bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A comparison of the influence of a high‐fat diet enriched in monounsaturated fatty acids and conventional diet on weight loss and metabolic parameters in obese non‐diabetic and Type 2 diabetic patients
Authors: Brunerova L. , Smejkalova V. , Potockova J. , Andel M. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractAims  The aim of our study was to compare the influence of a hypocaloric, high‐fat diet enriched with MUFA (M) and conventional diet (C) on weight loss and metabolic parameters in obese non‐diabetic and obese Type 2 diabetic subjects over a 3‐month period. It was our hypothesis that the enriched diet would be more effective in decreasing blood glucose and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) than the control diet.Methods  Twenty‐seven Type 2 diabetic patients (54.5 ± 3.5 years; DM), treated with diet or oral glucose‐lowering agents, and 31 obese non‐diabetic subjects (53.6 ± 3.5 years; OB) were randomized to M or C. Individual calculations of energy requirements were based on the formula: [resting energy expenditure (REE) × 1.5] − 600 kcal. Subjects were assessed by a dietitian every 2 weeks and by a physician every month. Statistical analyses were carried out between the four groups—DM/M, DM/C, OB/M and OB/C—using pair Student's test and anova.Results  After 3 months, body weight, waist–hip ratio, total body fat, levels of C‐peptide, triglycerides and homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) decreased in all four groups (P < 0.01). However, fasting blood glucose and HbA1c decreased (P < 0.01) and high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol increased significantly only in the DM/M group (P < 0.05). In general, M was well tolerated.Conclusions  Individualized M and C diets were successful in improving metabolic and anthropometric parameters in both the obese non‐diabetic and the Type 2 diabetic subjects. Although the superiority of the higher fat diet did not reach statistical significance, the decline in blood glucose and HbA1c in the Type 2 diabetic group on M was encouraging.
Comparison of insulin detemir and insulin glargine in subjects with Type 1 diabetes using intensive insulin therapy
Authors: Pieber T. R. , Treichel H‐C. , Hompesch B. , Philotheou A. , Mordhorst L. , Gall M‐A. , Robertson L. I. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractAims  To compare glycaemic control and risk of hypoglycaemia of twice‐daily insulin detemir with once‐daily insulin glargine in subjects with Type 1 diabetes.Methods  In this 26‐week, multicentre, open‐label, parallel‐group trial, 320 subjects with Type 1 diabetes received either insulin detemir twice daily or insulin glargine once daily. each in combination with premeal insulin aspart.Results  After 26 weeks, HbA1c had decreased from 8.8 to 8.2% in the insulin detemir group and from 8.7 to 8.2% in the insulin glargine group. Home‐measured fasting plasma glucose (PG) was lower with insulin glargine than with insulin detemir (7.0 vs. 7.7 mmol/l, P < 0.001). The overall shape of the home‐measured nine‐point PG profiles was comparable between treatments (P = 0.125). Overall, there was no significant difference in within‐subject variation in PG (P = 0.437). Within‐subject variation in predinner PG was lower with insulin detemir than with insulin glargine (P < 0.05). The overall risk of hypoglycaemia was similar with no differences in confirmed hypoglycaemia. However, the risk of severe and nocturnal hypoglycaemia was 72% and 32%, respectively, lower with insulin detemir than with insulin glargine (P < 0.05). Body weight gain was not significantly different comparing insulin detemir and insulin glargine (0.52 kg vs. 0.96 kg, P = 0.193).Conclusions  Treatment with twice‐daily insulin detemir or once‐daily insulin glargine, each in combination with insulin aspart, resulted in similar glycaemic control. The overall risk of hypoglycaemia was comparable, whereas the risks of both severe and nocturnal hypoglycaemia were significantly lower with insulin detemir.
The effect of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on local and distal cutaneous blood flow following a prolonged heat stimulus in healthy subjects
Authors: Chen Chih‐Chung , Johnson Mark I. , McDonough Suzanne , Cramp Fiona 
Published: March 2007

