bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Exploring emancipatory youth work
Authors: Yum Steven Ngai Sek 
Published: August 2006

English The present study explores the possibility of emancipatory youth work from a Foucauldian perspective focusing on practitioners' potential as a force for change. Based on narratives generated from interviews with outreach youth workers in Hong Kong, the study shows how workers have invented their own style of liberating practice. The implications of the findings are discussed. French La présente étude explore les possibilités du travail d'émancipation auprès des jeunes selon une perspective foucaldienne focalisant sur le potentiel des praticiens comme moteur de changement. En se basant sur les récits obtenus à la suite d'entrevues avec des travailleurs de proximité auprès des jeunes à Hong Kong, l'étude montre comment ces travailleurs ont créé leur propre style de libération de la pratique. Les résultats de la recherche sont analysés. Spanish Se explora la posibilidad de trabajo emancipatorio con jóvenes desde una perspectiva foucauldiana, enfocándose en el potencial del trabajador social como una fuerza de cambio. Partiendo de narrativas generadas en entrevistas con trabajadores con jóvenes en el Hong Kong, el estudio muestra como estos trabajadores han inventado su propio estilo de práctica liberadora. Se exponen las implicaciones de los resultados.
Conscientization – the experience of Canadian social work students in Mexico
Authors: Larson Grant , Allen Helen 
Published: August 2006

English This article describes the reflections of three groups of Canadian social work students who participated in a 10-day cultural immersion study tour in Mexico. An analysis of student reflective papers subsequently provides insight into the value of personal and professional transformational experience. Students embraced a new understanding of the connection between structural inequalities and individual experience; and also reported increased understanding of human diversity relevant to their anti-oppressive practice in Canada. French Cette recherche décrit les réflexions de trois groupes d'étudiants canadiens en travail social ayant participé à un séjour d'immersion culturelle de 10 jours au Mexique. L'analyse des réflexions de ces étudiants apporte de la lumière sur la valeur de l'expérience de transformation personnelle et professionnelle. Les étudiants ont développé une nouvelle compréhension du lien entre les inégalités structurelles et l'expérience personnelle; ils ont aussi développé une meilleure compréhension de la diversité humaine qu'ils peuvent appliquer à leur pratique anti-oppressive au Canada. Spanish Se describen las reflexiones de tres grupos de estudiantes de trabajo social canadienses que participaron en un viaje de estudio de 10 días de inmersión cultural en México. Un análisis de sus ensayos clarifica el valor de la experiencia personal y profesional de transformación. Los estudiantes adquirieron una nueva compresión de la conexión entre las desigualdades estructurales y la experiencia individual; también reportaron un mayor entendimiento de la diversidad humana, aplicable a su práctica anti-opresiva en el Canadá.
Humoral immune response against 38-kDa and 16-kDa mycobacterial antigens in tuberculosis
Authors: Senol G. , Erer O. F. , Yalcin Y. A. , Coskun M. , Gündüz A. T. , Biçmen C. , Ertas M. , Özkan S. A. 
Published: August 2006

Several ELISA tests based on mycobacterial antigens have been used for the rapid diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB), although demonstration ofMycobacterium tuberculosisin a smear or culture is the most reliable method. In the present study, the diagnostic value of 16-kDa and 38-kDa mycobacterial antigens was investigated in patients who were diagnosed with tuberculosis by clinical and/or bacteriological findings in Turkey.The PATHOZYME-TB Complex Plus commercial ELISA kit was used for measuring immunoglobulin G against 38-kDa and 16-kDa recombinant antigens. Humoral immune response was analysed in a group of 179 TB patients (143 smear-positive, 19 smear-negative, eight lymphadenitis and nine pleuritis), 15 inactive TB cases and in control groups consisting of 40 healthy volunteers and 20 subjects with pulmonary diseases other than TB.The sensitivity, specifity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of the test were determined at 52.5%, 93.3%, 95.9% and 39.7%, respectively in TB cases. Antibodies were detected at above cut-off level in three (20%) out of 15 subjects with inactive TB.In conclusion, the ELISA test has a very good specifity and an acceptable sensitivity and positive predictive value. It is thought that it could be used in combination with other methods to increase diagnostic accuracy, especially for culture-negative tuberculosis cases, which are difficult to diagnose.
Long-term outcome in pulmonary arterial hypertension patients treated with subcutaneous treprostinil
Authors: Barst R. J. , Galie N. , Naeije R. , Simonneau G. , Jeffs R. , Arneson C. , Rubin L. J. 
Published: August 2006

