bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Comparison of preoperative whole‐body positron emission tomography with MDCT in patients with primary colorectal cancer
Authors: Akiyoshi T. , Oya M. , Fujimoto Y. , Kuroyanagi H. , Ueno M. , Yamaguchi T. , Koyama M. , Tanaka H. , Matsueda K. , Muto T. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractObjective  Preoperative use of emission tomography with18F‐fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG‐PET) in patients with primary colorectal cancer remains controversial. This study evaluated the additional value of FDG‐PET in comparison with routine multidetector row computed tomography (MDCT) in patients with primary colorectal cancer.Method  Retrospective analysis was performed in 65 patients with colorectal cancer who underwent whole‐body FDG‐PET. Results of FDG‐PET were compared with routine preoperative evaluation by MDCT regarding detection of primary tumour, lymph node involvement and distant metastases. All images were evaluated before surgery.Results  Tumour detection rate was 100% (63/63) for MDCT and 98% (62/63) for FDG‐PET. Lymph node involvement was pathologically confirmed in 35 patients. MDCT and FDG‐PET displayed sensitivities of 89% (31/35; 95% CI: 73–97%) and 43% (15/35; 95% CI: 26–61%) and specificities of 52% (11/21; 95% CI: 30–74%) and 95% (20/21; 95% CI: 76–100%), respectively. Liver metastases were present in 22 patients. MDCT and FDG‐PET showed accuracies of 98% (64/65; 95% CI: 92–100%) and 97% (63/65; 95% CI: 89–100%), respectively. FDG‐PET detected additional extrahepatic metastatic lesions and affected treatment plan compared with MDCT in 10 patients.Conclusion  Preoperative FDG‐PET is not superior to MDCT for detection of primary tumour, lymph node involvement or liver metastases, but may have potential clinical value in patients with advanced colorectal cancer by detecting extrahepatic distant metastases.
Application of the BSG guidelines to a colonoscopy waiting list
Authors: Clements D. , Tawfiq S. , Harries B. , Sheridan W. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractObjective  Currently priority for colonoscopy is given to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Surveillance colonoscopies place a significant demand on the service. These are held on a separate waiting list in our institution, which is currently several years behind. The purpose of this study was to apply the BSG guidelines to this waiting list in our institution in order to ascertain whether patients are appropriately listed.Method  This was a retrospective review. The patients on the waiting list whose procedures were due in 2004 and 2005 formed the study group. Information on demographics, previous colonoscopies, and indication was taken from the case notes. Results were analysed using Microsoft Excel.Results  A total of 172 patients were overdue their colonoscopies. If the BSG guidelines were strictly adhered to, 49% of these patients were inappropriately listed. If applied less rigidly, 42% of patients should not have been on the list. The reasons for removal from the list were as follows: Thirty‐nine patients were older than the upper age limit, 23 had had clear colonoscopies after adenomatous polyp follow up, four were listed for diverticular disease follow up, four for metaplastic polyps, one for constipation and one for per rectum (PR) bleed follow up.Conclusion  With strict application of the BSG guidelines to a surveillance colonoscopy waiting list, 49% of the patients on the list do not need the procedure. It is recommended that consultant led education and control of the waiting list be used to reduce unnecessary investigations.
