bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Changes in the visual field following laser in situ keratomileusis for myopia
Authors: Lleó‐Pérez Antonio , Sanchis Gimeno Juan 
Published: February 2007

AbstractPurpose:  To assess the changes of the visual field (VF) caused by transient intraocular pressure (IOP) peaks during laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) surgery for myopia using automated perimetry.Methods:  This prospective study involved 94 eyes of 94 patients who underwent a conventional LASIK procedure. A complete eye examination was carried out in which the IOP measurement, and Humphrey 24‐2 SITA standard VF were tested prior to LASIK and 6 and 12 months after LASIK. Patients were divided into two subgroups according to their refractive error. VF global indices, Glaucoma Hemifield Test and the number of depressed points deviating at p < 5%, p < 2%, p < 1% and p < 0.5% on the Pattern Deviation probability maps were compared using the analysis of variance.Results:  In the low myopia group, there were no significant differences in the analysed variables, except a slight decrease in mean deviation (MD) when comparing results prior to and 6 months following LASIK (p = 0.036; anova) that returned to baseline values at 12 months after surgery. In the moderate and high myopia group, there were no statistically significant differences in any of the variables analysed. No significant correlation was found between the transitory reduction in MD and any of the variables studied.Conclusions:  In patients with low myopia, the VF undergoes a transitory increase in diffuse defects 6 months after surgery, with spontaneous recovery at 12 months after LASIK procedure. Possible explanations for these findings are discussed.
On the use of Orbscan II to assess the peripheral corneal thickness in humans: a comparison with ultrasound pachometry measures*
Authors: Jonuscheit Sven , Doughty Michael J. , Button Norman F. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractPurpose:  To compare the measures of corneal thickness measurements obtained by an optical scanning slit method with those obtained by an ultrasound (US) pachometer, with special interest in the mid‐peripheral (2.5 mm from centre) and peripheral (4.5 mm from centre) region of the cornea.Methods:  Three measures of corneal thickness were taken using Orbscan II and then by US pachometry (under topical anaesthesia with benoxinate 0.4%) on 24 adults, aged 20–58 years and with up to 8.5 D of myopia. The full Orbscan topography maps were used to extract single point data along the horizontal corneal meridian for the geometric centre, 2.5 mm from centre (nasal and temporal) and 4.5 mm (nasal and temporal) from centre. No correction factor was used for the Orbscan data. The same set of measures were made with the US pachometer. In all cases, the averages of three (centre) or six (mid‐periphery and periphery) readings were taken as the measurements from each cornea.Results:  Orbscan readings on the right eyes averaged 0.576, 0.632 and 0.712 mm for central, mid‐peripheral and peripheral sites with average values for emmetropic subjects (<1 DS, n = 12) being marginally higher than for myopic subjects (average – 4.00 DS, n = 12). For US pachometry, the average values were however 0.522, 0.554 and 0.606 mm. Similar results were obtained on left eyes. Combining data from both eyes also showed that the mean difference between Orbscan II and US measures was not constant across the cornea, being 0.055 ± 0.014 mm at the centre, 0.080 ± 0.019 mm at mid‐peripheral locations and 0.107 ± 0.046 mm at the peripheral sites. These differences persisted after application of the generally recommended acoustic factor (×0.92) to all of the Orbscan readings.Conclusions:  A single acoustic factor correction cannot be applied to all corneal thickness measures made with an Orbscan II to equate the measures to those made with an US pachometer.
Technical Note: Comparison of the wavefront aberrations between natural and pharmacological pupil dilations
Authors: Yang Yabo , Wu Fang 
Published: February 2007

