bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Coping strategies used by parents of children with autism
Authors: Twoy Richard , Connolly Phyllis M. , Novak Jean M. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractPurpose: The purpose of this research was to determine (a) the level of family adaptation, as measured by the Family Crisis Oriented Personal Evaluation Scales (F‐COPESs) instrument, among persons with a child diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) aged 12 years and under, (b) if there was a difference in F‐COPES scores based on family demographics, and (c) the time lag between parent’s suspicion of ASD and the actual professional diagnosis of ASD.Data sources: A descriptive survey was used with a convenience sample derived from ASD treatment agencies and a parental support group in the California Bay Area that supports the children and parents of children with special needs.Conclusions: Overall, the level of adaptation was within the normal limits with coping scores similar to the norm scores of the F‐COPES with males scoring slightly higher than females in the coping scale. Subscale scores of the F‐COPES indicated that the parents sought encouragement and support from friends, informal support from other families who faced similar problems, and formal support from agencies and programs. Reframing revealed similar results as the norm with less use of spiritual support, and more passive appraisals were noted from the parents of children with ASD. Within internal comparisons, there were no statistical differences among gender and amount of time a member spent in coordination of services. Comparisons in ethnicity for Caucasians and Asian Americans revealed a higher coping score for reframing in Asian Americans and a higher passive appraisal score among Caucasians. Non‐English speakers scored higher on spiritual support, while English speakers scored higher in passive appraisals. Because of insufficient statistical power, comparisons in education, income, marital status, and relocation of residence were deferred. The time from parents’ suspicions of developmental delays or disability to a professional diagnosis of ASD was at least 6 months or greater.Implications for practice: It is imperative for nurse practitioners (NPs) to provide appropriate professional support and other social support systems to families with children with ASD. Educating parents to sound therapy approaches to provide them with the skills needed to directly address stressful events in order to increase the parent’s confidence level as to avoid passive appraisals is also a crucial role of the NP. NPs may want to use the F‐COPES as part of the assessment to ascertain the areas of needs of families. This study reveals the resiliency and highly adaptive nature of these parents who are under severe strain and stress of caring for a child with ASD. The effective ways they coped as a family were in the areas of informal and formal social support networks. Participants also used passive appraisal to cope. The study also supports the need for early recognition and diagnoses of ASD and referral for early intervention for better outcomes for the children and families affected by ASD.
The effect of culture on symptom reporting: Hispanics and irritable bowel syndrome
Authors: Barakzai Mary D. , Gregory Jacqueline , Fraser Dorothy 
Published: May 2007

AbstractPurpose: To explore whether the symptoms reported by Mexican–American patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) meet the current diagnostic criteria.Data sources: A retrospective review of charts of Mexican–American patients diagnosed with IBS at three large medical centers in central California was performed. Demographic information was extracted, and descriptive statistics were used to determine how symptoms were reported and whether the described symptoms met the Rome II criteria.Conclusions: Only 63% of the Mexican–American patients in this study reported symptoms that met any of the nine Rome II criteria. There was no significant difference between patients who were English dominant and those who were monolingual Spanish in the concordance of their presenting complaint and the current diagnostic criteria. In addition, there was no significant gender difference in the rate at which symptoms met the Rome II criteria.Implications for practice: Assessment of illness and its symptoms requires that the practitioner have a clear understanding of what the illness means to the patient in order to develop an accurate diagnosis and an appropriate and timely plan of treatment. This study highlights the necessity of revising the symptom‐based criteria for diagnosing IBS to include a wider array of reported complaints, taking into account the impact of culture on the perception and description of symptoms.
Elevated core and muscle temperature to levels comparable to exercise do not increase heat shock protein content of skeletal muscle of physically active men
Authors: Morton J. P. , MacLaren D. P. M. , Cable N. T. , Campbell I. T. , Evans L. , Bongers T. , Griffiths R. D. , Kayani A. C. , McArdle A. , Drust B. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractAim:  Exercise‐associated hyperthermia is routinely cited as the signal responsible for inducing an increased production of heat shock proteins (HSPs) following exercise. This hypothesis, however, has not been tested in human skeletal muscle. The aim of the present study was to therefore investigate the role of increased muscle and core temperature in contributing to the exercise‐induced production of the major HSP families in human skeletal muscle.Methods:  Seven physically active males underwent a passive heating protocol of 1 h duration during which the temperature of the core and vastus lateralis muscle were increased to similar levels to those typically occurring during moderately demanding aerobic exercise protocols. One limb was immersed in a tank containing water maintained at approximately 45 °C whilst the contra‐lateral limb remained outside the tank and was not exposed to heat stress. Muscle biopsies were obtained from the vastus lateralis of both legs immediately prior to and at 48 h and 7 days post‐heating.Results:  The heating protocol induced significant increases (P < 0.05) in rectal (1.5 ± 0.2 °C) and muscle temperature of the heated leg (3.6 ± 0.5 °C). Muscle temperature of the non‐heated limb showed no significant change (P > 0.05) following heating (pre: 36.1 ± 0.5, post: 35.7 ± 0.2 °C). Heating failed to induce a significant increase (P > 0.05) in muscle content of HSP70, HSC70, HSP60, HSP27, αB‐crystallin, MnSOD protein content or in the activity of superoxide dismutase and catalase.Conclusions:  These data demonstrate that increases in both systemic and local muscle temperature per se do not appear to mediate the exercise‐induced production of HSPs in human skeletal muscle and suggest that non‐heat stress factors associated with contractile activity are of more importance in mediating this response.
Chronic lymphoid leukaemia: clinico‐haematological correlation and outcome in a single institution in Niger Delta region of Nigeria
Authors: OMOTI C. E. , AWODU O. A. , BAZUAYE G. N. 
Published: May 2007

