bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Clinical Significance of Focal Adhesion Kinase in Resectable Pancreatic Cancer
Authors: Furuyama Kenichiro , Doi Ryuichiro , Mori Tomohiko , Toyoda Eiji , Ito Daisuke , Kami Kazuhiro , Koizumi Masayuki , Kida Atsushi , Kawaguchi Yoshiya , Fujimoto Koji 
Published: January 2006

AbstractFocal adhesion kinase (FAK) is a non‐receptor, cytoplasmic protein tyrosine kinase that is involved in the regulation of cellular signaling, migration, apoptosis, and cell cycle progression. Previous reports have shown that FAK is expressed in various kinds of cancer tissues and cancer cell lines; however, no information is available about human pancreatic carcinoma specimens. Tissue such specimens were obtained from 50 patients who underwent pancreatic resection for pancreatic invasive ductal carcinoma at our institute from 1996 to 2002. Immunohistochemical analysis of FAK was performed in the resected specimens. Focal adhesion kinase expression in seven human pancreatic cancer cell lines was analyzed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis and Western blot analysis. Focal adhesion kinase expression was detected in 24 of 50 cases (48%). There was a statistically significant correlation between FAK expression and tumor size (P = 0.004), although FAK expression did not significantly correlate with other factors such as tumor histological grade, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, histological stage, and overall survival. Reverse transcription PCR analysis and Western blot analysis showed that FAK was expressed in all seven pancreatic cancer cell lines. Focal adhesion kinase expression was not directly related to clinicopathological factors except tumor size in pancreatic carcinoma. Focal adhesion kinase expression may not be a prognostic marker for pancreatic cancer patients.
Mario Donati and the Vertical Mattress Suture of the Skin
Authors: Dietz Ulrich A. , Kuhfuß Ingo , Debus Eike‐Sebastian , Thiede Arnulf 
Published: January 2006

AbstractMario Donati (1879–1946) was one of the foremost European surgeons of the early 20th century. During an impressive carrier as surgeon, teacher, and innovator he authored more than 200 scientific works. Already as a young teacher he won the admiration of his colleagues: “His lectures were models of clarity and conviction, his originality and brilliance as a surgeon have well earned [him] a place among the most famous of the clinical masters of surgery of all eras” (Mario Donati. J. Int. Coll. Surg. 1946;9:739). The present review offers a brief biographical sketch of Donati’s life and career, presents an eyewitness account of the origin of the Donati stitch, and discusses a possible precursor of this suture technique in the Middle Ages. On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, the authors would like to pay a special homage to Mario Donati, who due to his Jewish ancestry was removed from his office as Professor of Surgery at the University of Milan in 1938 and died shortly after his return from exile in Switzerland.
Viability and Fertility of Human Hepatic Hydatid Cysts
Authors: Manterola Carlos , Vial Manuel , Melo Angélica , Oberg Carlos , Fonseca Flery 
Published: January 2006

AbstractIntroductionThe adequate treatment for hydatidosis requires a knowledge of certain aspects related to the survival of infectious agents, especially protoscoleces. The aim of this study is to evaluate the viability of protoscoleces in human hepatic hydatid cysts in order to determine the prevalence of their fertility and to study the association with variables typical of the host and of the parasite.MaterialsA cross‐sectional study was done in biological material (the fluid from human hepatic hydatid cysts). The viability criteria used were: ovoid form, invaginated scolices and intact calcareous corpuscles, the presence of vibrating movements, and the absence of “vital” staining. The cysts were grouped as univesicular cysts (UVC), multivesicular cysts (MVC) and abscessed cysts (LAHO). Fertility was defined as living protoscoleces in relation to the total number of protoscoleces. Descriptive statistics were for the calculation of the prevalence of fertility, analytical statistics for the comparison of groups, and a multivariate analysis for the examination of the association between cyst fertility and clinical variables.ResultsA total of 163 cysts with a median diameter of 15 cm were studied in this way. Of these lesions, 79 (48.5%) were UVC, 54 (33.1%) MVC, and 30 (18.4%) LAHO. On 99 occasions (60.7%), macroscopic communication was evident in the bile duct, and a prevalence of general fertility of 57.1% (94.4% for MVC, 53.2% for UVC, and 0% for LAHO, with a value of P < 0.001). Association with location, type, and diameter of the cyst, and presence of biliary communications was verified by applying a bivariate analysis, and association between fertility and the variables of the type of the cyst and the existence of biliary communications was verified employing a multivariate analysis (P values of 0.004 and < 0.001, respectively).ConclusionsThe prevalence of fertility found was low. The main prevalence of fertility was observed in MVCs. Fertility is associated with the type of cyst and the presence of biliary communications.
The Effect of Esophageal and Gastric Distension on the Crural Diaphragm
Authors: Shafik Ahmed , Shafik Ismail , Sibai Olfat El , Mostafa Randa M. 
Published: January 2006

