bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Accuracy of MRI diagnosis of internal derangement of the knee in a non‐specialized tertiary level referral teaching hospital
Authors: Challen J , Tang YM , Hazratwala K , Stuckey S 
Published: September 2007

SummaryThis study was designed to assess the accuracy of knee MRI examinations carried out in a general tertiary referral hospital without a musculoskeletal fellowship trained radiologist. The study included all patients who had undergone a knee arthroscopy carried out within a 2‐year period and who had had a prior MRI knee examination, where both were carried out at this institution. The accuracy of the MRI knee examination was determined by correlation to the arthroscopy report. The accuracy for diagnosis of meniscal and cartilage injuries, in this setting, was found to be similar to a published meta‐analysis of previous studies correlating knee MRI and arthroscopy. The overall accuracy of this study was better than the previous similar study. However, the accuracy for diagnosing ACL injuries was lower than in the meta‐analysis. The potential reasons for this and other sources of error are discussed.
Preoperative embolization of hypervascular head and neck tumours
Authors: Gupta AK , Purkayastha S , Bodhey NK , Kapilamoorthy TR , Kesavadas C 
Published: September 2007

SummaryThe embolization of vascular tumours of the head and neck has become an important adjunct to the surgical treatment of these tumours. A vascular tumour in the head and neck region in a surgically treatable patient may be a candidate for embolization. Palliative embolization may be the sole treatment for high risk patients. Reducing intraoperative bleeding may shorten surgery time thus decreasing morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy of embolization as an adjunct to surgery or as a curative measure in the management of hypervascular head and neck tumours. We retrospectively reviewed the records of 46 consecutive patients (27 men and 16 women; mean age, 37.8 years) with 48 hypervascular head and neck tumours that had undergone preoperative transarterial, direct puncture or combined mode of embolization. Diagnosis of tumours was made on the basis of findings of imaging studies. The 46 patients underwent embolization either through transarterial route, by direct puncture technique or both direct puncture and arterial route. The devascularization reached 90–95% with the use of NBCA. The amount of devascularization reached by transarterial particle embolization is a little lesser. One patient (carotid body tumour) developed mild unilateral seventh, ninth and 10th cranial nerve palsy after transarterial embolization, transient hemiparesis was seen in another patient (nasopharyngeal angiofibroma). Both patients improved completely with steroids and had no deficit on follow up. One patient developed delayed glue migration into the middle cerebral artery territory 6 h after the procedure with no reported increase in size of the lesion in the following 5 years. Preoperative embolization of hypervascular tumour of head and neck region appears to be safe and improves the chance of complete removal during surgery with minimal blood loss.
Elevation of pentylenetetrazole‐induced seizure threshold in cholestatic mice: Interaction between opioid and cannabinoid systems
Authors: Shafaroodi Hamed , Ghasemi Mehdi , Dehpour Ahmad R 
Published: September 2007

AbstractBackground and Aim: Several studies have reported that endogenous opioid and cannabinoid systems may be involved in some pathophysiological changes occurring in cholestatic liver disease. It is well known that endogenous opioids and cannabinoids alter the susceptibility of experimental animals to different models of seizure.Methods: The alterations in pentylenetetrazole‐induced clonic seizure thresholds were evaluated from 1 to 6 days after bile duct ligation in mice. Whether the pretreatment of cholestatic mice with different doses of opioid receptor antagonist naltrexone or cannabinoid CB1receptor antagonist AM251 (AM251) would have changed the clonic seizure threshold was also examined.Results: Although the clonic seizure threshold was similar between sham‐operated and unoperated mice, there was a time‐dependent increase in the threshold in cholestatic mice, reaching a peak on day 3 after bile duct ligation and declining partially after day 4. Chronic pretreatment with naltrexone (2, 5, and 10 mg/kg) reversed the increased threshold in cholestatic mice on day 3 after operation in a dose‐dependent manner with the highest doses used restoring the threshold to that of the control animals. A similar reversal of the increased threshold was observed after acute (0.5, 0.75, and 1 mg/kg) or chronic (0.5 mg/kg for 4 days) pretreatment with AM251. Moreover, concurrent administration of doses of AM251 and naltrexone that each separately induced a partial reversal of increased seizure threshold in cholestasis caused a complete restoring of the threshold to the control level.Conclusions: Both opioid and cannabinoid CB1receptors may be involved in the dramatic increase in pentylenetetrazole‐induced seizure threshold in cholestasis.
Reduction of fibrosis in a rat model of non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis cirrhosis by human HGF gene transfection using electroporation
Authors: Kiyama Shigeru , Yamada Takuya , Iwata Hisashi , Sekino Takafumi , Matsuo Hiroshi , Yoshida Naomasa , Miyahara Toshiyuki , Umeda Yukio , Matsuno Yukihiro , Kimura Masaki , Matsumoto Kunio , Nakamura Toshikazu , Takemura Hirofumi 
Published: September 2007

