bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Apnea‐Related Heart Rate Variability and Its Clinical Utility in Congestive Heart Failure Outpatients
Authors: Tateishi Osamu , Shouda Toru , Honda Youichi , Sakai Tomohisa , Mochizuki Seibu , Machida Katsuhiko 
Published: October 2006

Background: Cheyne‐Stokes breathing (CSB) is an abnormal cyclical pattern of respiratory fluctuations observed during sleep in congestive heart failure (CHF) of poor prognosis. We examined the clinical usefulness of CSB screening using the heart rate variability (HRV) data from the ambulatory electrocardiogram.Methods: We monitored ambulatory electrocardiograms and respiration simultaneously in 86 heart disease patients of both sexes, aged 57 ± 1 years. HRV was analyzed by the maximum entropy method during the sleeping period (11 PM—S AM). The 43 CHF patients underwent a 1‐year follow‐up study.Results: In the power spectra of the HRV, peaks were observed within the CSB band (0.005 to 0.03 Hz). Statistically significant differences in HRV were observed between CSB patients and CSB‐free patients in very low frequency (VLF) (P = 0.04), VLF/total frequency (TF) (P = 0.02), CSB (P = 0.01), CSB/TF (P = 0.003), and CSB/VLF (P < 0.0001). Cardiac events occurred in 23% of patients, including cardiac death in two, and rehospitalization for aggravated CHF in eight. In a multivariate Cox regression analysis in which age, sex, ejection fraction, NYHA functional class, beta blocker use, and basic heart disease were included, absence of ACE inhibitor use (RR 5.5, 95% Cl 1.0–31) and CSB/VLF ≧ 80% (RR 4.2, 95% Cl 1.1–17) remained significant predictors of cardiac events.Conclusions: HRV can act as an indicator of the presence of CSB in CHF patients, and could therefore be used, under outpatient conditions, to identify a CHF patients with a poor prognosis. A.N.E. 2002;7(2):127–132
Effects of Carvedilol on Heart Rate Dynamics in Patients with Congestive Heart Failure
Authors: Ridha Mustafa , Makikallio Timo H. , Lopera Gustavo , Pastor Juan , de Marchena Eduardo , Chakko Simon , Huikuri Heikki V. , Castellanos Agustin , Myerburg Robert J. 
Published: October 2006

Background: Patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) have alterations in the traditional and nonlinear indices of heart rate (HR) dynamics, which have been associated with an increased risk of mortality. This study was designed to test the effects of carvedilol, a nonselective beta‐blocker with alpha‐1 blocking properties, on HR dynamics in patients with CHF.Methods: We studied 15 patients with CHF secondary to ischemic or idiopathic cardiomyopathy who met the following inclusion criteria: NYHA functional class II‐III, optimal conventional medical therapy, normal sinus rhythm, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of < 40%, and resting systolic blood pressure greater than 100 mmHg. The 6‐minute corridor walk test, estimation of LVEF, and 24‐hour Holter recording were performed at baseline and after 12 weeks of therapy with carvedilol. Traditional time and frequency domain measures and short‐term fractal scaling exponent of HR dynamics were analyzed.Results: After 12 weeks of therapy with carvedilol, the mean LVEF improved significantly (from 0.27 ± 0.08 to 0.38 ± 0.08, P < 0.001). The average HR decreased significantly (from 86 ± 11 to 70 ± 8 beats/min, P < 0.001). The mean distance traveled in the 6‐minute walk test increased significantly (from 177 ± 44 to 273 ± 55 m, P < 0.01). The frequency‐domain indices (HF and LF), the time domain indices (rMSSD and PNN5), and the short‐term fractal scaling exponent increased significantly. The scaling exponent increased particularly among the patients with the lowest initial values (< 1.0), and the change in the fractal scaling exponent correlated with the change in ejection fraction (r = 0.63, P < 0.01).Conclusion: Carvedilol improves time and frequency domain indices of HR variability and corrects the altered scaling properties of HR dynamics in patients with CHF. It also improves LVEF and functional capacity. These specific changes in HR behavior caused by carvedilol treatment may reflect the normalization of impaired cardiovascular neural regulation of patients with CHF. A.N.E. 2002;7(2):133–138
Factors Associated with the Development of Atrial Fibrillation in COPD Patients: The Role of P‐Wave Dispersion
Authors: Tükek Tufan , Yildiz Pinar , Akkaya Vakur , Akif Karan Mehmet , Atilgan Dursun , Yilmaz Veysel , Korkut Ferruh 
Published: October 2006