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is fatal if untreated. Intravenous epoprostenol improves exercise capacity and haemodynamics in PAH, and increases survival in idiopathic PAH (IPAH). To evaluate the effects of subcutaneous (SC) treprostinil, a longer-acting prostacyclin analogue, followed by the addition of other PAH therapies if needed, 860 PAH patients treated with SC treprostinil for up to 4 yrs were followed.Survival is reported as Kaplan–Meier estimates. For 332 IPAH patients with baseline haemodynamics, observed survival is also compared with predicted survival using the National Institute of Health formula.Out of the 860 patients, 199 (23%) discontinued due to adverse events, 136 (16%) died, 117 (14%) discontinued due to deterioration, 29 (3%) withdrew consent and 11 (1%) underwent transplantation. In total, 97 patients (11%) switched from SC treprostinil to an alternative prostacyclin analogue; bosentan was added in 105 patients (12%) and sildenafil in 25 (3%).In conclusion, survival was 87–68% over 1–4 yrs for all 860 patients and 88–70% over 1–4 yrs with subcutaneous treprostinil monotherapy. For the idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension subset with baseline haemodynamics (n = 332), survival was 91–72% over 1–4 yrs. In contrast, predicted survival was 69–38% over 1–4 yrs. The safety profile for long-term subcutaneous treprostinil was consistent with previous short-term trials with no unexpected adverse events.
Identification of differentially expressed proteins in human malignant pleural effusions
Authors: Hsieh W-Y. , Chen M-W. , Ho H-T. , You T-M. , Lu Y-T. 
Published: August 2006

A high protein concentration in a pleural effusion makes it more likely to be a malignant than a transudative effusion. However, the variability in protein composition between these two forms of pleural effusion is not well understood.In order to compare their protein compositions, the proteomic profiles of 14 malignant and 13 transudative pleural effusions were studied using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Protein spots with differential expression were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. Targeted proteins were further examined by ELISA and Western immunoassay in all samples.Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis revealed seven spots whose expression was reduced in malignant pleural effusions. Four of the abnormal spots were identified as fibrinogen γ-chain precursor, two as fibrinogen β-chain precursor and one as pigment epithelium-derived factor. ELISA and Western immunoassay showed that pigment epithelium-derived factor levels were significantly lower in malignant than in transudative pleural effusions.It has been demonstrated that proteomic technologies may help in the elucidation of variable expression of proteins with particular functions. By applying these technologies, the level of pigment epithelium-derived factor, a potent anti-angiogenic factor, was found to be significantly lower in malignant than in transudative pleural effusions. This finding allows for further exploration regarding how underexpression of pigment epithelium-derived factor may relate to the pathogenesis of malignant pleural effusions.
A methodology for global validation of microarray experiments
Authors: Miron Mathieu , Woody Owen Z , Marcil Alexandre , Murie Carl , Sladek Robert , Nadon Robert 
Published: August 2006

AbstractBackgroundDNA microarrays are popular tools for measuring gene expression of biological samples. This ever increasing popularity is ensuring that a large number of microarray studies are conducted, many of which with data publicly available for mining by other investigators. Under most circumstances, validation of differential expression of genes is performed on a gene to gene basis. Thus, it is not possible to generalize validation results to the remaining majority of non-validated genes or to evaluate theoverallquality of these studies.ResultsWe present an approach for the global validation of DNA microarray experiments that will allow researchers to evaluate the general quality of their experiment and to extrapolate validation results of a subset of genes to the remaining non-validated genes. We illustrate why the popular strategy of selecting only the most differentially expressed genes for validation generally fails as a global validation strategy and propose random-stratified sampling as a better gene selection method. We also illustrate shortcomings of often-used validation indices such as overlap of significant effects and the correlation coefficient and recommend the concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) as an alternative.ConclusionWe provide recommendations that will enhance validity checks of microarray experiments while minimizing the need to run a large number of labour-intensive individual validation assays.
Automatic document classification of biological literature
Authors: Chen David , Müller Hans-Michael , Sternberg Paul W 
Published: August 2006

Abstract

Background
Document classification is a wide-spread problem with many applications, from organizing search engine snippets to spam filtering. We previously described Textpresso, a text-mining system for biological literature, which marks up full text according to a shallow ontology that includes terms of biological interest. This project investigates document classification in the context of biological literature, making use of the Textpresso markup of a corpus of Caenorhabditis elegans literature.