The ideal lateral internal sphincterotomy: clinical and endosonographic evaluation following open and closed internal anal sphincterotomy
Authors: García‐Granero E. , Sanahuja A. , García‐Botello S. A. , Faiz O. , Esclápez P. , Espí A. , Flor B. , Minguez M. , Lledó S. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractObjective  To evaluate the relationship between extent of internal sphincter division following open and closed sphincterotomy, as assessed by anal endosonography, with fissure persistence/recurrence and faecal incontinence.Method  A total of 140 consecutive patients undergoing lateral internal sphincterotomy (LIS) for idiopathic chronic anal fissure were prospectively studied. Preoperative clinical assessment was performed together with a postoperative clinical and endosonographic examination. Three zones of the internal sphincter, identifiable by endosonography, were used to describe the uppermost extent of LIS. Primary end‐points were fissure persistence/recurrence and faecal incontinence.Results  A total of 140 patients, median age 49.5 years (IQR: 38–56 years) were included. Seventy‐five (53.6%) and 65(46.4%) patients underwent percutaneous LIS (PLIS) and open LIS (OLIS) respectively. Median follow‐up was 21 months (IQR: 14–29 months). Persistence and recurrence rates were 2.9% (4/140) and 5.7% (8/140) respectively. 7.9% (11/140) patients scored > 3 on the Jorge and Wexner Faecal Incontinence scale. PLIS was associated with a trend towards higher fissure persistence/recurrence rates than OLIS (12.0%vs 4.6%, P = 0.141). OLIS was significantly associated with a higher proportion of complete sphincterotomies (CS) than PLIS (56/65 vs 48/75, P = 0.003). A CS was associated with a lower fissure persistence or recurrence rate (1/104 vs 11/36, P < 0.001) but higher incontinence scores (11/104 vs 0/36 cases with Wexner scores > 3, P = 0.042) than following incomplete sphincterotomy. There was a strongly significant increase in incontinence scores (P < 0.001) and decrease in recurrence rates (P < 0.001) with increasing length of sphincterotomy.Conclusion  We recommend a short and CS using either PLIS or OLIS for the treatment of idiopathic anal fissure.
Comparison of the short‐term results after Limberg and Karydakis procedures for pilonidal disease: randomized prospective analysis of 100 patients
Authors: Ersoy E. , Devay A. O. , Aktimur R. , Doganay B. , Özdoğan M. , Gündoğdu R. H. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractObjective The study was designed to compare the early postoperative results of the commonly used two surgical flap procedures in pilonidal disease: Karydakis and Limberg.Method One hundred patients were randomized into two groups and standard Limberg or Karydakis procedures were performed. All had primary sinus orifices. Infected cases and the ones with secondary orifices over 2 cm distant from primary were excluded. Data were recorded concerning complications, need for analgesia and wound dressing, periods of time off work and off driving. Patients were asked to classify their first defecation manner after the operation and also pain according to a Visual Analogue Scale with range of 1–10.Results There was a significantly higher wound infection rate in the Karydakis group than in the Limberg group (13/50 and 4/50 respectively). This also resulted in significantly higher values for wound dressings and need for analgesia. The time off work and off driving and also the Visual Analogue Scale scores were not significantly different between the two groups.Conclusion Both procedures can be safely performed in pilonidal disease with a standard length of stay in hospital and a similar loss of productive power. However, the Karydakis flap seems to have a significant higher infection rate and this probably increases the cost.
Predicting Social Wariness in Middle Childhood: The Moderating Roles of Childcare History, Maternal Personality and Maternal Behavior
Authors: Degnan Kathryn Amey , Henderson Heather A. , Fox Nathan A. , Rubin Kenneth H. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractChildren with behavioral inhibition, a temperamental style characterized by infant distress to novelty and childhood social reticence, exhibit both continuity and discontinuity of this behavioral trait over the course of development. However, few researchers have identified factors that might be responsible for these different patterns. In the current study, childcare history, maternal personality, and maternal behavior were examined as moderators of the relations between infant temperament, preschool social reticence, and childhood social wariness. Seventy‐seven children participated in this longitudinal study that began in infancy and continued into middle childhood. Maternal negative personality moderated the relation between infant temperament and childhood social wariness. In addition, maternal behavior moderated the relation between preschool social reticence and childhood social wariness. The findings suggest that a complex interplay of within‐child and maternal factors affect the development of internalizing behavior in the early school years.
TENS and optokinetic stimulation in neglect therapy after cerebrovascular accident: a randomized controlled study
Authors: Schröder A. , Wist E. R. , Hömberg V. 
Published: July 2008

Background:  In a randomized controlled type Ib study, the effectiveness of three different forms of therapy for the treatment of visual neglect was assessed by comparing therapy outcomes in three groups of patients after cerebrovascular accidents.Methods:  A control group received only standard exploration training, whilst the second and third group received exploration training combined with either contralateral transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) or optokinetic stimulation (OKS) respectively.Results:  It was found that exploration training alone resulted in no improvement on both standard neglect tests (NTs) and everyday‐relevant measures of reading and writing performance. In contrast, the groups receiving TENS or OKS showed significant improvements in both sets of measures with the difference that for the TENS group the improvement in NT scores at the end of therapy had disappeared 1‐week later. However, both treatments resulted in significant improvements in reading and writing which were still present upon retesting 1‐week after the end of therapy.Conclusion:  Both methods can be recommended for neglect therapy and are superior to exploration therapy alone.