AbstractBackground and Aim:  To study the histological changes caused by transfection of the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) gene using electroporation (EP) in a non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) cirrhotic liver model.Methods:  NASH cirrhotic livers were prepared by administering a choline‐deficient diet to 5‐week‐old male Wister rats for 12 weeks. Three groups of rats were used: rats in the G(+) group were transfected with the GFP gene using EP, rats in the H(+) group were transfected with the HGF gene using EP, and rats in the H(–) group were only injected with the HGF gene. Rats were sacrificed 2 days after gene transfection, and the Azan positive rate (APR) and Sudan positive rate (SPR) were calculated to evaluate fibrosis and fatty changes.Results:  The APR of the NASH cirrhotic livers was significantly higher than that in the normal livers. The APR did not decrease in the G(+) group and the H(–) group, but decreased significantly in the nonelectroporated as well as electroporated areas of the H(+) group. For SPR, there were no significant differences between the G(+), H(–), and H(+) groups.Conclusion:  The improvement of fibrosis was not significant when a direct injection of the HGF gene was used alone, but it was enhanced by the concomitant use of EP. However, no efficacy was observed in fat components. These findings suggest that transfection of the HGF gene by EP may lead to an improvement of irreversible cirrhotic livers to reversible fatty livers.
Survival analysis of 904 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in a hepatitis B virus–endemic area
Authors: Park Kyung Woo , Park Joong‐Won , Choi Jun Il , Kim Tae Hyun , Kim Seong Hoon , Park Hong Suk , Lee Woo Jin , Park Sang Jae , Hong Eun Kyung , Kim Chang‐Min 
Published: September 2007

AbstractBackground and Aim:  To investigate the clinical characteristics and survival outcomes of a large cohort of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients treated at a single institute in a hepatitis B virus (HBV)–endemic area.Methods:  Between 2000 and 2003, 904 patients with HCC treated at our institute were enrolled, and followed until 2005.Results:  The mean age of the patients was 56 years and 76.3% were HBV‐positive. The 1‐, 2‐, 3‐, and 4‐year survival rates were 53.8%, 40.0%, 31.4%, and 25.7%, respectively. The 4‐year survival rates for Child–Pugh class A patients treated by resection or transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) were 77.3% and 63.2% for those with modified International Union Against Cancer (UICC) stage I or II disease (P = 0.043), and 58.6% and 19.2% for those with modified UICC stage III disease (P < 0.001). In patients with Child–Pugh class A and stage IVa, the median survival times differed between TACE and chemotherapy treatments (6.9 vs 4.0 months, P = 0.003), whereas in patients with stage IVb there was no difference between treatments (8.5 vs 6.1 months, P = 0.173) Serum α‐fetoprotein level, presence of portal vein tumor thrombosis, Child–Pugh class, tumor, node, and metastasis stage, and the number and type of HCC were all related to prognosis. Significant differences in survival curves were observed among the Japanese Integrated Staging scores.Conclusions:  The results of this study will be helpful in determining the survival outcomes and treatment strategies for HCC patients in HBV‐endemic areas.
Vasopressin response and shunting modulation in cirrhotic rats by chronic nitric oxide inhibition
Authors: Huang Hui‐Chun , Wang Sun‐Sang , Lee Fa‐Yauh , Chang Ching‐Chih , Chang Full‐Young , Lin Han‐Chieh , Hou Ming‐Chih , Lee Shou‐Dong 
Published: September 2007