SummaryThe aim of this study was to investigate the effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on blood flow and skin temperature following an elevation of baseline blood flow using infrared preheating. A randomized controlled approach was used whereby 66 healthy human subjects (33 male, 33 female) were allocated to one of three intervention groups (n = 22 per group, equal male and female): Control, Low frequency TENS (4 Hz/200 μs), or High frequency TENS (110 Hz/200 μs). TENS was applied just below motor threshold over the median nerve of the right forearm for 15 min immediately following an infrared preheating. Cutaneous blood flow and skin temperature were recorded at 3‐min intervals from the forearm and fingertips during TENS and for 15 min following TENS. Analysis of data revealed no significant differences between High and Low frequency TENS for cutaneous blood flow or skin temperature at the forearm. A small and short lived increase in cutaneous blood flow at the index finger was observed on TENS groups compared with control when TENS was switched off. TENS reduced skin temperature when compared to control during the first 9 min of the 15‐min stimulation period at the middle finger but not at the index finger. It was concluded that the effects of high and low frequency TENS when applied below motor threshold produced changes in blood flow and skin temperature that were transient and small.
The British–Irish Council and Devolution
Authors: Bogdanor Vernon 
Published: March 2007

THE BRITISH-IRISH COUNCIL SPRINGS FROM AND IS PROVIDED FOR IN the Belfast Agreement signed on Good Friday 1998. Its coming into force depends upon the implementation of the Agreement. The Council is established, however, not by the 1998 Northern Ireland Act, which gives legislative expression to the bulk of this Agreement, but by an international treaty, the British–Irish Agreement, attached to the Belfast Agreement.The Belfast Agreement together with the legislation providing for devolution to Scotland and Wales establishes a new constitutional settlement, both among the nations which form the United Kingdom, and also between those nations and the other nation in these islands, the Irish nation. The United Kingdom itself is, as a result of the Scotland Act and the Government of Wales Act, in the process of becoming a new union of nations, each with its own identity and institutions – a multi-national state, rather than, as many of the English have traditionally seen it, a homogeneous British nation containing a variety of different people.
Unresolved Ambiguity: Quebec After the Election of 1998
Authors: Meisel John 
Published: March 2007

PSEPHOLOGY – THE ART OF STUDYING ELECTIONS – HAS COME TEN thousand leagues since R.B.McCallum applied the term in the 1940s to his pioneering analyses of British elections and political opinion in the first of the now classic Nuffield studies. Putting the electors under a magnifying glass has ranged from examining them by means of formal logic and sophisticated mathematical procedures, to anecdotal accounts of the process through which democracies choose their governments. In this article, I seek to situate a particular contest – the 1998 Quebec provincial election – into the general political landscape.The result of the balloting was that the reigning sovereigntist Parti Québécois (PQ) was returned to power under a first-past-thepost system with a resounding majority of seats but with fewer votes than the opposition federalist Parti Liberal du Québec (PLQ). As if that paradox were not enough, polls demonstrated without a smidgen of doubt that although the voters returned a government committed to holding a referendum on the sovereignty of Quebec, a significant majority did not wish a referendum to be held within the foreseeable future. Majorities of both francophone and anglophone electors opposed a direct consultation on Quebec's status in the federation.
Deep Brain Stimulation in Patients with Refractory Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
Authors: Boon Paul , Vonck Kristl , De Herdt Veerle , Van Dycke Annelies , Goethals Maarten , Goossens Lut , Van Zandijcke Michel , De Smedt Tim , Dewaele Isabelle , Achten Rik , Wadman Wytse , Dewaele Frank , Caemaert Jacques , Van Roost Dirk 
Published: March 2007

