bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Five‐year outcomes for a smoking cessation clinic
Authors: ÖZTUNA Funda , ÇAN Gamze , ÖZLÜ Tevfik 
Published: October 2007

Background and objectives:  In Turkey, smoking cessation clinics have increased rapidly in recent years. We evaluated the demographic characteristics and the factors influencing the success of quitting among participants in a smoking cessation programme who completed a 5‐year follow up.Methods:  An observational study was conducted on all smokers who attended a smoking cessation clinic between April 2000 and June 2005.Results:  Of the 350 participants recruited, 58% (n = 203) were male and 42% (n = 147) were female; 43.7% were university graduates. The average age of participants was 37.4 ± 11.8 years; the average nicotine addiction level, according to the Fagerstrom nicotine dependence questionnaire, was 5.4 (±2.0). Seventy‐eight (40.2%) of the 194 individuals who stopped smoking were women. At the end of 5 years, 34.6% of participants who attempted to quit were still successful. There was no difference between men and women in terms of their success in quitting after 5 years. Participants who received nicotine replacement therapy remained free of cigarettes 1.9 times (95% CI: 1.2–2.9) longer than those who did not.Conclusion:  Smoking cessation programmes should use a combination of behavioural and pharmacological therapies.
Prospective evaluation of flex‐rigid pleuroscopy for indeterminate pleural effusion: Accuracy, safety and outcome
Authors: LEE Pyng , HSU Anne , LO Constance , COLT Henri G. 
Published: October 2007

Objective:  This study aimed to assess prospectively the accuracy, safety and outcome of flex‐rigid pleuroscopy in the diagnosis of patients with indeterminate pleural effusions.Methods:  Included in the study were all patients with unilateral exudative pleural effusions of unknown aetiology who underwent diagnostic flex‐rigid pleuroscopy from July 2003 to June 2005, and were followed until December 2005. The procedure was conducted in the endoscopy suite under local anaesthesia and, where indicated, talc poudrage was carried out at the same time. Clinical data, length of hospitalization, chest tube drainage, outcome, diagnostic accuracy of pleuroscopy and procedure‐related adverse events were recorded prospectively.Results:  Fifty‐one patients were recruited (20 male and 31 female). Median age was 53 years (range 45–67). Flex‐rigid pleuroscopy was 96% accurate and yielded a diagnosis in 49 out of 51 patients. It was safely carried out without need for surgical intervention, blood transfusion or endotracheal intubation. Culture‐negative fever was observed in eight patients (16%), and five patients (10%) required additional analgesia for postoperative pain. Duration of chest tube drainage and length of stay for patients who underwent diagnostic pleuroscopy were 1 and 2 days, respectively, while they were both 3 days when talc poudrage was carried out. Success rates with pleuroscopic talc pleurodesis for malignant pleural effusions were 94%, 92% and 89.5% at 3, 6 and 12 months, respectively, and the 30‐day mortality was 0%.Conclusion:  Flex‐rigid pleuroscopy is a safe procedure with a high diagnostic accuracy and should be considered for the evaluation of indeterminate pleural effusion.
Do mitochondrial DNA haplogroups play a role in susceptibility to tuberculosis?
Authors: HOUSHMAND Massoud , BANOEI Mohammad Mehdi , TABARSI Payam , PANAHI Mehdi Shafa Shariat , KASHANI Baharak Hooshiar , EBRAHIMI Golnaz , ZARGAR Laleh , FARNIA Parissa , MORRIS Matthew W. , MANSOURI Davood , VELAYATI Ali Akbar , MIRSAEIDI Mehdi S. 
Published: October 2007

Background and objectives:  Mitochondrial DNA has a unique role in ATP production and subsequent mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in eukaryotic cells and there is a potential role for ROS and oxygen burst against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, an intracellular pathogen. This study aimed to determine whether the frequency of different mitochondrial haplogroups was significantly different in patients with tuberculosis (TB) compared with a normal population.Methods:  Mitochondrial DNA haplogroups M, N, J and K were studied by PCR‐restriction fragment length polymorphism and sequencing. Cases were 54 patients with confirmed smear positive pulmonary TB. Controls were 256 healthy persons.Results:  There were no statistically significant differences between those with TB and the control group.Conclusions:  There was no statistically significant association between mtDNA haplogroups and the presence of TB infection.
Role of Rel A and IkappaB of nuclear factor κB in the release of interleukin‐8 by cyclic mechanical strain in human alveolar type II epithelial cells A549
Authors: NING Qiaoming , WANG Xiangrui 
Published: October 2007

