bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
CD 56 staining in liver biopsies does not help in differentiating extrahepatic biliary atresia from other causes of neonatal cholestasis
Authors: Mahjoub Fatemeh E , Khairkhah Reza Hadizadeh , Sani Mehri Najafi , Irvanloo Guiti , Monajemzadeh Maryam 
Published: March 2008

Abstract

Introduction
Several conditions are considered in differential diagnosis of neonatal cholestasis. Of these the most important is extrahepatic biliary atresia (EHBA), while prompt diagnosis and surgical correction of obstruction can ameliorate clinical symptoms, provides long term survival for about one fourth of patients and serves as an important bridge to transplantation for many others. From histopathologic standpoint, features of EHBA overlaps with other diagnoses and so ancillary tests such as immunohistochemical staining for CD56 is suggested by some authors as a helpful tool in differential diagnosis.
Hereby we wanted to examine this staining in our center which is a referral children hospital and to prove its efficacy in our problematic cases.

Materials and Methods
By retrospective review of pathology records during 2000 to 2006 in Markaze Tebbi Koodakan (children hospital related to Tehran University of Medical Sciences), we selected 17 cases of EHBA as patients and 12 cases with other diagnoses as controls, both with some degree of bile ductular proliferation in liver biopsies. EHBA cases were all proved by surgery. Four of control cases also underwent surgery but proved to have open ducts by intra-operative cholangiography. Long term follow up and other tests ruled out EHBA in other 8 cases. Hematoxylin-Eosin stains of paraffin blocks were studied again and freshly prepared sections were immunostained for CD56.

Results
Bile ducts and proliferating bile ductules were strongly positive for CD56 in 6 of 17 cases of EHBA. In 7 out of 17, positivity were seen in more than two thirds of portal tracts. In controls, one case showed strong positivity and 6 out of twelve showed positivity in more than two thirds of portal tracts. The intensity and distribution of CD56 staining did not differ significantly between two groups.

Discussion
Despite findings of previous studies, we have shown that CD56 staining can not help as an ancillary test in differential diagnosis of neonatal cholestasis and perhaps other markers should be tested in this regard.
Concomitant sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy (Rosai-Dorfman Disease) and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: a case report
Authors: Moore James C , Zhao Xiaohui , Nelson Edward L 
Published: March 2008

Abstract

Introduction
Sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy, also known as Rosai-Dorfman Disease, is a rare and benign source of lymphadenopathy first described in 1969, which mimics neoplastic processes. This disease commonly presents in children and young adults with supra-diaphragmatic lymphadenopathy or extranodal lesions consisting of tissue infiltrates composed of a polyclonal population of histiocytes. Since its description greater than 400 cases have been described, sometimes in patients with a variety of treated and untreated neoplastic diseases. However, the literature contains reports of only 19 cases of Rosai-Dorfman Disease in association with lymphomas, Hodgkin's or non-Hodgkin's. The majority of these cases have the two diagnoses, malignant lymphoma and Rosai-Dorfman Disease, separated in time. Interestingly, infradiaphragmatic lymphadenopathy was a feature in the majority of previously reported cases of Rosai-Dorfman Disease and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Case presentation
This report provides details of a case with co-existing sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy and diffuse large B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. This case is the fifth described case of simultaneous Rosai-Dorfman Disease and concurrent non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Unfortunately, the diagnosis of a clinically aggressive diffuse large B cell lymphoma was made at autopsy. The aggressive biological behavior of the diffuse large B cell lymphoma in this patient may have been related to the underlying immune dysregulation believed to be part of the pathophysiology of Rosai-Dorfman Disease.

Conclusion
Taken together this report and the preceding reports of Rosai-Dorfman Disease and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma suggests that in cases with a diagnosis of Rosai-Dorfman Disease in the setting of prominent infradiaphragmatic lymphadenopathy, clinicians should maintain a high index of suspicion for the presence of occult non-Hodgkin's lymphoma especially if the clinical course is atypical for classic Rosai-Dorfman Disease.
Cross-kingdom patterns of alternative splicing and splice recognition
Authors: McGuire Abigail M , Pearson Matthew D , Neafsey Daniel E , Galagan James E 
Published: March 2008

Abstract
Background
Variations in transcript splicing can reveal how eukaryotes recognize intronic splice sites. Retained introns (RIs) commonly appear when the intron definition (ID) mechanism of splice site recognition inconsistently identifies intron-exon boundaries, and cassette exons (CEs) are often caused by variable recognition of splice junctions by the exon definition (ED) mechanism. We have performed a comprehensive survey of alternative splicing across 42 eukaryotes to gain insight into how spliceosomal introns are recognized.

