bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Importance of Cellular Phosphorus in Controlling the Uptake and Toxicity of Cadmium and Zinc in Microcystis Aeruginosa, A Freshwater Cyanobacterium
Authors: Zeng Jin , Wang Wen-Xiong 
Published: March 2009

Abstract
In the present study, we quantified the 4-h uptake and 48-h toxicity of Cd and Zn in a freshwater cyanobacterium, Microcystis aeruginosa, under varied cellular and ambient P concentrations. After acclimation under different P conditions, the cyanobacteria had different cellular P concentrations. We found that an elevated cellular P concentration significantly promoted the short-term uptake of Cd and Zn by M. aeruginosa. With an increase in the cellular P concentration from 66 to 118 μmol/g, the uptake rates of Cd and Zn increased by 40-and 16-fold, respectively, and a significant exponential relationship between metal uptake rate and cellular P concentration was observed. The pulse amplitude-modulated parameter (maximum photosystem II quantum yield) and cell-specific growth rate were used as toxicity endpoints of cyanobacteria over 48 h of metal exposure. The P-replete cells were more tolerant of [Cd2+]or[Zn2+] than the P-starved cells but became more sensitive to Cd toxicity when incubated in a P-deficient medium. The polyphosphate bodies may have formed in the cyanobacterial cells under surplus P conditions, which can serve as a metal sink to sequester/detoxify the incoming Cd and Zn. The geometric means of median inhibition concentration based on the cellular metal to P ratio (mol:mol) were 0.041 and 0.036 for Cd and Zn, respectively. The cellular metal to P ratio was better than the cellular P concentration at predicting the toxic effects of metals under different P conditions.
Polychlorinated biphenyls and hudson river white perch: implications for population-level ecological risk assessment and risk management
Authors: Barnthouse Lawrence W , Glaser David , DeSantis Liane 
Published: March 2009

Abstract
Risk assessments and risk management decisions concerning risks to wild fish populations resulting from exposures to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and related chemicals have been based primarily on observations of effects of chemicals on individual organisms. Although the development and application of population-level ecological risk-assessment methods is proceeding at a rapid pace, the organism-level approach is still being justified by arguments that population-level ecological risk assessment is in an early stage of development and has not been shown to be reliable. This article highlights the importance of including population-level effects in risk-management decision-making, by examining the effects of exposures to PCBs on fish populations inhabiting the Hudson River, New York, USA, a system in which data have been collected for approximately 30 y concerning both concentrations of PCBs in sediment and fish tissue and the abundance and reproduction of exposed fish populations. We previously tested hypotheses concerning the effects of PCBs on the striped bass population of the Hudson River, and found that the available data conflicted with all of these hypotheses. Here, we report results of similar analyses of effects of historic PCB exposures on the Hudson River white perch population, using an extended data set that recently became available. As with striped bass, we found no correlation between maternal PCB tissue concentrations and any measure of reproductive success in Hudson River white perch during the 30-y period covered by the data set. Together with results of studies performed on fish populations exposed to PCBs at other sites, our results clearly demonstrate that physiological and genetic adaptation, biological compensation, and other ecological processes influence responses of fish populations to PCB exposures and should be considered in risk management decision-making.
Short-term Efficacy of Upper-Extremity Exercise Training in Patients With Chronic Airway Obstruction: A Systematic Review
Authors: Costi Stefania , Di Bari Mauro , Pillastrini Paolo , D'Amico Roberto , Crisafulli Ernesto , Arletti Cinzia , Fabbri Leonardo M , Clini Enrico M 
Published: March 2009

Background, Objectives, and MeasurementsPatients with chronic airway obstruction (CAO) frequently experience dyspnea and fatigue during activities performed by accessory muscles of ventilation, which competitively participate in arm elevation. This systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) concerning patients with CAO addresses the effects of upper-extremity exercise training (UEET), added to lower-extremity training or comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation, on the following patient-centered outcomes: exercise capacity, symptoms, ability to perform daily activities, and health-related quality of life.MethodsStudies were retrieved using comprehensive database and hand-search strategies. Two independent reviewers determined study eligibility based on inclusion criteria. A detailed description of treatments was mandatory. Reviewers rated study quality and extracted information on study methods, design, intervention, and results.ResultsForty publications were evaluated. Four RCTs met the inclusion criteria but had serious methodological limitations, which introduce possible biases that reduce their internal validity. The outcomes measured were heterogeneous, and the results were inconsistent regarding maximal exercise capacity, dyspnea, and health-related quality of life. No effect of UEET was demonstrated for measures of arm fatigue.Limitations and ConclusionsThe limited methodological quality of the studies retrieved prevented us from performing a meta-analysis, the results of which could be misleading. This systematic review shows that there is limited evidence examining UEET and that the evidence available is of poor quality. Therefore, a recommendation for the inclusion or exclusion of UEET in pulmonary rehabilitation programs for individuals with CAO is not possible. Further research is needed to definitively ascertain the effects of this training modality on patient-centered outcomes.
Rapid and Long-term Adaptations in Gait Symmetry Following Unilateral Step Training in People With Hemiparesis
Authors: Kahn Jennifer H , Hornby T George 
Published: March 2009

