bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Metabolic syndrome increases all‐cause and vascular mortality: the Hong Kong Cardiovascular Risk Factor Study
Authors: Thomas G. Neil , Schooling C. Mary , McGhee Sarah M. , Ho Sai‐Yin , Cheung Bernard M. Y. , Wat Nelson M. S. , Janus Edward D. , Lam Karen S. L. , Lam Tai Hing ,   for the Hong Kong Cardiovascular Risk Factor Prevalence Study Steering Committee
Published: March 2007

SummaryObjective  The metabolic syndrome has been associated with increased mortality in some Caucasian populations, but data in Asian populations are not available. We present data describing the association of the metabolic syndrome with mortality.Methods  The impact of the US National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III) metabolic syndrome guidelines definition (using Asian central obesity criteria) on mortality was examined using Cox regression analyses in a population‐based cohort (n = 2863) of Chinese subjects.Results   The cohort was followed up for a mean duration of 8·45 years, a total of 24 101 person‐years, with 89 deaths (33·7% of vascular origin). Compared to those without any component of the metabolic syndrome, following adjustment for age, socioeconomic status and a range of lifestyle habits, those with the metabolic syndrome had increased risk of both all‐cause [hazard ratio (HR) 2·02, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·02–4·00, P for trend = 0·037] and vascular disease (HR 6·39, 95% CI 1·40–29·2, P < 0·05, P for trend = 0·002) mortality. When those with 0–2 components were compared to those with the metabolic syndrome, the HRs were 1·49 (95% CI 0·95–2·33, P = 0·084) and 3·36 (95% CI 1·57–7·19, P = 0·002), respectively.Conclusion   This study shows that the metabolic syndrome is associated with increased mortality risk in an Asian population. The high prevalence of the metabolic syndrome, particularly in the elderly, forewarns of a rapidly increasing problem in mainland China, and other Asian populations, which could have overwhelming public health ramifications.
Chromosomal mosaicism mitigates stigmata and cardiovascular risk factors in Turner syndrome
Authors: El‐Mansoury Mostafa , Barrenäs Marie‐Louise , Bryman Inger , Hanson Charles , Larsson Christina , Wilhelmsen Lars , Landin‐Wilhelmsen Kerstin 
Published: March 2007

SummaryObjective  To study genotype–phenotype correlations in Turner syndrome (TS) regarding body composition, cardiovascular risk factors, stigmata and age at diagnosis vs. degree of mosaicism estimated as the percentage of 45,X and 46,XX cells.Methods  One hundred and twenty‐six TS women, mean age 31 years, were examined by three specialists, who reported stigmata independent of each other. Dual energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA) was used to measure bone mineral density (BMD). The karyotype was blinded. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was performed on buccal cells. A random population sample served as controls.Results  Forty‐four per cent exhibited a 45,X karyotype and 56% a second‐cell line, while 27% of all had a 45,X/46,XX mosaicism. Five 45,X cases with a conventional karyotype were 45,X/46,XX mosaic according to FISH. At diagnosis, 45,X cases were younger (P < 0·05) and had more stigmata per person (P < 0·01) than the mosaics. TS with marker chromosome X or Y, iso or ring, did not differ from 45,X in this aspect. The mosaics had higher BMD and SHBG and lower total cholesterol and FSH than TS with 45,X and did not differ compared with controls in terms of body mass index (BMI), waist/hip ratio, BMD, blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, SHBG, diabetes or osteoporosis. The number of stigmata correlated positively to BMI, waist/hip ratio, cholesterol and %45,X and inversely to height and %46,XX according to FISH.Conclusions  Mosaicism seems to mitigate the TS phenotype and the cardiovascular risk factor profile. Mosaics were diagnosed 8 years later than 45,X cases. This emphasizes the necessity for a stricter genotype categorization not only in the clinic but also in research on TS than previously adopted.
Incidence and cytological features of pulmonary hamartomas indeterminate on CT scan
Authors: Saqi A. , Shaham D. , Scognamiglio T. , Murray M. P. , Henschke C. I. , Yankelevitz D. , Vazquez M. F. 
Published: March 2007