AbstractOcular wavefront aberrations were tested with the wavefront‐supported corneal ablation (WASCA) aberrometer when the pupil was dilated naturally under scotopic illumination levels, and pharmacologically using tropicamide. Wavefront aberrations were measured across a 5‐mm pupil in one eye of each of 58 subjects. There was a significant difference in the pupil diameter between the scotopic and cycloplegic conditions (p < 0.001). For higher order aberrations (HOAs), no significant difference was found in Zernike coefficients between the scotopic and cycloplegic conditions. There was no significant difference in the spherical equivalent refraction. Accommodation can be neglected during the wavefront aberration measurement with the WASCA aberrometer. In view of the shift of the pupil centre caused by pharmacological pupil dilation, obtaining measurements under natural conditions rather than using mydriatics is recommended for customized laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) surgery.
Technical Note: How many readings are required for an acceptable accuracy in pulsatile ocular blood flow assessment?
Authors: Yu Bibianna S. Y. , Lam Andrew K. C. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractPurpose: Pulsatile ocular blood flow (POBF) assessment aids the diagnosis of ocular diseases with defective ocular haemodynamics, such as glaucoma. Although each successful POBF measure given by the instrument represents five ‘repeatable’ pulses, there has been no study verifying how repeatable they are. There is also no report on the minimal number of measurements for an acceptable accuracy.Methods: Forty‐three healthy young subjects were recruited and each subject had five consecutive POBF measurements obtained from one randomly selected eye. The coefficient of variation was calculated from the raw data of the five ‘repeatable’ pulses. The average from five consecutive measurements was considered as the standard for comparison with the first, average of the first two, the first three and the first four measurements. The 95% limits of agreement were determined using the Bland and Altman approach.Results: The coefficient of variation was greater than the manufacturer's claim of within 10%. The mean (±S.D.) POBF calculated from five consecutive measures was 732.5 ± 243.2 μL min−1. The mean (±S.D.) difference between the standard POBF and the first, average of the first two, the first three and the first four measurements was (inμL min−1): 12.5 ± 59.8, 7.8 ± 42.1, 9.6 ± 32.5 and 3.7 ± 19.6 respectively. The corresponding 95% limits of agreement were (inμL min−1): ±117.2, ±82.6, ±63.8 and ±38.4 respectively.Conclusions: As the five ‘repeatable’ pulses were not as repeatable as the manufacturer claims, practitioners should not rely on one single POBF measure. An average of three consecutive measurements will be adequate to detect the minimum reported difference in POBF between glaucoma and normal patients.
The Making of a Japanese Avant‐Garde in Colonial Dairen, 1924–1937
Authors: Culver Annika A. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractIn this article, I discuss how the Manchurian port city of Dairen became a cultural center for Japanese avant‐garde literary and artistic production in the twenties and thirties. I examine the transnational flow of aesthetic and literary ideas between Tokyo and Dairen, and the economic and political factors enabling Japanese and Western avant‐garde movements to flourish in this peripheral outpost of the Japanese empire. Notably, Dairen was the cradle of the Japanese surrealist movement in poetry, and later, provided a venue for an active group of surrealist artists. Though distanced from Tokyo, the central cultural and political locus of a rapidly expanding Japanese empire, Dairen served as an important crossroads in northeast Asia for trade, culture, and political ideology. Born out of Russian and Japanese imperialism, the free port of Dairen and its cosmopolitan cultural environment supported the complex historical conditions prompting a multi‐faceted literary and aesthetic vision for the Japanese avant‐garde.
Assyrians, Judaeans, Pastoral Groups, and the Trade Patterns in the Late Iron Age Negev
Authors: Tebes Juan Manuel 
Published: February 2007

AbstractThis article gives a current reassessment of the evidence of trade between the Negev, Edom, and the Mediterranean in the Late Iron Age. To determine the characteristics of this trade pattern, textual (Assyrian, Biblical) and archaeological data – especially the distribution of Edomite wares in the Negev – are used to propose a model in which trade was controlled by the local nomadic pastoral groups.
Sport and Ethnicity in New Zealand
Authors: Watson Geoff 
Published: March 2007

AbstractThis article argues that the centrality of rugby as a key formulator of Pakeha ethnicity and agent of interracial integration has been contested in recent scholarly research. It further argues that although sport and ethnicity has been examined in some case‐studies and some general histories, to date we have no systematic scholarly assessment of the connections between sport and ethnicity in New Zealand. Our presently fragmented understanding of this issue reflects a wider problem within sports studies in New Zealand, namely the lack of any comprehensive study of the role of sport in New Zealand history.
Endocrine Effects of Valproate in Adolescent Girls with Epilepsy
Authors: De Vries Liat , Karasik Anna , Landau Zohar , Phillip Moshe , Kiviti Sara , Goldberg‐Stern Hadassa 
Published: February 2007