Summary:  Purpose: This pilot study prospectively evaluated the efficacy of long‐term deep brain stimulation (DBS) in medial temporal lobe (MTL) structures in patients with MTL epilepsy. Methods: Twelve consecutive patients with refractory MTL epilepsy were included in this study. The protocol included invasive video‐EEG monitoring for ictal‐onset localization and evaluation for subsequent stimulation of the ictal‐onset zone. Side effects and changes in seizure frequency were carefully monitored. Results: Ten of 12 patients underwent long‐term MTL DBS. Two of 12 patients underwent selective amygdalohippocampectomy. After mean follow‐up of 31 months (range, 12–52 months), one of 10 stimulated patients are seizure free (>1 year), one of 10 patients had a >90% reduction in seizure frequency; five of 10 patients had a seizure‐frequency reduction of ≥50%; two of 10 patients had a seizure‐frequency reduction of 30–49%; and one of 10 patients was a nonresponder. None of the patients reported side effects. In one patient, MRI showed asymptomatic intracranial hemorrhages along the trajectory of the DBS electrodes. None of the patients showed changes in clinical neurological testing. Patients who underwent selective amygdalohippocampectomy are seizure‐free (>1 year), AEDs are unchanged, and no side effects have occurred. Conclusions: This open pilot study demonstrates the potential efficacy of long‐term DBS in MTL structures that should now be further confirmed by multicenter randomized controlled trials.
Brain MRI Findings in Severe Myoclonic Epilepsy in Infancy and Genotype–Phenotype Correlations
Authors: Striano Pasquale , Mancardi Maria Margherita , Biancheri Roberta , Madia Francesca , Gennaro Elena , Paravidino Roberta , Beccaria Francesca , Capovilla Giuseppe , Bernardina Bernardo Dalla , Darra Francesca , Elia Maurizio , Giordano Lucio , Gobbi Giuseppe , Granata Tiziana , Ragona Francesca , Guerrini Renzo , Marini Carla , Mei Davide , Longaretti Francesca , Romeo Antonino , Siri Laura , Specchio Nicola , Vigevano Federico , Striano Salvatore , Tortora Fabio , Rossi Andrea , Minetti Carlo , Dravet Charlotte , Gaggero Roberto , Zara Federico 
Published: March 2007

Summary:  Introduction: To determine the occurrence of neuroradiological abnormalities and to perform genotype–phenotype correlations in severe myoclonic epilepsy of infancy (SMEI, Dravet syndrome). Patients and Methods: Alpha‐subunit type A of voltage‐gated sodium channel (SCN1A) mutational screening was performed by denaturing high‐performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) and multiplex ligation probe amplification (MLPA). MRI inclusion criteria were: last examination obtained after the age of 4 years on 1.5‐T systems; hippocampal cuts acquired perpendicular to the long axis of the hippocampus; qualitative assessment was performed on T1‐weighted, T2‐weighted, proton density, and 1–3 mm thick coronal FLAIR images. Results: We collected 58 SMEI patients in whom last MRI was performed at or later than 4 years of age. SCN1A mutations occurred in 35 (60%) cases. Thirteen (22.4%) out of 58 patients showed abnormal MRIs. Eight patients showed cortical brain atrophy of which 3 associated to ventricles abnormalities, 1 to cerebellar atrophy, 1 to white matter hyperintensity; 3 patients had ventricles enlargement only; 1 patient showed hippocampal sclerosis (HS); 1 had focal cortical dysplasia. Genotype–phenotype analysis indicated that abnormal MRIs occurred more frequently in patients without SCN1A mutations (9/23; 39.1%) compared to those carrying SCN1A mutations (4/35; 11.4%) (p = 0.02). Conclusion: Different brain abnormalities may occur in SMEI. Only one case with HS was observed; thus, our study does not support the association between prolonged febrile seizures and HS in SMEI. Abnormal MRIs were significantly more frequent in patients without SCN1A mutations. Prospective MRI studies will assess the etiological role of the changes observed in these patients.
An Interaction Study Between the New Antiepileptic and CNS Drug Carisbamate (RWJ‐333369) and Lamotrigine and Valproic Acid
Authors: Chien Shuchean , Yao Caiping , Mertens Annemie , Verhaeghe Tom , Solanki Bhavna , Doose Dennis R. , Novak Gerald , Bialer Meir 
Published: March 2007

Summary:  Purpose: To characterize possible pharmacokinetic interactions between the new antiepileptic drug carisbamate (RWJ‐333369) and valproic acid (VPA) or lamotrigine (LTG) following multiple dosing in healthy subjects. Methods: Two open‐label, sequential‐design studies were conducted in 24 healthy adults. In Study 1, subjects received carisbamate alone (5 days 250 mg q12h; 5 days 500 mg q12h), then VPA alone (7 days 300 mg q12h; 7 days 500 mg q12h), and then a combination of VPA (500 mg q12h) and carisbamate (5 days 250 mg q12h; 5 days 500 mg q12h). In Study 2, subjects received carisbamate alone as in Study 1, then LTG alone (14 days 25 mg q12h; 14 days 50 mg q12h), and then combination of LTG (50 mg q12h) and carisbamate (3 days 250 mg q12h; 14 days 500 mg q12h). Results: Coadministration of VPA or LTG had minimal effect on carisbamate mean Cmax and AUCss values. Mean VPA‐Cmax and AUCss values were ∼15% lower when given concomitantly with carisbamate. However, the 90% confidence intervals (CIs) for the Cmax and AUCss ratio with/without carisbamate were within the 80–125% equivalence range, Cmax 82–89%; AUCss 81–88%. Mean LTG Cmax and AUCss values were ∼20% lower when given concomitantly with carisbamate. The 90% CIs with and without carisbamate for LTG Cmax and AUCss were 79–86% and 75–81%, respectively. This modest change is not considered clinically significant. Conclusions: There were no clinically significant interactions between carisbamate and VPA or LTG. Concomitant administration of carisbamate with VPA or LTG was generally safe and well tolerated.
Assessment of middle ear disease in the dog: a comparison of diagnostic imaging modalities
Authors: Doust R. , King A. , Hammond G. , Cave T. , Weinrauch S. , Mellor D. , Sullivan M. 
Published: March 2007