Background and objective:  Overdistention of the lung tissue during mechanical ventilation may initiate ventilator‐induced lung injury (VILI). Release of cytokines, including IL‐8, may be responsible for VILI, although the mechanisms remain unclear. This study aimed to determine whether stretch‐induced IL‐8 production is dependent on degradation of IkappaB (IκB) and the resulting Rel A translocation into the nucleus.Methods:  A549 cells were exposed to cyclic stretch of varying amplitude, frequency and duration before the mRNA and protein level of IL‐8 were measured. To observe the role of Rel A and IκB of nuclear factor κB, A549 cells were exposed to cyclic stretch for 5 min to 1 h. Real‐time PCR and ELISA respectively were performed to detect mRNA and IL‐8 protein. Rel A and IκBα were assessed by Western blot. Further confirmation was sought using a nuclear factor κB inhibitor (PDTC) before mechanical stretch.Results:  A549 cells exposed to cyclic stretch produced IL‐8 in a time‐ and strain‐dependent manner, but there was no observed effect related to stretch frequency. Activation of Rel A and IκBα was detected 10 min after the initiation of stretch, peaked at 15 min and returned to baseline within 1 h. IL‐8 production was partially inhibited by the presence of PDTC.Conclusion:  Cyclic mechanical stretch can activate Rel A translocation and IκBα degradation, thus inducing the secretion of IL‐8 in alveolar epithelial type II cells. Pharmacological inhibition of Rel A and IκBα inhibits IL‐8 mRNA and protein levels, suggesting novel approaches to prevent VILI.
Variations in hospitalizations for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in rural and urban Victoria, Australia
Authors: ANSARI Zahid , DUNT David , DHARMAGE Shyamali C. 
Published: October 2007

Background and objective:  Effective and timely management of COPD should reduce the risk of hospitalization. The purpose of this study was to describe variations in COPD hospital admission rates as an indicator of the adequacy of primary care services.Methods:  Age‐ and gender‐standardized hospital admission rates of COPD (2003–04) were computed using the Victorian Admitted Episodes Dataset. Potential predictors of COPD admission rates were identified from various sources of data. These included degree of remoteness, socio‐economic status, number of general practitioners per population, percentage of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people, percentage of smokers, and co‐morbidities. These data were aggregated at the primary care partnership level, which are voluntary alliances of one or more local government areas in Victoria. Weighted least squares regression was used to identify the predictors of COPD admission rates.Results:  Hospital admission rates for COPD were higher in rural than in metropolitan areas of Victoria. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed significant associations between COPD admission rates and socio‐economic status, smoking rates and remoteness of the area.Conclusions:  Small‐area analyses of COPD admission rates highlighted significant differences between urban and rural areas. The influence of socio‐economic status and degree of remoteness on COPD admission rates highlights opportunities for policymakers to develop targeted public health and health service interventions.
Does the relationship between waist circumference, morbidity and mortality depend on measurement protocol for waist circumference?
Authors: Ross R. , Berentzen T. , Bradshaw A. J. , Janssen I. , Kahn H. S. , Katzmarzyk P. T. , Kuk J. L. , Seidell J. C. , Snijder M. B. , Sørensen T. I. A. , Després J‐P. 
Published: October 2007

SummaryThere is currently no consensus regarding the optimal protocol for measurement of waist circumference (WC), and no scientific rationale is provided for any of the WC protocols recommended by leading health authorities. A panel of experts conducted a systematic review of 120 studies (236 samples) to determine whether measurement protocol influenced the relationship of WC with morbidity of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes and with mortality from all causes and from CVD. Statistically significant associations with WC were reported for 65% (152) of the samples across all outcomes combined. Common WC protocols performed measurement at the minimal waist (33%), midpoint (26%) and umbilicus (27%). Non‐significant associations were reported for 27% (64) of the samples. Most of these protocols measured WC at the midpoint (36%), umbilicus (28%) or minimal waist (25%). Significant associations were observed for 17 of the remaining 20 samples, but these were not significant when adjustment was made for covariates. For these samples, the most common WC protocols were the midpoint (35%) and umbilicus (30%). Similar patterns of association between the outcomes and all WC protocols were observed across sample size, sex, age, race and ethnicity. Our findings suggest that WC measurement protocol has no substantial influence on the association between WC, all‐cause and CVD mortality, CVD and diabetes.
Impacts of Positional Error on Spatial Regression Analysis: A Case Study of Address Locations in Syracuse, New York
Authors: Griffith Daniel A , Millones Marco , Vincent Matthew , Johnson David L , Hunt Andrew 
Published: October 2007

