bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Comparison between computer‐aided testing and traditional multiple choice: an equivalence study
Authors: Karl M. , Graef F. , Eitner S. , Beck N. , Wichmann M. , Holst S. 
Published: January 2007

Aims:  Computer‐aided learning (CAL) is a viable alternative to traditional teaching methods. While CAL is used for teaching only, computer‐aided testing (CAT) can be applied as a computer‐based examination method. The aim of the present study was to compare the performance of undergraduate students in computer‐interactive tests and traditional multiple choice tests and to evaluate the influence of question length and language skills on test results.Materials and methods:  Fifty‐two native German‐speaking students and five non‐native speaking students were randomly assigned to two groups. They were required to answer 20 conventional multiple choice questions and 20 questions using the interactive MobiTed® system. An analysis of variance and t‐tests (α = 0.05) were used to compare scores.Results:  Non‐native speakers scored significantly lower on the interactive test compared with the native speaking students (P = 0.048 for long questions and P = 0.003 for short questions). There were no significant group differences on the conventional multiple choice test (P = 0.052 for long questions and P = 0.089 for short questions). Based on the results of the native speaking students neither test method nor question length had an influence on overall performance.Conclusion:  Interactive multiple choice tests may provide an alternative to written tests, especially when considering time expenditure. Language skills and question length should be taken into account when setting time limits for examination.
Spanish consensus statement on alternatives to allogeneic transfusions: the ‘Seville document’
Authors: LEAL‐NOVAL RAMÓN , MUÑOZ MANUEL , PÁRAMO JOSÉ A , GARCÍA‐ERCE JOSÉ A 
Published: January 2007

SUMMARYThe Consensus Document on Alternatives to Allogeneic Blood Transfusion (AABT) has been drawn up by a panel of experts from five scientific societies. The Spanish societies of anesthesiology (SEDAR), critical care medicine and coronary units (SEMICYUC), hematology and hemotherapy (AEHH), blood transfusion (SETS), and thrombosis and hemostasis (SETH) have sponsored and participated in this consensus document. Alternatives to blood transfusion have been divided into pharmacological and nonpharmacological, with four modules and 12 topics. The main objective variable was the reduction of allogeneic blood transfusions and/or the number of transfused patients. The extent to which this objective was achieved by each AABT was evaluated using the Delphi methodology, which classifies the grades of recommendation from ‘A’ (supported by controlled studies) to ‘E’ (noncontrolled studies and expert opinion). The experts concluded that most of the indications for AABT only attained middle or low grades of recommendation, ‘C’, ‘D’ or ‘E’, thus indicating the need for further controlled studies.
Use of Novel Boronic Acid Transition State Inhibitors To Probe Substrate Affinity in SHV-Type Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamases
Authors: Thomson Jodi M. , Prati Fabio , Bethel Christopher R. , Bonomo Robert A. 
Published: January 2007

ABSTRACT

Boronic acid transition state inhibitors (BATSIs) with R1 side chains of cefotaxime and ceftazidime were assayed against SHV-1, SHV-2, SHV-5, D104K, and D104K G238S β-lactamases. The D104K variant was the most susceptible to inhibition by the ceftazidime BATSI (

K
i

, 730 ± 80 nM), while the D104K G238S variant was the most susceptible to the cefotaxime BATSI (

K
i

, 1.1 ± 0.2 μM).
Evaluation of Genetic Markers and Molecular Typing Methods for Prediction of Sources of
Campylobacter jejuni
and
C. coli
Infections
Authors: Kärenlampi Rauni , Rautelin Hilpi , Hänninen Marja-Liisa 
Published: January 2007

ABSTRACT

Campylobacter jejuni
and
C. coli
isolates from poultry, cattle, and humans were studied using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and PCR of candidate livestock-associated marker genes. Human isolates showed 5.7 and 61% overlap with cattle and poultry isolates, respectively, by use of PFGE. No unambiguous association was found between marker genes (the Cj1321 and Cj1324 genes) and livestock-associated isolates.
Viral Determinants of Resistance to Treatment in Patients with Hepatitis C
Authors: Wohnsland Anette , Hofmann Wolf Peter , Sarrazin Christoph 
Published: January 2007

SUMMARYChronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection affects more than 170 million persons worldwide and is responsible for the development of liver cirrhosis in many cases. Standard treatment with pegylated alpha interferon (IFN-α) in combination with the nucleoside analogue ribavirin leads to a sustained virologic response in approximately half of the patients. IFN-α is classified as an indirect treatment, as it interacts with the host's immune response. The mechanism of action of ribavirin is still unknown. The benefit of triple therapy by adding other antiviral agents, e.g., amantadine, is controversial. Currently, new direct antiviral drugs (HCV protease/polymerase inhibitors) are being evaluated in phase 1/phase 2 trials. Phenotypic resistance to antiviral therapy has been attributed to amino acid variations within distinct regions of the HCV polyprotein. While sensitivity to IFN-α-based antiviral therapy in vivo is clearly correlated with the number of mutations within the HCV NS5A protein, the underlying functional mechanisms for this association are unknown. In turn, in vitro, several mechanisms to circumvent the host immune defense or to block treatment-induced antiviral activities have been described for different HCV proteins. By the introduction of direct antiviral drugs, hepatitis C therapy now is entering a new era in which the development of resistance may become the most important parameter for treatment success or failure.
Rat Bite Fever andStreptobacillus moniliformis
Authors: Elliott Sean P. 
Published: January 2007

SUMMARYRat bite fever, caused byStreptobacillus moniliformis, is a systemic illness classically characterized by fever, rigors, and polyarthralgias. If left untreated, it carries a mortality rate of 10%. Unfortunately, its nonspecific initial presentation combined with difficulties in culturing its causative organism produces a significant risk of delay or failure in diagnosis. The increasing popularity of rats and other rodents as pets, together with the risk of invasive or fatal disease, demands increased attention to rat bite fever as a potential diagnosis. The clinical and biological features of rat bite fever andStreptobacillus moniliformisare reviewed, providing some distinguishing features to assist the clinician and microbiologist in diagnosis.
Molecular Epidemiology of Malaria
Authors: Conway David J. 
Published: January 2007

SUMMARY

Malaria persists as an undiminished global problem, but the resources available to address it have increased. Many tools for understanding its biology and epidemiology are well developed, with a particular richness of comparative genome sequences. Targeted genetic manipulation is now effectively combined with in vitro culture assays on the most important human parasite,
Plasmodium falciparum
, and with in vivo analysis of rodent and monkey malaria parasites in their laboratory hosts. Studies of the epidemiology, prevention, and treatment of human malaria have already been influenced by the availability of molecular methods, and analyses of parasite polymorphisms have long had useful and highly informative applications. However, the molecular epidemiology of malaria is currently undergoing its most substantial revolution as a result of the genomic information and technologies that are available in well-resourced centers. It is a challenge for research agendas to face the real needs presented by a disease that largely exists in extremely resource-poor settings, but it is one that there appears to be an increased willingness to undertake. To this end, developments in the molecular epidemiology of malaria are reviewed here, emphasizing aspects that may be current and future priorities.
Epidemiology of Invasive Candidiasis: a Persistent Public Health Problem
Authors: Pfaller M. A. , Diekema D. J. 
Published: January 2007

SUMMARY

Invasive candidiasis (IC) is a leading cause of mycosis-associated mortality in the United States. We examined data from the National Center for Health Statistics and reviewed recent literature in order to update the epidemiology of IC. IC-associated mortality has remained stable, at approximately 0.4 deaths per 100,000 population, since 1997, while mortality associated with invasive aspergillosis has continued to decline.
Candida albicans
remains the predominant cause of IC, accounting for over half of all cases, but
Candida glabrata
has emerged as the second most common cause of IC in the United States, and several less common
Candida
species may be emerging, some of which can exhibit resistance to triazoles and/or amphotericin B. Crude and attributable rates of mortality due to IC remain unacceptably high and unchanged for the past 2 decades. Nonpharmacologic preventive strategies should be emphasized, including hand hygiene; appropriate use, placement, and care of central venous catheters; and prudent use of antimicrobial therapy. Given that delays in appropriate antifungal therapy are associated with increased mortality, improved use of early empirical, preemptive, and prophylactic therapies should also help reduce IC-associated mortality. Several studies have now identified important variables that can be used to predict risk of IC and to help guide preventive strategies such as antifungal prophylaxis and early empirical therapy. However, improved non-culture-based diagnostics are needed to expand the potential for preemptive (or early directed) therapy. Further research to improve diagnostic, preventive, and therapeutic strategies is necessary to reduce the considerable morbidity and mortality associated with IC.
RR06 Activates Transcription of spr1996 andcbpAinStreptococcus pneumoniae
Authors: Ma Zhuo , Zhang Jing-Ren 
Published: January 2007