Objectives: To compare radiography and ultrasound for the assessment of the tympanic bulla against computed tomography results. Methods: Thirty‐one dogs had dorsoventral, left and right lateral oblique and rostrocaudal open mouth radiographs compared with ultrasound images and computed tomography scans of the tympanic bullae. Results: Radiography was superior to ultrasonography for the evaluation of the middle ear. However, computed tomography assessment was best predicted by a combination of radiographic and ultrasonographic findings. Clinical Significance: A combination of radiography and ultrasound can provide a more accurate assessment of the bulla than either of them alone. Ultrasound may have a role in the evaluation of middle ear disease in the dog. Results are operator dependent and not reproducible with current recording techniques.
Molecular Epidemiology ofMycobacterium abscessus, with Focus on Cystic Fibrosis
Authors: Jönsson Bodil E. , Gilljam Marita , Lindblad Anders , Ridell Malin , Wold Agnes E. , Welinder-Olsson Christina 
Published: March 2007

ABSTRACTMycobacterium abscessushas been isolated increasingly often from the respiratory tracts of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. It is not known whether these organisms are transmitted from person to person or acquired from environmental sources. Here, colony morphology and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) pattern were examined for 71 isolates ofM. abscessusderived from 14 CF patients, three non-CF patients with chronic respiratoryM. abscessusinfection or colonization, one patient with mastoiditis, and four patients with infected wounds, as well as for six isolates identified as environmental contaminants in various clinical specimens. Contaminants and wound isolates mainly exhibited smooth colony morphology, while a rough colony phenotype was significantly associated with chronic airway colonization (P= 0.014). Rough strains may exhibit increased airway-colonizing capacity, the cause of which remains to be determined. Examination by PFGE of consecutive isolates from the same patient showed that they all represented a single strain, even in cases where both smooth and rough isolates were present. When PFGE patterns were compared, it was shown that 24 patients had unique strains, while four patients harbored strains indistinguishable by PFGE. Two of these were siblings with CF. The other two patients, one of whom had CF, had not had contact with each other or with the siblings. Our results show that most patients colonized byM. abscessusin the airways have unique strains, indicating that these strains derive from the environment and that patient-to-patient transmission rarely occurs.
Synergistic Roles of Antibody and Interferon in Noncytolytic Clearance of Sindbis Virus from Different Regions of the Central Nervous System
Authors: Burdeinick-Kerr Rebeca , Wind Jennifer , Griffin Diane E. 
Published: March 2007

