bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Social and symptomatic outcomes of first‐episode bipolar psychoses in an early intervention service
Authors: Macmillan Iain , Howells Lawrence , Kale Kedar , Hackmann Corinna , Taylor Gavin , Hill Katherine , Bradford Steve , Fowler David 
Published: February 2007

AbstractAim:  We aimed to establish the relative proportions of all diagnoses in people aged 14–35 years presenting to an early intervention in psychosis service, and to compare demographic variables, symptoms and outcomes between the bipolar psychoses and other psychoses at 3–6 months and 1 year post referral.Methods:  Prospective 3‐ to 6‐month diagnostic and symptomatic assessments were carried out. Diagnoses were established using the Diagnostic Interview for Psychoses – Diagnostic Module. Symptoms and outcomes were assessed using standardized instruments at 3–6 months and 1 year. Bipolar diagnoses were grouped together in a bipolar group (n=16) and compared with all other diagnoses, in a non‐bipolar group (n=62). Parallel analysis was carried out using groups of lifetime elevated, expansive or irritable mood (n=32) and no lifetime elevated, expansive or irritable mood (n=46).Results:  Bipolar disorders account for 20.5% of all new presentations to our service. Differences in outcomes over the range of psychotic diagnoses relate to early presence of negative symptoms. Psychoses with bipolar diagnoses or lifetime elevated, expansive or irritable mood showed lower rates of negative symptoms than other psychoses and had a higher quality of life and higher function at 3–6 months and 1 year.Conclusions:  Planning for future early intervention services should take the high rate of affective psychoses and their need for diagnosis‐specific, evidence‐based treatments into account. Lifetime elevated, expansive or irritable mood may predict improved outcomes in early psychoses, possibly mediated by lower levels of negative symptoms.
A Study of Sootblower Erosion in Waste-Incinerating Heat
Boilers
Authors: Sciubba Enrico , Zeoli Nicola 
Published: February 2007

Abstract
A numerical three-dimensional (3D) simulation was performed on the flow of a particle-laden steam jet impinging on the tubes of the superheating section of a waste-burning industrial boiler: the study was conducted to investigate the causes of excessive erosion systematically detected under otherwise normal operation. Prior experimental evidence had led to the identification of the slag particles as a possible agent for such an erosion: these particles are removed from the surface of the first row of the tubes by the steam jet ejected from the sootblower, and may cause erosion if they impinge on the tubes of the following (upstream, in the direction of the gas path) rows. Three sootblower configurations were considered to analyze this presumed phenomenology of tube erosion. The (significant) effects of turbulence on the motion of the solid particles are taken into account by means of a stochastic flow model. The simulation generates a prediction of the particles trajectories, both in a geometrical sense (to locate the portions of the tube surfaces on which the individual particles may impinge) and in a statistical one (to identify the relative frequency of the impacts on each portion of surface): the erosion rate for each sootblower configuration has been calculated on the basis of the impact frequency indicated by the numerical calculations.
Efficacy of the De Novo-Derived Antimicrobial Peptide WLBU2 against Oral Bacteria
Authors: Novak Karen F. , Diamond William J. , Kirakodu Sreenatha , Peyyala Rebecca , Anderson Kimberly W. , Montelaro Ronald C. , Mietzner Timothy A. 
Published: February 2007

ABSTRACT

The efficacy of a novel synthetic antimicrobial peptide (WLBU2) was evaluated against three oral microorganisms (grown planktonically):
Streptococcus gordonii, Fusobacterium nucleatum
, and
Porphyromonas gingivali
s. WLBU2 killed all three species, with
F. nucleatum
being the most susceptible. WLBU2 also reduced the bacterial burden of
S. gordonii
and
F. nucleatum
biofilms.
Modeling the Combination of Amphotericin B, Micafungin, and Nikkomycin Z against
Aspergillus fumigatus
In Vitro Using a Novel Response Surface Paradigm
Authors: Brun Yseult F. , Dennis Carly G. , Greco William R. , Bernacki Ralph J. , Pera Paula J. , Bushey Jennifer J. , Youn Richard C. , White Donald B. , Segal Brahm H. 
Published: February 2007