ABSTRACTStreptococcus pneumoniaecolonizes at the nasopharynx of humans and is able to disseminate and cause various infections. The hallmark of pneumococcal disease is rapid bacterial replication in different tissue sites leading to intense inflammation. The genetic basis of pneumococcal adaptation to different host niches remains sketchy. In this study, we investigated the regulatory effect of RR06, a response regulator protein, on gene expression ofS. pneumoniae.Microarray and Northern blot analyses showed that RR06 is specifically required for transcription of spr1996 andcbpA. While the function of Spr1996 is unknown, CbpA has been well characterized as a surface-exposed protective antigen and a virulence factor ofS. pneumoniae. A recombinant form of RR06 was able to bind to a 19-bp conserved sequence shared by the spr1996 andcbpApromoter regions. Furthermore, inactivation ofrr06resulted in loss of CbpA expression as detected by antibody staining and bacterial adhesion. CbpA expression was restored intransby the intactrr06gene. However, a mutant, RR06(D51A), with a point mutation in the aspartate residue at position 51 (a predicted major phosphorylation site) of RR06, completely abolished the CbpA expression, suggesting that RR06 phosphorylation is required for transcriptional activation of spr1996 andcbpA.Finally, inactivation ofrr06in additional pneumococcal strains also led to the loss of CbpA expression. These data implicate that RR06 activates the expression of spr1996 andcbpAin many other pneumococcal strains.
Isolated tumour cells in pathological node-negative lymph nodes adversely affect prognosis in cancer of the oesophagus or oesophagogastric junction
Authors: MacGuill Martin J , Barrett Ciara , Ravi Narayanasamy , MacDonald George , Reynolds John V 
Published: January 2007

Aims:To determine the prevalence of isolated tumour cells (ITC) in lymph nodes of patients with pathological node-negative (pN0) tumours and to assess their impact on disease-free and overall survival.Methods:Paraffin embedded lymph nodes from oesophagogastrectomy specimens were examined immunohistochemically using monoclonal anti-cytokeratin antibody (MNF118). Clinical and pathological features were summarised and overall and relapse-free survival were estimated.Results:Isolated tumour cells were detected in 12 of 146 patients (8%), and 24 of 1694 (1%) lymph nodes. With a median follow-up time of 28 months (range 0–160 months), both relapse-free and overall survival were significantly (p<0.05) associated with the presence of ITC in pN0 lymph nodes. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of ITC between patients who underwent multimodal therapy and those treated with surgery alone.Conclusions:ITC in pN0 lymph nodes may be less frequent than previously considered, but their presence is associated with poorer outcomes compared with true node negative disease.
Birth Characteristics, Maternal Reproductive History, and the Risk of Infant Leukemia: A Report from the Children's Oncology Group
Authors: Spector Logan G. , Davies Stella M. , Robison Leslie L. , Hilden Joanne M. , Roesler Michelle , Ross Julie A. 
Published: January 2007

Abstract
Leukemias with MLL gene rearrangements predominate in infants (&lt;1 year of age), but not in older children, and may have a distinct etiology. High birth weight, higher birth order, and prior fetal loss have, with varying consistency, been associated with infant leukemia, but no studies have reported results with respect to MLL status. Here, we report for the first time such an analysis. During 1999 to 2003, mothers of 240 incident cases (113 MLL+, 80 MLL−, and 47 indeterminate) and 255 random digit dialed controls completed a telephone interview. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for quartile of birth weight, birth order, gestational age, maternal age at delivery, prior fetal loss, pre-pregnancy body mass index, and weight gain during pregnancy were obtained using unconditional logistic regression; P for linear trend was obtained by modeling continuous variables. There was a borderline significant linear trend of increasing birth weight with MLL+ (P = 0.06), but not MLL− (P = 0.93), infant leukemia. Increasing birth order showed a significant inverse linear trend, independent of birth weight, with MLL+ (P = 0.01), but not MLL− (P = 0.18), infant leukemia. Other variables of interest were not notably associated with infant leukemia regardless of MLL status. This investigation further supports the contention that molecularly defined subtypes of infant leukemia have separate etiologies. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2007;16(1):128–34)
Effect of the Women's Health Initiative Study Publication on Hormone Replacement Therapy Use among Women Who Have Undergone BRCA1/2 Testing
Authors: Dorval Michel , Vallée Marie-Hélène , Plante Marie , Chiquette Jocelyne , Gaudet Michel ,   the Interdisciplinary Health Research International Team on Breast Cancer Susceptibility, Simard Jacques ,   the Interdisciplinary Health Research International Team on Breast Cancer Susceptibility
Published: January 2007