Summary:  Purpose: To investigate the effect of epilepsy and/or valproate (VPA) monotherapy on physical growth, weight gain, pubertal development, and hormonal status in adolescent girls with epilepsy. Methods: The study group included 88 consecutive female patients with epilepsy aged 6–20 years (28 premenarche, 60 postmenarche) attending an endocrinology institute of a major tertiary center. Forty‐five patients were under treatment with VPA, and 43 were before treatment initiation. The groups were compared for the relevant biochemical, anthropometric, ultrasonographic, and endocrine parameters. Results: No statistically significant differences were found in any of the parameters studied between the groups, as a whole or by menarche status. The treated postmenarcheal subgroup had a higher mean testosterone level than the untreated postmenarcheal controls (1.83 ± 0.65 vs. 0.88 ± 0.24, p = 0.006). Body mass index–standard deviation score (BMI‐SDS) was 0.75 in the treated group and 0.63 in the untreated group; rates of obesity were 16.3% and 15.5%, respectively. No between‐group differences were found in menses irregularities, hirsutism, or acne. No correlation was found between duration or dosage of treatment and BMI‐SDS, height–SDS, or androgen level. The treated group had higher levels of thyroid‐stimulating hormone and lower levels of free thyroxine than did the untreated group, although still within normal range. Conclusions: Long‐term treatment with VPA in girls with epilepsy is associated with increased testosterone levels after menarche, without clinical hyperandrogenism, polycystic ovary syndrome, or an increase in BMI‐SDS. VPA is a good treatment option in this age group but should be accompanied by careful endocrine observation.
Circadian Variation in Heart‐Rate Variability in Localization‐related Epilepsy
Authors: Persson Håkan , Kumlien Eva , Ericson Mats , Tomson Torbjörn 
Published: February 2007

Summary:  Purpose: Case–control studies of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) have reported that SUDEP is more likely to occur during sleep and thus presumably during night hours. The circadian variation of heart‐rate variability (HRV) might be of relevance to this risk. We examined night versus daytime HRV in patients with newly diagnosed and refractory localization‐related epilepsy, assessing the effects of drug treatment and epilepsy surgery on the night/daytime HRV ratio. Methods: We used spectral analysis to assess HRV and calculated the night‐time (00.00–05.00)/daytime (07.30–21.30) ratio of HRV in 14 patients with newly diagnosed localization‐related epilepsy before and during carbamazepine (CBZ) treatment and in 21 patients with temporal lobe epilepsy before and after epilepsy surgery. Both groups were compared with age‐ and sex‐matched controls. Results: No significant differences were found from controls in the night/daytime ratios of HRV whether compared before or after initiation of treatment with CBZ in newly diagnosed epilepsy patients. When patients were used as their own controls, night/daytime ratios of standard deviation of RR intervals (p = 0.04) and total power (p = 0.04) were significantly lower during treatment than before. Compared with those of controls, the night/daytime ratios were lower in epilepsy surgery patients before surgery [low‐frequency power (p = 0.04); high‐frequency power (p = 0.04)]. Night/daytime ratios did not change significantly after surgery. Conclusions: The HRV of the patients was more affected during night‐time when the risk of SUDEP seems to be highest in such patients.
Lateralizing Significance of Quantitative Analysis of Head Movements before Secondary Generalization of Seizures of Patients with Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
Authors: O'Dwyer Rebecca , Silva Cunha Joao P. , Vollmar Christian , Mauerer Cordula , Feddersen Berend , Burgess Richard C. , Ebner Alois , Noachtar Soheyl 
Published: February 2007