A novel presenilin 1 mutation (V261L) associated with presenile Alzheimer’s disease and spastic paraparesis
Authors: Jiménez Caballero P. E. , De Diego Boguna C. , Martin Correa E. , Serviá Candela M. , Marsal Alonso C. 
Published: July 2008

Background and purpose:  We report a novel mutation in exon 8 of the presenilin 1 (PSEN1) gene (V261L) associated with early‐onset autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease and spastic paraparesis.Methods and results:  The proband was a woman who developed insidious cognitive decline with predominant memory loss and gait disorder secondary to spasticity at the age of 40. Her brother and her mother had a similar disease in the fifth decade of life. The feature of amnestic presentation with spastic paraparesis is consistent with the majority of mutations in the exon 8 of the PSEN1 1 gene.Conclusions:  Screening for PSEN1 mutations is especially likely to be productive when directed toward persons with positive family history and with age at onset of under 60.
Natural history of multiple sclerosis in a population‐based cohort
Authors: Debouverie M. , Pittion‐Vouyovitch S. , Louis S. , Guillemin F. ,   for the LORSEP Group
Published: July 2008

Background and purpose:  We sought to identify predictive clinical factors of disability during initial course in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients.Methods:  A total of 2871 MS patients from the LORSEP (Lorraine Multiple Sclerosis) population‐based cohort were analyzed. The relationships between baseline demographic, clinical predictors and time to assignment of Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores of 3, 4 and 6 were assessed using a Cox regression model.Results:  Multivariate analysis showed that, for relapsing–remitting patients, a shorter time to assignment of an EDSS score of 4 was associated with an older age of onset of MS and incomplete recovery from the first relapse. Median times were not influenced by gender or the time between the first two relapses. The results also demonstrated that MS progression is independent of the initial clinical data once an EDSS score of 4 is reached rather than a score of 3 because the time from EDSS 3 to assignment of EDSS 4 were correlated with predicting variables. The data were very different for the time between assignment of scores of 4 and 6 because the median times were not influenced by any of the predicting variables.
Transient global amnesia and brain lesions: new hints into clinical criteria
Authors: Agosti C. , Borroni B. , Akkawi N. M. , De Maria G. , Padovani A. 
Published: July 2008

Background and purpose:  Transient global amnesia (TGA) is the abrupt onset of anterograde amnesia with repetitive queries. Different hypotheses have been considered for its aetiology, but it still remains obscure. In 1990, Hodges and Warlow proposed clinical criteria for TGA. Applying these criteria, clinical studies looked for an unifying theory, considering TGA almost a primary and benign disorder. However, spare descriptions of TGA in patients with brain structural lesions have been reported. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of brain structural lesions among TGA patients.Methods:  One hundred and thirty clinically defined TGA were consecutively recruited. Among them, 13 patients (10%) showed brain structural lesions (TGA‐b).Results:  No significant difference in clinical features, duration of TGA episode, age of onset, gender between primary TGA (TGA‐p) and TGA‐b were found. Triggering factors were comparable, suggesting that TGA‐b should be considered in the spectrum of TGA, being clinically indistinguishable.Conclusions:  Transient global amnesia deserves a careful neuroimaging study and clinical follow‐up considering the high prevalence of brain lesions among these patients and the impossibility to exclude TGA‐b by clinical features. The follow‐up of these patients and the evaluation of involved brain areas might help to further elucidate the pathogenetic mechanisms of the disease.