AbstractBackgroundThe mechanism of prevention of gastric reflux into the esophagus is not exactly known. The lower esophagus has a barrier function provided by the lower esophageal sphincter. We investigated the hypothesis that the crural diaphragm shares in the barrier function not only mechanically but also actively through a crural–esophageal–gastric reflex action.MethodsThe study was performed during repair of abdominal ventral and incisional hernias in 20 subjects (11 men, 9 women; age 38.6 ± 4.8 years). The electromyographic response of the crural diaphragm to individual balloon distension of esophagus and stomach was recorded by means of a needle electrode inserted into the crural diaphragm and connected to an electromyographic apparatus. The recordings were repeated after separate crural, esophageal, and gastric anesthetization.ResultsThe crural diaphragm exhibited basal motor unit action potentials, which decreased on esophageal distension (P < 0.001) after a mean latency of 17.3 ± 2.8 SD ms. The crural diaphragm response to esophageal distension did not occur after the crural diaphragm or esophagus was anesthetized. Gastric distension effected an increase of crural diaphragm electromyographic activity with a mean latency of 18.4 ± 4.6 ms; this effect could not be achieved after the crural diaphragm or stomach was anesthetized.ConclusionsThe crural diaphragm has a resting tone that relaxes after esophageal distension and contracts after gastric distension. This sphincter‐like action of the crural diaphragm appears to be a reflex and is mediated through the esophagocrural inhibitory and gastrocrural excitatory reflexes. The crural diaphragm seems to share actively in the gastroesophageal competence mechanism.
Is Rectal Washout Necessary in Anterior Resection for Rectal Cancer? A Prospective Clinical Study
Authors: Terzi Cem , Ünek Tarkan , Sağol Özgül , Yılmaz Tuğbahan , Füzün Mehmet , Sökmen Selman , Ergör Gül , Küpelioğlu Ali 
Published: January 2006

AbstractBackgroundImplantation of exfoliated malignant cells has been suggested as a possible mechanism of tumor recurrence in colorectal anastomoses that might be prevented by cytocidal washout. The aim of our study was to assess whether malignant cells are likely to be collected by a circular stapler introduced transanally to perform an anastomosis and to observe local recurrences during follow‐up, with special attention to the washout status of patients.MethodsBetween May 1999 and March 2004, 96 patients with carcinoma of the rectum and distal sigmoid colon undergoing anterior resection under the care of three surgeons (only one of whom routinely performed rectal washout) were prospectively studied. While 38 patients had rectal washout with 5% povidone‐iodine before anastomosis, 58 patients did not. A circular stapler was used for anastomosis, and the stapler was immediately rinsed in 100 ml of saline. The fluid was then classified as “acellular,” “malignant cells identified,” or “benign cells identified” by pathologists.ResultsMalignant cells were collected from the circular stapler after use in 3 patients (8%) on whom rectal washout was performed and in 2 (3%) patients who did not have rectal washout performed (P = 0.631). Three patients (8%) in the washout group developed local recurrence, and 2 patients (3.4%) in the no‐washout group had local recurrence (one was anastomotic recurrence) (P = 0.338). The median follow‐up time was 23 (range: 9–70) months.ConclusionsThere were no differences in terms of the number of patients who had malignant cells collected from the circular stapler and local recurrence rates between the two groups. Although this is not a randomized study and size and mean follow‐up time of the study were not sufficient, our results did not offer rational arguments in support of intraoperative rectal washout when a circular stapler is used after low anterior resection for carcinoma. Because of the limitations of our study, however, we are unable to arrive at a definite conclusion regarding rectal washout. There is a need for a randomized, controlled, large‐scale, multicenter trial to establish the clinical relevance of intraoperative rectal washout.
Incurable Esophageal Cancer: Patterns of Tumor Spread and Therapeutic Consequences
Authors: Gockel Ines , Kneist Werner , Junginger Theodor 
Published: January 2006