Abstract
Background: Since the publication, in July 2002, of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study, use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has decreased substantially in the general population. However, little is known about the effect of WHI study results on HRT use among women at high risk of breast cancer. The purpose of this study is to compare HRT use, prepublication versus postpublication of the WHI study, among women tested for BRCA1/2 mutations.
Methods: Participants were &gt;35 years of age and had received their result of genetic testing (delivered within the interdisciplinary research program Interdisciplinary Health Research International Team on Breast Cancer Susceptibility), no later than February 28, 2005. HRT use was reported in self-administered questionnaires, 1 year after result disclosure. Women returning their questionnaire before July 17, 2002 were classified as pre-WHI, whereas those returning it after October 15, 2002 comprised the post-WHI group.
Results: Four hundred fifty-seven women (199 and 258 in the pre-WIH and post-WHI groups, respectively) were included in this analysis. Globally, there was no difference in HRT use between prepublication and postpublication of the WHI study (8% and 11%, respectively; prevalence ratio, 0.74; 95% confidence interval, 0.43-1.28). However, noncarriers of the familial mutation were less likely to use HRT after publication of the WHI study results (9%) than before (21%; P = 0.03).
Conclusions: Overall, HRT use among women tested for BRCA1/2 mutations is relatively low and apparently uninfluenced by the WHI study findings. However, the HRT use reduction among noncarriers is similar to that of women in the general population and consistent with the Canadian Cancer Society's recent HRT use recommendations. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2007;16(1):157–60)
Genetic Polymorphisms in Folate Metabolism and the Risk of Stomach Cancer
Authors: Zhang Fang Fang , Terry Mary Beth , Hou Lifang , Chen Jinbo , Lissowska Jolanta , Yeager Meredith , Zatonski Witold , Chanock Stephen , Morabia Alfredo , Chow Wong-Ho 
Published: January 2007

AbstractFolate deficiency has been implicated in the etiology of stomach cancer through abnormal DNA methylation and disrupted DNA synthesis and repair. Enzyme-coding genes involved in folate metabolism are often polymorphic. In a population-based study of 305 cases and 427 controls in Warsaw, Poland, we evaluated the risk of stomach cancer in relation to polymorphisms in folate-metabolizing genes, including MTHFR (Ex5+79C&gt;T and Ex8−62A&gt;C), MTR (Ex26−20A&gt;G), and MTRR (Ex2−64A&gt;G, Ex5+123C&gt;T, Ex15+572C&gt;T, Ex15−405A&gt;T, Ex9−85C&gt;T, Ex15−526G&gt;A, and Ex14+14C&gt;T). Polymorphisms in the MTHFR gene were not associated with stomach cancer risk. No notable effect was found for polymorphisms in MTR or MTRR either, although MTR Ex26−20 A&gt;G and MTRR Ex5+123C&gt;T polymorphisms were associated with a borderline increased risk of stomach cancer (MTR Ex26−20A&gt;G, AG/GG versus AA: odds ratio, 1.35; 95% confidence interval, 0.96-1.90; MTRR Ex5+123C&gt;T, CT/TT versus CC: odds ratio, 1.30; 95% confidence interval, 0.93-1.82). We did not find significant interactions between polymorphisms in MTHFR, MTR, and MTRR genes and dietary folate and alcohol consumption. Our study did not identify strong genetic determinants in the folate metabolism pathway for stomach cancer risk. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2007;16(1):115–21)
Physical Activity and Breast Cancer Risk: The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition
Authors: Lahmann Petra H. , Friedenreich Christine , Schuit A. Jantine , Salvini Simonetta , Allen Naomi E. , Key Tim J. , Khaw Kay-Tee , Bingham Sheila , Peeters Petra H.M. , Monninkhof Evelyn , Bueno-de-Mesquita H. Bas , Wirfält Elisabet , Manjer Jonas , Gonzales Carlos A. , Ardanaz Eva , Amiano Pilar , Quirós José R. , Navarro Carmen , Martinez Carmen , Berrino Franco , Palli Domenico , Tumino Rosario , Panico Salvatore , Vineis Paolo , Trichopoulou Antonia , Bamia Christina , Trichopoulos Dimitrios , Boeing Heiner , Schulz Mandy , Linseisen Jakob , Chang-Claude Jenny , Chapelon Francoise Clavel , Fournier Agnès , Boutron-Ruault Marie-Christine , Tjønneland Anne , Føns Johnson Nina , Overvad Kim , Kaaks Rudolf , Riboli Elio 
Published: January 2007

