bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The role of Lactobacillus casei rhamnosus Lcr35 in restoring the normal vaginal flora after antibiotic treatment of bacterial vaginosis
Authors: Petricevic L , Witt A 
Published: October 2008

Objective  To evaluate the efficacy of additional topical Lactobacillus casei rhamnosus (Lcr35) subsequent to antibiotic treatment of bacterial vaginosis (BV) to restore the normal vaginal flora.Study design  Single‐centre, randomised, observerblinded study.Setting  Population‐based study in Vienna over 1 year.Sample  190 women were enrolled in the study.Methods  Women with Nugent scores between 7 and 10 on initial vaginal swab were randomised to the one of two groups. All women were treated with standard antibiotic therapy for 7 days. Only women in the intervention group received vaginal capsules containing 109 colony‐forming units of live Lcr35 for 7 days after antibiotic treatment. Final vaginal swabs for Nugent scoring were taken 4 weeks after the last administration of the study medication.Main outcome measures  The primary efficacy variable was a change in the Nugent score between the baseline and the end of the study of at least 5 grades in each individual woman.Results  Sixty‐nine of the 83 women (83%) in the intervention group and 31 of the 88 women (35%) in the control group showed a reduction of the Nugent score by at least 5 grades. The difference in the number of women with improvement was highly significant (P < 0.001). The median difference in Nugent scores between initial and final swabs was 6.61 in the intervention group and 4.13 in the control group (P < 0.001).Conclusion  Our data show that the restoration of the vaginal flora after antibiotic treatment of BV can be significantly enhanced by exogenously applied lactobacilli.
Placental protein 13 as an early marker for pre‐eclampsia: a prospective longitudinal study*
Authors: Gonen R , Shahar R , Grimpel YI , Chefetz I , Sammar M , Meiri H , Gibor Y 
Published: October 2008

Objective  To assess the value of placental protein 13 (PP13) as an early marker of pre‐eclampsia.Design  Sequential blood samples were obtained from women with singleton viable pregnancies at 6–10, 16–20 and 24–28 weeks of gestation. Samples were tested for PP13 using a solid‐phase sandwich enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Levels were expressed as multiples of the medians (MoM) of the unaffected population. The slope or rate of change in PP13 concentration per week of gestation was also calculated.Setting  Thirty‐five prenatal care community clinics.Sample  In total, 1366 women were recruited, and subsequently, 20 were diagnosed with pre‐eclampsia, 41 with gestational hypertension and 1178 were unaffected.Main outcome measures  Sensitivity and specificity of screening with PP13 at each gestational period and of PP13 level combined with the slope of PP13 between two testing periods.Results  At 6–10 gestational weeks, PP13 levels were significantly lower among the pre‐eclampsia group with a median 0.28 MoM (95% CI 0.15–0.39, P < 0.004). Using a cutoff of 0.40 MoM, the sensitivity was 80%, false‐positive rate (FPR) was 20% and odds ratio was 16.0 (95% CI 5.3–48.4). Combining MoM of 6–10 weeks and slope between 6–10 and 16–20 weeks, the sensitivity was 78%, the FPR was 6% and odds ratio was 55.5 (95% CI 18.2–169.2). The gestational hypertension group was not different from the normal group.Conclusions  PP13 in the first trimester alone or in combination with the slope between the first and the second trimesters may be a promising marker for assessing the risk of pre‐eclampsia.
Acupuncture as an adjunct to standard treatment for pelvic girdle pain in pregnant women: randomised double‐blinded controlled trial comparing acupuncture with non‐penetrating sham acupuncture
Authors: Elden H , Fagevik‐Olsen M , Ostgaard H‐C , Stener‐Victorin E , Hagberg H 
Published: October 2008