Post‐disturbance effects of even‐aged timber harvest on stream salamanders in southern Appalachian forests
Authors: Crawford J. A. , Semlitsch R. D. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractHabitat degradation and fragmentation has received increased attention in the past 15 years as a primary factor responsible for the decline of many species of wildlife including amphibians. In the eastern USA many of the studies have focused on fully terrestrial plethodontid salamanders, while information on stream‐breeding plethodontids remains relatively lacking. Using two different survey methods (area‐constrained daytime searches and night‐time visual encounter searches), we estimated terrestrial habitat use and abundance for stream‐breeding salamanders in three different tree stand age‐classes in southern Appalachian streams from May to August 2005. We found that overall stream salamander abundance and terrestrial habitat use was reduced in stands <40 years of age compared with stands 41–80 years old, and >81 years old. The decreased abundance and terrestrial habitat use was accompanied by a decrease in leaf litter depth, soil moisture and canopy cover. The Blue Ridge two‐lined salamanderEurycea wilderaewas the most affected salamander in the assemblage and we conservatively estimate at least a 40‐year recovery period for the assemblage to return to pre‐disturbance levels. To protect stream amphibians, alternative silvicultural practices such as uneven‐aged timber harvest (e.g. selective harvesting) must be considered.
Relationship between field metabolic rate and body weight in mammals: effect of the study
Authors: Riek A. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractField metabolic rate (FMR) is a measure of daily energy expenditure under field conditions. Results of various studies on FMR have been used to calculate allometric equations that can predict FMR from body weight. One of the problems in calculating these regression equations lies in the treatment of the available FMR and body weight data. However, with the tool of mixed model analysis, it is possible to account for the effect of the study as a random effect in this kind of meta‐analysis. The present study is the first that has included the study as a random effect in an FMR meta‐analysis. Prediction equations were derived, allowing the estimation of FMR based on body weight. Including all available single animal data on FMR and body mass in a mixed model analysis with the study as a random effect yielded the equation: FMR in kJ day−1=6.68 ± 1.21 (body weight in g)0.67 ± 0.03(P<0.001) that had a mean error rate of 21.5% (sd29.0%, minimum 0, maximum 236%) and a coefficient of variation of 98%. This wasc. 2.7 times more precise than not including the study effect (mean error rate 58.4%). Thus, the present investigation showed that including the effect of the study in FMR meta‐analysis changes not only the predictive values of the equation but also the exponent (slope).
Regional alterations in the endocannabinoid system in an animal model of depression: effects of concurrent antidepressant treatment
Authors: Hill Matthew N. , Carrier Erica J. , McLaughlin Ryan J. , Morrish Anna C. , Meier Sarah E. , Hillard Cecilia J. , Gorzalka Boris B. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractIt has been suggested that disturbances in endocannabinoid signaling contribute to the development of depressive illness; however, at present there is insufficient evidence to allow for a full understanding of this role. To further this understanding, we performed an analysis of the endocannabinoid system in an animal model of depression. Male rats exposed to chronic, unpredictable stress (CUS) for 21 days exhibited a reduction in sexual motivation, consistent with the hypothesis that CUS in rats induces depression‐like symptoms. We determined the effects of CUS, with or without concurrent treatment with the antidepressant imipramine (10 mg/kg), on CP55940 binding to the cannabinoid CB1receptor; whole tissue endocannabinoid content; and fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) activity in the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, hypothalamus, amygdala, midbrain and ventral striatum. Exposure to CUS resulted in a significant increase in CB1receptor binding site density in the prefrontal cortex and a decrease in CB1receptor binding site density in the hippocampus, hypothalamus and ventral striatum. Except in the hippocampus, these CUS‐induced alterations in CB1receptor binding site density were attenuated by concurrent antidepressant treatment. CUS alone produced a significant reduction in N‐arachidonylethanolamine (anandamide) content in every brain region examined, which was not reversed by antidepressant treatment. These data suggest that the endocannabinoid system in cortical and subcortical structures is differentially altered in an animal model of depression and that the effects of CUS on CB1receptor binding site density are attenuated by antidepressant treatment while those on endocannabinoid content are not.