AbstractBackground and Aim: Nitric oxide (NO) plays a significant role in the vascular hyposensitivity to vasoconstrictors in cirrhosis. Chronic NO inhibition improves the portal‐systemic collateral responsiveness to arginine8‐vasopressin (AVP) and ameliorates shunting degree in rats with prehepatic portal hypertension. This study investigated whether long‐term NO inhibition by NG‐nitro‐L‐arginine methyl ester (L‐NAME) enhances the collateral vascular responsiveness to AVP and alleviates the severity of shunting in cirrhotic rats.Methods: Bile duct‐ligated (BDL) rats received L‐NAME in tap water (25 mg/kg/day) or tap water only (control) for 1 week from the 36th day after BDL. On the 43rd day, the mean arterial pressure and portal pressure were measured. With anin situperfusion model of portal‐systemic collateral vasculature, different concentrations of AVP (10−10−10−7 mol/L) with a constant flow rate (12 mL/min) were applied to assess the perfusion pressure changes of collaterals. In addition, flow pressure curves were obtained with different flow rates (6–18 mL/min): the slopes serve as indices of collateral vascular resistance and the higher resistance indicates less collateral.Results: The mean arterial pressure was significantly increased after L‐NAME treatment (P < 0.05), whereas the heart rate and portal pressure were not significantly modified. As compared with the controls, the L‐NAME group exerted significantly higher perfusion pressure changes to AVP at the concentrations of 3 × 10−8, 10−7and 3 × 10−7 mol/L. In addition, chronic L‐NAME administration induced collateral vascular resistance elevation, suggesting the attenuation of portal‐systemic shunting.Conclusion: Chronic NO inhibition improves the collateral vascular responsiveness to AVP and ameliorates portal‐systemic shunting in BDL cirrhotic rats.
Long‐term outcome of patients treated with terlipressin for types 1 and 2 hepatorenal syndrome
Authors: Testro Adam G , Wongseelashote Sarah , Angus Peter W , Gow Paul J 
Published: September 2007

AbstractBackground:  Studies suggest that terlipressin is effective in the treatment of hepatorenal syndrome (HRS). However, factors predicting response to therapy and the long‐term outcome of patients have not been defined.Methods:  We reviewed all patients from our institution treated with terlipressin between July 1, 2001 and December 31, 2005 for HRS. Follow up continued until June 30, 2006. HRS was defined according to the International Ascites Club. The following data were retrieved: age, gender, etiology of liver disease, Child‐Pugh score, HRS precipitant, therapy duration, creatinine at day 0 and end of treatment, adverse events, and patient outcome.Results:  Sixty‐nine patients were included. Forty‐nine episodes (71%) of HRS were type 1, and 20 episodes (29%) type 2. Forty‐one (59.4%) patients responded to terlipressin. Two variables predicted renal function improvement: type 1 HRS and age. Twenty‐one (30.4%) patients survived; 17 (81%) had type 1 HRS while four (19%) had type 2 HRS (P = 0.27). The only factor predicting transplant‐free survival was type 1 HRS. No patients with type 2 HRS survived without transplantation (P = 0.02).Conclusions:  The only factor predicting transplant‐free survival following terlipressin therapy is the presence of type 1 HRS. Therefore, it is difficult to justify the use of this drug in patients with type 2 HRS who are not liver transplant candidates.
Physician attitudes towards ventilatory support for spinal muscular atrophy type 1 in Australasia
Authors: Geevasinga Nimeshan , Ryan Monique M 
Published: September 2007