Objective:  Pulmonary hamartomas have a characteristic heterogeneous radiological appearance. However, when composed predominantly of undifferentiated mesenchymal fibromyxoid component, their homogeneous appearance on computed tomography is indeterminate for malignancy. Rendering an accurate preoperative diagnosis in these cases can alter management. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence and accuracy of cytodiagnosis for hamartomas ‘indeterminate’ by imaging.Methods:  We retrospectively reviewed records for hamartomas diagnosed by transthoracic fine needle aspiration (FNA) including immediate impressions and final diagnoses. Cytological features evaluated included the presence of fibromyxoid stroma, bronchioloalveolar cell hyperplasia, fibroadipose tissue, cartilage and smooth muscle.Results:  Eighteen (1.3%) hamartomas were identified from 1355 transthoracic FNAs. The immediate impression was hamartoma in 13 (72%), carcinoid in one (6%), mucinous bronchioloalveolar carcinoma in two (11%) and non‐diagnostic in two (11%). The final diagnosis of hamartoma in cases diagnosed as carcinoid, mucinous bronchioloalaveolar carcinoma and non‐diagnostic on immediate impression was rendered following assessment of all cytological material.Conclusion:  Overall, FNAs are highly reliable for diagnosing hamartomas even when composed principally of undifferentiated mesenchymal fibromyxoid stroma, especially with the aid of all available preparations including Diff‐Quik smears, Papanicolaou smears, ThinPreps and cell block material.
Determination of the fate of13C labelled maize and wheat exudates in an agricultural soil during a short‐term incubation
Authors: Marx M. , Buegger F. , Gattinger A. , Zsolnay Á. , Munch J. C. 
Published: March 2007

SummaryA broader knowledge of the contribution of carbon (C) released by plant roots (exudates) to soil is a prerequisite for optimizing the management of organic matter in arable soils. This is the first study to show the contribution of constantly applied13C‐labelled maize and wheat exudates to water extractable organic carbon (WEOC), microbial biomass‐C (MB‐C), and CO2‐C evolution during a 25‐day incubation of agricultural soil material. The CO2‐C evolution and respective δ13C values were measured daily. The WEOC and MB‐C contents were determined weekly and a newly developed method for determining δ13C values in soil extracts was applied. Around 36% of exudate‐C of both plants was recovered after the incubation, in the order WEOC < MB‐C < CO2‐C for maize and MB‐C < WEOC < CO2‐C for wheat. Around 64% of added exudate‐C was not retrieved with the methods used here. Our results suggest that great amounts of exudates became stabilized in non‐water extractable organic fractions. The amounts of MB‐C stayed relatively constant over time despite a continuous exudate‐C supply, which is the prerequisite for a growing microbial population. A lack of mineral nutrients might have limited microbial growth. The CO2‐C mineralization rate declined during the incubation and this was probably caused by a shift in the microbial community structure. Consequently, incoming WEOC was left in the soil solution leading to rising WEOC amounts over time. In the exudate‐treated soil additional amounts of soil‐derived WEOC (up to 110 μg g−1) and MB‐C (up to 60 μg g−1) relative to the control were determined. We suggest therefore that positive priming effects (i.e. accelerated turnover of soil organic matter due to the addition of organic substrates) can be explained by exchange processes between charged, soluble C‐components and the soil matrix. As a result of this exchange, soil‐derived WEOC becomes available for mineralization.
Climate change effects on upland stream macroinvertebrates over a 25‐year period
Authors: DURANCE ISABELLE , ORMEROD S. J. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractClimate change effects on some ecosystems are still poorly known, particularly where they interact with other climatic phenomena or stressors. We used data spanning 25 years (1981–2005) from temperate headwaters at Llyn Brianne (UK) to test three hypotheses: (1) stream macroinvertebrates vary with winter climate; (2) ecological effects attributable to directional climate change and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) are distinguishable and (3) climatic effects on macroinvertebrates depend on whether streams are impacted by acidification. Positive (i.e. warmer, wetter) NAO phases were accompanied by reduced interannual stability (=similarity) in macroinvertebrate assemblage in all streams, but associated variations in composition occurred only in acid moorland. The NAO and directional climate change together explained 70% of interannual variation in temperature, but forest and moorland streams warmed respectively by 1.4 and 1.7°C (P<0.001) between 1981 and 2005 after accounting for NAO effects. Significant responses among macroinvertebrates were confined to circumneutral streams, where future thermal projections (+1, +2, +3°C) suggested considerable change. Spring macroinvertebrate abundance might decline by 21% for every 1°C rise. Although many core species could persist if temperature gain reached 3°C, 4–10 mostly scarce taxa (5–12% of the species pool) would risk local extinction. Temperature increase in Wales approaches this magnitude by the 2050s under the Hadley HadCM3 scenarios.These results support all three hypotheses and illustrate how headwater stream ecosystems are sensitive to climate change. Altered composition and abundance could affect conservation and ecological function, with the NAO compounding climate change effects during positive phases. We suggest that acidification, in impacted streams, overrides climatic effects on macroinvertebrates by simplifying assemblages and reducing richness. Climatic processes might, nevertheless, exacerbate acidification or offset biological recovery.
Molecular aspects of a novel HLA‐A*02 allele (A*0297): the first HLA class I allele mutated at codon 232†
Authors: Garino E. , Miertus J. , Berrino M. , Bertinetto F. , Caropreso P. , Gay V. , Mazzola G. , Tondat F. , Frecer V. , Miertus S. , Amoroso A. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractWe describe a new HLA‐A*02 allele, identified in a cord blood unit and in her mother. Nucleotide sequence analysis showed the presence of a new HLA‐A*02 allele identical to HLA‐A*02010101 except for a non‐synonymous nucleotide exchange in exon 4 modifying codon 232 from GAG (Glu) to GAC (Asp). No other human leucocyte antigen class I allele sequenced so far shows this triplet at codon 232. The amino acid exchange affects a position that is part of the membrane proximal domain of class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC), designated alpha 3, and involved in the interaction with CD8 molecule. Using molecular modelling approach, the interactions between different subunits of the native and mutated forms of MHC‐I resulted in relevant changes.
SURGEONS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS AND USAGE OF EVIDENCE‐BASED MEDICINE IN SURGICAL PRACTICE: A PILOT STUDY
Authors: Kitto Simon , Villanueva Elmer V. , Chesters Janice , Petrovic Ana , Waxman Bruce P. , Smith Julian A. 
Published: March 2007