ABSTRACT

Response surface methods for the study of multiple-agent interaction allow one to model all of the information present in full concentration-effect data sets and to visualize and quantify local regions of synergy, additivity, and antagonism. In randomized wells of 96-well plates,
Aspergillus fumigatus
was exposed to various combinations of amphotericin B, micafungin, and nikkomycin Z. The experimental design was comprised of 91 different fixed-ratio mixtures, all performed in quintuplicate. After 24 h of drug exposure, drug effect on fungal viability was assessed using the tetrazolium salt 2,3-bis {2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-[(sulfenylamino) carbonyl]-2
H
-tetrazolium-hydroxide} (XTT) assay. First, we modeled each fixed-ratio combination alone using the four-parameter Hill concentration-effect model. Then, we modeled each parameter, including the 50% inhibitory concentration (IC
50
) effect, versus the proportion of each agent using constrained polynomials. Finally, we modeled the three-agent response surface overall. The overall four-dimensional response surface was complex, but it can be explained in detail both analytically and graphically. The grand model that fit the best included complex polynomial equations for the slope parameter
m
and the combination index (equivalent to the IC
50
for a fixed-ratio concentration, but with concentrations normalized by the respective IC
50
s of the drugs alone). There was a large region of synergy, mostly at the nikkomycin Z/micafungin edge of the ternary plots for equal normalized proportions of each drug and extending into the center of the plots. Applying this response surface method to a huge data set for a three-antifungal-agent combination is novel. This new paradigm has the potential to significantly advance the field of combination antifungal pharmacology.
Dissemination of an Extended-Spectrum-β-Lactamase
bla
TEM-52
Gene-Carrying IncI1 Plasmid in Various
Salmonella enterica
Serovars Isolated from Poultry and Humans in Belgium and France between 2001 and 2005
Authors: Cloeckaert Axel , Praud Karine , Doublet Benoît , Bertini Alessia , Carattoli Alessandra , Butaye Patrick , Imberechts Hein , Bertrand Sophie , Collard Jean-Marc , Arlet Guillaume , Weill François-Xavier 
Published: February 2007

ABSTRACT

We report here the dissemination of a conjugative IncI1 plasmid carrying
bla
TEM-52
on a Tn
3
transposon conferring resistance to extended-spectrum cephalosporins in
Salmonella enterica
serovar Agona, Derby, Infantis, Paratyphi B dT
+
, and Typhimurium isolates from poultry and humans in Belgium and France from 2001 to 2005. The most prevalent serovar spreading this resistance was serovar Infantis.
Genetic Basis of Resistance to Fusidic Acid in Staphylococci
Authors: O'Neill A. J. , McLaws F. , Kahlmeter G. , Henriksen A. S. , Chopra I. 
Published: February 2007

ABSTRACT

Resistance to fusidic acid in
Staphylococcus aureus
often results from acquisition of the
fusB
determinant or from mutations in the gene (
fusA
) that encodes the drug target (elongation factor G). We now report further studies on the genetic basis of resistance to this antibiotic in the staphylococci. Two staphylococcal genes that encode proteins exhibiting ca. 45% identity with FusB conferred resistance to fusidic acid in
S. aureus
. One of these genes (designated
fusC
) was subsequently detected in all fusidic acid-resistant clinical strains of
S. aureus
tested that did not carry
fusB
or mutations in
fusA
, and in strains of
S. intermedius
. The other gene (designated
fusD
) is carried by
S. saprophyticus
, explaining the inherent resistance of this species to fusidic acid. Fusidic acid-resistant strains of
S. lugdunensis
harbored
fusB
. Thus, resistance to fusidic acid in clinical isolates of
S. aureus
and other staphylococcal species frequently results from expression of FusB-type proteins.
Synthesis and Characterization of a Dipalmitoylated Lipopeptide Derived from Paralogous Lipoproteins of
Mycoplasma pneumoniae
Authors: Into Takeshi , Dohkan Jun-ichi , Inomata Megumi , Nakashima Misako , Shibata Ken-ichiro , Matsushita Kenji 
Published: February 2007