Background:  Without ventilatory support, premature death from respiratory insufficiency is virtually universal in infants with spinal muscular atrophy type 1 (SMA1). With mechanical ventilation, however, long‐term survival has been reported from numerous international centres. We aimed to characterize physician attitudes to the various forms of ventilatory support for children with SMA1.Methods:  We surveyed neurologists, respiratory physicians, clinical geneticists and intensivists from all major paediatric hospitals in Australia and New Zealand regarding their views on ventilatory management of SMA1.Results:  Ninety‐two of the 157 (59%) physicians surveyed replied. Respondents included 16 clinical geneticists, 19 intensive care physicians, 28 neurologists and 29 respiratory physicians. Almost half (47%) opposed invasive ventilation of children with SMA1 and respiratory failure precipitated by intercurrent illness. The majority (76%) opposed invasive ventilatory support for chronic respiratory failure in SMA1. In contrast, non‐invasive ventilation was felt by 85% to be appropriate for acute respiratory deteriorations, with 49% supporting long‐term non‐invasive ventilatory support. Most physicians felt that decisions regarding ventilation should be made jointly by parents and doctors, and that hospital Clinical Ethics Committees should be involved in the event of discordant opinion regarding further management. A majority felt that a defined hospital policy would be valuable in guiding management of SMA1.Conclusions:  Respiratory support in SMA1 is an important issue with significant ethical, financial and resource management implications. Most physicians in Australian and New Zealand oppose invasive ventilatory support for chronic respiratory failure in SMA1. Non‐invasive ventilation is an accepted intervention for acute respiratory decompensation and may have a role in the long‐term management of SMA1. Clinical Ethics Committees and institutional policies have a place in guiding physicians and parents in the management of children with SMA1.
Efficacy of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG in acute watery diarrhoea of Indian children: A randomised controlled trial
Authors: Basu Sriparna , Chatterjee Mridula , Ganguly Sutapa , Chandra Pranab K 
Published: September 2007

Aim:  To evaluate the role of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) as probiotic in acute watery diarrhoea (AWD).Setting:  Hospital‐based study.Design:  Randomised, controlled, blinded trial.Patients and Method:  All patients of AWD (n = 684) admitted over 1‐year period were invited to participate in the study as per predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria and were randomised to intervention and control groups. After adequate rehydration the intervention group (n = 330) received ORS with probiotic powder containing 60 million cells of LGG, while the control group (n = 332) received ORS alone twice daily for a minimum period of 7 days or till diarrhoea ceased. During the study period all patients received ORS and/or IV fluids for ongoing losses, and nutritional supplementation. None of them received any antibiotic or antidiarrhoeal medication. After exclusion of 16 patients, 646 (323 in each arm) patients completed the study. The daily frequency and total duration of diarrhoea and vomiting and the length of hospital stay were studied. Data were analysed by SPSS‐10 software. Statistical significance was calculated by Student's t‐test and χ2‐test.Results:  Rotavirus was isolated in 75.85%. There was no significant difference between treatment groups in the daily frequency or duration of diarrhoea or vomiting or in the length of hospital stay. No complication was observed from the use of LGG.Conclusion:  LGG supplementation does not decrease the frequency and duration of diarrhoea and vomiting in children with AWD, and does not reduce hospital stay in these patients.
A methane‐driven microbial food web in a wetland rice soil
Authors: Murase Jun , Frenzel Peter 
Published: September 2007

SummaryMethane oxidation is a key process controlling methane emission from anoxic habitats into the atmosphere. Methanotrophs, responsible for aerobic methane oxidation, do not only oxidize but also assimilate methane. Once assimilated, methane carbon may be utilized by other organisms. Here we report on a microbial food web in a rice field soil driven by methane. A thin layer of water‐saturated rice field soil was incubated under opposing gradients of oxygen and13C‐labelled methane. Bacterial and eukaryotic communities incorporating methane carbon were analysed by RNA‐stable isotope probing (SIP). Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T‐RFLP) and cloning showed that methanotrophs were the most prominent group of bacteria incorporating methane carbon. In addition, a fewMyxobacteria‐related sequences were obtained from the ‘heavy’ rRNA fraction. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) targeting 18S rRNA detected various groups of protists in the ‘heavy’ rRNA fraction including naked amoeba (LoboseaandHeterolobosea), ciliates (Colpodea) and flagellates (Cercozoa). Incubation of soil under different methane concentrations in air resulted in the development of distinct protozoan communities. These results suggest that methane carbon is incorporated into non‐methanotrophic pro‐ and microeukaryotes probably via grazing, and that methane oxidation is a shaping force of the microeukaryotic community depending on methane availability.
Dynamics and predictive modelling of Vibrio spp. in the Neuse River Estuary, North Carolina, USA
Authors: Hsieh Jennifer L. , Fries J. Stephen , Noble Rachel T. 
Published: September 2007