Objective  To investigate whether acupuncture has a greater treatment effect than non‐penetrating sham acupuncture in women with pelvic girdle pain (PGP) during pregnancy.Design  Randomised double‐blinded controlled trial.Setting  East Hospital, Gothenburg, and 25 antenatal primary care units in the region of Västra Götaland, Sweden.Population  A total of 115 pregnant women with a clinical diagnosis of PGP who scored ≥50 on a 100‐mm visual analogue scale (VAS).Method  Women were randomly allocated to standard treatment plus acupuncture or to standard treatment plus non‐penetrating sham acupuncture for 8 weeks.Main outcome measures  Main outcome measure was pain. Secondary outcomes were frequency of sick leave, functional status, discomfort of PGP, health‐related quality of life and recovery of severity of PGP as assessed by the independent examiner.Results  After treatment, median pain decreased from 66 to 36 in the acupuncture group and from 69 to 41 in the non‐penetrating sham group (P = 0.493) as assessed on a VAS. Women in the acupuncture group were in regular work to a higher extent than women in the sham group (n = 28/57 versus 16/57, P = 0.041). The acupuncture group had superior ability to perform daily activities measured with the disability rating index (DRI) (44 versus 55, P = 0.001). There were no significant differences in quality of life, discomfort of PGP and recovery from severity of PGP between the groups.Conclusions  Acupuncture had no significant effect on pain or on the degree of sick leave compared with non‐penetrating sham acupuncture. There was some improvement in performing daily activities according to DRI. The data imply that needle penetration contributes to a limited extent to the previously reported beneficial effects of acupuncture.
Morbidity outcomes of 78 577 hysterectomies for benign reasons over 23 years
Authors: Spilsbury K , Hammond I , Bulsara M , Semmens JB 
Published: October 2008

Objective  To investigate the association of the method of hysterectomy for benign reasons with morbidity outcomes in Western Australia after taking other demographic, social and health‐related factors into account.Design  Population‐based retrospective observational study.Setting  All hospitals in Western Australia where hysterectomies were performed from 1981 to 2003.Population  All women aged 20 years or older who underwent a hysterectomy for benign reasons.Method  Logistic and zero‐truncated negative binomial regression analysis of record‐linked administrative health data.Main outcome measures  Relative odds of experiencing complications during the hysterectomy admission or readmission and relative length of stay in hospital by type of hysterectomy.Results  There were 78 577 hysterectomies performed for benign reasons from 1981 to 2003. Procedure‐related haemorrhage (2.4%) was the most commonly recorded complication, followed by genitourinary disorders (1.9%), infection (1.6%) and urinary tract infections (1.6%). Vaginal hysterectomy was associated with reduced odds of infection and haemorrhage compared with abdominal procedures during the hysterectomy admission. Readmission rates increased from 5.4% in 1981–84 to 7.2% in 2000–03 as average length of stay decreased by 53% over the same time period. Women who underwent laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomies and vaginal hysterectomies had increased odds of readmission for haemorrhage and genitourinary disorders compared with abdominal hysterectomy. Young age, increasing number of co‐morbid conditions and having a complication at hysterectomy admission were also associated with increased odds of readmission.Conclusion  These findings identify women at risk of readmission following hysterectomy and highlight an opportunity to modify early discharge and patient follow‐up practices to reduce this risk.
Management of threatened preterm delivery in France: a national practice survey (the EVAPRIMA study)
Authors: Parant O , Maillard F , Tsatsaris V , Delattre M , Subtil D , Goffinet F ,   the EVAPRIMA Group
Published: October 2008

Objectives  To describe the management of threatened preterm delivery (TPD) in France 3 years after publication of the French guidelines and to analyse the factors of variation of the practices observed.Design  Population‐based study.Setting  Representative sample of French maternity units. The study included 107 hospitals, accounting for 20% of all French maternity units.Population  Women hospitalised for TPD during May 2005.Methods  Cross‐sectional national practice survey.Results  Of the 734 admissions for TPD, 12.1% involved premature rupture of membranes and 12.9% were in utero transfers. Women admitted for TPD accounted for roughly 6% of all annual deliveries, regardless of the unit’s level of care, and 42.4% of these women delivered preterm: none delivered before 32 weeks in level 1 maternity units, 11.6% in level 2 and 88.4% in level 3. Transvaginal cervical ultrasound was performed for 54.5% of the women with intact membranes. Tocolysis was administered in 87.1% of women with intact membranes, with 45.6% of such women receiving this intervention for longer than 48 hours. First‐line tocolytics used were calcium channel blockers (53.7%), beta‐agonists (34.7%) or atosiban (8.8%), but their distribution differed substantially according to level of care. Maintenance tocolysis was administered to 385 women (59.8%) with intact membranes. Of the women admitted before 34 weeks, 21.1% did not receive corticosteroids.Conclusions  Practices for the management of TPD vary widely and appear to depend on the level of care. Some practices appear less than optimal, especially those related to duration of tocolysis, maintenance tocolysis, antenatal corticosteroid and use of cervical ultrasound.
Evidence‐based intrapartum care in Cali, Colombia: a quantitative and qualitative study
Authors: Conde‐Agudelo A , Rosas‐Bermudez A , Gülmezoglu AM 
Published: October 2008