Background: Supraventricular tachyarrhythmia is a common problem in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. The purpose of this study is to analyze the factors associated with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) in COPD patients.Methods: Forty COPD patients (38 male, 2 female, mean age 60 ± 9 years) and 33 healthy controls (29 male, 4 female, mean age: 58 ± 10 years) were included in this study. Echocardiography, 24‐hour ambulatory and 12‐lead ECG, pulmonary function tests, arterial blood gases, and serum electrolytes were measured. On ECG, maximum (Pmax) and minimum (Pmin) duration of P wave and its difference, P‐wave dispersion (PWd), were measured.Results: On echocardiography, diastolic dysfunction was found in 14 of the 40 (35%) COPD patients. Heart rate variability analysis revealed that COPD patients had decreased SDANN, SDNN, SDNNIDX in time‐domain, and decreased LF in frequency domain parameters. Fourteen of the 40 COPD patients (35%) had AF. Patients with AF were older (57 ± 10 vs 64 ± 5 years, P = 0.03) and had lower SDANN, SDNN, and LF/HF ratio as compared to patients without AF in univariate analysis. All P‐wave intervals (Pmax Pmin and PWd) were increased in COPD patients compared to controls. P‐wave dispersion was significantly increased in COPD patients with AF, as compared to patients without AF (57 ± 11 vs 44 ± 7 ms, P = 0.001). In logistic regression analysis PWd was found to be the only factor associated with the development of AF (P = 0.04).Conclusions: The presence of AF was significantly related to the prolongation of PWd, but not with pulmonary function, arterial blood gasses, and left and right atrial function. A.N.E. 2002;7(3):222–227
Heart Rate Variability After Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery: A Prospective 3‐Year Follow‐Up Study
Authors: Demirel Şeref , Akkaya Vakur , Oflaz Huseyin , Tükek Tufan , Erk Osman 
Published: October 2006

Background: Autonomic heart rate control is impaired after CABG. The aim of this study was to establish the temporal pattern of change in the decrease of HRV observed after CABG.Methods and Results: Twelve patients with coronary artery disease were assessed with 24‐hour Holter recordings 2 days before CABG and 1 week, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, and 3 years after CABG. All the time‐domain and frequency‐domain HRV parameters decreased precipitately after CABG and were mostly recovered 3 months after CABG except mean NN, rMSSD, and pNN50. The ratio of LF to HF showed a slight decrease after surgery, recovered to preoperative values after 3 months, surpassed, and continued to increase 6 months after surgery. At 3 years of follow‐up the recovery was complete. The rate of change of time‐domain and frequency‐domain parameters were calculated and their correlation with aortic cross‐clamping time, number of vessels bypassed, the amount of cardioplegic used were sought and no statistically significant correlation was found.Conclusion: The recovery of HRV regardless to the preoperative state of the patients and their postoperative course implies that the early drop of HRV after CABG was related to the acute effects of surgery. Late complete recovery of HRV may be due to resolution of ischemia or use of angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitor. A.N.E. 2002;7(3):247–250
Religion in the Dead Sea Scrolls
Authors: Jassen Alex P. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe present study is intended as a synthesis of the current state of research on religion in the Qumran community as articulated in the Dead Sea Scrolls. We treat here religion both in thought and in practice. The former refers to the theological belief system of the Qumran community: God, dualism and predestination and eschatology, messianism, and resurrection; the latter indicates the way that the religious ideals of the Qumran community were actualized in daily life: formation of Jewish law, temple, sacrifice, and prayer, and ritual and purity. Our intention is to present the critical issues (and texts) as they relate to each of these subjects and the various scholarly models associated with their study.
Medicine and Religion in Ancient Egypt
Authors: Zucconi Laura M. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractSeminal works on ancient Egyptian medicine tend to treat the field as distinct from religious practices, often fixating on the medical papyri as exemplifying either rational or magical treatments. Refocusing the study towards the ancient Egyptian conceptions of physiology and disease etiology shows that their medical practices integrated religious concepts such asmaat(balance) andheka(power). Therapeutic measures and titles for healers,swnw,wabpriest, andsau, further underscored the physical interchange between the mortal and divine worlds for the ancient Egyptians.
The Holocaust: Remembrances, Reflections, Revisions
Authors: Whitfield Stephen J. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe moral abyss that about four decades ago came to be called the Holocaust has generated a vast literature seeking to probe the meaning of that catastrophe. A forthcoming volume to which eminent scholars have contributed from such fields as philosophy, history, and literary studies offers an opportunity to consider the current status of reflections on the Holocaust. Based in England and Israel as well as the United States, these particular academics demonstrate how inescapable their topic remains, how elusive is the struggle to decipher what may resist any satisfying explanation – or representation.
Canaanite Religion
Authors: Noll K. L. 
Published: October 2006