Summary:  Purpose: To quantitatively evaluate the lateralizing significance of ictal head movements of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Methods: We investigated EEG‐video recorded seizures of patients with TLE, in which the camera position was perpendicular to the head facing the camera in an upright position and bilateral head movement was recorded. Thirty‐eight seizures (31 patients) with head movement in both directions were investigated. Ipsilateral and contralateral head movements were defined according to ictal EEG. Head movements were quantified by selecting the movement of the nose in relation to a defined point on the thorax (25/s) in a defined plane facing the camera. The duration of the head version was determined independently of the camera angle. The angle, duration, and angular speed of the head movements were computed and inter and intrasubject analyses were performed (Wilcoxon rank sum). Results: Ipsilateral movement always preceded contralateral movement. The positive predictive value was 100% for movement in both directions. The duration of contralateral head version was significantly longer than ipsilateral head movement (6.4 ± 4.1 s vs. 3.9 ± 3.1 s, p < 0.001). The angular speed of both movements was similar (15.5 ± 12.1 deg/s vs. 17.3 ± 13.0 deg/s). Conclusion: The quantitative analysis shows the importance of sequence in the seizure's evolution and duration, but not angular speed for correct lateralization of versive head movement. This quantitative method shows the high lateralizing value of ictal lateral head movements in TLE.
Increased von Willebrand Factor Over Decreased ADAMTS13 Activity May Contribute to the Development of Liver Disturbance and Multiorgan Failure in Patients With Alcoholic Hepatitis
Authors: Matsuyama Tomomi , Uemura Masahito , Ishikawa Masatoshi , Matsumoto Masanori , Ishizashi Hiromichi , Kato Seiji , Morioka Chie , Fujimoto Masao , Kojima Hideyuki , Yoshiji Hitoshi , Takimura Chikara , Fujimura Yoshihiro , Fukui Hiroshi 
Published: February 2007

Background: Severe alcoholic hepatitis (SAH) in addition to alcoholic hepatitis (AH) is a life‐threatening complication of alcohol abuse, and its pathogenesis remains unclear. The deficiency of ADAMTS13 results in an increase of the plasma unusually large von Willebrand factor multimer (UL‐VWFM) and finally causes microcirculatory disturbance and multiorgan failure. We investigated the relationship of ADAMTS13 and von Willebrand factor antigen (VWF:Ag) with the clinical features of AH and SAH.Methods: The plasma levels of ADAMTS13 activity, VWF:Ag, and UL‐VWFM were determined in 24 patients with AH, 5 with SAH, and 10 with alcoholic liver cirrhosis (LC).Results: The ADAMTS13 activity was significantly lower in SAH (mean 24%), AH (62%), and LC (76%) than in the healthy subjects (102%, n=62). The VWF:Ag levels were higher in SAH (806%), AH (405%), and LC (514%) than in the healthy subjects (100%), resulting in a higher ratio of VWF:Ag to ADAMTS13 activity in SAH (102.2), AH (8.9), and LC (8.6) compared with the healthy subjects (1.0). In 3 nonsurvivors with SAH and multiorgan failure, the protease activity markedly decreased (from 4.5 to 16%), and VWF:Ag remarkably increased (from 560 to 1,202%), resulting in an extremely high ratio of VWF:Ag to the activity (from 35.0 to 240.4). At the recovery stage in the survivors with SAH and AH, the protease activity increased and the VWF:Ag decreased, whereas in a nonsurvivor with SAH, the activity remained extremely low and the VWF:Ag was still high. Unusually large von Willebrand factor multimer was detected in 80.0% of SAH and 55.6% of AH. Multivariate analysis showed that the serum albumin and platelet count independently correlated with VWF:Ag.Conclusion: The enhanced production of UL‐VWFM over deficient activity of ADAMTS13 may, in part, contribute to not only the progression of liver injury but also the development of multiorgan failure through microcirculatory disturbance in SAH in addition to AH. The imbalance between the plasma ADAMTS13 activity and VWF:Ag could be a useful prognostic marker in AH.
Effect of the Inducer of Interleukin‐6 (ME3738) on Rat Liver Treated With Ethanol
Authors: Fukumura Atsushi , Tsutsumi Mikihiro , Tsuchishima Mutsumi , Hayashi Nobuhiko , Fukura Masayuki , Yano Hirokazu , Ozaki Kazuaki , Takase Shujiro 
Published: February 2007