Objectives  To measure the rate of use of selected intrapartum obstetric practices and to explore the factors associated with their use.Design  Prospective quantitative and qualitative study.Setting  Fifteen public and private hospitals in Cali, Colombia.Sample  Quantitative arm: 1767 low‐risk women delivering a single live baby; qualitative arm: 36 intrapartum care providers.Methods  Quantitative analysis of women’s clinical charts for measuring the rates of obstetric practices. Qualitative analysis of audiotaped semi‐structured interviews with intrapartum care providers.Main outcome measures  Rates of use of ten intrapartum obstetric practices and associated factors and intrapartum care providers’ views on evidence‐based obstetric practice.Results  Rates for the ineffective practices of enema use, perineal/pubic shaving, and routine intravenous infusion during labour were around 75%. Episiotomy rates for primiparae and multiparae were 70 and 22%, respectively. Rates for the beneficial practices of active management of the third stage of labour and allowing women’s choice of position during the first stage of labour were around 45%. Companionship during labour, external cephalic version for breech presentation at term, and absorbable synthetic sutures for episiotomy showed rates of utilisation lower than 15%. Hospital characteristics, type of intrapartum care provider, and women’s medical insurance status were associated with use of selected practices. Barriers and opportunities for implementing evidence‐based practices in routine obstetric care were identified.Conclusions  Intrapartum care in Cali, Colombia, is not guided by the best available evidence. Effective change strategies should be undertaken to encourage the adoption of obstetric practices clearly demonstrated as effective and to discard those that are ineffective.
Trends in maternal obesity and associated risks of adverse pregnancy outcomes in a population of Chinese women
Authors: Leung TY , Leung TN , Sahota DS , Chan OK , Chan LW , Fung TY , Lau TK 
Published: October 2008

Objective  To assess the effect of increasing body mass index (BMI) on pregnancy outcome in a population of Chinese women.Design  A retrospective study.Setting  A university teaching hospital.Population  Women delivering singleton babies between 1995 and 2005 who sought antenatal care before 20 weeks of gestation.Methods  A total of 29 303 women were categorised into six BMI groups according to WHO’s classification. Univariate, multivariate and logistic regression analysis were performed to compare obstetric and perinatal outcomes between BMI groups.Main outcome measures  Incidences of caesarean delivery, pre‐eclampsia, gestational diabetes, preterm delivery, small for gestational age (SGA) and large for gestational age (LGA), perinatal death, and the respective odd ratios in reference to the normal group with BMI ≥ 18.5 kg/m2 and <23 kg/m2.Results  The median BMI increased with increasing maternal age, parity, gestation at the first visit, but decreased with year of delivery (P < 0.001). Concerning the obstetric outcomes, increasing BMI was associated with increasing incidence of caesarean section, pre‐eclampsia, gestational diabetes, preterm delivery, LGA, as well as SGA according to customised growth standards (P < 0.001). The odds ratios for most of these adverse outcomes are higher than those reported in Caucasian population. Increasing BMI was not associated with the rate of stillbirth, neonatal death or shoulder dystocia.Conclusion  Increasing BMI is associated with increased risks of adverse obstetric outcomes. The impacts of high BMI on pre‐eclampsia, gestational diabetes and preterm delivery in Chinese women might be stronger than that in Caucasian. Hence, it may be appropriate to use a lower BMI cutoff for defining overweight in Chinese.
Does Low to Moderate Alcohol Intake Protect Against Cognitive Decline in Older People?
Authors: Stott David J. , Falconer Alison , Kerr Gillian D. , Murray Heather M. , Trompet Stella , Westendorp Rudi G. J. , Buckley Brendan , De Craen Anton J. M. , Sattar Naveed , Ford Ian 
Published: October 2008

