bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Secular Trends of Candidemia in a Large Tertiary-Care Hospital From 1988 to 2000: Emergence ofCandida parapsilosis
Authors: Miguel Lucía García San , Cobo Javier , Otheo Enrique , Sánchez-Sousa Aurora , Abraira Victor , Moreno Santiago 
Published: April 2006

AbstractObjective:To analyze the secular trends of candidemia in a large tertiary-care hospital to determine the overall incidence, as well as the incidence by ward and by species, and to detect the occurrence of outbreaks.Design:Retrospective descriptive analysis. Secular trends were calculated using the Mantel-Haenszel test.Setting:A large tertiary-care referral center in Spain with a pediatric intensive care unit (ICU) to which more than 500 children with congenital cardiac disease are admitted annually.Patients:All patients with candidemia occurring from 1988 to 2000 were included. Cases were identified from laboratory records of blood cultures.Results:There were 331 episodes of candidemia. The overall incidence of nosocomial candidemia was 0.6 episode per 1,000 admissions and remained stable throughout the study period (P= .925). The species most frequently isolated wasCandida albicans, but the incidence ofC. parapsilosiscandidemia increased (P= .035). In the pediatric ICU, the incidence ofC. parapsilosiswas 5.6 episodes per 1,000 admissions and it was the predominant species. Outbreaks occurred occasionally in the pediatric ICU, suggesting nosocomial transmission.Conclusions:During this 13-year period, the incidence of candidemia remained stable in this hospital, butC. parapsilosisincreased in frequency. Occasional outbreaks of candidemia suggested nosocomial transmission ofCandidaspecies (Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol2005;26:548-552).
Determining the Clinical Significance of Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci Isolated From Blood Cultures
Authors: Beekmann Susan E. , Diekema Daniel J. , Doern Gary V. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractBackground and Objective:Coagulase-negative staphylococci are both an important cause of nosocomial bloodstream infections and the most common contaminants of blood cultures. Judging the clinical significance of coagulase-negative staphylococci is vital but often difficult and can have a profound impact on an institution's bloodstream infection rates. Our objective was to develop an algorithm to assist in determining the clinical significance of coagulase-negative staphylococci.Design:A single experienced reviewer examined the medical records of 960 consecutive patients with positive blood cultures in a tertiary-care referral teaching hospital. Four hundred five of the cultures contained coagulase-negative staphylococci. A determination of clinical significance was made and the performances of various published algorithms that contained readily available clinical and laboratory data were compared.Results:Eighty-nine (22%) of the episodes were considered significant, whereas 316 were contaminants. Patients with bacteremia were significantly more likely to be neutropenic and exhibit signs of sepsis syndrome. The algorithm with the best combined sensitivity (62%) and specificity (91%) for determining the clinical significance of coagulase-negative staphylococci was defined as at least two blood cultures positive for coagulase-negative staphylococci within 5 days, or one positive blood culture plus clinical evidence of infection, which includes abnormal white blood cell count and temperature or blood pressure.Conclusion:Use of this algorithm could potentially reduce misclassification of nosocomial bloodstream infections and inappropriate use of vancomycin for positive blood cultures likely to represent contamination (Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol2005;26:559-566).
VizStruct for visualization of genome-wide SNP analyses
Authors: Bhasi Kavitha , Zhang Li , Brazeau Daniel , Zhang Aidong , Ramanathan Murali 
Published: April 2006