ABSTRACT

Genomic analysis of
Mycoplasma pneumoniae
revealed the existence of a large number of putative lipoprotein genes compared with the numbers in other bacteria. However, the pathogenic roles of
M. pneumoniae
lipoproteins are still obscure. In this study, we synthesized a lipopeptide (designated
M. pneumoniae
paralogous lipoprotein 1 [MPPL-1]) in which an
S
-dipalmitoylglyceryl cysteine was coupled to a peptide with a consensus sequence of a putative paralogous lipoprotein group characteristic of
M. pneumoniae
. The cytokine-inducing activity of MPPL-1 in human monocytic cells was much weaker (∼700-fold weaker) than that of the known mycoplasmal
S
-dipalmitoylated lipopeptide FSL-1 or MALP-2. MPPL-1 required Toll-like receptor (TLR2) to activate NF-κB-dependent gene transcription in HEK293 cells, although a 1,000-fold-larger amount of MPPL-1 was needed to exert activity similar to that of FSL-1 in the cells. TLR2-mediated recognition of MPPL-1 was synergistically upregulated by TLR6 but not by TLR1 or TLR10, although the activity was still weak. In addition, MPPL-1 did not antagonize FSL-1 recognition in human monocytic cells and TLR2/TLR6-expressing HEK293 cells. Thus, these results suggest that there is preferential selective recognition of diacylated lipopeptides due to the magnitude of an affinity with TLR2 and TLR6 and the roles of increased paralogous lipoprotein genes of
M. pneumoniae
in evasion of TLR2 recognition.
Characterization of SodC, a Periplasmic Superoxide Dismutase from
Burkholderia cenocepacia
Authors: Keith Karen E. , Valvano Miguel A. 
Published: February 2007

ABSTRACT

Burkholderia cenocepacia
is a gram-negative, non-spore-forming bacillus and a member of the
Burkholderia cepacia
complex.
B. cenocepacia
can survive intracellularly in phagocytic cells and can produce at least one superoxide dismutase (SOD). The inability of O
2
−
to cross the cytoplasmic membrane, coupled with the periplasmic location of Cu,ZnSODs, suggests that periplasmic SODs protect bacteria from superoxide that has an exogenous origin (for example, when cells are faced with reactive oxygen intermediates generated by host cells in response to infection). In this study, we identified the
sodC
gene encoding a Cu,ZnSOD in
B. cenocepacia
and demonstrated that a
sodC
null mutant was not sensitive to a H
2
O
2
, 3-morpholinosydnonimine, or paraquat challenge but was killed by exogenous superoxide generated by the xanthine/xanthine oxidase method. The
sodC
mutant also exhibited a growth defect in liquid medium compared to the parental strain, which could be complemented in
trans
. The mutant was killed more rapidly than the parental strain was killed in murine macrophage-like cell line RAW 264.7, but killing was eliminated when macrophages were treated with an NADPH oxidase inhibitor. We also confirmed that SodC is periplasmic and identified the metal cofactor.
B. cenocepacia
SodC was resistant to inhibition by H
2
O
2
and was unusually resistant to KCN for a Cu,ZnSOD. Together, these observations establish that
B. cenocepacia
produces a periplasmic Cu,ZnSOD that protects this bacterium from exogenously generated O
2
−
and contributes to intracellular survival of this bacterium in macrophages.
Paternally Inherited Submicroscopic Duplication at 11p15.5 Implicates Insulin-like Growth Factor II in Overgrowth and Wilms' Tumorigenesis
Authors: Algar Elizabeth M. , St. Heaps Luke , Darmanian Artur , Dagar Vinod , Prawitt Dirk , Peters Greg B. , Collins Felicity 
Published: February 2007

