanese dietetic students aged 18–20 years.ResultsMonetary cost of dietary energy was positively associated with intakes of fruits, vegetables, fish and shellfish, and pulses; however, higher monetary cost of dietary energy was also associated with higher consumption of fat and oil, meat and energy-containing beverages, and lower consumption of cereals (rice, bread and noodles) (all P for trend <0.01). At the nutrient level, monetary cost of dietary energy was positively associated with intakes of dietary fibre and key vitamins and minerals, but also associated positively with intakes of fat, saturated fatty acids, cholesterol and sodium, and negatively with carbohydrate intake (all P for trend <0.0001). After adjustment for possible confounders, monetary cost of dietary energy was quite weakly but significantly negatively associated with BMI (P for trend = 0.0197).ConclusionsIncreasing monetary cost of dietary energy was associated with both favourable and unfavourable dietary intake patterns and a quite small decrease in BMI in young Japanese women.
Debussy’s Arabesque and Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé (1912)
Authors: BHOGAL GURMINDER KAUR 
Published: June 2007

AbstractJust as arabesque carries a range of visual and literary associations, this ornament assumes a diverse presence in music scholarship, where it characterizes a wide repertoire and assortment of techniques. Despite its conceptual breadth, this essay shows that arabesque upheld a specific musical identity for Debussy and Ravel. This is reflected in their simulation of art nouveau’s intricate and fluid designs through melodic gestures that emphasize irregular rhythms and dissonant metres. Also in keeping with art nouveau is the tendency of these composers to privilege musical arabesque’s structural appearance and expressive capacity. These observations are explored with reference to Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé, a ballet that critics admired for its arabesque qualities. An analysis of four dances will reveal how the distinct rhythmic and metric profiles of arabesque melodies portray characters and their narratives. In challenging preconceptions of ornament as marginal and meaningless, this essay shows how arabesque became endowed with structural and expressive significance at the début du siècle.
Adam Smith and the Dark Nightingale: On Twentieth-Century Sentimentalism
Authors: STOKES MARTIN 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThis article reconsiders sentimentalism in the light of the writings of Adam Smith and the career of Abd al-Halim Hafiz, Egypt’s ‘Dark Nightingale’ and film-star crooner of the 1950s and 60s. It explores competing representations of emotionality, the limits of enchantment, and the contemporary politics of nostalgia and melodrama in Egyptian public culture. Eighteenth-century sentimental theory provides a critical and productive angle on twentieth-century popular musical culture, angles that this paper explores by imagining Adam Smith watching Abd al-Halim Hafiz’s first film, Lahn al-Wafā‘ (1955).
Trying To Speak: Between Politics and Aesthetics, Darmstadt 1970–1972
Authors: IDDON MARTIN 
Published: June 2007

AbstractIn the historiography of the Darmstadt Ferienkurse, the 1970s, when they are examined at all, are generally regarded as a period of stagnation, between the fervour of serial activity in the 1950s and the resurgence of the courses in the 1980s under the banner of various inflections of New Complexity. Yet, in a period of political upheaval after 1968, dissent was felt at Darmstadt too, and protests in 1970 and 1972 saw the institution at its most politically volatile. These protest movements caused the courses’ director, Ernst Thomas, to institute wide-scale changes in their structure and content. Key roles in these protests were taken by journalists: indeed, clear parallels can be drawn between the seemingly egalitarian calls from journalists for Mitbestimmung (co-determination) at Darmstadt and the similar demands being made by their trade unions in the West German federation. Thomas’s failure to deal with journalistic pressure and his heavy-handed treatment of individual protesters (notably Reinhard Oehlschlägel) meant that, shrewd and durable though his reinvention of the courses was, it would be only in 1982, with the accession of a new director, that the press would begin to speak positively about the Darmstadt courses once more. A close reading of these two protests shows the sometime ‘citadel of the avant-garde’ at a distinctly precarious moment in its history. At the time, some felt that such protests could lead to the demise of the courses, and it was far from clear whether Thomas’s reforms would be successful. But, even within this period of uncertainty, the Darmstadt Ferienkurse were anything but stagnant.
Adaptive evolution and then what?
Authors: Svanbäck Richard , Pineda-Krch Mario , Doebeli Michael 
Published: June 2007

AbstractTraits determining ecological interactions and dynamics are generally subject to natural selection. That genetically based individual variation in ecological traits can influence population dynamics has interested population biologist from various perspectives. Population ecologists recognized the need to incorporate individual variation in models of population regulation, while evolutionary biologists wish to understand genetic and evolutionary dynamics, e.g. of life history traits, in density-regulated populations. But how does adaptation in ecological traits affect population dynamics? In this project we investigated how ecological dynamics changes as a consequence of adaptive evolution in ecological traits using an individual-based predator-prey model.
Blockade of gap junction coupling by glycyrrhetinic acids in guinea pig cochlear artery: A whole‐cell voltage‐ and current‐clamp study
Authors: Guan B‐C , Si J‐Q , Jiang Z‐G 
Published: June 2007