Abstract“Canaanite religion” is a controversial term because the Bible and some religious scholars distinguish between Canaanite and Israelite religions. However, biblical and archaeological data suggest that Israelite religion was one local variety of the larger, regional Canaanite religion. Canaanite religion is the religion of all peoples living on the eastern Mediterranean seaboard prior to the Common Era. The gods and the myths in this region display some stable characteristics, yet evolved new details and changing divine relationships throughout ancient times. At the center of Canaanite religion was royal concern for religious and political legitimacy and the imposition of a divinely ordained legal structure, as well as peasant emphasis on fertility of the crops, flocks, and humans.
Interruption of the Tnfrsf4/Tnfsf4 (OX40/OX40L) Pathway Attenuates Atherogenesis in Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptor-Deficient Mice
Authors: van Wanrooij Eva J.A , van Puijvelde Gijs H.M , de Vos Paula , Yagita Hideo , van Berkel Theo J.C. , Kuiper Johan 
Published: October 2006

Objective—Atherosclerosis is a chronic (auto-)inflammatory disease and T cell activation is an important factor in this process. Tnfrsf4 (OX40) and Tnfsf4 (OX40 ligand) are members of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and TNF receptor family and OX40/OX40L mediated signaling is important in co-activation of T cells and facilitates B-T cell interaction. In this study we assessed the role of the OX40/OX40L pathway in atherosclerosis and the effect of interruption of the OX40/OX40L pathway on lesion development.Methods and Results—We treated low-density lipoprotein receptor-deficient (LDLr−/−) mice with an anti-OX40L antibody which lead to a 53% decrease in atherosclerotic lesion formation. Treatment resulted in inhibition of Th2 mediated isotype switching by decreasing interleukin (IL)-4 secretion and subsequent low IgG1 serum levels against oxLDL, whereas protective anti-oxLDL specific IgM titers were increased in treated mice compared with control.Conclusions—We conclude that blocking the OX-40/OX40L interaction reduced atherogenesis by inhibition of IL-4 mediated Th2 induced isotype switching and subsequent increased levels of anti-oxLDL IgM.
M1 Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptor Agonism Alters Sleep without Affecting Memory Consolidation
Authors: Nissen Christoph , Power Ann E. , Nofzinger Eric A. , Feige Bernd , Voderholzer Ulrich , Kloepfer Corinna , Waldheim Bernhard , Radosa Marc-Philipp , Berger Mathias , Riemann Dieter 
Published: October 2006

Abstract
Preclinical studies have implicated cholinergic neurotransmission, specifically M1 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) activation, in sleep-associated memory consolidation. In the present study, we investigated the effects of administering the direct M1 mAChR agonist RS-86 on pre-post sleep memory consolidation. Twenty healthy human participants were tested in a declarative word-list task and a procedural mirror-tracing task. RS-86 significantly reduced rapid eye movement (REM) sleep latency and slow wave sleep (SWS) duration in comparison with placebo. Presleep acquisition and postsleep recall rates were within the expected ranges. However, recall rates in both tasks were almost identical for the RS-86 and placebo conditions. These results indicate that selective M1 mAChR activation in healthy humans has no clinically relevant effect on pre-post sleep consolidation of declarative or procedural memories at a dose that reduces REM sleep latency and SWS duration.
A Single System Explains Human Speed Perception
Authors: van Boxtel Jeroen J. A. , van Ee Raymond , Erkelens Casper J. 
Published: October 2006