AbstractMotivation: The size, dimensionality and the limited range of the data values make visualization of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) datasets challenging. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of 3D VizStruct, a novel multi-dimensional data visualization technique for analyzing patterns in SNP datasets.Results: VizStruct is an interactive visualization technique that reduces multi-dimensional data to two dimensions using the complex-valued harmonics of the discrete Fourier transform (DFT). In the 3D VizStruct extension, the multi-dimensional SNP data vectors are reduced to three dimensions using a combination of the DFT and the Kullback–Leibler divergence. The performance of 3D VizStruct was challenged with several biologically relevant published datasets that included human Chromosome 21, the human lipoprotein lipase (LPL) gene locus and the multi-locus genotypes of coral populations. In every case, the 3D VizStruct mapping provided an intuitive visual description of the key characteristics of the underlying multi-dimensional genotype.Availability: Excel and MATLAB code are available atContact: murali@Buffalo.edu
Platelet-derived LIGHT induces inflammatory responses in endothelial cells and monocytes
Authors: Otterdal Kari , Smith Camilla , Øie Erik , Pedersen Turid M. , Yndestad Arne , Stang Espen , Endresen Knut , Solum Nils O. , Aukrust Pål , Damås Jan K. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractTraditionally, platelets are known to play an important role in hemostasis, thrombosis, and wound healing, but increasing evidence suggests that activated platelets also may promote inflammation. Platelet-induced modulation of inflammation seems to involve platelet expression of ligands in the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) superfamily such as CD40 ligand and Fas ligand. The present study demonstrates that LIGHT, another member of the TNF superfamily, is associated with platelets and is released as a soluble ligand on platelet activation. The release of LIGHT involves GP IIb/IIIa-dependent mechanisms and action of metal-dependent proteases as well as intracellular processes such as actin polymerization. We also report that platelet-derived LIGHT is biologically active and can induce an inflammatory response in monocytes and particularly within endothelial cells measured as up-regulation of adhesion molecules and release of chemokines. Moreover, we demonstrate that thrombus material, obtained at the site of plaque rupture in patients with acute myocardial infarction, contains platelet-associated LIGHT, suggesting that LIGHT-mediated inflammation also is operating in vivo within an inflamed and thrombotic vessel wall. The data may suggest a pathogenic role for platelet-derived LIGHT in atherogenesis and plaque destabilization as well as in other inflammatory disorders involving leukocyte infiltration into the vessel wall.
The apoptotic-cell receptor CR3, but not αvβ5, is a regulator of human dendritic-cell immunostimulatory function
Authors: Škoberne Mojca , Somersan Selin , Almodovar Wanda , Truong Tuan , Petrova Kseniya , Henson Peter M. , Bhardwaj Nina 
Published: April 2006

AbstractDendritic cells (DCs) that capture apoptotic cells (ACs) in the steady state mediate peripheral tolerance to self-antigens. ACs are recognized by an array of receptors on DCs, the redundancy of which is not completely defined. We made use of an AC surrogate system to address the individual roles of the αvβ5 and complement receptors (CRs) in the phagocytosis and induction of immunity. CR3 and CR4, while substantially less efficient than αvβ5 in internalizing ACs, initiate signals that render DCs tolerogenic. Responding T cells show impaired proliferation and IFNγ production and subsequently die by apoptosis. While tolerogenic DCs are not induced via αvβ5, coligation of CR3 and αvβ5 maintains the DC's tolerogenic profile. This immunomodulatory role, however, is countered by a significant inflammatory stimulus such as bacterial infection. Overall, our data suggest that under steady-state conditions, signaling via CRs predominates to render DCs tolerogenic.
Unique effects of Stat3 on the early phase of hematopoietic stem cell regeneration
Authors: Chung Yang-Jo , Park Bo-Bae , Kang Young-Ju , Kim Tae-min , Eaves Connie J. , Oh Il-Hoan 
Published: April 2006

Abstract
Self-renewal of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) is key to their reconstituting ability, but the signaling pathways that regulate this process remain poorly understood. Here we show that transduction of adult mouse bone marrow cells with a constitutively activated form of Stat3 (Stat3-C) increased their regenerative activity in lethally irradiated recipients. Conversely, transduction of these cells with a dominant-negative form of Stat3 suppressed their regenerative activity. Serial transplantation and clonal tracking of the HSC progeny regenerated in vivo from STAT3-C–transduced HSCs demonstrated that the major effect of forced expression of STAT3-C was to enhance HSC self-renewal during the initial phase of hematopoietic recovery. This acquired potential for enhanced self-renewal divisions then became latent, but was reactivated when the cells were transferred to new irradiated recipients. Increased levels of activated STAT3 were also found to be associated with greater preservation of primitive hematopoietic cells in short-term cultures. These results indicate a novel biphasic regulation of HSC self-renewal in vivo in which activated STAT3 promotes HSC self-renewal under stimulated, but not homeostatic, conditions. STAT3 may thus be an important regulator of hematopoietic regeneration and a novel target for HSC engineering.
Physicians' Preparedness for Bioterrorism and Other Public Health Priorities
Authors: Alexander G. Caleb , Larkin G. Luke , Wynia Matthew K. 
Published: April 2006