Results
We present a two-step text categorization algorithm to classify a corpus of C. elegans papers. Our classification method first uses a support vector machine-trained classifier, followed by a novel, phrase-based clustering algorithm. This clustering step autonomously creates cluster labels that are descriptive and understandable by humans. This clustering engine performed better on a standard test-set (Reuters 21578) compared to previously published results (F-value of 0.55 vs. 0.49), while producing cluster descriptions that appear more useful. A web interface allows researchers to quickly navigate through the hierarchy and look for documents that belong to a specific concept.

Conclusion
We have demonstrated a simple method to classify biological documents that embodies an improvement over current methods. While the classification results are currently optimized for Caenorhabditis elegans papers by human-created rules, the classification engine can be adapted to different types of documents. We have demonstrated this by presenting a web interface that allows researchers to quickly navigate through the hierarchy and look for documents that belong to a specific concept.
Validating MOSPA questionnaire for measuring physical activity in Pakistani women
Authors: Iqbal Romaina , Rafique Ghazala , Badruddin Salma , Qureshi Rahat , Gray-Donald Katherine 
Published: August 2006

Abstract

Background
Precise measurements of activity at a population level are important for monitoring trends and evaluating health promotion strategies. Few studies have assessed the measurement of physical activity in developing countries. The aim of this study was to validate the MOSPA (Monica Optional Study of Physical Activity) questionnaire which was developed for the WHO-Monitoring trends and determinants of cardiovasculr disease (MONICA) study sites.

Methods
The MOSPA questionnaire assesses energy expendtiture (EE) related to physical activity (employment, household work, transportation, and leisure time) over a one year period. This questionnaire has been described in the manuscript as the long term (LT) questionnaire. An adapted short term (ST) 5 day questionnaire was developed to assess convergent validity. Questionnaire data were compared with physical activity EE estimates from a Caltrac accelerometer and with body composition measures (height, weight and bioelectrical impedance) in 50 women from the Aga Khan University (AKU) hospital antenatal clinics, Pakistan. Other forms of EE i.e. resting EE and thermic effect of food were not assessd in this study.

Results
Subjects were aged 26 ± 3.8 years and were 16.1 ± 6.7 weeks pregnant. Their average weight was 58.8 ± 10.7 Kg. The average EE/day assessed by the Caltrac accelerometer, was 224 kcal and by MOSPA LT questionnaire it was 404 kcal. The questionnaires and Caltrac data were reasonably well correlated: r = 0.51 and r = 0.60 (P < 0.01) for LT and ST questionnaires respectively. Energy expenditure from questionnaire data was not correlated with body composition measures.

Conclusion
The MOSPA questionnaire is useful in assessing physical activity levels in a sedentary population over a one year period.
Demographic and biologic influences on survival in whites and blacks: 40 years of follow-up in the Charleston heart study
Authors: Nietert Paul J , Sutherland Susan E , Keil Julian E , Bachman David L 
Published: August 2006

Abstract

Background
In the United States, life expectancy is significantly lower among blacks than whites. We examined whether socioeconomic status (SES) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors may help explain this disparity.

Methods
Forty years (1961 through 2000) of all-cause mortality data were obtained on a population-based cohort of 2,283 subjects in the Charleston Heart Study (CHS). We examined the influence of SES and CVD risk factors on all-cause mortality.

Results
Complete data were available on 98% of the original sample (647 white men, 728 white women, 423 black men, and 443 black women). After adjusting for SES and CVD risk factors, the hazard ratios (HRs) for white ethnicity were 1.14 (0.98 to 1.32) among men and 0.90 (0.75 to 1.08) among women, indicating that the mortality risk was 14% greater for white men and 10% lower for white women compared to their black counterparts. However the differences were not statistically significant.