AbstractPositional error is the error produced by the discrepancy between reference and recorded locations. In urban landscapes, locations typically are obtained from global positioning systems or geocoding software. Although these technologies have improved the locational accuracy of georeferenced data, they are not error free. This error affects results of any spatial statistical analysis performed with a georeferenced dataset. In this paper we discuss the properties of positional error in an address matching exercise and the allocation of point locations to census geography units. We focus on the error's spatial structure, and more particularly on impacts of error propagation in spatial regression analysis. For this purpose we use two geocoding sources, we briefly describe the magnitude and the nature of their discrepancies, and we evaluate the consequences that this type of locational error has on a spatial regression analysis of pediatric blood lead data for Syracuse, NY. Our findings include: (1) the confirmation of the recurrence of spatial clustering in positional error at various geographic resolutions; and, (2) the identification of a noticeable but not shockingly large impact from positional error propagation in spatial auto‐binomial regression analysis results for the dataset analyzed.
Sketch‐based Identification of Bench and Terrace Slope Breaks in the Laramie Basin, Wyoming
Authors: Prager Steven D , Daniels J Michael , Kelley Scott 
Published: October 2007

AbstractThis study presents a semi‐automated approach to support the identification of fluvial landform slope breaks in the Laramie Basin, southeastern Wyoming. The landforms in question form the edges of terraces and benches and tend to be subtle and varied depending on where they appear in the landscape. Because of this variation combined with DEM error, conventional raster filtering methods were unable to readily identify the benches with any consistency. In an effort to automate the collection of benches, a two stage, sketch‐based algorithm was designed to detect bench edges on a semi‐automated basis and was integrated into a commercial GIS environment for testing and execution. The approach of tailoring an algorithm to detect a particular feature proved viable and, in fact, more consistent in many cases than heads‐up digitizing. However, feature complexity appears to be a significant driver in the accuracy of the algorithmic approach with the unlikely finding that more complex features are more accurately identified than less complex features. This research demonstrates that user cognition, DEM resolution, algorithm functionality and landform characteristics are thus all important and interrelated factors requiring consideration when implementing approaches to topographic feature identification.
Ecological Cost‐Benefit Modelling of Herbivore Habitat Quality Degradation due to Range Fragmentation
Authors: Lundqvist Henrik 
Published: October 2007

AbstractFragmentation of grazing ranges and ensuing rise in edge effects decrease forage range quality for large herbivores. A method is proposed to quantify, in ecological cost‐benefit terms, the negative impact of fragmentation by linear structures with special emphasis on summer ranges of semi‐domesticated reindeer (Rangifer t. tarandus). The method is also applicable to other terrestrial species and on different scales. The term ‘reachability’ is introduced for this measurement, which integrates forage quality, quantity and availability, as well as the costs of the animal's movement in a variable landscape and across fragmenting linear structures. The method uses a cost‐distance algorithm, commonly available in GIS software. Effective distances and reachability over large areas are calculated from evenly distributed sample points. Effects of varying sample point distance, fragmenting structure friction weight and density, and edge effect depth were analysed for model calibration. In an example the model was used for estimation of reachability alteration due to linear structures in the summer ranges of the Handölsdalen reindeer herding district in Sweden, where hourly GPS positions of 10 free‐ranging female reindeer were available. In these data the reindeer population density appeared to decrease up to 1 km away from roads, but no effect from hiking trails was detected. The reachability model quantified a loss of 2.2–2.7% in range quality due to range fragmentation.
A GIS Framework for Spatio‐temporal Analysis and Visualization of Laboratory Mice Tracking Data
Authors: Kritzler Mareike , Raubal Martin , Krüger Antonio 
Published: October 2007