Results
All eukaryotes we studied exhibit RIs, which appear more frequently than previously thought. CEs are also present in all kingdoms and most of the organisms in our analysis. We observe that the ratio of CEs to RIs varies substantially among kingdoms, while the ratio of competing 3' acceptor and competing 5' donor sites remains nearly constant. In addition, we find the ratio of CEs to RIs in each organism correlates with the length of its introns. In all 14 fungi we examined, as well as in most of the 9 protists, RIs far outnumber CEs. This differs from the trend seen in 13 multicellular animals, where CEs occur much more frequently than RIs. The six plants we analyzed exhibit intermediate proportions of CEs and RIs.

Conclusion
Our results suggest that most extant eukaryotes are capable of recognizing splice sites via both ID and ED, although ED is most common in multicellular animals and ID predominates in fungi and most protists.
Connective Tissue Growth Factor and Susceptibility to Renal and Vascular Disease Risk in Type 1 Diabetes
Authors: Jaffa Ayad A. , Usinger William R. , McHenry M. Brent , Jaffa Miran A. , Lipstiz Stuart R. , Lackland Daniel , Lopes-Virella Maria , Luttrell Louis M. , Wilson Peter W. F. 
Published: March 2008

AbstractObjective: We explored the relevance and significance of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) as a determinant of renal and vascular complications among type 1 diabetic patients.Methods and Results: We measured the circulating and urinary levels of CTGF and CTGF N fragment in 1050 subjects with type 1 diabetes from the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial/Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (DCCT/EDIC) Study cohort. We found that hypertensive diabetic subjects have significantly higher levels of plasma log CTGF N fragment relative to normotensive subjects (P = 0.0005). Multiple regression analysis showed a positive and independent association between CTGF N fragment levels and log albumin excretion rate (P &lt; 0.0001). In categorical analysis, patients with macroalbuminuria had higher levels of CTGF N fragment than diabetic subjects with or without microalbuminuria (P &lt; 0.0001). Univariate and multiple regression analyses demonstrated an independent and significant association of log CTGF N fragment with the common and internal carotid intima-media thickness. The relative risk for increased carotid intima-media thickness was higher in patients with concomitantly elevated plasma CTGF N fragment and macroalbuminuria relative to patients with normal plasma CTGF N fragment and normal albuminuria (relative risk = 4.76; 95% confidence interval, 2.21–10.25; P &lt; 0.0001).Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that plasma CTGF is a risk marker of diabetic renal and vascular disease.
Noise identification in reverberant sound field by using simulated annealing
Authors: Chiu M-C 
Published: March 2008

Noise control is important and essential in an enclosed machine room where the noise level is restricted by the occupational safety and health act. Before the appropriate noise abatement is performed, the identification work of location and free-field sound energy of equipment inside the reverberant sound field become crucial and an absolute prerequisite. Research on new techniques of single noise control and sound absorption system has been well addressed and developed; however, the research work on sound identification for an existing multi-noise enclosed room is rare and observably insufficient. Without the actual location and pure free-field noise level, noise control work will be improper and wasted; therefore, the numerical approach of noise recognition from the reverberant sound field becomes necessary and obligatory. In this paper, the novel technique of simulated annealing (SA) in conjunction with the method of minimized variation square is applied in the following numerical optimization. In addition, various sound monitoring systems in detecting the noise condition within the echo area is also introduced. Before noise identification can be carried out, the accuracy of the mathematical model in a single-noise enclosed system has to be checked by SoundPlan (a professional simulation package in sound field). Thereafter, the SA recognition of three kinds of multi-noise systems has to be exemplified and fully explored. The results reveal that either the locations or sound power levels (SWLs) of noises can be precisely distinguished. Consequently, this paper may provide an efficient and rapid way in distinguishing the location and free-field noise level of equipment in a complicated sound field.
Effect of three-dimensional deformation on the limit load of highly weld strength undermatched specimens under tension
Authors: Alexandrov S , Kocak M 
Published: March 2008