Abstract
Loss of imprinting at insulin-like growth factor II (IGFII), in association with H19 silencing, has been described previously in a subgroup of Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) patients who have an elevated risk for Wilms' tumor. An equivalent somatic mutation occurs in sporadic Wilms' tumor. We describe a family with overgrowth in three generations and Wilms' tumor in two generations, with paternal inheritance of a cis-duplication at 11p15.5 spanning the BWS IC1 region and including H19, IGFII, INS, and TH. The duplicated region was below the limit of detection by high-resolution karyotyping and fluorescence in situ hybridization, has a predicted minimum size of 400 kb, and was confirmed by genotyping and gene-dosage analysis on a CytoChip comparative genomic hybridization bacterial artificial chromosome array. IGFII is the only known paternally expressed oncogene mapping within the duplicated region and our findings directly implicate IGFII in Wilms' tumorigenesis and add to the mutation spectrum that increases the effective dose of IGFII. Furthermore, this study raises the possibility that sporadic cases of overgrowth and Wilms' tumor, presenting with apparent gain of methylation at IC1, may be explained by submicroscopic paternal duplications. This finding has important implications for determining the transmission risk in these disorders. [Cancer Res 2007;67(5):2360–5]
Genetic Variation at the CYP19A1 Locus Predicts Circulating Estrogen Levels but not Breast Cancer Risk in Postmenopausal Women
Authors: Haiman Christopher A. , Dossus Laure , Setiawan V. Wendy , Stram Daniel O. , Dunning Alison M. , Thomas Gilles , Thun Michael J. , Albanes Demetrius , Altshuler David , Ardanaz Eva , Boeing Heiner , Buring Julie , Burtt Noël , Calle Eugenia E. , Chanock Stephen , Clavel-Chapelon Françoise , Colditz Graham A. , Cox David G. , Feigelson Heather Spencer , Hankinson Susan E. , Hayes Richard B. , Henderson Brian E. , Hirschhorn Joel N. , Hoover Robert , Hunter David J. , Kaaks Rudolf , Kolonel Laurence N. , Le Marchand Loïc , Lenner Per , Lund Eiliv , Panico Salvatore , Peeters Petra H. , Pike Malcolm C. , Riboli Elio , Tjonneland Anne , Travis Ruth , Trichopoulos Dimitrios , Wacholder Sholom , Ziegler Regina G. 
Published: February 2007

Abstract
The CYP19A1 gene encodes the enzyme aromatase, which is responsible for the final step in the biosynthesis of estrogens. In this study, we used a systematic two-step approach that included gene resequencing and a haplotype-based analysis to comprehensively survey common genetic variation across the CYP19A1 locus in relation to circulating postmenopausal steroid hormone levels and breast cancer risk. This study was conducted among 5,356 invasive breast cancer cases and 7,129 controls comprised primarily of White women of European descent drawn from five large prospective cohorts within the National Cancer Institute Breast and Prostate Cancer Cohort Consortium. A high-density single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) map of 103 common SNPs (≥5% frequency) was used to identify the linkage disequilibrium and haplotype patterns across the CYP19A1 locus, and 19 haplotype-tagging SNPs were selected to provide high predictability of the common haplotype patterns. We found haplotype-tagging SNPs and common haplotypes spanning the coding and proximal 5′ region of CYP19A1 to be significantly associated with a 10% to 20% increase in endogenous estrogen levels in postmenopausal women [effect per copy of the two-SNP haplotype rs749292-rs727479 (A-A) versus noncarriers; P = 4.4 × 10−15]. No significant associations were observed, however, with these SNPs or common haplotypes and breast cancer risk. Thus, although genetic variation in CYP19A1 produces measurable differences in estrogen levels among postmenopausal women, the magnitude of the change was insufficient to contribute detectably to breast cancer. [Cancer Res 2007;67(5):1893–7]
Characterization of the Global Hydrologic Cycle from a Back-Trajectory Analysis of Atmospheric Water Vapor
Authors: Dirmeyer Paul A. , Brubaker Kaye L. 
Published: February 2007

Abstract
Regional precipitation recycling may constitute a feedback mechanism affecting soil moisture memory and the persistence of anomalously dry or wet states. Bulk methods, which estimate recycling based on time-averaged variables, have been applied on a global basis, but these methods may underestimate recycling by neglecting the effects of correlated transients. A back-trajectory method identifies the evaporative sources of vapor contributing to precipitation events by tracing air motion backward in time through the analysis grid of a data-assimilating numerical model. The back-trajectory method has been applied to several large regions; in this paper it is extended to all global land areas for 1979–2003. Meteorological information (wind vectors, humidity, surface pressure, and evaporation) are taken from the NCEP–Department of Energy (DOE) reanalysis, and a hybrid 3-hourly precipitation dataset is produced to establish the termini of the trajectories. The effect of grid size on the recycling fraction is removed using an empirical power-law relationship; this allows comparison among any land areas on a latitude–longitude grid. Recycling ratios are computed on a monthly basis for a 25-yr period. The annual and seasonal averages are consistent with previous estimates in terms of spatial patterns, but the trajectory method generally gives higher estimates of recycling than a bulk method, using compatible spatial scales. High northern latitude regions show the largest amplitude in the annual cycle of recycling, with maxima in late spring/early summer. Amplitudes in arid regions are small in absolute terms, but large relative to their mean values. Regions with strong interannual variability in recycling do not correspond directly to regions with strong intra-annual variability. The average recycling ratio at a spatial scale of 105 km2 for all land areas of the globe is 4.5%; on a global basis, recycling shows a weak positive trend over the 25 yr, driven largely by increases at high northern latitudes.
Climatological Analyses of Thunderstorms and Flash Floods in the Baltimore Metropolitan Region
Authors: Ntelekos Alexandros A. , Smith James A. , Krajewski Witold F. 
Published: February 2007