Background:  Within surgery the debate about the place of evidence‐based medicine (EBM) has focused on the nature and compatibility of EBM with surgical practice with an inevitable polarization of opinion. However, EBM techniques are being embedded into undergraduate medical curricula and surgical training programs across Australia. The Monash University Department of Surgery at Monash Medical Centre implemented a pilot study to explore current knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of practising surgeons towards EBM techniques.Methods:  Descriptive survey of surgeons based in a tertiary care environment.Results:  The results from the surgeons surveyed suggest that (i) they believe that EBM marginalizes patient involvement in decision‐making; (ii) they believe that EBM‐generated knowledge is useful and is commonly used in daily clinical decision‐making – however, not using EBM does not adversely affect their daily clinical decision‐making; (iii) they have high confidence in their own judgement compared with low confidence in clinical practice guidelines and other sources of evidence; and (iv) journal summaries of the latest research related to a subject are the most useful resources in clinical practice above clinical practice guidelines.Conclusion:  The importance of incorporating concepts of the ‘culture’ of surgery as an important factor in understanding and developing new ways to mobilize Australian surgeons to adopt EBM into their practice is discussed.
REDUCING TIME TO URGENT SURGERY BY TRANSPORTING RESOURCES TO THE TRAUMA PATIENT
Authors: McMonagle Morgan P. , Flabouris Arthas , Parr Michael J. A. , Sugrue Michael 
Published: March 2007