Background and ObjectiveEvidence for specific physical interventions that improve walking symmetry in individuals with hemiparesis poststroke is limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the rapid and prolonged effects of unilateral step training (UST) on step length asymmetry (SLA) in people with hemiparesis.Subjects and DesignEighteen individuals with chronic hemiparesis and substantial SLA during overground walking participated in a single-group, pretest-posttest study. The study consisted of 2 phases, with 10 subjects participating in each phase; 2 subjects participated in both phases.Interventions and MeasurementsTo investigate rapid effects of UST, the participants completed a 20-minute session of UST on a treadmill with their unimpaired limb, with the impaired limb held stationary off the treadmill. Data for spatiotemporal gait parameters during overground walking at self-selected and fastest speeds were collected prior to and following UST, with follow-up measurements at 1 day and 1 week. To investigate the prolonged effects, the participants completed ten 20-minute sessions of UST. Data for spatiotemporal gait parameters were collected prior to training as well as after every third session, with follow-up measurements at 1 and 2 weeks.ResultsImmediately following UST, SLA tested during fast-paced overground walking improved by up to 13% (49% reduced to a 36% SLA), with changes retained for up to 24 hours. Following 10 sessions of UST, SLA improved significantly, with changes retained for up to 2 weeks.LimitationsDespite repeated baseline measurements, the absence of a control group was a limitation. Furthermore, stepping characteristics during UST were not quantified.ConclusionUnilateral step training may improve spatiotemporal patterns in people with substantial gait asymmetry poststroke. Repeated training may be necessary for maintenance of adaptations.
A prospective study of cerebral blood flow and cerebrovascular reactivity to acetazolamide in 162 patients with idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus
Authors: Chang Chia-Cheng , Asada Hiroyuki , Mimura Toshiro , Suzuki Shinichi 
Published: March 2009

Object
Cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) to acetazolamide were investigated prospectively in 162 patients with a proposed diagnosis of idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus (NPH). The aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of the measurement of CBF and CVR in determining which patients would be likely to benefit from shunt placement.

Methods
The mean CBF of the whole brain was measured according to the Patlak plot method by using technetium-99m hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime. The CVR value was obtained from the response to administration of 500 mg acetazolamide and calculated as the percentage change from the baseline mean CBF value.

Results
One hundred forty-six patients (90.1%) responded to shunt placement (“responders”), but 16 patients (9.9%) did not (“nonresponders”). No significant difference in preoperative CBF was observed between responders and nonresponders. Preoperative CVR was significantly impaired (p < 0.0025) in responders compared with healthy controls, but not in nonresponders. Responders with the incomplete triad had a significant reduction (p < 0.001) in preoperative CVR, but not in preoperative CBF, compared with healthy controls. Responders with the complete triad had significantly lower preoperative CBF and CVR than those with the incomplete triad (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05, respectively). Postoperative CBF and CVR increased significantly (p < 0.025 and p < 0.001, respectively) in responders.

Conclusions
Both CBF and CVR decrease with the development of NPH, suggesting that hemodynamic ischemia may be responsible for manifestation of the symptoms. Impaired CVR and reduced CBF with the development of symptoms can be proposed as diagnostic criteria for idiopathic NPH.
Balloon-assisted transarterial embolization of intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulas
Authors: Shi Zhong-Song , Loh Yince , Duckwiler Gary R. , Jahan Reza , Viñuela Fernando 
Published: March 2009

Object
The authors report their preliminary experience using a balloon-assisted technique (BAT) in the transarterial embolization of intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVFs).

Methods
The authors reviewed the prospectively collected data obtained in 7 consecutive patients with DAVFs in whom embolization was achieved using transarterially injected Onyx with either the venous or arterial BAT. Procedures were performed at the Division of Interventional Neuroradiology at the University of California at Los Angeles Medical Center between September 2005 and January 2008.

Results
Three patients presented with cortical venous reflux and 4 did not. Three patients underwent transarterial Onyx-based embolization combined with transvenous balloon protection; the balloon was inflated in the transverse sinus in 2 of these patients and in the superior sagittal sinus in the third. One of them underwent an additional transarterial Onyx embolization with arterial BAT, whereas 4 other patients were treated with arterial BAT alone. The occipital artery was temporarily occluded with the balloon in 4 of these cases, whereas in the fifth, the authors used temporary balloon occlusion of the middle meningeal artery. Angiograms obtained immediately after embolization demonstrated complete or near-complete obliteration of the fistula in 6 patients and partial occlusion in 1 patient. There were no immediate or postprocedural complications. Two patients who presented with intracranial hemorrhage never suffered a second hemorrhage, and all other patients experienced either complete resolution or significant improvement of their symptoms.