In the case of welded structures with cracks, a number of parameters, such as those with units of length, makes it difficult to present the results of numerical solutions in a form convenient for direct engineering applications, such as flaw assessment procedures. For centre-cracked components under tension, it is shown in the current article that an effect of crack length on the limit load can be taken into account by means of an upper bound limit load for the corresponding structure with no crack without any additional numerical treatment. Using this result, it is sufficient to find an upper bound limit load for the structure with no crack and then to apply the analytical formulae for finding the corresponding limit load for the structure of interest. Welding of some aluminium alloys for structural applications usually leads to a significantly lower strength (undermatched) weld joint. The approach proposed is used to demonstrate an effect of three-dimensional deformation on an upper bound limit load for such highly strength undermatched centre-cracked welded specimens under tension. This result can also be used in metal-forming applications where upper bound solutions are more useful than lower bound solutions.
Polymer Incarcerated Gold Catalyzed Aerobic Oxidation of Hydroquinones and Their Derivatives
Authors: Miyamura Hiroyuki , Shiramizu Mika , Matsubara Ryosuke , Kobayashi Shu 
Published: March 2008

Abstract
Polymer-incarcerated gold (PI Au) cluster catalysts mediated aerobic oxidation of hydroquinones and catechols to quinones very efficiently under mild conditions. The characteristic role of water in the reaction system was also observed.
Uniform One-hole Particles Used as Versatile Micro-encapsulation
Authors: Bi Cai Xia , Wei Wei , Yang Jian , Gong Fang Ling , Su Zhi Guo , Ma Guang Hui 
Published: March 2008

Abstract
An interesting process for preparation of micro-encapsulation was investigated. In this process, the uniformly sized particles with controllable holes in their surface were obtained firstly. After loading the functional materials with small size, the holes were closed by the means of swelling with a selected solvent.
Facile Templating Methods to Remarkable Architectures of Nanoporous Carbon Spheres
Authors: Yamada Yuri , Nakamura Tadashi , Yano Kazuhisa 
Published: March 2008

Abstract
A colloidal crystal fabricated from monodispersed mesoporous silica spheres (MMSS) has been employed as a sacrificial template to prepare nanoporous carbon architectures. The mesostructure of MMSS was well replicated, even when they were fabricated to the colloidal crystal, in the nanopores of the carbon spheres. By changing the filtration process slightly, the 3D-packed nanoporous carbon colloidal crystal and the novel “ball in cup” carbon hierarchical structure were successfully obtained.
A New Case-Finding Tool for Anxiety: A Pragmatic Diagnostic Validity Study in Primary Care
Authors: Puddifoot Sophie , Arroll Bruce , Goodyear-Smith Felicity A. , Kerse Ngaire M. , Fishman Tana G. , Gunn Jane M. 
Published: March 2008

Objective: Anxiety is common in the community and in family practice (FP) patients. It is a treatable condition but often not diagnosed. The aim of this study was to determine the validity of two written questions to aid family physicians in the identification of anxiety. The first question asks the patient whether they have been worrying a lot during the past month; and the second question asks whether the patient would like help with this problem. Methods: The study was a pragmatic cross sectional validity study conducted with 19 family physicians in six clinics in New Zealand. The outcomes were the sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios compared with the HADS anxiety score ≥ 11 as a gold standard. Results: The study recruited 982 consecutive patients receiving no psychotropic drugs. The FP diagnosis had a sensitivity of 58% (95% CI 45% to 69%) and a specificity of 87% (95% CI 85 to 89). The worry question alone had a sensitivity of 76% (95% CI 64% to 85%) and a specificity of 82% (95% CI 79% to 84%). The positive likelihood ratio for patients wanting help today was 9.29 (95% CI 5.62 to 15.36). The likelihood ratio for patients worrying but not wanting help was 2.29 (95% CI 1.48 to 3.55). The likelihood ratio (negative) for those not worrying was 0.29(95% CI 0.18 to 0.46). Conclusions: The use of a case-finding question for anxiety and a question asking whether help is wanted increases the positive likelihood ratio indicating that the use of the two questions may aid family physicians in identifying cases of anxiety.
Assessing the Biopsychosociospiritual Model in Primary Care: Development of the Biopsychosociospiritual Inventory (BioPSSI)
Authors: Katerndahl David , Oyiriaru Daniel 
Published: March 2008