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether low to moderate alcohol intake is protective against cognitive decline in older people.DESIGN: Prospective cohort study.SETTING: Community‐based study in Ireland, the Netherlands, and Scotland.PARTICIPANTS: Five thousand eight hundred four people (3,000 women) aged 70 to 82 and randomized to pravastatin or placebo in the Prospective Study of Pravastatin in the Elderly at Risk.MEASUREMENTS: Alcohol consumption was determined at study baseline. Serial measures of cognitive function over 3.2 years mean follow‐up included Mini‐Mental‐State‐Examination (MMSE), speed of information processing (Stroop and Letter‐Digit Coding tests), and immediate and delayed memory (Picture‐Word Learning test).RESULTS: Forty‐two percent of women and 71% of men were alcohol drinkers. Cognitive performance was better for female drinkers than nondrinkers for all cognitive domains over the 3.2‐year follow‐up; no significant effects were seen for men (linear mixed model, including adjusting for possible confounders). The rate of cognitive decline was similar for drinkers and nondrinkers for all cognitive domains, except for MMSE, which declined significantly less in female drinkers than nondrinkers (linear mixed model attenuated rate of decline=0.05 MMSE units per annum, P=.001).CONCLUSION: Drinking low to moderate amounts of alcohol may delay age‐associated cognitive decline in older women (including slowing deterioration in global cognitive function), but these apparent benefits were not clearly seen in older men.
Voting by Mail: Turnout and Institutional Reform in Oregon*
Authors: Richey Sean 
Published: October 2008

Objectives.I test the impact of Oregon's vote‐by‐mail system on voter turnout.Methods.To determine the impact, I create a cross‐sectional time‐series regression model of state turnout in presidential elections from 1980 to 2004 and mid‐term elections from 1982 to 2006.Results.I find that Oregon's turnout increases by around 10 percentage points of registered voters in both presidential and mid‐term elections due to the voting‐by‐mail reform.Conclusions.These results suggest that one of the reasons that the United States has comparatively lower turnout is due to its more onerous voting procedures.
Diapause incidence of progeny in relation to parental geographic origin, host plant and rearing density in the cabbage beetle, Colaphellus bowringi
Authors: Lai Xi‐Ting , Yang Dong , Wu Shao‐Hui , Zhu Xing‐Fen , Xue Fang‐Sen 
Published: October 2008

AbstractThe cabbage beetle, Colaphellus bowringi Baly (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), which is widely distributed in China, undergoes an imaginal diapause in the soil. In this study, we investigated the influences of parental geographic origin, host plant, and rearing density on the diapause incidence of progeny in this beetle. In studies conducted at 25 °C and L12:D12 photoperiod, the proportions of adults entering diapause were significantly different among latitudes from which the parents had been collected. The incidence of diapause increased with increasing latitude. Reciprocal cross tests between post‐diapause adults from different latitudes showed that there were significant differences in diapause incidence between pure‐bred and hybrid adults, suggesting that diapause incidence among progeny was determined by both the female and male, although the female appeared to have a stronger effect than the male. These results revealed that parental origin has an important influence on progeny diapause. Parental host plant species not only affected diapause incidence of the current generation, but also affected the incidence of diapause in the progeny produced by the non‐diapause parents; yet, the parental host plant had no influence on the incidence of diapause in the progeny produced by the post‐diapause parents. Rearing density of the parental generation had no significant effect on the incidence of diapause in the progeny.
Caveolin‐1 is transported to multi‐vesicular bodies after albumin‐induced endocytosis of caveolae in HepG2 cells
Authors: Botos E. , Klumperman J. , Oorschot V. , Ígyártó B. , Magyar A. , Oláh M. , Kiss A. L. 
Published: October 2008