SummarySixty patients were prospectively studied with the aim of analyzing the clinical and laboratory features and outcome of patients diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) in a major referral center in Niger Delta region of Nigeria for 10 years (1995–2005). The peripheral blood, bone marrow cytology, clinical features and stage at diagnosis were studied. Treatment modalities, response to treatment and survival outcome of the patients were analysed. Sixty patients (15 men and 45 women) were seen, with female preponderance (M : F ratio,1 : 3). The CLL incidence was 36.4% of total leukaemias. The median age was 56 years with peak age group at 51–60 years while 15% were below 40 years. Major clinical findings include lymphadenopathy (91.7%), anaemia (58.3%), abdominal swelling (58.3%), and splenomegaly (50%) with 53 patients (88.3%) presenting as International (Binet) stage B and C while only seven patients (11.7%) were seen in stage A. The least clinical presentation includes Richter's syndrome in 3.3% of cases and herpes Zoster skin manifestations in two patients (3.3%). There was a strong association between the blood counts at diagnosis and outcome of therapy. The 2‐year survival for young (<55 years) and older (>55 years) CLL patients was 27.2% and 28.9%, respectively, which is still very poor because of a number of strong limiting factors. CLL is not rare in Southern Nigeria and its presentations are similar to cases seen worldwide. Contrary to existing literature a female predominance was observed in this study with majority of patients seeking medical intervention late. It is therefore recommended that future research into the genetic make up/HLA typing of patients of African descent is needed to clarify some of the differences observed.
AlzPharm: integration of neurodegeneration data using RDF
Authors: Lam Hugo YK , Marenco Luis , Clark Tim , Gao Yong , Kinoshita June , Shepherd Gordon , Miller Perry , Wu Elizabeth , Wong Gwendolyn T , Liu Nian , Crasto Chiquito , Morse Thomas , Stephens Susie , Cheung Kei-Hoi 
Published: May 2007

Abstract

Background
Neuroscientists often need to access a wide range of data sets distributed over the Internet. These data sets, however, are typically neither integrated nor interoperable, resulting in a barrier to answering complex neuroscience research questions. Domain ontologies can enable the querying heterogeneous data sets, but they are not sufficient for neuroscience since the data of interest commonly span multiple research domains. To this end, e-Neuroscience seeks to provide an integrated platform for neuroscientists to discover new knowledge through seamless integration of the very diverse types of neuroscience data. Here we present a Semantic Web approach to building this e-Neuroscience framework by using the Resource Description Framework (RDF) and its vocabulary description language, RDF Schema (RDFS), as a standard data model to facilitate both representation and integration of the data.