Objective: There is growing evidence in support of the Biopsychosociospiritual Model. However, a cohesive instrument to measure each dimension in terms of its dimension-specific symptoms and functional status does not exist, serving as an obstacle to future research in this area. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate an instrument to measure each dimension in terms of its dimension-specific symptoms, appraisals, and functional status in an unselected group of primary care patients. Method: An instrument that assessed biopsychosociospiritual symptoms and function and health outcomes was administered to 289 patients attending two primary care clinics. Responses were analyzed using principal component factor analysis with Equimax rotation. This led to the development of five Biopsychosociospiritual Inventory scales (impaired functional status, physical symptoms, psychological symptoms, social symptoms, and spiritual symptoms). Demographic differences in mean scale scores were sought. In addition to internal consistency, construct validity was assessed based upon dimension-specific health care utilization, life satisfaction, and perceived health status. Results: All five scales had excellent internal consistency (alpha > 0.8) and construct validity. Differences were strongly related to income, marital status, and employment in a manner consistent with previous research. Conclusions: This study developed and validated the Biopsychosociospiritual Inventory which could potentially provide a holistic estimate of the impact of disease and its treatment, support research in this area, and lead to the expansion of classification systems that include spirituality. Further validation of this instrument in other primary care sites using diverse patient populations as well as its function over time is needed.
Elevated Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Phosphorylation Induces Resistance Artery Dysfunction in Diabetic db/db Mice
Authors: Belmadani Souad , Palen Desiree I. , Gonzalez-Villalobos Romer A. , Boulares Hamid A. , Matrougui Khalid 
Published: March 2008

OBJECTIVE— We previously showed epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) transactivation to be key mechanism in the regulation of resistance artery myogenic tone. Type 2 diabetes is associated with microvascular complications. We hypothesized that elevated EGFR phosphorylation contributes to resistance artery dysfunction in type 2 diabetes.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS AND RESULTS— Diabetic db/db and nondiabetic (control) mice were treated with EGFR inhibitor (AG1478; 10 mg · kg−1 · day−1) for 2 weeks. Isolated coronary artery and mesenteric resistance artery (MRA) were mounted in an arteriograph. Pressure-induced myogenic tone was increased in MRA and coronary artery from diabetic mice and normalized by AG1478. Phenylephrine-induced contraction and nitric oxide donor–induced relaxation were similar in all groups. Endothelium-dependent relaxation in response to shear stress and acetylcholine of MRA and coronary artery from diabetic mice was altered and associated with reduced endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expression and phosphorylation. Treated diabetic mice with AG1478 improved coronary artery and MRA endothelial function and restored eNOS expression. Immunostaining and Western blot analysis showed increased endothelial and smooth muscle cell EGFR phosphorylation of MRA and coronary artery from diabetic mouse, which was reduced by AG1478. Primary cultured endothelial cells from resistance arteries treated with high glucose for 48 h showed an increase of EGFR phosphorylation associated with eNOS expression and phosphorylation decrease in response to calcium ionophore. Pretreatment of endothelial cells with AG1478 prevented the effect of high glucose.
CONCLUSIONS— This study provides evidence of the role of elevated EGFR phosphorylation in coronary artery and MRA dysfunction in diabetic db/db mice. Therefore, EGFR should be a potential target for overcoming diabetic small artery complications.
Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in pregnancy induced hypertension
Authors: Biswas Arijit , Choolani Mahesh A. , Anandakumar Chinnayia , Arulkumaran Sabaratnam 
Published: March 2008