ObjectivesPotential bioterrorism challenges policy makers to balance competing public health priorities. Earlier surveys showed low physician bioterrorism preparedness but did not assess physicians' general public health preparedness, compare the preparedness of emergency and primary care physicians, or assess temporal trends.MethodsThis was a national, cross‐sectional, random‐sample survey conducted in 2003.ResultsOverall, 744 of 1,200 eligible physicians responded (response rate, 62%). Of these, 58% of emergency physician respondents and 48% of primary care physician respondents reported having learned a lot about responding to bioterror since September 11, 2001 (p < 0.01). However, only 43% of emergency physicians and 21% of primary care physicians agreed they are generally “well prepared to play a role in responding to a bioterror attack” (p < 0.001). Beliefs about balancing public health priorities were similar among emergency and primary care respondents. Seventy‐eight percent of respondents believed that local health care systems need to be prepared for bioterrorism, and 92% believed that local health care systems need to be prepared for natural epidemics. By contrast, only 23% and 46% of respondents reported that their local health care systems are well prepared for bioterrorism and natural epidemics, respectively. Meanwhile, 77% agreed that “influenza is a greater threat to public health than bioterrorism,” and 21% reported that bioterrorism preparedness efforts are diverting resources from more important public health problems.ConclusionsIn 2003, most emergency and primary care physicians reported that they and their local health care systems were not yet well prepared to respond to a bioterror attack, and many believed that more resources should go toward preparing for natural epidemics. These findings highlight the importance of expanding bioterrorism preparedness efforts to improve the public health system more broadly.
Single Question about Drunkenness to Detect College Students at Risk for Injury
Authors: O'Brien Mary Claire , McCoy Thomas P. , Champion Heather , Mitra Ananda , Robbins Adrienne , Teuschlser Hoa , Wolfson Mark , DuRant Robert H. 
Published: April 2006

Abstract
Objectives:
To examine the frequency of injuries reported by college students who replied affirmatively to the question, “In a typical week, how many days do you get drunk?”
Methods:
In Fall 2003, a Web‐based survey was administered to a stratified random sample of 3,909 college students from ten North Carolina (NC) universities. Students answered questions regarding alcohol use and its consequences. Data were analyzed using multiple logistic regression, controlling for within‐school clustering of drinking behaviors and adjusting for other significant covariates. Adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for significant predictors (p < 0.05).
Results:
Two thousand four hundred eighty‐eight students reported that they are current drinkers; 1,353 (54.4%) reported getting drunk at least once in a typical week. Compared with students who did not report getting drunk at least once a week, these students had higher odds of being hurt or injured at least once as a result of their own drinking (AOR = 4.97; 95% CI = 3.47 to 7.09), experiencing a fall from a height that required medical treatment (AOR = 2.16; 95% CI = 1.36 to 3.43), and being taken advantage of sexually as a result of another's drinking (AOR = 2.59; 95% CI = 1.72 to 3.89). Students who reported getting drunk at least one day in a typical week also were more likely to cause an injury requiring medical treatment to someone else. They had higher odds of causing injury in an automobile crash (AOR = 1.84; 95% CI = 1.01 to 3.40), of causing a burn that required medical treatment (AOR = 2.85; 95% CI = 1.51 to 5.39), and of causing a fall from a height that required medical treatment (AOR = 2.02; 95% CI = 1.01 to 4.04). Getting drunk was a better indicator of “self‐experienced injury” and of “injury caused to someone else” than was binge drinking, for all outcomes (p < 0.05).
Conclusions:
The single question, “In a typical week, how many days do you get drunk?” identifies college students who are at higher than normal risk of injury as a result of their own drinking and the drinking of others. Future research should assess this question's effectiveness as a screening tool in campus health centers and in emergency departments.
The Effects of a Physician Slowdown on Emergency Department Volume and Treatment
Authors: Walsh Brian , Eskin Barnet , Allegra John , Rothman Jonathan , Junker Elizabeth 
Published: April 2006