Results
We have constructed a pilot ontology for BrainPharm (a subset of SenseLab) using RDFS and then converted a subset of the BrainPharm data into RDF according to the ontological structure. We have also integrated the converted BrainPharm data with existing RDF hypothesis and publication data from a pilot version of SWAN (Semantic Web Applications in Neuromedicine). Our implementation uses the RDF Data Model in Oracle Database 10g release 2 for data integration, query, and inference, while our Web interface allows users to query the data and retrieve the results in a convenient fashion.

Conclusion
Accessing and integrating biomedical data which cuts across multiple disciplines will be increasingly indispensable and beneficial to neuroscience researchers. The Semantic Web approach we undertook has demonstrated a promising way to semantically integrate data sets created independently. It also shows how advanced queries and inferences can be performed over the integrated data, which are hard to achieve using traditional data integration approaches. Our pilot results suggest that our Semantic Web approach is suitable for realizing e-Neuroscience and generic enough to be applied in other biomedical fields.
Receptor binding specificity of recent human H3N2 influenza viruses
Authors: Kumari Kshama , Gulati Shelly , Smith David F , Gulati Upma , Cummings Richard D , Air Gillian M 
Published: May 2007

AbstractBackgroundHuman influenza viruses are known to bind to sialic acid linked α2-6 to galactose, but the binding specificity beyond that linkage has not been systematically examined. H3N2 human influenza isolates lost binding to chicken red cells in the 1990s but viruses isolated since 2003 have re-acquired the ability to agglutinate chicken erythrocytes. We have investigated specificity of binding, changes in hemagglutinin sequence of the recent viruses and the role of sialic acid in productive infection.ResultsViruses that agglutinate, or do not agglutinate, chicken red cells show identical binding to a Glycan Array of 264 oligosaccharides, binding exclusively to a subset of α2-6-sialylsaccharides. We identified an amino acid change in hemagglutinin that seemed to correlate with chicken red cell binding but when tested by mutagenesis there was no effect. Recombinant hemagglutinins expressed on Sf-9 cells bound chicken red cells but the released recombinant baculoviruses agglutinated only human red cells. Similarly, an isolate that does not agglutinate chicken red cells show hemadsorption of chicken red cells to infected MDCK cells. We suggest that binding of chicken red cells to cell surface hemagglutinin but not to virions is due to a more favorable hemagglutinin density on the cell surface. We investigated whether a virus specific for α2-6 sialyloligosaccharides shows differential entry into cells that have varying proportions of α2-6 and α2-3 sialic acids, including human A549 and HeLa cells with high levels of α2-6 sialic acid, and CHO cells that have only α2-3 sialic acid. We found that the virus enters all cell types tested and synthesizes viral nucleoprotein, localized in the nucleus, and hemagglutinin, transported to the cell surface, but infectious progeny viruses were released only from MDCK cells.ConclusionAgglutination of chicken red cells does not correlate with altered binding to any oligosaccharide on the Glycan Array, and may result from increased avidity due to density of hemagglutinin and not increased affinity. Absence of α2-6 sialic acid does not protect a cell from influenza infection and the presence of high levels of α2-6-sialic acids on a cell surface does not guarantee productive replication of a virus with α2-6 receptor specificity.
BRAF Mutations in Papillary Thyroid Carcinomas Inhibit Genes Involved in Iodine Metabolism
Authors: Durante C. , Puxeddu E. , Ferretti E. , Morisi R. , Moretti S. , Bruno R. , Barbi F. , Avenia N. , Scipioni A. , Verrienti A. , Tosi E. , Cavaliere A. , Gulino A. , Filetti S. , Russo D. 
Published: May 2007