Abstract
There is convincing evidence for a decreased risk of breast cancer with increased physical activity. Uncertainties remain, however, about the role of different types of physical activity on breast cancer risk and the potential effect modification for these associations. We used data from 218,169 premenopausal and postmenopausal women from nine European countries, ages 20 to 80 years at study entry into the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. Hazard ratios (HR) from multivariate Cox regression models were calculated using metabolic equivalent value–based physical activity variables categorized in quartiles, adjusted for age, study center, education, body mass index, smoking, alcohol use, age at menarche, age at first pregnancy, parity, current oral contraceptive use, and hormone replacement therapy use. The physical activity assessment included recreational, household, and occupational activities. A total physical activity index was estimated based on cross-tabulation of these separate types of activity. During 6.4 years of follow-up, 3,423 incident invasive breast cancers were identified. Overall, increasing total physical activity was associated with a reduction in breast cancer risk among postmenopausal women (Ptrend = 0.06). Specifically, household activity was associated with a significantly reduced risk in postmenopausal (HR, 0.81; 95% confidence interval, 0.70-0.93, highest versus the lowest quartile; Ptrend = 0.001) and premenopausal (HR, 0.71; 95% confidence interval, 0.55-0.90, highest versus lowest quartile; Ptrend = 0.003) women. Occupational activity and recreational activity were not significantly related to breast cancer risk in both premenopausal and postmenopausal women. This study provides additional evidence for a protective effect of physical activity on breast cancer risk. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2007;16(1):36–42)
Obesity Is Negatively Associated with Prostate-Specific Antigen in U.S. Men, 2001-2004
Authors: Werny David M. , Thompson Trevor , Saraiya Mona , Freedman David , Kottiri Benny J. , German Robert R. , Wener Mark 
Published: January 2007

Abstract
Background: Recent studies have shown a negative association between body mass index (BMI) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a commonly used serum marker for the detection and diagnosis of prostate cancer. We have examined the association between several anthropometric measures and PSA in a nationally representative sample of men.
Methods: We analyzed data from the 2001-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Participants in this study were men ages ≥40 years without previously diagnosed prostate cancer who had PSA measured. Height, weight, waist circumference, BMI, triceps skinfold, subscapular skinfold, and calculated total body water were examined categorically by quintiles using multiple linear regression models. All tests of significance were two sided.
Results: Among white men, we report a trend for decreasing PSA with increasing weight, BMI, waist circumference, triceps skinfold thickness, and calculated total body water. Among Mexican American men, we found a trend for decreasing PSA with increasing BMI, and among black men we found a trend for decreasing PSA with increasing triceps thickness. None of the interaction terms between race/ethnicity and any of the anthropometric measures were statistically significant. Controlling for age and race/ethnicity in the multiple linear regression model, we found moderate declines in PSA with a 1 SD increase in BMI [5.9% decrease (95% confidence interval, −9.0% to −2.8%) in geometric mean PSA per 5.2-unit increase], weight [5.9% decline (−8.8% to −2.8%) per 17.7-kg increase], waist circumference [6.6% decline (−9.4% to −3.6%) per 13.4-cm increase], triceps skinfold [5.4% decline (−8.9% to −1.8%) per 6.4-mm increase], and calculated total body water [5.7% decline (−8.9% to −2.4%) per 6.5-liter increase].
Conclusion: Our population-based, nationally representative results expand the validity of previous studies on obesity and PSA. Higher weight, BMI, waist circumference, triceps skinfold, and total body water are associated with moderately lower PSA values. A prospective study is needed to verify whether this association affects the accuracy of the PSA test in obese men. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2007;16(1):70–6)