Background and purpose:Glycyrrhetinic acids (GAs) are widely used as gap junction blockers, but their efficacy and side effects have not been well determined.Experimental approach:Whole‐cell electrical recordings were made from vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) embedded in or dissociated from, guinea pig cochlear artery segments.Key results:18β‐ & 18α‐GA concentration‐dependently increased membrane input resistance (Rin) of in situ VSMCs, with a maximal input conductance (Gin=1/Rin) reduction of 92% & 77% and IC50 of 2.0 & 4.4 μM, respectively. 18βGA (30 μM) resulted in a Rin of 2.2 GΩ and Cin of 12 pF, comparable to those of freshly dissociated VSMCs (3.1 GΩ & 6.1 pF). The GAs (≥30 μM) caused a depolarization in VSMCs in situ. In dispersed VSMCs, they both inhibited delayed rectifiers; 18βGA also activated a non‐selective cation conductance while 18αGA inactivated a voltage‐independent K+‐conductance. ACh induced an outward current in VSMCs in situ at −40 mV, with a positive slope I/V relation and a reversal potential near EK. The ACh‐induced current was attenuated by 18β‐ & 18αGA with an IC50 of 4.3 & 7.8 μM, respectively.Conclusions and Implications:18βGA blocked the vascular gap junctions, achieving a complete electrical isolation of the recorded VSMC at ≥30 μM while causing a mild depolarization by a complex conductance alteration. 18βGA suppressed the ACh‐induced current in VSMC by blocking the myoendothelial gap junction and by a non‐junctional action. 18αGA at 30‐100 μM failed to fully block the gap junctions while exerting side actions.British Journal of Pharmacology (2007) 151, 1049–1060; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707244
Influence of rosuvastatin on the NAD(P)H oxidase activity in the retina and electroretinographic response of spontaneously hypertensive rats
Authors: Sicard P , Acar N , Grégoire S , Lauzier B , Bron A M , Creuzot‐Garcher C , Bretillon L , Vergely C , Rochette L 
Published: June 2007

Background and purpose:Retinal complications may be encountered during the development of hypertension as a response to oxidative stress. Statins may reduce the risk of developing hypertension and ocular diseases. We evaluate the effects of rosuvastatin (ROSU) on retinal functionality and oxidative stress levels in normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR).Experimental approach:Wistar Kyoto (WKY) and SHR were treated for 3 weeks with rosuvastatin (10 mg kg−1 day−1). Electroretinograms (ERG) were recorded before and after rosuvastatin treatment. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) were determined in the retina with dihydroethidium staining and NAD(P)H oxidase activity was evaluated.Key results:Retinal ganglion cell ROS and retinal NAD(P)H oxidase activity were higher in SHR than in WKY rats, respectively (17.1±1.1 vs 10.2±1.2 AU, P<0.01; 38095±8900 vs 14081±5820 RLU mg−1; P<0.05). The ERG b‐wave amplitude in SHR was significantly lower than that in WKY rats. Rosuvastatin reduced SBP in SHR but did not change plasma lipid levels. Rosuvastatin treatment in SHR significantly decreased ROS levels (11.2±1.3, P<0.01), NAD(P)H activity in retinal ganglion cells (9889±4290; P<0.05), and increased retinal plasmalogen content in SHR, but did not modify the ERG response.Conclusions and implications:Rosuvastatin, beyond lowering cholesterol levels, was able to lower ROS in the retina induced by hypertension, but without improving retinal function in SHR. These findings point to a complex relationship between ROS in the pathogenesis of retinal disease and hypertension.British Journal of Pharmacology (2007) 151, 979–986; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707322
Do all angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockers have the same beneficial effects?
Authors: Miura S , Saku K 
Published: June 2007