Abstract
Context: BRAF mutations are common in papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs). By affecting the expression of genes critically related to the development and differentiation of thyroid cancer, they may influence the prognosis of these tumors.
Objective: Our objective was to characterize the expression of thyroid-specific genes associated with BRAF mutation in PTCs.
Design/Setting and Patients: We examined the expression of key markers of thyrocyte differentiation in 56 PTCs with BRAF mutations (BRAF-mut) and 37 with wild-type BRAF (BRAF-wt). Eight samples of normal thyroid tissue were analyzed as controls. Quantitative PCR was used to measure mRNA levels for the sodium/iodide symporter (NIS), apical iodide transporter (AIT-B), thyroglobulin (Tg), thyroperoxidase (TPO), TSH receptor (TSH-R), the transcription factor PAX8, and glucose transporter type 1 (Glut1). NIS protein expression and localization was also analyzed by immunohistochemistry.
Results: mRNA levels for all thyroid-specific genes were reduced in all PTCs vs. normal thyroid tissues. NIS, AIT-B, Tg, and TPO expression was significantly lower in BRAF-mut tumors than in the BRAF-wt group. Glut-1 transcript levels were increased in all PTCs, and additional increases were noted in BRAF-mut tumors. In both tumor subsets, the NIS protein that was expressed was abnormally retained in the cytoplasm.
Conclusion: BRAF V600E mutation in PTCs is associated with reduced expression of key genes involved in iodine metabolism. This effect may alter the effectiveness of diagnostic and/or therapeutic use of radioiodine in BRAF-mut PTCs.
NRAGE associates with the anti-apoptotic factor Che-1 and regulates its degradation to induce cell death
Authors: Di Certo Maria Grazia , Corbi Nicoletta , Bruno Tiziana , Iezzi Simona , De Nicola Francesca , Desantis Agata , Ciotti Maria Teresa , Mattei Elisabetta , Floridi Aristide , Fanciulli Maurizio , Passananti Claudio 
Published: May 2007

Neurotrophin receptor-interacting MAGE homolog (NRAGE) has been recently identified as a cell-death inducer, involved in molecular events driving cells through apoptotic networks during neuronal development. Recently, we have focused on the functional role of Che-1, also known as apoptosis-antagonizing transcription factor (AATF), a protein involved in cell cycle control and gene transcription. Increasing evidence suggests that Che-1 is involved in apoptotic signalling in neural tissues. In cortical neurons Che-1 exhibits an anti-apoptotic activity, protecting cells from neuronal damage induced by amyloid β-peptide.
Here, we report that Che-1 interacts with NRAGE and that an EGFP-NRAGE fusion protein inhibits nuclear localization of Che-1, by sequestering it within the cytoplasmic compartment. Furthermore, NRAGE overexpression downregulates endogenous Che-1 by targeting it for proteasome-dependent degradation. Finally, we propose that Che-1 is a functional antagonist of NRAGE, because its overexpression completely reverts NRAGE-induced cell-death.
Promotional Effect of Potassium Salt in Low-temperature Formate and Methanol Synthesis from CO/CO2/H2 on Copper Catalyst
Authors: Zhao Tian-Sheng , Yoneyama Yoshiharu , Fujimoto Kaoru , Yamane Noriyuki , Fujimoto Kenichiro , Tsubaki Noritatsu 
Published: May 2007

Abstract
Alkyl formates can be formed from CO2-containing syngas with C1–C4 alkyl alcohol solvents in the presence of potassium carbonate, which changed to potassium formate as catalyst. The formates can be in situ hydrogenolysized further to produce methanol effectively over manganese oxide or magnesia-supported copper catalysts. These homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts constitute a novel system for methanol synthesis from CO/CO2/H2 even at 443 K.
Synthesis and Characterization of Aromatic Block Copolyamides by Condensative Chain Polymerization
Authors: Ohshimizu Kaoru , Shibasaki Yuji , Komura Motonori , Nakajima Ken , Ueda Mitsuru 
Published: May 2007

Abstract
Aromatic block copolyamides with well-controlled molecular weights (MWs) and narrow polydispersities (PDIs) were successfully prepared by the condensative chain polymerization of 3-[4-(N-octylamino)benzoyl]benzoxazoline-2-thione (1) and 3-[4-(N-1,1,1,2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6-tridecafluorooctylamino)benzoyl]benzoxazoline-2-thione (2). The formation of the block copolymers was confirmed by GPC, DSC, and NMR analyses. The thin film formed on mica was analyzed using atomic force microscopy (AFM), and the results indicated the existence of phase segregation.
Rhodium-catalyzed Reactions of Cyclobutanones with Alcohols and Amines Forming Esters and Amides
Authors: Matsuda Takanori , Shigeno Masanori , Maruyama Yohei , Murakami Masahiro 
Published: May 2007