ABSTRACTSindbis virus (SINV) is an alphavirus that causes infection of neurons and encephalomyelitis in adult immunocompetent mice. Recovery can occur without apparent neurological damage. To better define the factors facilitating noncytolytic clearance of SINV in different regions of the central nervous system (CNS) and the roles of innate and adaptive immune responses at different times during infection, we have characterized SINV infection and clearance in the brain, brain stem, and spinal cords of severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) and C57BL/6 (wild-type [WT]) mice and mice deficient in beta interferon (IFN-β) (BKO), antibody (μMT), IFN-γ (GKO), IFN-γ receptor (GRKO), and both antibody and IFN-γ (μMT/GKO). WT mice cleared infectious virus by day 8, while SCID mice had persistent virus replication at all sites. For 3 days after infection, BKO mice had higher titers at all sites than WT mice, despite similar IFN-α production, but cleared virus similarly. GKO and GRKO mice cleared infectious virus from all sites by days 8 to 10 and, like WT mice, displayed transient reactivation at 12 to 22 days. μMT mice did not clear virus from the brain, and clearance from the brain stem and lumbar spinal cord was delayed, followed by reactivation. Eighty-one days after infection, μMT/GKO mice had not cleared virus from any site, but titers were lower than for SCID mice. These studies show that IFN-β is independently important for early control of CNS virus replication, that antiviral antibody is critical for clearance from the brain, and that both antibody and IFN-γ contribute to prevention of reactivation after initial clearance.
Nuclear and Nucleolar Targeting of Influenza A Virus NS1 Protein: Striking Differences between Different Virus Subtypes
Authors: Melén Krister , Kinnunen Leena , Fagerlund Riku , Ikonen Niina , Twu Karen Y. , Krug Robert M. , Julkunen Ilkka 
Published: March 2007

ABSTRACT
Influenza A virus nonstructural protein 1 (NS1A protein) is a virulence factor which is targeted into the nucleus. It is a multifunctional protein that inhibits host cell pre-mRNA processing and counteracts host cell antiviral responses. We show that the NS1A protein can interact with all six human importin α isoforms, indicating that the nuclear translocation of NS1A protein is mediated by the classical importin α/β pathway. The NS1A protein of the H1N1 (WSN/33) virus has only one N-terminal arginine- or lysine-rich nuclear localization signal (NLS1), whereas the NS1A protein of the H3N2 subtype (Udorn/72) virus also has a second C-terminal NLS (NLS2). NLS1 is mapped to residues 35 to 41, which also function in the double-stranded RNA-binding activity of the NS1A protein. NLS2 was created by a 7-amino-acid C-terminal extension (residues 231 to 237) that became prevalent among human influenza A virus types isolated between the years 1950 to 1987. NLS2 includes basic amino acids at positions 219, 220, 224, 229, 231, and 232. Surprisingly, NLS2 also forms a functional nucleolar localization signal NoLS, a function that was retained in H3N2 type virus NS1A proteins even without the C-terminal extension. It is likely that the evolutionarily well-conserved nucleolar targeting function of NS1A protein plays a role in the pathogenesis of influenza A virus.
Poly(I:C) and Lipopolysaccharide Innate Sensing Functions of Circulating Human Myeloid Dendritic Cells Are Affected In Vivo in Hepatitis C Virus-Infected Patients
Authors: Rodrigue-Gervais Ian Gaël , Jouan Loubna , Beaulé Geneviève , Sauvé Dominike , Bruneau Julie , Willems Bernard , Sékaly Rafick-Pierre , Lamarre Daniel 
Published: March 2007

ABSTRACT

The role of peripheral dendritic cells (DCs) in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is unclear. To determine if persistent infection exerts an inhibitory pressure on HCV-specific innate responses, we analyzed DC function in blood through quantification of cell-associated HCV RNA levels in conjunction with multiparametric flow cytometry analysis of pathogen recognition receptor-induced cytokine expression. Independently of the serum viral load, fluorescence-activated cell sorter-purified total DCs had a wide range of cell-associated HCV genomic RNA copy numbers (mean log
10
, 5.0 per 10
6
cells; range, 4.3 to 5.8). Here we report that for viremic patients with high viral loads in their total DCs, the myeloid DC (MDC) subset displayed impaired expression of interleukin-12 (IL-12) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) but normal IL-6 or chemokine CCL3 expression in response to poly(I:C) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). IL-6-expressing cells from this subgroup of viremic patients demonstrated a significant increase (sixfold more) in TNF-α
−
IL-12
−
cell frequency compared to healthy donors (mean, 38.8% versus 6.5%;
P
< 0.0001), indicating a functional defect in a subpopulation of cytokine-producing MDCs (∼6% of MDCs). Attenuation of poly(I:C) and LPS innate sensing was HCV RNA density dependent and did not correlate with viremia or deficits in circulating MDC frequencies in HCV-infected patients. Monocytes from these patients were functionally intact, responding normally on a per-cell basis following stimulation, independent of cell-associated HCV RNA levels. Taken together, these data indicate that detection of HCV genomic RNA in DCs and loss of function in the danger signal responsiveness of a small proportion of DCs in vivo are interrelated rather than independent phenomena.