ObjectivesIn February 2003, many physicians in New Jersey participated in a work slowdown to publicize large increases in malpractice premiums and generate support for legislative reform. It was anticipated that the community physician slowdown (hereafter referred to as “slowdown”) would increase emergency department (ED) visits. The authors' goal was to help others prepare for anticipated increases in ED volumes by describing the preparatory staffing changes made and quantifying increases in ED volume.MethodsThis was a retrospective cohort study performed at a New Jersey suburban teaching hospital with 70,000 annual visits. Consecutive patients seen by emergency physicians were enrolled. The authors extracted patient visit data from the computerized tracking system and analyzed hours worked by personnel, patient volumes, admission rates, and patient throughput times. Variables from each day of the slowdown with baseline values for the same day of the week for the four weeks before and after the slowdown were compared. A Bonferroni correction was used, with p < 0.01 considered statistically significant.ResultsTotal patient volume increased 79% from baseline (95% confidence interval [CI] = 20% to 137%). Pediatric volume increased 223% (95% CI = 171% to 274%). Overall admission rate decreased 29% compared with baseline (95% CI = 8% to 51%). Patient throughput times did not change significantly. Similar results for these variables were found for the second through fourth days of the slowdown.ConclusionsEmergency department visits, especially pediatric visits, increased markedly during the community physician slowdown. Anticipatory increases in staffing effectively prevented increased throughput times.
Aging and the Use of Context in Ambiguity Resolution: Complex Changes From Simple Slowing
Authors: Dagerman Karen Stevens , MacDonald Maryellen C. , Harm Michael W. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractOlder and younger adults' abilities to use context information rapidly during ambiguity resolution were investigated. In Experiments 1 and 2, younger and older adults heard ambiguous words (e.g., fires) in sentences where the preceding context supported either the less frequent or more frequent meaning of the word. Both age groups showed good context use in offline tasks, but only young adults demonstrated rapid use of context in cross‐modal naming. A 3rd experiment demonstrated that younger and older adults had similar knowledge about the contexts used in Experiments 1 and 2. The experiment results were simulated in 2 computational models in which different patterns of context use were shown to emerge from varying a single speed parameter. These results suggest that age‐related changes in processing efficiency can modulate context use during language comprehension.
Modeling the Development of Children's Use of Optional Infinitives in Dutch and English Using MOSAIC
Authors: Freudenthal Daniel , Pine Julian M. , Gobet Fernand 
Published: April 2006

AbstractIn this study we use a computational model of language learning called model of syntax acquisition in children (MOSAIC) to investigate the extent to which the optional infinitive (OI) phenomenon in Dutch and English can be explained in terms of a resource‐limited distributional analysis of Dutch and English child‐directed speech. The results show that the same version of MOSAIC is able to simulate changes in the pattern of finiteness marking in 2 children learning Dutch and 2 children learning English as the average length of their utterances increases. These results suggest that it is possible to explain the key features of the OI phenomenon in both Dutch and English in terms of the interaction between an utterance‐final bias in learning and the distributional characteristics of child‐directed speech in the 2 languages. They also show how computational modeling techniques can be used to investigate the extent to which cross‐linguistic similarities in the developmental data can be explained in terms of common processing constraints as opposed to innate knowledge of universal grammar.
Diversity and Unity of Modularity
Authors: Seok Bongrae 
Published: April 2006

AbstractSince the publication of Fodor's (1983) The Modularity of Mind, there have been quite a few discussions of cognitive modularity among cognitive scientists. Generally, in those discussions, modularity means a property of specialized cognitive processes or a domain‐specific body of information. In actuality, scholars understand modularity in many different ways. Different characterizations of modularity and modules were proposed and discussed, but they created misunderstanding and confusion. In this article, I classified and analyzed different approaches to modularity and argued for the unity of modularity. Modularity is a multidimensional property consisting of features from several dimensions specifying different aspects of cognition. Among those, there are core features of modularity, and these core features form a cross‐dimensional unity. Despite the diverse and liberal characterizations, modularity contributes to cognitive science because of the unity of the core features.
The Isolation, Primacy, and Recency Effects Predicted by an Adaptive LTD/LTP Threshold in Postsynaptic Cells
Authors: Sikström Sverker 
Published: April 2006