Abstract
Motion is fully described by a direction and a speed. The processing of direction information by the visual system has been extensively studied; much less is known, however, about the processing of speed. Although it is generally accepted that the direction of motion is processed by a single motion system, no such consensus exists for speed. Psychophysical data from humans suggest two separate systems processing luminance-based fast and slow speeds, whereas neurophysiological recordings in monkeys generally show continuous speed representation, hinting at a single system. Although the neurophysiological findings hint at a single system, they remain inconclusive as only a limited amount of cells can be measured per study and, possibly, the putative different motion systems are anatomically separate. In three psychophysical motion adaptation experiments, we show that predictions on the basis of the two-motion system hypothesis are not met. Instead, concurrent modeling showed that both here-presented and previous data are consistent with a single system subserving human speed perception. These findings have important implications for computational models of motion processing and the low-level organization of the process.
Inhibitory Control is Slowed in Patients with Right Superior Medial Frontal Damage
Authors: Floden Darlene , Stuss Donald T. 
Published: October 2006

Abstract
Inhibitory control is an essential part of behavior. Comprehensive knowledge of the neural underpinnings will shed light on complex behavior, its breakdown in neurological and psychological disorders, and current and future techniques for the pharmacological or structural remediation of disinhibition. This study investigated the neural mechanisms involved in rapid response inhibition. The stop signal task was used to estimate inhibitory speed in a group of neurologically normal control subjects and patients with discrete frontal lobe lesions. Task procedures were controlled to rule out probable confounds related to strategic changes in task effort. The findings indicate that the frontal lobes are necessary for inhibitory control and, furthermore, that the integrity of the right superior medial frontal region is key for rapid inhibitory control under conditions controlling for strategically slow responses, forcing reliance more on a rapid, “kill-switch” inhibitory system. These results are interpreted within an anatomical framework of corticospinal motor control.
Cerebrocerebellar Circuits for the Perceptual Cancellation of Eye-movement-induced Retinal Image Motion
Authors: Lindner Axel , Haarmeier Thomas , Erb Michael , Grodd Wolfgang , Thier Peter 
Published: October 2006

Abstract
Despite smooth pursuit eye movements, we are unaware of resultant retinal image motion. This example of perceptual invariance is achieved by comparing retinal image slip with an internal reference signal predicting the sensory consequences of the eye movement. This prediction can be manipulated experimentally, allowing one to vary the amount of self-induced image motion for which the reference signal compensates and, accordingly, the resulting percept of motion. Here we were able to map regions in CRUS I within the lateral cerebellar hemispheres that exhibited a significant correlation between functional magnetic resonance imaging signal amplitudes and the amount of motion predicted by the reference signal. The fact that these cerebellar regions were found to be functionally coupled with the left parieto-insular cortex and the supplementary eye fields points to these cortical areas as the sites of interaction between predicted and experienced sensory events, ultimately giving rise to the perception of a stable world despite self-induced retinal motion.
Re-evaluation of the cost effectiveness of temozolomide for malignant gliomas in British Columbia
Authors: Mabasa Vincent H , Taylor Suzanne CM 
Published: October 2006

Study objectives. To re-evaluate the cost effectiveness and median overall survival (OS) achieved in patients with recurrent malignant gliomas treated with temozolomide in British Columbia, as compared to previous lomustine use in the same patient population based on updated outcomes data. Results were also compared to temozolomide literature reports. Methods. A retrospective medical record review was performed to identify patients who received single agent temozolomide or lomustine during successive, prespecified time periods. Data were collected on survival, duration of therapy, drug cost, labour and supplies, and successive or prior chemotherapy. Results. Forty-one patients in the temozolomide group and 25 patients in the lomustine group were analysed. The median OS was 33.3 weeks (95% CI 28.4, 42.1 weeks) and 37.7 weeks (95% CI 25.0, 88.4 weeks) respectively ( P=0.783). Temozolomide patients received a mean of 5.1 cycles of drug treatment, with a mean cost per patient of $10 746 (CAD). In contrast, lomustine patients received a mean of 3.3 cycles of therapy, with a mean cost per patient of $129 (CAD). The cost-effectiveness analysis showed that temozolomide was generally not a cost-effective strategy and that lomustine was the dominant strategy. In the sensitivity analysis, in scenarios where median OS was prolonged with temozolomide as compared to lomustine, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for each life year gained ranged from $32,247 to $162,186. Conclusion. No difference in survival was observed between patients treated with single agent lomustine and temozolomide. Based on the higher cost and lack of additional clinical benefit of temozolomide, lomustine is a more cost-effective treatment strategy.
An evaluation of pharmacist contribution to an oncology ward in a Swedish hospital
Authors: Bremberg Eva Rämme , Hising Christina , Nylén Urban , Ehrsson Hans , Eksborg Staffan 
Published: October 2006