Conclusions
The BAT provides a new complementary method in the transarterial embolization of DAVFs that are not amenable to transvenous embolization. The venous BAT protects the patency of critical venous pathways, whereas the arterial BAT provides better control of the Onyx-based embolization.
Predictors of patency of excimer laser–assisted nonocclusive extracranial-to-intracranial bypasses
Authors: Bremmer Jochem P. , Verweij Bon H. , Klijn Catharina J. M. , van der Zwan Albert , Kappelle L. Jaap , Tulleken Cornelis A. F. 
Published: March 2009

Object
Excimer laser–assisted nonocclusive anastomosis (ELANA) is a technique that can be used for extracranial-to-intracranial (EC-IC) bypasses, without the necessity of temporary occlusion of the donor or recipient artery. Information on predictors of patency of EC-IC bypasses in general and the ELANA bypass in particular is sparse. The authors studied 159 ELANA EC-IC bypasses to find predictors of patency.

Methods
From a prospective database of patients who underwent EC-IC bypass surgery, 143 consecutive patients who underwent a total of 159 ELANA bypasses were studied. The associations of patient characteristics, surgical aspects, and technical aspects specific to the ELANA technique with intraoperative and postoperative bypass patency were studied using logistic regression analysis.

Results
At the end of the operation, 146 (92%) of the 159 bypasses were patent. A first attempt to create a bypass was almost 8 times more likely (OR 7.6, 95% CI 2.1–27.5; p = 0.02) to result in a patent bypass than a second attempt. Administration of a small amount of heparin during the operation was also associated with bypass patency (OR 5.2, 95% CI 1.1–24.9; p = 0.04). One hundred twenty-three (77%) of the 159 bypasses were functional at patency assessments during the 1st month after the operation. Older age (OR 1.043 for every year of increase in age, 95% CI 1.010–1.076; p = 0.01), male sex (OR 2.9, 95% CI 1.3–6.5; p = 0.01), and high intraoperative bypass flow (OR 1.017 for every milliliter per minute increase in flow, 95% CI 1.004–1.030; p = 0.01) were associated with postoperative bypass patency.

Conclusions
Attempts to create a second EC-IC ELANA bypass after the first one are more likely to fail, whereas administration of heparin to the patient during the procedure increases the intraoperative bypass patency rate. Postoperative patency results are better in male and in older patients. Intraoperative bypass flow measurements are essential because high bypass flow is an important determinant of postoperative patency.
Intranasal delivery of erythropoietin plus insulin-like growth factor–I for acute neuroprotection in stroke
Authors: Fletcher Lauren , Kohli Sanjivan , Sprague Shane M. , Scranton Robert A. , Lipton Stuart A. , Parra Augusto , Jimenez David F. , Digicaylioglu Murat 
Published: March 2009

Object
Individually, the cytokines erythropoietin (EPO) and insulin-like growth factor–I (IGF-I) have both been shown to reduce neuronal damage significantly in rodent models of cerebral ischemia. The authors have previously shown that EPO and IGF-I, when administered together, provide acute and prolonged neuroprotection in cerebrocortical cultures against N-methyl-d-aspartate–induced apoptosis. The aim of this study was to determine whether intranasally applied EPO plus IGF-I can provide acute neuroprotection in an animal stroke model and to show that intranasal administration is more efficient at delivering EPO plus IGF-I to the brain when compared with intravenous, subcutaneous, or intraperitoneal administration.

Methods
The EPO and IGF-I were administered intranasally to mice that underwent transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Stroke volumes were measured after 1 hour of MCAO and 24 hours of reperfusion. To evaluate the long-term effects of this treatment, behavioral outcomes were assessed at 3, 30, 60, and 90 days following MCAO. Radiography and liquid scintillation were used to visualize and quantify the uptake of radiolabeled 125I-EPO and 125I–IGF-I into the mouse brain after intranasal, intravenous, subcutaneous, or intraperitoneal administration.

Results
Intranasal administration of EPO plus IGF-I reduced stroke volumes within 24 hours and improved neurological function in mice up to 90 days after MCAO. The 125I-EPO and 125I–IGF-I were found in the brain within 20 minutes after intranasal administration and accumulated within the injured areas of the brain. In addition, intranasal administration delivered significantly higher levels of the applied 125I-EPO and 125I–IGF-I to the brain compared with intravenous, subcutaneous, or intraperitoneal administration.