AbstractBackgroundThe aim of the study was to determine if the two histologic tumor types in esophageal cancer exhibit different behavior at advanced tumour stages and require a differentiated therapy.Patients and MethodsFrom November 1997 to December 2003, 268 patients presented with esophageal carcinoma. Esophagectomy was contraindicated in 88 (32.8%) patients (75 men, 13 women) with a median age of 64.7 (42–83) years. Fifty‐six (63.6%) had squamous cell carcinoma; adenocarcinoma was identified in 31 (35.2%).ResultsThe causes of incurable disease were non‐resectable distant metastases in 32 (36.4%) patients, local tumor spread in 25 (28.4%), and general operative risk in 19 (21.5%). Surgical intervention was contraindicated in 7 patients because of a combination of general inoperability and local tumor spread, or the presence of distant metastases at the time of diagnosis (4 patients declined to undergo surgery and in one patient esophageal resection and reconstruction was technically not possible). The incurability rate for squamous cell carcinoma was 44.6% because of the presence of local tumor spread, compared to a rate of 12.4% for adenocarcinoma. Adenocarcinomas with proven hematogenic metastases were characterized by a higher incurability rate (64.5% vs. 21.4%) (P = 0.0014). The prevalence of technical causes of inoperability or of poor general condition was similar in both patient groups (P > 0.05). The median 1‐year survival rates estimated (Kaplan‐Meier) were 36.5% for patients with squamous cell carcinoma and 23.7% for patients with adenocarcinoma (P = 0.051). Therapeutic measures had a significant influence on the prognosis: patients without tumor‐specific therapy survived 3.4 (0–24) months; those with radiochemotherapy 10.6 (0–25) months; those with radiotherapy 11.0 (0–65) months; and those with chemotherapy 16.5 [0–16.5] months (log‐rank test: P = 0.0229). In the multivariate analysis, the therapeutic measures (P = 0.0126) and tumor localization (P = 0.0474) proved significant for prognosis, but were not the cause of incurability (P = 0.0948).ConclusionsThe histologic tumor type does not represent an independent prognostic factor in patients with incurable disease. Rather, the prognosis is dependent on the suitability of the induction of tumor‐specific therapeutic measures. These are also recommended in patients with incurable disease after consideration of the extent of tumor spread, provided the performance of the selected measures is justified by the general condition of the patient and the expected prognosis.
Is there an association between the COMT gene and P300 endophenotypes?
Authors: Bramon E. , Dempster E. , Frangou S. , McDonald C. , Schoenberg P. , MacCabe J.H. , Walshe M. , Sham P. , Collier D. , Murray R.M. 
Published: January 2006

AbstractP300 wave anomalies correlate with genetic risk for schizophrenia and constitute a plausible endophenotype for the disease. The COMT gene is thought to influence cognitive performance and to be a susceptibility gene for schizophrenia. Unlike two previous studies, we found no significant influence of the COMT gene on P300 amplitude or latency in 189 individuals examined. The well-supported role of the COMT gene both in dopamine catabolism as well as in prefrontal cognition makes a strong theoretical case for the influence of COMT Val158Met polymorphism on P300 endophenotypes. However, the available neurophysiologic evidence suggests that any such association, if present, must be very subtle.
Risperidone in the management of agitation and aggression associated with psychiatric disorders
Authors: De Deyn Peter Paul , Buitelaar Jan 
Published: January 2006

AbstractObjectiveThis review provides an overview of the prevalence and treatment of agitation and aggression, and focuses on the use of risperidone to treat these symptoms in patients from different age groups.MethodsMEDLINE® and EMBASE® databases were used to identify controlled studies of risperidone in the treatment of disruptive behavior disorders and pervasive developmental disorders in pediatric patients, acute agitation or aggression in adults, and psychological and behavioral symptoms of dementia in the elderly. Additionally, key open-label, long-term trials assessing the efficacy and safety of risperidone were considered.ResultsThe results of the 19 double-blind studies identified showed that risperidone is effective in treating agitation and aggression in the different populations, regardless of age. The safety and tolerability of risperidone appear to be good overall but certain safety issues, such as a higher risk of cerebrovascular adverse events in the elderly with dementia, were highlighted.ConclusionsRisperidone is useful for treating aggression and agitation associated with various psychiatric disorders in patients from different age groups.
Differences in spawning time of captive Atlantic cod from four regions of Norway, kept under identical conditions
Authors: Otterå Håkon , Agnalt Ann-Lisbeth , Jørstad Knut E. 
Published: January 2006