Background: Recently, ME3738, a derivative of soyasapogenol B, was developed as an inducer of interleukin (IL)‐6. It has been demonstrated that ME3738 is stimulate to produce IL‐6 and that it protects against concanavalin A‐induced liver failure. It has also been reported that IL‐6 prevents alcoholic fatty liver in mice. These results suggest that ME3738 may prevent alcoholic liver injury. In the present study, we investigated whether ME3738 prevents fatty liver in ethanol‐fed rats.Methods: Twenty‐four male rats were fed with liquid diets containing ethanol or carbohydrates for 8 weeks. Liquid diets were prepared with or without ME3738 (0.8 mg/mL). Liver sections were stained for histology and IL‐6 expression. Fatty changes of liver were classified into 4 grades: 0, 1+, 2+, and 3+. Plasma levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), γ‐glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), triglyceride, total cholesterol, and IL‐6 were measured, as was hepatic ATP content.Results: The extent of fatty degeneration in ethanol‐fed rats was significantly greater (p=0.023) than that in controls. Fatty changes in rats fed ethanol containing ME3738 decreased, but were not significantly different from those in rats fed ethanol. Immunohistochemical staining of IL‐6 was observed in perivenular hepatocytes of all rats, with its intensity becoming stronger in the order of controls, controls containing ME3738, ethanol, and ethanol‐containing ME3738‐fed rats. Plasma levels of AST and ALT in rats fed ethanol were significantly higher than those in controls. In rats fed ethanol‐containing ME3738, these levels decreased to those of control‐fed rats, but were not significantly different from those in rats fed ethanol. Plasma IL‐6 was not detected in any rats. Hepatic ATP content in rats fed ethanol was significantly (p<0.05) lower than that in control‐fed rats; however, in rats fed ethanol‐containing ME3738, it increased to that in control‐fed rats.Conclusions: Oral administration of ME3738, inducer of IL‐6 may prevent the development of fatty liver caused by chronic ethanol consumption.
Maturation of Whisky Changes Ethanol Elimination Kinetics and Neural Effects by Increasing Nonvolatile Congeners
Authors: Haseba Takeshi , Mashimo Keiko , Sugimoto Junichi , Sato Shigeo , Ohno Youkichi 
Published: February 2007

Background: The maturation of distilled spirits is known to change constituent congeners to improve the qualities of smell and taste. However, it has been largely unknown how maturation modifies the pharmacokinetics or neuropharmacological effects of ethanol. We used single malt whiskies to investigate the effects of spirit maturation on ethanol metabolism and drunkenness.Methods: Mice were injected with 5‐year (5‐y) or 20‐year (20‐y) aged single malt whisky with a concentration of 20% (w/v) ethanol at a dose of 3 g/kg. The concentrations of ethanol and its metabolites in the blood and the duration of loss of righting reflex (LORR) were compared between the 2 whisky groups. In addition, the effects of nonvolatile congeners in whisky on the biomedical reactivities of ethanol were investigated by administering a nonvolatile fraction added to a 20% ethanol solution, whose fraction was prepared by evaporating 16‐y whisky. Liver alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity was measured with whisky as the substrate or in the presence of nonvolatile congeners with ethanol as the substrate.Results: The rate of ethanol elimination (mmol/kg/h) was smaller in the 20‐y whisky group than in the 5‐y group (p<0.01 by Fisher's protected least significant difference), which resulted in lower concentrations of blood acetaldehyde and acetate in the former group than in the latter group (p<0.01 by ANOVA). Nonvolatile congeners added to the ethanol solution also depressed the rate of ethanol elimination in mice. In vitro studies demonstrated that liver ADH activity measured with whisky as the substrate was decreased as a function of the age of the whisky, and that the activity measured with ethanol as the substrate was strongly inhibited by nonvolatile congeners. The duration of LORR was longer in the 20‐y group than in the 5‐y group (p<0.01). Nonvolatile congeners also prolonged the duration of ethanol‐induced LORR, when administered together with ethanol.Conclusion: Maturation of whisky delayed ethanol metabolism to lower the level of blood acetaldehyde and acetate with increasing inhibition of liver ADH activity by nonvolatile congeners. It also prolonged drunkenness by enhancing the neurodepressive effects of ethanol, due to increases in the amount of nonvolatile congeners. These biomedical effects of whisky maturation may reduce aversive reactions and cytotoxicity due to acetaldehyde, and may also limit overdrinking with the larger neurodepression.