Reduced vesicular storage of dopamine exacerbates methamphetamine‐induced neurodegeneration and astrogliosis
Authors: Guillot Thomas S. , Shepherd Kennie R. , Richardson Jason R. , Wang Min Z. , Li Yingjie , Emson Piers C. , Miller Gary W. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractThe vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) controls the loading of dopamine (DA) into vesicles and therefore determines synaptic properties such as quantal size, receptor sensitivity, and vesicular and cytosolic DA concentration. Impairment of proper DA compartmentalization is postulated to underlie the sensitivity of DA neurons to oxidative damage and degeneration. It is known that DA can auto‐oxidize in the cytosol to form quinones and other oxidative species and that this production of oxidative stress is thought to be a critical factor in DA terminal loss after methamphetamine (METH) exposure. Using a mutant strain of mice (VMAT2 LO), which have only 5–10% of the VMAT2 expressed by wild‐type animals, we show that VMAT2 is a major determinant of METH toxicity in the striatum. Subsequent to METH exposure, the VMAT2 LO mice show an exacerbated loss of dopamine transporter and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), as well as enhanced astrogliosis and protein carbonyl formation. More importantly, VMAT2 LO mice show massive argyrophilic deposits in the striatum after METH, indicating that VMAT2 is a regulator of METH‐induced neurodegeneration. The increased METH neurotoxicity in VMAT2 LO occurs in the absence of any significant difference in basal temperature or METH‐induced hyperthermia. Furthermore, primary midbrain cultures from VMAT2 LO mice show more oxidative stress generation and a greater loss of TH positive processes than wild‐type cultures after METH exposure. Elevated markers of neurotoxicity in VMAT2 LO mice and cultures suggest that the capacity to store DA determines the amount of oxidative stress and neurodegeneration after METH administration.
Gender differences and estrogen effects in parkin null mice
Authors: Rodríguez‐Navarro José A. , Solano Rosa M. , Casarejos María J. , Gomez Ana , Perucho Juan , García de Yébenes Justo , Mena María A. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractEstrogens are considered neurotrophic for dopamine neurons. Parkinson’s disease is more frequent in males than in females, and more prevalent in females with short reproductive life. Estrogens are neuroprotective against neurotoxic agents for dopamine neurons in vivo and in vitro. Here, we have investigated the role of estrogens in wild‐type (WT) and parkin null mice (PK−/−). WT mice present sexual dimorphisms in neuroprotective mechanisms (Bcl‐2/Bax, chaperones, and GSH), but some of these inter‐sex differences disappear in PK−/−. Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) protein and TH+ cells decreased earlier and more severely in female than in male PK−/− mice. Neuronal cultures from midbrain of WT and PK−/− mice were treated with estradiol from 10 min to 48 h. Short‐term treatments activated the mitogen‐activated protein kinase pathway of WT and PK−/− neurons and the phosphatidylinositol 3′‐kinase/AKT/glycogen synthase kinase‐3 pathway of WT but not of PK−/− cultures. Long‐term treatments with estradiol increased the number of TH+ neurons, the TH expression, and the extension of neurites, and decreased the level of apoptosis, the expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein, and the number of microglial cells in WT but not in PK−/− cultures. The levels of estrogen receptor‐α were elevated in midbrain cultures and in the striatum of adult PK−/− male mice, suggesting that suppression of parkin changes the estrogen receptor‐α turnover. From our data, it appears that parkin participates in the cellular estrogen response which could be of interest in the management of parkin‐related Parkinson’s disease patients.
The life, death, and replacement of oligodendrocytes in the adult CNS
Authors: McTigue Dana M. , Tripathi Richa B. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractOligodendrocytes (OLs) are mature glial cells that myelinate axons in the brain and spinal cord. As such, they are integral to functional and efficient neuronal signaling. The embryonic lineage and postnatal development of OLs have been well‐studied and many features of the process have been described, including the origin, migration, proliferation, and differentiation of precursor cells. Less clear is the extent to which OLs and damaged/dysfunctional myelin are replaced following injury to the adult CNS. OLs and their precursors are very vulnerable to conditions common to CNS injury and disease sites, such as inflammation, oxidative stress, and elevated glutamate levels leading to excitotoxicity. Thus, these cells become dysfunctional or die in multiple pathologies, including Alzheimer’s disease, spinal cord injury, Parkinson’s disease, ischemia, and hypoxia. However, studies of certain conditions to date have detected spontaneous OL replacement. This review will summarize current information on adult OL progenitors, mechanisms that contribute to OL death, the consequences of their loss and the pathological conditions in which spontaneous oligodendrogenesis from endogenous precursors has been observed in the adult CNS.