Abstract
Several hundred Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.) were collected from selected spawning grounds along the Norwegian coast in March 2002. Four areas or regions that represent a wide range of environmental conditions were chosen for our breeding experiments: Porsangerfjord, Tysfjord, Helgeland, and Øygarden. Cod were transported to Øygarden near Bergen, individually tagged, and kept in sea cages. In both 2003 and 2004, a total of 40 family groups (adult pairs) representing the four regions were monitored for their spawning performance in separate tanks. During the spawning period, the quantity and diameter of eggs were recorded. During 2003, the time of peak spawning differed among groups. It was evident that the broodstock from the Øygarden region spawned about one month earlier than the broodstock collected from the Helgeland region. This also occurred in 2004, two years after the cod were collected, suggesting that the difference has a genetic component. Differences in life history parameters between cod populations, such as spawning cycles as described here, could be adaptive and under genetic control. This must be taken into consideration when assessing precautionary means of overcoming the problem with escapees from future cod mariculture.
Introduction: Science and Literature
Authors: Naumann Barbara 
Published: January 2006

ArgumentThe purpose of this volume is to investigate a number of selected examples of contact zones between the sciences and literature. We will be dealing with prominent cases of how science and literature encounter and interact with each other and profit by this recourse to their corresponding other, yielding aspects of self-reflection and self-representation. The volume will not attempt to address the question whether the so-called “two cultures” can be brought closer together or superseded by a third (Lepenies 1988, passim). We will be dealing neither with science and literature in an autobiographical or “life-world” sense, nor with popular scientific texts with quasi-literary claims, such as Stephen Hawking's theory of time, nor, in the parallel universe of popular fiction, with science fiction.
The Fable as Figure: Christian Wolff's Geometric Fable Theory and Its Creative Reception by Lessing and Herder
Authors: Torra-Mattenklott Caroline 
Published: January 2006

ArgumentIn his Philosophia practica universalis (1738–39), Christian Wolff proposes a “mathematical” theory of moral action that includes his statements on the Aesopian fable. As a sort of moral example, Wolff claims, the fable is an appropriate means to influence human conduct because it conveys general truths to intuition. This didactic concept is modeled on the geometrical figure: Just as students intuit mathematical demonstrations by looking at figures on a blackboard, one can learn how to execute complex actions by listening to a fable. Wolff's “scientific” fable theory met with an ambivalent reception. Lessing, who in his fable treatises re-translates Wolff's suggestions into the conceptual framework of poetics, interprets the geometric model as a stylistic ideal. The famous passage on Homer's successive descriptions in Lessing's Laokoon can be seen as another attempt to apply the representational model of geometry to literature. Herder, reading Wolff in a way that might be called deconstructive, replaces Wolff's geometric theory of poetry by a poetic anthropology of geometry.
Moving Objects, Moved Observers: On the Treatment of the Problem of Relativity in Poetic Texts and Scientific Prose
Authors: Stadler Ulrich 
Published: January 2006

ArgumentWhen Copernicus pointed out that the apparent movement of the sun was in fact the effect of the rotation of the earth, he explained his view by referring to a passage in Virgil's Aeneid. Thus he established the link between science and literature. This topic recurred frequently in both science and literature whenever the question of the relativity of motion arose. In this article, I will focus above all on two authors who took up this question: Ernst Mach and Hugo von Hofmannsthal. Moreover I will try to show the different roles of scientific and literary prose in the works of Mach and in Hofmannsthal's Das Glück am Weg (1893).
Epstein–Barr virus‐induced transformation of B cells for the diagnosis of genetic metabolic disorders – enumerative conditions for cryopreservation
Authors: Mello A. S. , Burin M. G. , Michellin K. , Viapiana M. , Giugliani R. , Coelho J. C. , Bauer M. E. 
Published: January 2006