AbstractCaveolae‐mediated endocytosis is a highly regulated endocytic pathway that exists in parallel to other forms of clathrin‐dependent and ‐independent endocytosis. Internalized caveolae accumulate in intermediate organelles called caveosomes. Here we addressed the further fate of internalized caveolae by inducing caveolae‐mediated uptake of albumin by HepG2 cells. We followed the route of internalized caveolin‐1 by immunogold labelling of ultrathin frozen sections and by Western blot analyses of purified membrane fractions. Long‐term (1 and 3 hrs) albumin treatment resulted in the appearance of albumin‐containing caveolae in special multi‐caveolar complexes (consisting of multiple caveolae clustered together) connected to the plasma membrane and caveosome‐like structures in the cytoplasm. In addition, numerous CD63 (LIMP‐1) positive late endosomes/multi‐vesicular bodies were found positive for caveolin‐1, suggesting that upon albumin incubation, caveolin‐1 is endocytosed and enters the degradative pathway. Surprisingly, the number of caveolae at the plasma membrane increased after addition of albumin. This increase was blocked by cycloheximide treatment, indicating that albumin internalization also stimulates de novo protein synthesis, which is necessary for new caveolae formation. Together, our results show that during long‐term albumin uptake, caveolin‐1 travels to late endosomes and is replaced by newly synthesized caveolin‐1 at the plasma membrane.
Epidermal growth factor increases insulin secretion and lowers blood glucose in diabetic mice
Authors: Lee H. Y. , Yea K. , Kim J. , Lee B. D. , Chae Y. C. , Kim H. S. , Lee D.‐W. , Kim S.‐H. , Cho J.‐H. , Jin C. J. , Koh D.‐S. , Park K. S. , Suh P.‐G. , Ryu S. H. 
Published: October 2008

AbstractEpidermal growth factor (EGF) is synthesized in the pancreas and diabetic animals have low levels of EGF. However, the role of EGF in regulating the major function of the pancreas, insulin secretion, has not been studied. Here, we show that EGF rapidly increased insulin secretion in mouse pancreatic islets, as well as in a pancreatic β‐cell line. These events were dependent on a Ca2+influx and phospholipase D (PLD) activity, particularly PLD2, as determined using pharmacological blockers and molecular manipulations such as over‐expression and siRNA of PLD isozymes. In addition, EGF also increased plasma insulin levels and mediated glucose lowering in normal and diabetic mice. Here, for the first time, we provide evidence that EGF is a novel secretagogue that regulates plasma glucose levels and a candidate for the development of therapeutics for diabetes.
The ginsenoside metabolite compound K, a novel agonist of glucocorticoid receptor, induces tolerance to endotoxin‐induced lethal shock
Authors: Yang Chul‐Su , Ko Sung‐Ryong , Cho Byung‐Goo , Shin Dong‐Min , Yuk Jae‐Min , Li Shengjin , Kim Jin‐Man , Evans Ronald M. , Jung Jun‐Sub , Song Dong‐Keun , Jo Eun‐Kyeong 
Published: October 2008

AbstractCompound K (C‐K), a protopanaxadiol ginsenoside metabolite, was previously shown to have immunomodulatory effects. Here, we describe a novel therapeutic role for C‐K in the treatment of lethal sepsis through the modulation of Toll‐like receptor (TLR) 4‐associated signallingviaglucocorticoid receptor (GR) binding. In mononuclear phagocytes, C‐K significantly repressed the activation of TLR4/lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced NF‐κB and mitogen‐activated protein kinases (MAPKs), as well as the secretion of pro‐inflammatory cytokines. However C‐K did not affect the TLR3‐mediated expression of interferon‐β or the nuclear translocation of IRF‐3. C‐K competed with the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone for binding to GR and activated glucocorticoid responsive element (GRE)‐containing reporter plasmids in a dose‐dependent manner. In addition, the blockade of GR with either the GR antagonist RU486 or a siRNA against GR substantially reversed the anti‐inflammatory effects of C‐K. Furthermore, TLR4‐dependent repression of inflammatory response genes by C‐K was mediated through the disruption of p65/interferon regulatory factor complexes. Importantly, pre‐ or post‐treatment with C‐K significantly rescued mice from Gram‐negative bacterial LPS‐induced lethal shock by lowering their systemic inflammatory cytokine levels and by reversing the lethal sequelae of sepsis. Collectively, these results demonstrate that C‐K, as a functional ligand of GR, regulates distinct TLR4‐mediated inflammatory responses, and suggest a novel therapy for Gram‐negative septic shock.