Summary Vibrio spp. are naturally occurring bacteria in marine and estuarine environments around the world. The genus includes several human and animal pathogens that can negatively impact human health, seafood and aquaculture. Vibrio spp. populations are capable of rapid adaptation in response to changing environmental conditions, making them dynamic over short‐term and seasonal scales. Temperature, vertical mixing, tidal flushing, climate, precipitation and nutrient loading can change the estuarine environment and subsequently alter microbial community structure, including Vibrio spp., affecting estuarine water quality and public health. To describe these dynamics, Vibrio spp. concentrations and a range of microbial, physical and chemical measures were monitored every 2 weeks and after storm events for 19 months in the Neuse River Estuary (NRE). Results showed clear seasonal and geographic trends in Vibrio spp. abundance. Multiple regression analysis revealed a strong relationship to temperature and salinity, with additional minor influences of chlorophyll a and dissolved organic carbon. Similar models based on easily measured environmental parameters should be pursued for individual Vibrio species in the NRE and other estuarine environments. Predictive models provide useful information for managers, researchers and modellers of estuarine ecosystems.
Renal neuroendocrine tumours: a clinicopathological study
Authors: Lane Brian R. , Chery Farah , Jour George , Sercia Linda , Magi‐Galluzzi Cristina , Novick Andrew C. , Zhou Ming 
Published: September 2007

OBJECTIVESTo report cases of primary neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) of the kidney, including carcinoid tumour, large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) and small cell carcinoma (SCC), which show a wide range of NE differentiation and biological behaviour, and are exceedingly rare.PATIENTS AND METHODSThe clinicopathological features of all nine renal NETs diagnosed during a 7‐year period were reviewed.RESULTSSix carcinoids, two SCC and one LCNEC were identified from 2780 kidney tumours. No patient had carcinoid syndrome or other NE symptoms. Three of six carcinoids and no SCC/LCNEC arose in horseshoe kidneys. The mean size of the six carcinoids and three SCC/LCNEC was 4.8 cm and 12.2 cm, respectively. No carcinoid had tumour necrosis or mitosis. By contrast, three SCC/LCNEC had extensive tumour necrosis and brisk mitosis. All renal NETs were positive for synaptophysin but were variably positive for chromogranin and CD56. Three of six carcinoid tumours were confined to the kidney, and four of five patients were disease‐free at a mean (range) of 26 (6–74) months. One patient with nodal metastases has had no recurrence and another died with liver metastases. Three patients with SCC/LCNEC each presented with locally advanced disease and extensive lymphadenopathy; two of them died from distant metastasis or local tumour progression, and the third is currently alive with disease.CONCLUSIONSVarious NETs can occur in the kidney, but rarely. Renal carcinoids have a variable clinical course; SCC and LCNEC are associated with poor clinical outcomes. The diagnosis of NETs, especially LCNEC, requires awareness of their rare occurrence and prudent use of immunohistochemical NE markers.
Autologous myoblasts and fibroblasts for female stress incontinence: a 1‐year follow‐up in 123 patients
Authors: Mitterberger Michael , Marksteiner Rainer , Margreiter Eva , Pinggera Germar M. , Colleselli Daniela , Frauscher Ferdinand , Ulmer Hanno , Fussenegger Martin , Bartsch Georg , Strasser Hannes 
Published: September 2007

OBJECTIVETo assess the efficacy and safety of the application of autologous myoblasts and fibroblasts for treating female stress urinary incontinence (SUI) after a follow‐up of ≥1 year.PATIENTS AND METHODSIn all, 123 women with SUI (aged 36–84 years) were treated with transurethral ultrasonography‐guided injections with autologous myoblasts and fibroblasts obtained from skeletal muscle biopsies. The fibroblasts were suspended in a small amount of collagen as carrier material and injected into the urethral submucosa, while the myoblasts were implanted into the rhabdosphincter. All patients were evaluated before and 12 months after the injection using the Incontinence and Quality of Life Instrument (I‐QOL) scores, urodynamic variables, and morphology and function of the urethra and rhabdosphincter.RESULTSAt 1 year after implanting the cells, 94 of the 119 women (79%) were completely continent, 16 (13%) had a substantial improvement and nine (8%) a slight improvement. Four patients were lost to follow‐up.The incontinence and I‐QOL scores, and the thickness, contractility and electromyographic activity of the rhabdosphincter were significantly improved after treatment.CONCLUSIONSThese results show the efficacy and safety of transferring autologous myoblasts and fibroblasts in the treatment of female SUI, after a follow‐up of 1 year.