Abstract.  Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) infection in vitro causes transformation of B cells and generates B lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs). These LCLs have been widely used for the diagnostic of several genetic metabolic disorders. However, up to now, efficiency of LCL generation has been based on misleading subjective analysis. In this study, quantitative analyses have been performed to indicate efficiency of B‐cell transformation to measuring human lysosomal acid hydrolases associated with: GM1‐gangliosidosis type I, Gaucher disease and mucopolysaccharidosis type I. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated from 13 subjects, and LCLs were produced by culturing them with EBV for 12 days. Activities of the enzymes β‐galactosidase, β‐glucosidase and α‐iduronidase were measured before and after cryopreservation in liquid nitrogen for 30 days. Efficiency of the B‐cell transformation was screened every 4 days by the enumeration of cell proliferation, cell counts and changes in granularity estimated by flow cytometry. We observed the generation of 13 LCLs. Cell transformation was confirmed by the gradual increase of cellular clusters, cell size and granularity. In addition, we determined that the activity of the enzymes mentioned above did not change following cryopreservation. These data suggest that our enumerative approach for screening of EBV–LCLs is efficient for the enzymatic determination of human lysosomal acid hydrolases and may thus replace misleading subjective analyses.
Thyrotoxic periodic paralysis and polymorphisms of sodium–potassium ATPase genes
Authors: Kung Annie W. C. , Lau K. S. , Cheung William M. W. , Chan Vivian 
Published: January 2006

SummaryObjective  Thyrotoxic periodic paralysis (TPP) is a complication of hyperthyroidism association with recurrent, reversible episodes of muscle weakness. Increased sodium–potassium ATPase (Na/K‐ATPase) pump activity is postulated to contribute to the hypokalaemic paralytic attacks in TPP. The aim of this study was to determine the genetic predisposition to TPP in relation to Na/K‐ATPase genes.Design  A case–control association study.Patients  Ninety‐nine male Chinese TPP patients were compared to 84 male Graves’ disease (GD) patients without TPP and 100 normal male controls.Measurement  A total of 1500 base pairs upstream of the transcriptional start site of the five Na/K‐ATPase genes that are expressed in the skeletal muscles, namely ATP1A1, ATP1A2, ATP1B1, ATP1B2 and ATP1B4, were sequenced in all subjects for mutations or polymorphisms. The single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the coding regions of the five genes were also studied for association with TPP.Results  No mutations were detected in the 5′ regions of the five genes in any of the patients studied. There was no difference in the distribution of SNPs and SNP haplotypes in the upstream and coding region of these genes between the three groups of subjects.Conclusion  No association between the polymorphisms of ATP1A1, ATP1A2, ATP1B1, ATP1B2 and ATP1B4 genes and TPP could be detected.
Lack of association between serum TSH or free T4 and body mass index in euthyroid subjects
Authors: Manji N. , Boelaert K. , Sheppard M. C. , Holder R. L. , Gough S. C. , Franklyn J. A. 
Published: January 2006

SummaryBackground  There is ongoing debate regarding the influence of minor changes in thyroid status within the normal range and body mass index (BMI). Overt thyroid dysfunction is well recognized to affect weight, but the influence of minor perturbations of thyroid function remains unclear.Aim of the study  To examine in euthyroid subjects the association of serum concentrations of TSH and free T4 within the normal range and BMI. To compare serum TSH and free T4 concentrations in nonobese and obese subjects.Subjects and methods  A cohort of 401 euthyroid subjects with normal serum TSH (361 females, 40 males, mean age 48·2 years) who had been referred to a Thyroid Clinic due to the presence of a thyroid nodule or goitre. Measurements of serum TSH and free T4 were recorded, together with BMI (calculated from weight and height). Associations between measures of TSH, free T4 and BMI were investigated.Results  There was no association between either serum TSH or free T4 concentration when considered as a continuous variable and BMI, and no difference in BMI when subjects were categorized according to serum TSH or free T4. There was also no difference in serum TSH or free T4 between lean and obese euthyroid subjects. Evidence of thyroid autoimmunity indicated by the presence of antibodies to thyroid peroxidase was likewise not associated with a difference in BMI.Conclusion  This study provides no evidence for an association between thyroid status within the normal range and BMI.