Abstract
The climatology of thunderstorms and flash floods in the Baltimore, Maryland, metropolitan region is examined through analyses of cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning observations from the National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) and discharge observations from 11 U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) stream gauging stations. A point process framework is used for analyses of CG lightning strikes and the occurrences of flash floods. Analyses of lightning strikes as a space–time point process focus on the mean intensity function, from which the seasonal, diurnal, and spatial variation in mean lightning frequency are examined. Important elements of the spatial variation of mean lightning frequency are 1) initiation of thunderstorms along the Blue Ridge, 2) large variability of lightning frequency around the urban cores of Baltimore and Washington D.C., and 3) decreased lightning frequency over the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean. Lightning frequency has a sharp seasonal maximum around mid-July, and the diurnal cycle of lightning frequency peaks between 2100 and 2200 UTC with a frequency that is more than an order of magnitude larger than the minimum frequency at 1200 UTC. The seasonal and diurnal variation of flash flood occurrence in urban streams of Baltimore mimics the seasonal and diurnal variation of lightning. The peak of the diurnal frequency of flash floods in Moores Run, a 9.1-km2 urban watershed in Baltimore City, occurs at 2200 UTC. Analyses of the lightning and flood peak data also show a close link between the occurrence of major thunderstorms systems and flash flooding on a regional scale.
The TRMM Multisatellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA): Quasi-Global, Multiyear, Combined-Sensor Precipitation Estimates at Fine Scales
Authors: Huffman George J. , Bolvin David T. , Nelkin Eric J. , Wolff David B. , Adler Robert F. , Gu Guojun , Hong Yang , Bowman Kenneth P. , Stocker Erich F. 
Published: February 2007

Abstract
The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Multisatellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) provides a calibration-based sequential scheme for combining precipitation estimates from multiple satellites, as well as gauge analyses where feasible, at fine scales (0.25° × 0.25° and 3 hourly). TMPA is available both after and in real time, based on calibration by the TRMM Combined Instrument and TRMM Microwave Imager precipitation products, respectively. Only the after-real-time product incorporates gauge data at the present. The dataset covers the latitude band 50°N–S for the period from 1998 to the delayed present. Early validation results are as follows: the TMPA provides reasonable performance at monthly scales, although it is shown to have precipitation rate–dependent low bias due to lack of sensitivity to low precipitation rates over ocean in one of the input products [based on Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-B (AMSU-B)]. At finer scales the TMPA is successful at approximately reproducing the surface observation–based histogram of precipitation, as well as reasonably detecting large daily events. The TMPA, however, has lower skill in correctly specifying moderate and light event amounts on short time intervals, in common with other finescale estimators. Examples are provided of a flood event and diurnal cycle determination.
The future of regulation and governance
Authors: Scrivens Ellie 
Published: February 2007

The NHS in England is undergoing considerable structural change as it introduces more locally accountable hospitals, greater patient choice, payment by results and local general practitioner based commissioning of services. To deliver the anticipated service improvement associated with these changes, there is a need to ensure that the reformed NHS provides incentives for service improvement, while at the same time maintaining consistency in access to services and the safe delivery of services. The UK government is committed to reducing bureaucracy, which is based upon the associated desire to reduce the overall costs of regulation, while increasing the accountability of health services. This requires a new approach to regulation, balancing a standardised concept of quality with incentives to encourage local innovation in service design and delivery. Accountability through regulation brings with it the burdens of supplying information for audit and inspection, which are placed upon the organization. This article examines the issues that need to be considered in the design of an effective regulatory system; one that must operate within a restricted cost envelope, and in particular focuses on the concept of reducing the administrative burden associated with both inspection and self-assessment and the need to make these proportionate to a demonstrable contribution to the improvement in regulation and the ultimate goal of improvement in quality of healthcare.