AbstractKnowing the locations and spatio‐temporal paths of individual mice is an essential prerequisite for behavioral analysis of large groups of laboratory mice. Traditional observations have been carried out by trained humans who are able to distinguish more than fifty behavioral patterns. This is a tedious labor limited with respect to length of observation time. In this paper we propose a tracking solution based on the integration of GIS and RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology to automatically collect 24h/7days of movement data. Appropriate cage design and antenna placement are discussed. A software solution is presented to facilitate the recording (JerryTS), visualization, and analysis (TOM) of mice movements.
Inhibition of vertebral endplate perfusion results in decreased intervertebral disc intranuclear diffusive transport
Authors: Van Der Werf Marije , Lezuo Patrick , Maissen Otto , Van Donkelaar Corrinus C. , Ito Keita 
Published: October 2007

AbstractImpaired nutrition of the intervertebral disc has been hypothesized to be one of the causes of disc degeneration. However, no causal relationship between decreased endplate perfusion and limited nutrient transport has been demonstrated to support this pathogenic mechanism. To determine the importance of endplate perfusion on solute diffusion into the nucleus pulposus and to show causality of endplate perfusion on intranuclear diffusion in large animal lumbar intervertebral discs, diffusive transport into ovine lumbar intervertebral discs was evaluated after inhibiting adjacent vertebral endplate perfusion. Partial perfusion blocks were created in vertebrae close and parallel to both endplates of lumbar discs of anaesthetized sheep. To assess diffusivity of small molecules through the endplate, N2O was introduced into the inhalation gas mixture and concentrations of intranuclear N2O were measured for 35 min thereafter. Post mortem, procion red was infused through the spinal vasculature and perfusion through the endplate was assessed by quantifying the density of dye‐perfused endplate vascular buds in histology sections. Perfusion of the endplates overlying the nucleus pulposus was inhibited by almost 50% in the partially blocked discs relative to the control discs. There was also a nine‐fold decreased transport rate of intranuclear N2O in partially blocked discs compared with control discs. The density of perfused endplate vascular buds correlated significantly to the amount of transported intranuclear N2O (r2 = 0.52, P = 0.008). The vertebral endplate was demonstrated to be the main route of intravascular solute transport into the nucleus pulposus of intervertebral discs, and inhibition of endplate perfusion can cause inhibited solute transport into the disc intranuclear tissue.
Inpatient treatment in child and adolescent psychiatry – a prospective study of health gain and costs
Authors: Green Jonathan , Jacobs Brian , Beecham Jennifer , Dunn Graham , Kroll Leo , Tobias Catherine , Briskman Jackie 
Published: October 2007