Conclusion
While there are marked contrasts in mortality among blacks and whites in the CHS, the differences can be largely explained by SES and CVD risk factors. Continued focus on improving and controlling cardiovascular disease risk factors may reduce ethnic disparities in survival.
Global DNA hypermethylation-associated cancer chemotherapy resistance and its reversion with the demethylating agent hydralazine
Authors: Segura-Pacheco Blanca , Perez-Cardenas Enrique , Taja-Chayeb Lucia , Chavez-Blanco Alma , Revilla-Vazquez Alma , Benitez-Bribiesca Luis , Duenas-González Alfonso 
Published: August 2006

Abstract

Background
The development of resistance to cytotoxic chemotherapy continues to be a major obstacle for successful anticancer therapy. It has been shown that cells exposed to toxic concentrations of commonly used cancer chemotherapy agents develop DNA hypermetylation. Hence, demethylating agents could play a role in overcoming drug resistance.

Methods
MCF-7 cells were rendered adriamycin-resistant by weekly treatment with adriamycin. Wild-type and the resulting MCF-7/Adr cells were analyzed for global DNA methylation. DNA methyltransferase activity and DNA methyltransferase (dnmt) gene expression were also determined. MCF-7/Adr cells were then subjected to antisense targeting of dnmt1, -3a, and -b genes and to treatment with the DNA methylation inhibitor hydralazine to investigate whether DNA demethylation restores sensitivity to adriamycin.

Results
MCF-7/Adr cells exhibited the multi-drug resistant phenotype as demonstrated by adriamycin resistance, mdr1 gene over-expression, decreased intracellular accumulation of adriamycin, and cross-resistance to paclitaxel. The mdr phenotype was accompanied by global DNA hypermetylation, over-expression of dnmt genes, and increased DNA methyltransferase activity as compared with wild-type MCF-7 cells. DNA demethylation through antisense targeting of dnmts or hydralazine restored adriamycin sensitivity of MCF-7/Adr cells to a greater extent than verapamil, a known inhibitor of mdr protein, suggesting that DNA demethylation interferes with the epigenetic reprogramming that participates in the drug-resistant phenotype.

Conclusion
We provide evidence that DNA hypermethylation is at least partly responsible for development of the multidrug-resistant phenotype in the MCF-7/Adr model and that hydralazine, a known DNA demethylating agent, can revert the resistant phenotype.
AICAR inhibits adipocyte differentiation in 3T3L1 and restores metabolic alterations in diet-induced obesity mice model
Authors: Giri Shailendra , Rattan Ramandeep , Haq Ehtishamul , Khan Mushfiquddin , Yasmin Rifat , Won Je-song , Key Lyndon , Singh Avtar K , Singh Inderjit 
Published: August 2006

Abstract

Background
Obesity is one of the principal causative factors involved in the development of metabolic syndrome. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is an energy sensor that regulates cellular metabolism. The role of AMP-activated protein kinase in adipocyte differentiation is not completely understood, therefore, we examined the effect of 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-β-D-ribofuranoside (AICAR), a pharmacological activator of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) on adipocyte differentiation in 3T3L1 cells and in a mouse D iet i nduced o besity (DIO) model.

Methods
To examine the effect of AICAR on adipocyte differentiation in 3T3L1 cells and in a mouse D iet i nduced o besity (DIO) model, 3T3L1 cells were differentiatied in the presence or absence of different concentration of AICAR and neutral lipid content and expression of various adipocyte-specific transcription factors were examined. In vivo study, treated and untreated mice with AICAR (0.1–0.5 mg/g body weight) were fed high-fat diet (60% kcal% fat) to induce DIO and several parameters were studied.