Aim. The aim of this project was to establish the importance of a pharmacist in the health-care team in improving drug use in an oncology ward in the Department of Oncology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. Methods and patients. The pharmacist participated in the medical round in the mornings and worked as a member of the health-care team. Drug-related problems (DRPs) were identified by drug chart reviews based on data from medical files, laboratory tests and interviews with patients and/or relatives. A questionnaire to physicians and nurses was used to evaluate their experiences of the pharmacist’s contribution to the oncology ward. Results. In total, 114 DRPs were identified in 58 patients. For each DRP, the pharmacist gave proposals for solutions. Sixty-eight suggestions out of 114 (59.6%) were implemented by the physician. Two suggestions (1.8%) were partly followed. For 32 suggestions (28.0%) it was unclear if they had caused any change in medication. Twelve suggestions (10.5%) were not followed. Most of the physicians and nurses acknowledged the pharmacist’s contribution to improved drug use in the ward. Conclusion. A pharmacist can improve drug use in an oncology ward as a member of the health-care team. The pharmacist contributes with a systematic focus on the patient from a drug perspective.
Recent advances in targeted therapies for colorectal cancer
Authors: Milano M , Guerin O 
Published: October 2006

Background. Recent advances in the molecular biology and genetics of colorectal cancer have led to the identification of potential therapeutic targets such as epidermal growth factor receptor, vascular endothelial growth factor and endothelial receptors.Objective. This review will examine the major therapeutic advances along with the preclinical basis justifying their combination with conventional therapeutic tools. This review will also critically consider current possibilities offered to identify responding patients.Data sources. Preclinical and primary clinical trial results published in peer-review journals. The authors examined the relevance and subsequent inclusion of the data.Conclusions. Cetuximab and bevacizumab provide new benefits in terms of the response rate and survival. There remain, however, important questions concerning, for instance, optimal combinations between conventional cytotoxic agents and targeted therapies and also between targeted drugs themselves. These new targeted treatments are costly and in this context the question of the identification of the right drug for the right patient is particularly relevant. Adequate tools in predicting the efficacy of targeted treatments are still needed.
In vivo control of acute lymphoblastic leukemia by immunostimulatory CpG oligonucleotides
Authors: Fujii Hisaki , Trudeau Jacqueline D. , Teachey David T. , Fish Jonathan D. , Grupp Stephan A. , Schultz Kirk R. , Reid Gregor S. D. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractDespite considerable success in treating newly diagnosed childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), relapsed disease remains a significant clinical challenge. Using a NOD/SCID mouse xenograft model, we report that immunostimulatory DNA oligonucleotides containing CpG motifs (CpG ODNs) stimulate significant immune activity against primary human ALL cells in vivo. The administration of CpG ODNs induced a significant reduction in systemic leukemia burden, mediated continued disease control, and significantly improved survival of mice with established human ALL. The death of leukemia cells in vivo was independent of the ability of ALL cells to respond directly to CpG ODNs and correlated with the production of IL-12p70, IFN-α, and IFN-γ by the host. In addition, depletion of natural killer cells by anti–asialo-GM1 treatment significantly reduced the in vivo antileukemic activity of CpG ODN. This antileukemia effect was not limited to the xenograft model because natural killer cell–dependent killing of ALL by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was also increased by CpG ODN stimulation. These results suggest that CpG ODNs have potential as therapeutic agents for the treatment of ALL.