Background:  Inpatient treatment is a complex intervention for the most serious mental health disorders in child and adolescent psychiatry. This is the first large‐scale study into its effectiveness and costs. Previous studies have been criticised for methodological weaknesses.Methods:  A prospective cohort study, including economic evaluation, conducted in 8 UK units (total n = 150) with one year follow‐up after discharge. Patients acted as their own controls. Outcome measurement was the clinician‐rated Childhood Global Assessment Scale (CGAS); researcher‐rated health needs assessment; parent‐ and teacher‐rated symptomatology.Results:  We found a significant (p < .001) and clinically meaningful 12‐point improvement in CGAS following mean 16.6 week admission (effect size .92); this improvement was sustained at 1 year follow‐up. Comparatively, during the mean 16.4 week pre‐admission period there was a 3.7‐point improvement (effect size .27). Health needs assessment showed similar gain (p < .001, effect size 1.25), as did teacher‐ and parent‐rated symptoms. Improvement was found across all diagnoses. Longer stays, positive therapeutic alliance and better premorbid family functioning independently predicted better outcome. Mean cost of admission was £24,100; pre‐admission and post‐discharge support costs were similar.Conclusions:  Inpatient treatment is associated with substantive sustained health gain across a range of diagnoses. Lack of intensive outpatient‐treatment alternatives limits any unqualified inference about causal effects, but the rigour of measurement here gives the strongest indication to date of the positive impact of admission for complex mental health problems in young people.
Nicotine increases dopamine clearance in medial prefrontal cortex in rats raised in an enriched environment
Authors: Zhu Jun , Bardo Michael T. , Green Thomas A. , Wedlund Peter J. , Dwoskin Linda P. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractEnvironmental enrichment results in differential behavioral and neurochemical responsiveness to nicotine. The present study investigates dopamine clearance (CLDA) in striatum and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) usingin vivovoltammetry in rats raised in enriched (EC) or impoverished conditions (IC) and administered nicotine (0.4 mg/kg) or saline. Baseline CLDAin striatum or mPFC was not different between EC and IC. Across repeated DA application, striatal CLDAincreased in saline‐control EC and IC. CLDAincreased in mPFC in saline‐control IC; CLDAdid not change in saline‐control EC. Thus, enrichment differentially alters dynamic responses of the dopamine transporter (DAT) to repeated DA application in mPFC, but not in striatum. In EC, nicotine increased mPFC CLDAcompared to saline‐control, but had no effect on CLDAin IC; nicotine had no effect in striatum in EC or IC. Compared to respective saline‐controls, nicotine increased dihydroxyphenylacetic acid content in striatum and mPFC in EC, but not in IC. Nicotine also had no effect on DA content in striatum or mPFC in EC or IC. Results indicate that enrichment eliminated the dynamic response of mPFC DAT to repeated DA application in saline‐control and augmented the nicotine‐induced increase in DAT function in mPFC, but not in striatum.
Molecular characterization of the ligand binding site of the human galanin receptor type 2, identifying subtype selective interactions
Authors: Lundström Linda , Sollenberg Ulla E. , Bartfai Tamas , Langel Ülo 
Published: October 2007

AbstractTo define the specific role of the galanin receptors when mediating the effect of galanin, effective tools for distinct activation and inhibition of the different receptor subtypes are required. Several of the physiological effects modulated by galanin are implicated to be mediated via the GalR2 subtype and have been distinguished from GalR1 effects by utilizing the Gal(2–11) peptide, recognizing only GalR2 and GalR3. In this study, we have performed a mutagenesis approach on the GalR2 subtype and present, for the first time, a molecular characterization of the interactions responsible for ligand binding and receptor activation at this receptor subtype. Our results identify four residues, His252 and His253 located in transmembrane domain 6 and Phe264 and Tyr271 in the extracellular loop 3, to be of great significance. We show evidence for the N‐terminal tail of GalR2 to participate in ligand binding and that selective binding of Gal(2–11) includes interaction with the Ile256 residue, located at the very top of TM 6. In conclusion, we present a mutagenesis study on GalR2 and confer interactions responsible for ligand binding and receptor activation as well as selective recognition of the Gal(2–11) peptide at this receptor subtype. The presented observations could be of major importance for the design and development of new and improved peptide and non‐peptide ligands, selectively activating the GalR2 subtype.
Progranulin: normal function and role in neurodegeneration
Authors: Eriksen Jason L. , Mackenzie Ian R. A. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractProgranulin (PGRN) is a multifunctional protein that has attracted significant attention in the neuroscience community following the recent discovery of PGRN mutations in some cases of frontotemporal dementia. Most of the pathogenic mutations result in null alleles, and it is thought that frontotemporal dementia in these families results from PGRN haploinsufficiency. The neuropathology associated with PGRN mutations is characterized by the presence of tau‐negative, ubiquitin‐immunoreactive neuronal inclusions (frontotemporal lobar degeneration with ubiquitinated inclusions) that are also positive for the transactivation response DNA binding protein with Mr 43 kD. The clinical phenotype includes behavioral abnormalities, language disorders and parkinsonism but not motor neuron disease. There is significant clinical variation between families with different PGRN mutations and among members of individual families. The normal function of PGRN is complex, with the full‐length form of the protein having trophic and anti‐inflammatory activity, whereas proteolytic cleavage generates granulin peptides that promote inflammatory activity. In the periphery, PGRN functions in wound healing responses and modulates inflammatory events. In the CNS, PGRN is expressed by neurons and microglia; consequently, reduced levels of PGRN could affect both neuronal survival and CNS inflammatory processes. In this review, we discuss current knowledge of the molecular genetics, neuropathology, clinical phenotype and functional aspects of PGRN in the context of neurodegenerative disease.