Results
AICAR blocked adipogenic conversion in 3T3L1 cells along with significant decrease in the neutral lipid content by downregulating several adipocyte-specific transcription factors including peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor γ (PPARγ), C/EBPα and ADD1/SREBP1, which are critical for adipogenesis in vitro. Moreover, intraperitoneal administration of AICAR (0.5 mg g/body weight) to mice fed with high-fat diet (60% kcal% fat) to induce DIO, significantly blocked the body weight gain and total content of epididymal fat in these mice over a period of 6 weeks. AICAR treatment also restored normal adipokine levels and resulted in significant improvement in glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. The reduction in adipose tissue content in AICAR treated DIO mice was due to reduction in lipid accumulation in the pre-existing adipocytes. However, no change was observed in the expression of PPARγ, C/EBPα and ADD1/SREBP1 transcription factors in vivo though PGC1α expression was significantly induced.

Conclusion
This study suggests that AICAR inhibits adipocyte differentiation via downregulation of expression of adipogenic factors in vitro and reduces adipose tissue content in DIO mice by activating expression of PGC1α without inhibiting adipocyte-specific transcription factors in DIO mice.
The relationship between reproductive outcome measures in DDT exposed malaria vector control workers: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Dalvie Mohamed A , Myers Jonathan E 
Published: August 2006

Abstract

Background
The utility of blood reproductive endocrine biomarkers for assessing or estimating semen quality was explored.

Methods
A cross-sectional study of 47 DDT exposed malaria vector control workers was performed. Tests included blood basal and post gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH), lutenizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), testosterone, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), estradiol (E2) and inhibin; a questionnaire (demographics and general medical history); a physical examination and semen analysis. Semen parameters were determined using either/or or both WHO or the strict Tygerberg criteria. Relationships between semen parameters and endocrine measures were adjusted for age, duration of abstinence before sampling, presence of physical abnormalities and fever in the last two months. All relationships between specific endocrine hormones were adjusted for age and basal SHBG.

Results
Multiple logistic regression showed a consistent positive relationship (prevalence odds ratio (POR) = 8.2, CI:1.4–49.2) between low basal inhibin (<100 pg/ml) and low semen count (< 40 million) and density (< 20 million/ml); consistent positive, but weaker relationships (1> POR < 2) between abnormally low semen count as well as density and baseline and post GnRH FSH; and positive relationships (POR = 37, CI:2–655) between the prevalence of high basal estradiol (> 50 pg/ml) and abnormal morphology (proportion < 5%) and low motility (proportion <50%). Most of the expected physiological relationships between specific endocrines were significant.

Conclusion
The study has demonstrated that low basal inhibin, elevated basal FSH and high basal E2 can serve as markers of impaired semen quality.
AceView: a comprehensive cDNA-supported gene and transcripts annotation
Authors: Thierry-Mieg Danielle , Thierry-Mieg Jean 
Published: August 2006

Abstract
Background
Regions covering one percent of the genome, selected by ENCODE for extensive analysis, were annotated by the HAVANA/Gencode group with high quality transcripts, thus defining a benchmark. The ENCODE Genome Annotation Assessment Project (EGASP) competition aimed at reproducing Gencode and finding new genes. The organizers evaluated the protein predictions in depth. We present a complementary analysis of the mRNAs, including alternative transcript variants.

Results
We evaluate 25 gene tracks from the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) genome browser. We either distinguish or collapse the alternative splice variants, and compare the genomic coordinates of exons, introns and nucleotides. Whole mRNA models, seen as chains of introns, are sorted to find the best matching pairs, and compared so that each mRNA is used only once. At the mRNA level, AceView is by far the closest to Gencode: the vast majority of transcripts of the two methods, including alternative variants, are identical. At the protein level, however, due to a lack of experimental data, our predictions differ: Gencode annotates proteins in only 41% of the mRNAs whereas AceView does so in virtually all. We describe the driving principles of AceView, and how, by performing hand-supervised automatic annotation, we solve the combinatorial splicing problem and summarize all of GenBank, dbEST and RefSeq into a genome-wide non-redundant but comprehensive cDNA-supported transcriptome. AceView accuracy is now validated by Gencode.

Conclusion
Relative to a consensus mRNA catalog constructed from all evidence-based annotations, Gencode and AceView have 81% and 84% sensitivity, and 74% and 73% specificity, respectively. This close agreement validates a richer view of the human transcriptome, with three to five times more transcripts than in UCSC Known Genes (sensitivity 28%), RefSeq (sensitivity 21%) or Ensembl (sensitivity 19%).