Conclusions
The data demonstrate that intranasal EPO plus IGF-I penetrates into the brain more efficiently than other drug delivery methods and could potentially provide a fast and efficient treatment to prevent chronic effects of stroke.
Prediction of intracranial computed tomography findings in patients with minor head injury by using logistic regression
Authors: Saadat Soheil , Ghodsi Seyed Mohammad , Naieni Kourosh Holakouie , Firouznia Kavous , Hosseini Mostafa , Kadkhodaie Hamid Reza , Saidi Hossein 
Published: March 2009

Object
The aim of this study was to develop a decision rule for physicians in developing countries to identify patients with minor head injury who will benefit from emergency brain CT scanning.

Methods
Three hundred eighteen patients with a history of blunt head trauma and a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score ≥ 13 who had presented within 12 hours of trauma underwent nonenhanced brain CT and were included in this prospective study. Computed tomography findings that necessitated neurosurgical care (either observation or intervention) were considered as positive findings. Logistic regression was used to develop the decision rule.

Results
Computed tomography scans were always normal in patients < 65 years old who did not have an obvious head wound, a raccoon sign, vomiting, memory deficit, or a decrease in their GCS score. Patients with 1 major criterion (GCS score < 14, raccoon sign, failure to remember the impact, age > 65 years, or vomiting) or 2 minor criteria (wound at the scalp or GCS score < 15) had an abnormal CT scan in 13% of the cases.

Conclusions
The decision rule developed by the authors appears to be 100% sensitive and 46% specific for positive findings on brain CT and will, in developing countries, help clarify the decision to obtain scans.
The ornithological observations of James Parsons Burkitt in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland
Authors: NELSON E. CHARLES , HAFFER JÜRGEN 
Published: March 2009

James Parsons Burkitt (1870–1959), a civil engineer and County Surveyor of Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, was one of the pioneers of modern ornithology. He was an experienced field ornithologist when, during the early 1920s, he designed and conducted the first population study of a bird, the robin (Erithacus rubecula), based on marked (ringed) individuals. He discovered details of territorial behaviour, song, and threat display, and estimated the average life-span of this bird. After the completion of his robin study he continued to observe and to publish on the birds around his home.In this biographical paper, hitherto unreported details of his ornithological work, including a series of maps showing the robins’ territories at Lawnakilla (1922–1926), are provided, and the places near Enniskillen where Burkitt lived and studied birds are located.
The dodo and scientific fantasies: durable myths of a tough bird
Authors: DEN HENGST JAN 
Published: March 2009

It is generally accepted that the meat of the extinct dodo was not a great culinary success. The bird even acquired the name of wallowbird for making the consumers sick. It appears that this reputation came from only one source. Other chroniclers were a lot milder in their assessment of dodo meat and independently reported a delicious meal with a very good flavour. Everything left over was salted down, as they could not eat all the 50 dodos that were brought on board. The taste of the dodo has to be reconsidered. The exact date of extinction of the dodo has been the subject of much discussion. The latest records have been dismissed as being identified as other species of birds; the misunderstanding being caused by name hopping between species. The statistical method of Roberts and Solow has indicated an extinction time for the dodo 24 years later than the confirmed last sighting. Logbooks kept by Isaac Lamotius, Governor of Mauritius between 1677 and 1692, recently discovered in the State Archives in Cape Town, shed another light on this matter.
Amblyopia Treatment: 1998 Versus 2004
Authors: Khazaeni Leila , Quinn Graham E. , Davidson Stefanie L. , Forbes Brian J. 
Published: March 2009

Purpose:
To determine whether there has been a change in treatment practice patterns of patients with amblyopia between the late 1990s and 2004.

Methods:
A questionnaire survey was mailed to 1,200 AAPOS members listed in the 2004 AAPOS directory. Seven scenarios were presented that described patients with amblyopia and the clinician was asked to choose from six treatment options. Respondents were asked to indicate their preferred initial treatment in 1998 (or during their initial year of practice if later than 1998) and in 2004. The scenarios were not necessarily those of patients who would meet the eligibility criteria for the Amblyopia Treatment Studies because they also included scenarios to assess the impact of amblyopia treatments in general.

Results:
Three hundred eighty-nine surveys (33.1%) were returned. In four of the seven scenarios, com ments suggested that a change in practice was attributable to recent publications of Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group trials. In all seven scenarios, atropine would have been offered in 2004 as an alternative to patching in 1998, and in five of the seven scenarios the combination of simultaneous atropine and patching would have been prescribed. In six of the seven scenarios, some type of nonspecific near work would now be prescribed as an adjunct treatment.

Conclusion:
A change in practice patterns was observed for some, but not all, scenarios. In many scenarios, this change was directly attributed to the recent Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group trials.

[J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus 2009;46:19–22.]