AbstractAn item that stands out (is isolated) from its context is better remembered than an item consistent with the context. This isolation effect cannot be accounted for by increased attention, because it occurs when the isolated item is presented as the first item, or by impoverished memory of nonisolated items, because the isolated item is better remembered than a control list consisting of equally different items. The isolation effect is seldom experimentally or theoretically related to the primacy or the recency effects—that is, the improved performance on the first few and last items, respectively, on the serial position curve. The primacy effect cannot easily be accounted for by rehearsal in short‐term memory because it occurs when rehearsal is eliminated. This article suggests that the primacy, the recency, and the isolation effects can be accounted for by experience‐dependent synaptic plasticity in neural cells. Neurological empirical data suggest that the threshold that determines whether cells will show long‐term potentiation (LTP) or long‐term depression (LTD) varies as a function of recent postsynaptic activity and that synaptic plasticity is bounded. By implementing an adaptive LTP‐LTD threshold in an artificial neural network, the various aspects of the isolation, the primacy, and the recency effects are accounted for, whereas none of these phenomena are accounted for if the threshold is constant. This theory suggests a possible link between the cognitive and the neurological levels.
Culture and Change Blindness
Authors: Masuda Takahiko , Nisbett Richard E. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractResearch on perception and cognition suggests that whereas East Asians view the world holistically, attending to the entire field and relations among objects, Westerners view the world analytically, focusing on the attributes of salient objects. These propositions were examined in the change‐blindness paradigm. Research in that paradigm finds American participants to be more sensitive to changes in focal objects than to changes in the periphery or context. We anticipated that this would be less true for East Asians and that they would be more sensitive to context changes than would Americans. We presented participants with still photos and with animated vignettes having changes in focal object information and contextual information. Compared to Americans, East Asians were more sensitive to contextual changes than to focal object changes. These results suggest that there can be cultural variation in what may seem to be basic perceptual processes.
The LIM-Homeodomain Proteins Isl-1 and Lhx3 Act with Steroidogenic Factor 1 to Enhance Gonadotrope-Specific Activity of the Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Receptor Gene Promoter
Authors: Granger Anne , Bleux Christian , Kottler Marie-Laure , Rhodes Simon J. , Counis Raymond , Laverrière Jean-Noël 
Published: April 2006

AbstractThe GnRH receptor (GnRH-R) plays a central role in mammalian reproductive function throughout adulthood. It also appears as an early marker gene of the presumptive gonadotrope lineage in developing pituitary. Here, using transient transfections combined with DNA/protein interaction assays, we have delineated cis-acting elements within the rat GnRH-R gene promoter that represent targets for the LIM-homeodomain (LIM-HD) proteins, Isl-1 and Lhx3. These factors, critical in early pituitary development, are thus also crucial for gonadotrope-specific expression of the GnRH-R gene. In heterologous cells, the expression of Isl-1 and Lhx3, together with steroidogenic factor 1 (SF-1), culminates in the activation of both the rat as well as human GnRH-R promoter, suggesting that this combination is evolutionarily conserved among mammals. The specificity of these LIM-HD factors is attested by the inefficiency of related proteins, including Lhx5 and Lhx9, to activate the GnRH-R gene promoter, as well as by the repressive capacity of a dominant-negative derivative of Lhx3. Accordingly, targeted deletion of the LIM response element decreases promoter activity. In addition, experiments with Gal4-SF-1 fusion proteins suggest that LIM-HD protein activity in gonadotrope cells is dependent upon SF-1 binding. Finally, using a transgenic model that allows monitoring of in vivo promoter activity, we show that the overlapping expression of Isl-1 and Lhx3 in the developing pituitary correlates with promoter activity. Collectively, these data suggest the occurrence of a specific LIM-HD pituitary code and designate the GnRH-R gene as the first identified transcriptional target of Isl-1 in the anterior pituitary.