Background:  Time to definitive trauma care directly influences patient survival. Patient transport (retrieval) services are essential for the transportation of remotely located trauma patients to a major trauma centre. Trauma surgical expertise can potentially be combined with the usual retrieval response (surgically supported response) and delivered to the patient before patient transportation. We identified the frequency and circumstances of such surgically supported retrievals.Methods:  Retrospective review of trauma patients transported by the NRMA CareFlight, New South Wales Medical Retrieval Service, Australia, from 1999 to 2003, identifying patients who had a surgically supported retrieval response and an urgent surgical procedure carried out before patient transportation to an major trauma centre.Results:  Seven hundred and forty‐nine trauma interhospital patient transfers were identified of which 511 (68%) were categorized as urgent and 64% of which were rural based. Three (0.4%) patients had a surgically supported retrieval response and had an urgent surgical procedure carried out before patient transportation. All patients benefited from that early surgical intervention.Conclusion:  A surgically supported retrieval response allows for the more timely delivery of urgent surgical care. Patients can potentially benefit from such a response. There are, however, important operational considerations in providing a surgically supported retrieval response.
Medical thoracoscopy in an Australian regional hospital
Authors: Simpson G 
Published: March 2007

AbstractMedical thoracoscopy is not widely available in Australia. A medical thoracoscopy service has been set up in a regional hospital using no specialized equipment and at minimal cost. Of the first 100 procedures carried out, 89 were for investigation of pleural effusion, 6 for pneumothorax and 6 for empyema. Of the 89 pleural effusions, 73 were diagnosed as malignant (43 carcinoma, 24 mesothelioma, 3 lymphoma, 2 melanoma and 1 sarcoma). The sensitivity for a malignant diagnosis was 94.5%, with 100% specificity. Four patients had unsuspected tuberculous effusions. Pleurodesis was carried out with instillation of dry sterile talc in 67 cases. In 92.5% of these, no further drainage procedure was needed. There was one fatality caused by pre‐existing sepsis in a debilitated patient with disseminated carcinoma. Medical thoracoscopy is a simple, safe and cost‐effective technique for diagnosing and treating pleural effusions and provides a useful service in the setting of a regional hospital.
The Rhizobium etli opt operon is required for symbiosis and stress resistance
Authors: Vos K. , Braeken K. , Fauvart M. , Ndayizeye M. , Verhaert J. , Zachurzok S. , Lambrichts I. , Michiels J. 
Published: March 2007

SummaryRhizobium etli is a Gram‐negative root‐colonizing soil bacterium capable of fixing nitrogen while living in symbiosis with its leguminous host Phaseolus vulgaris. A genome‐wide screening for R. etli symbiotic mutants revealed a R. etli operon encoding an oligopeptide ABC‐transporter (Opt), two redA homologous genes and one redB gene. Expression analysis showed this opt operon to be transcribed both under free‐living and symbiotic conditions and expression levels were demonstrated to be growth‐phase‐dependent. Plants nodulated by R. etli opt mutants showed a reduced symbiotic nitrogen fixation activity (approximately 50% reduction). Growth experiments with opt mutants in the presence of oligopeptides as the sole nitrogen source confirmed the involvement of the opt genes in oligopeptide uptake. Further phenotypic analysis of the opt mutants revealed them to display an enhanced resistance to the oligopeptide antibiotic bacitracin, an increased susceptibility to the β‐lactam antibiotic ampicillin and a decreased osmotolerance. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that the opt operon plays a crucial role during symbiosis and stress resistance.
Genomic and structural analysis of Syn9, a cyanophage infecting marine Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus
Authors: Weigele Peter R. , Pope Welkin H. , Pedulla Marisa L. , Houtz Jennifer M. , Smith Alexis L. , Conway James F. , King Jonathan , Hatfull Graham F. , Lawrence Jeffrey G. , Hendrix Roger W. 
Published: March 2007