Angiotensin II type 1 (AT1) receptor blockers (ARBs) are highly selective for the AT1 receptor, which is a member of the G protein‐coupled receptor superfamily (GPCRs), and block the diverse effects (hypertension, hypertrophy, heart failure, proteinuria etc.) of angiotensin II. Many ARBs are in clinical use and have been shown to be safe and effective. Over the past several years, reports have discussed the different degrees of the beneficial effects of ARBs. As ARBs do not all have the same effects, the benefits conferred by ARBs may not be class effects. These different effects may be due to differences in the molecular characteristics of ARBs. The results reported by Le et al. in this issue highlight the different characteristics of two ARBs, olmesartan and telmisartan, and suggest that the higher degree of insurmountability, slower dissociation, and higher affinity of olmesartan compared to telmisartan for AT1 receptors may help it to form a tight binding complex with this receptor. A better understanding of the different molecular mechanisms for each ARB could be useful for the treatment of patients.British Journal of Pharmacology (2007) 151, 912–913; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707324
Diverse inhibitory actions of quaternary ammonium cholinesterase inhibitors onTorpedonicotinic ACh receptors transplanted toXenopusoocytes
Authors: Olivera‐Bravo Silvia , Ivorra Isabel , Morales Andrés 
Published: June 2007

Background and purpose:This work was aimed at comparing and analysing the effects and mechanisms of action of the quaternary ammonium cholinesterase inhibitors (QChEIs) BW284c51, decamethonium and edrophonium, on nicotinic ACh receptor (nAChR) function.Experimental approach:nAChRs purified fromTorpedoelectroplax were transplanted to oocytes and currents elicited by ACh (IACh) either alone or in presence of these QChEIs were recorded.Key results:None of the QChEIs, by itself, elicited changes in membrane conductance; however, when co‐applied with ACh, all of them decreased IAChin a concentration‐dependent way. The mechanisms of nAChR inhibition were different for these QChEIs. BW284c51 blockade was non‐competitive and voltage‐dependent, although it also affected the nHof the dose‐response curve. By contrast, decamethonium and edrophonium inhibition, at –60 mV, was apparently competitive and did not modify either desensitisation or nH. Decamethonium effects were voltage‐independent and washed out slowly after its removal; by contrast, edrophonium blockade had strong voltage dependence and its effects disappeared quickly after its withdrawal. Analysis of the voltage‐dependent blockade indicated that BW284c51 bound to a shallow site into the channel pore, whereas edrophonium bound to a deeper locus. Accordingly, additive inhibitory effects on IAChwere found among any pairs of these QChEIs.Conclusions and implications:The tested QChEIs bound to the nAChR at several and different loci, which might account for their complex inhibitory behaviour, acting both as allosteric effectors and, in the case of BW284c51 and edrophonium, as open channel blockers.British Journal of Pharmacology(2007)151, 1280–1292. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707329
α3β4‐Nicotinic receptors mediate adrenergic nerve‐ and peptidergic (CGRP) nerve‐dependent vasodilation induced by nicotine in rat mesenteric arteries
Authors: Eguchi S , Miyashita S , Kitamura Y , Kawasaki H 
Published: June 2007

Background and purpose:Previous studies demonstrated that nicotine‐induced endothelium‐independent vasodilation is mediated by perivascular adrenergic nerves and nerves releasing calcitonin gene‐related peptide (CGRPergic nerves). We characterized the nicotinic acetylcholine (ACh) receptor subtype underlying the vasodilation in response to nicotine in rat mesenteric arteries.Experimental approach:Rat mesenteric vascular beds without endothelium were contracted by perfusion with Krebs solution containing methoxamine and the perfusion pressure was measured with a pressure transducer.Key results:Perfusion of nicotine (1–100 μM) for 1 min caused a concentration‐dependent decrease in perfusion pressure due to vasodilation. Perfusion of (±)‐epibatidine (1–100 nM) (non‐selective agonist) or (−)‐cytisine (1–100 μM) (partial agonist for nicotinic β2 subtype and full agonist for nicotinic β4 subtype) induced vasodilation in a concentration‐dependent manner. Vasodilation induced by nicotine, (−)‐cytisine‐ and (±)‐epibatidine was markedly attenuated by guanethidine (5 μM) and pretreatment with capsaicin (1 μM). Mecamylamine (relatively selective antagonist for α3β4 subtype), but not dihydro‐β‐erythroidine (selective antagonist for α4β2 subtype) or α‐bungarotoxin (selective antagonist for α7 subtype), markedly inhibited nicotine‐induced vasodilation. Nicotine‐induced vasodilation was inhibited by methyllycaconitine at high concentrations (>1 μM), which non‐selectively antagonize nicotinic receptors, while a low concentration of 10 nM, which selectively antagonizes α7 subtype, had no effect. (−)‐Cytisine and (±)‐epibatidine‐induced vasodilation were abolished by mecamylamineConclusion and implications:These results suggest that the nicotinic α3β4 receptor subtype, but not the α7 and α4β2 subtypes, is responsible for the vasodilation in rat mesenteric arteries induced by nicotine‐ and nicotinic ACh receptor agonists through stimulation of adrenergic and CGRPergic perivascular nerves.British Journal of Pharmacology(2007)151, 1216–1223. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707331