Objective. To determine the role of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in the diagnosis of pregnancy‐induced hypertension in women detected as hypertensive in the clinic by the conventional method.Design. An observational study of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. Setting. A teaching hospital in Singapore.Methods. One hundred and twenty‐eight women between 28‐37 weeks of pregnancy diagnosed to have non‐proteinuric pregnancy‐induced hypertension in the clinic had 24 hours ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. The mean systolic and diastolic BP, systolic and diastolic ‘white coat effect’ and the diastolic load were the main parameters noted.Results. One hundred and twenty subjects had valid recordings. Only 46 (38.3%) were found to be truly hypertensive on ABP monitoring, using a mean diastolic pressure cut off of 85 mmHg. The ‘white‐coat effect’ was seen in both groups of women ‐ the hypertensives as well as the normotensives, although the magnitude of the white coat effect had poor correlation with the clinic diastolic BR A cut‐off value for diastolic load of 20 per cent was found to detect all hypertensives correctly (sensitivity 100%) with a modest false positive rate of 17.5 per cent.Conclusions. ‘White‐coat hypertension’ is common in pregnancy and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring would be helpful in identifying the true hypertensive without requiring unnecessary hospitalization.
Stillbirth and maternal well‐being
Authors: Rädestad Ingela , Sjögren Berit , Nordin Conny , Steineck Gunnar 
Published: March 2008

Background. Stillbirth imposes severe strains on the mother. Little is known about the long‐term well‐being after such an experience.Methods. The study population comprises 380 women who experienced stillbirth and 379 control women with a livebirth in 1991. Data were collected by a postal questionnaire in 1994 in a nationwide study in Sweden. The response rate was 84%.Results. The index women stated more often than controls that they had an improved relationship with the baby' father at the time of follow‐up than before the child' birth, the ratio of proportions (with 95% confidence interval) of women with an improved relationship being 1.8 (1.4‐2.2). The corresponding figure for high satisfaction with home and family situation at the time of the survey was 1.3 (1.1‐1.6) and 3.7 (1.6‐8.3) for low satisfaction with the appreciation they encountered outside the home. The cumulative incidence of separation/divorce after a stillbirth was the same as after a livebirth, 8%. Marital status strongly modified the results; for single women the ratio of proportions (stillbirth compared to livebirth) for an improved relationship with the baby' father was 0.2 (0.0‐1.4) and for high satisfaction with home and family situation 0.1 (0.0‐0.9).Conclusions. Stillbirth increases satisfaction with the relationship with the baby' father and the home and family situation, but it decreases maternal satisfaction of appreciation by others outside of the home. This traumatic experience does not affect the risk of separation/divorce, but single women are at risk of social complications after stillbirth, and psychosocial support may be appropriate for this subgroup.
Markers of intravascular coagulation and fibrinolysis in preeclampsia: association with intrauterine growth retardation
Authors: Schjetlein Rune , Haugen Guttorm , Wisløff Finn 
Published: March 2008

Background. Alterations in blood coagulation and fibrinolysis are believed to play an important role in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. Hypercoagulability may be associated with features seen in preeclampsia, such as fibrin deposition in various organs, consumptive thrombocytopenia, and placental hypoperfusion, insufficiency and infarction.Methods. In this cohort study, we compared the plasma levels of markers of blood coagulation and fibrinolysis in preeclamptic women to normotensive, pregnant controls. We also studied the association between these markers and intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR).Results. In both mild and severe preeclampsia, the mean plasma concentrations of thrombin‐antithrombin III complex (TAT) and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI‐1) activity were significantly increased, while fibrinogen, antithrombin III (ATIII) and plasminogen activator inhibitor type‐2 (PAI‐2) antigen levels were significantly reduced compared to controls. Plasma D‐dimer concentration was significantly higher in severe, but not in mild preeclampsia compared to the controls. The plasma level of fibrin monomer was similar in patients and controls. Patients with preeclampsia delivering growth retarded infants had significantly lower PAI‐1 activity and PAI‐2 antigen concentrations in plasma than the remaining preeclamptic women.Conclusions. We found evidence of increased intravascular coagulation and fibrin turnover in preeclampsia. Low PAI‐2 antigen plasma levels were associated with severe preeclampsia and IUGR.