SummaryCyanobacteriophage Syn9 is a large, contractile‐tailed bacteriophage infecting the widespread, numerically dominant marine cyanobacteria of the genera Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus. Its 177 300 bp genome sequence encodes 226 putative proteins and six tRNAs. Experimental and computational analyses identified genes likely involved in virion formation, nucleotide synthesis, and DNA replication and repair. Syn9 shows significant mosaicism when compared with related cyanophages S‐PM2, P‐SSM2 and P‐SSM4, although shared genes show strong purifying selection and evidence for large population sizes relative to other phages. Related to coliphage T4 – which shares 19% of Syn9's genes – Syn9 shows evidence for different patterns of DNA replication and uses homologous proteins to assemble capsids with a different overall structure that shares topology with phage SPO1 and herpes virus. Noteworthy bacteria‐related sequences in the Syn9 genome potentially encode subunits of the photosynthetic reaction centre, electron transport proteins, three pentose pathway enzymes and two tryptophan halogenases. These genes suggest that Syn9 is well adapted to the physiology of its photosynthetic hosts and may affect the evolution of these sequences within marine cyanobacteria.
Accurate Depth of Field Simulation in Real Time
Authors: Zhou Tianshu , Chen Jim X. , Pullen Mark 
Published: March 2007

Abstract We present a new post processing method of simulating depth of field based on accurate calculations of circles of confusion. Compared to previous work, our method derives actual scene depth information directly from the existing depth buffer, requires no specialized rendering passes, and allows easy integration into existing rendering applications. Our implementation uses an adaptive, two‐pass filter, producing a high quality depth of field effect that can be executed entirely on the GPU, taking advantage of the parallelism of modern graphics cards and permitting real time performance when applied to large numbers of pixels.
A New Kind of Creative Energy: Yadé Kara's Selam Berlin and Fatih Akin's Kurz und Schmerzlos and Gegen die Wand
Authors: Fachinger Petra 
Published: March 2007

ABSTRACTThis article argues that recent Turkish‐German writing and film reflect a new self‐understanding and present a new perspective on things Turkish within mainstream German society. A comparative/contrastive analysis of Akif Pirinçci's Tränen sind immer das Ende (1980), the first Turkish‐German novel by a second‐generation writer, and Yadé Kara's Selam Berlin (2003) demonstrates how the Turkish‐German self‐representation has changed over the last two decades. In Selam Berlin the portrayal of the young Turkish‐German male's identity crisis not only takes on a different shape – while Pirinçci's Akif remains entrenched in the Turkish/German divide, Kara's Hasan is not burdened by his dual cultural heritage – but the novel also participates in a new literary discourse that is closely associated with the rise of the Berlin Republic. Like Selam Berlin, Fatih Akin's films Kurz und schmerzlos (1997) and Gegen die Wand (2004) are imbued with a new energy that manifests itself in a new Turkish‐German self‐definition. The article shows how Akin rewrites the strategies and objectives of the New German Cinema, particularly those of Rainer Werner Fassbinder, by playfully undermining persisting stereotypes of Turks as well as of what ‘ethnic’ filmmaking is supposed to be about, by reversing character roles, using space subversively, and undercutting audience expectations and genre conventions. Ultimately, both Kara and Akin offer a complex representation of things Turkish in Germany by demonstrating that there are more than two different value systems, one Turkish and one German, set against each other.
Rationality and the Shoulds
Authors: DRYDEN WINDY , STILL ARTHUR 
Published: March 2007

ABSTRACTThis paper is about rational and irrational uses of deontological words, such as “should”, “ought”, and “must”, referred to as “the shoulds”. Rationality is taken as a mutual relationship between conceptual schemes and human agency. These are expressed in what Bakhtin referred to as authoritative discourse and internally persuasive discourse respectively. When the conceptual scheme is in place and its authority transparent, and there is interplay between authoritative discourse and internally persuasive discourse, then the shoulds are perceived as rational. When the interplay is disrupted or suppressed the shoulds are seen as irrational. Breakdown occurs in two main ways. First, when the effective conceptual schemes are hidden, and the origin of the shoulds obscured. We describe some instances of the latter, from philosophy, psychotherapy, and experimental studies of rationality. Second, in technology and science the mutual relationship sometimes breaks down because authoritative discourse is too powerful, and inhibits the interplay in order to maintain itself. After describing these pathologies, we turn to William James, who drew attention to a repair kit for rationality in his detection of the psychologist's fallacy. Describing the work of Dewey and Husserl as elaborations of this, we distinguished two essential aspects of rationality, disciplinary expressed in authoritative discourse, and emancipatory expressed in internally persuasive discourse.