Abstract
Cyclobutanones react with alcohols in the presence of rhodium(I)–phosphine catalysts to give esters in good yields through an addition/ring-opening process. Amides are formed by a similar reaction with amines.
Notes on the female condom: experiences in Brazil
Authors: Barbosa Regina Maria , Kalckmann Suzana , Berquó Elza , Stein Zena 
Published: May 2007

A nationwide effort to introduce the female condom (FC) into public health services was undertaken in Brazil in 1998–99. To this end, the Ministry of Health sponsored a national research group of public health professionals, aided by local field workers and supervisors, to conduct a preparatory study at 20 sites in six cities. Clinic health workers were trained to conduct the study. Following an educational session, 2382 women volunteered to use the FC and to report their experiences at follow-up. Among those seen at 15 days, 1782 had used the FC at least once; among those seen at the 90-day follow-up, 1453 women had used it at least once, while 1296 of them liked it and wished to continue its use. Among these 1296 women, barrier use at last intercourse (either with a male or a female condom) was more than double at 90 days what it had been at baseline: 70% compared with 33%. Clinics providing active health-education activities achieved higher rates of follow-up and of FC acceptability. These findings suggest that in Brazil, the introduction of the FC at public health centres could lead to high initial adoption rates and that continued use would be effective in encouraging safer sex. The level of health education and type of clinic are likely to influence the effectiveness of a future programme.
Factors Influencing Variability in Compliance Rates and Clinical Outcomes Among Three Different Severe Sepsis Bundles
Authors: Fong Jeffrey J , Cecere Karen , Unterborn John , Garpestad Erik , Klee Mark , Devlin John W 
Published: May 2007

BACKGROUND: While 3 different quality indicator bundles are either approved (Voluntary Hospitals of America [VHA], Institute for Healthcare Improvement [IHI]) or proposed (Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations [JCAHO]) to rate clinical practices in treatment of severe sepsis, it is suspected that differences in the quality indicators among these bundles may lead to discrepant benchmarking data. OBJECTIVE: To compare bundle compliance and patient factors associated with it among the IHI, JCAHO, and VHA severe sepsis bundles and explore possible reasons for any observed variability. METHODS: Using a retrospective, noninterventional design, we evaluated 50 adults (APACHE II score 25 ± 6, organ failure 2 ± 1, and shock 52%) with severe sepsis who were admitted consecutively to an intensive care unit at a 450 bed university-affiliated hospital. RESULTS: Few patients met 100% (IHI 6%, JCAHO 0%, VHA 6%) or 75% or greater (IHI 22%, JCAHO 6%, VHA 22%) of the quality indicators in each bundle. The number of patients who met 50% or more of the quality indicators varied significantly between JCAHO (28%) and both IHI (66%; p < 0.001) and VHA (60%; p < 0.001), but not between IHI and VHA (p = 0.53). Compliance with 50% or more of the quality indicators was more likely to occur when patients had shock (IHI, JCAHO, VHA), an APACHE II score greater than or equal to 25 (VHA), 2 or more organ failures (VHA), or survived hospitalization (IHI). We identified a number of factors that may help explain these differences. CONCLUSIONS: Differences among the IHI, JCAHO, and VHA severe sepsis bundles lead to variability in bundle compliance rates and the patient factors associated with the variability and may lead to confusion when benchmarking practices among institutions. Future efforts should focus on developing a single valid and reliable bundle that allows providers to improve the quality of sepsis care. TRANSFONDO: Tres diferentes organizaciones [“Voluntary Hospitals of America” (VHA), “Institute for Healthcare Improvement” (IHI), “Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations” (JCAHO)] encargados con mejorar el cuidado médico en instituciones han desarrollado criterios de indicadores de calidad para el manejo apropiado de sepsis. Estas guiás de tratamiento han sido desarrollados con el propósito de proveer instituciones con un mecanismo para comparar la calidad de cuidado que ofrecen a sus pacientes que son admitidos con sepsis severa. Mientras que se han aprobado o propuesto tres diversos criterios de indicadores de calidad para evaluar las prácticas clínicas del manejo de sepsis severa, se sospecha que las diferencias entre estos indicadores pueden resultar en datos de comparación discrepantes.