bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Serum levels of autoantibodies to BP180 correlate with disease activity in patients with bullous pemphigoid
Authors: Feng Suying , Wu Qinxue , Jin Peiying , Lin Lin , Zhou Wuqing , Sang Honggui , Shao Changgeng 
Published: February 2008

AbstractBackground  The 180‐kDa transmembrane hemidesmosomal protein (BPAG2) has been identified as an important autoantigen in bullous pemphigoid (BP). Using the NC16A domain as the antigenic target, a highly sensitive and specific enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of autoantibodies to BP180 was developed.Aim  To investigate the correlation of clinical severity and ELISA indices in BP.Methods  Antibody titers in the sera from 20 patients were measured using BP180NC16a‐ELISA, and an analysis of the correlation of ELISA indices with disease activity was performed. Serum was obtained from each patient with BP at least three times: before the initiation of treatment, during complete disease control just before the decrease in corticosteroid, and when the dosage of corticosteroid was successfully decreased to half the initial dose. Of the 20 patients, three showed recurrence at a later stage, caused by their decision to stop treatment; serum was obtained at the early stage of recurrence.Results  ELISA indices were significantly decreased after successful therapy, although indirect immunofluorescence titers did not always show apparent correlations. Indices measured using BP180NC16a‐ELISA were well correlated with disease activity. Three patients decided to stop taking their medication; subsequently (within 1–2 weeks), blisters recurred, and the levels of antibodies to BP180 increased to close to those before the initiation of treatment.Conclusion  BP180 antibody titers showed a closer correlation than indirect immunofluorescence titers to disease activity. The titer of BP180 antibody may be a useful tool for the evaluation of disease activity and for the assessment of the effectiveness of treatments in BP.
The effect of 50% glycolic acid on the percutaneous absorption of eutectic mixture of local anesthetics (EMLA): a study of the electrofulguration‐induced pain
Authors: Suswardana, MD  , Radiono Sunardi , Chusniyati Nafiah , Rosmelia, MD  , Widodo Wirohadidjojo Yohanes 
Published: February 2008

AbstractBackground  EMLA has a slow onset due to its limited percutaneous absorption into an intact skin, while Glycolic acid (GA) has been known to have the capability of disrupting the skin barrier function. To the best of our knowledge, the effect of 50% GA on the percutaneous absorption of EMLA has not been studied previously.Methods  The study used a two‐step randomized double blind controlled trial involving 20 healthy subjects each. The first step compared the pain intensity upon applying GA and placebo for 4 minutes prior to EMLA occlusive application over time. Based on findings made in the first step, second step observation focused on the effect of occlusion on EMLA percutaneous absorption after GA application in minute 30 and 45. A second of 20 mA electrofulguration induced the pain, while modified Verbal Rating Scale (VRS) measured the pain intensity.Results  Significant VRS difference (P < 0.05) between GA and placebo group was found in minute 15, 20, 30 and 45. However, no significant VRS difference was found after minute 60 (P = 0.420). Adequate cutaneous analgesia was achieved in minute 30 in the treatment (GA) group and in minute 45 in the placebo. There was no significant VRS difference between the occlusive and non‐occlusive group in minute 30 (P = 0.214) and minute 45 (P = 0.309).Conclusion  Administering 50% GA prior to EMLA application enhances percutaneous absorption of EMLA, which accelerates the onset of adequate cutaneous analgesia, even without using an occlusive dressing.
Acute localized exanthematous pustulosis (ALEP) caused by amoxicillin–clavulanic acid
Authors: Betto Paola , Germi Lerica , Bonoldi Emanuela , Bertazzoni Marina 
Published: February 2008

AbstractA 40‐year‐old woman was admitted to the hospital for an acute outbreak of multiple pustular lesions with an underlying erythematous base affecting cheeks and chin. These lesions were referred to as “aching”. The patient had been taking amoxicillin‐clavulanic acid (3 g a day) over the past three days for oral prophylaxis for dental treatment. Given the possible allergic reaction to the drug administered and the extension of the pustular lesions over all face and neck during the following four days, we replaced the amoxicillin‐clavulanic acid with another antibiotic with wide range (ciprofloxacin). Resolution of the pustular lesions occurred within ten days and was accompanied by light scarring and pigmentation. On the basis of the close relationship between the administration of amoxicillin‐clavulanic acid and the development of the disease, in combination with a rapid, acute resolution as soon as this treatment was interrupted, and all the histologic findings, we consider this to be an unusual type of acute generalized pustular eruption (AGEP) recently defined as acute localized pustular eruption (ALEP) due to amoxicillin‐clavulanic acid.
Treatment and outcomes for metastatic sebaceous cell carcinoma of the eyelid
Authors: Husain Amina , Blumenschein George , Esmaeli Bita 
Published: February 2008

AbstractObjective  To report the management and outcomes in patients with metastatic eyelid sebaceous cell carcinoma.Methods  The clinical records of four patients with metastatic eyelid sebaceous cell carcinoma treated between January 1999 and August 2006 were reviewed.Results  The study included four women with a mean age of 66 years. Metastatic sites included the lung in three patients, regional lymph nodes in two, liver in two, and bone in one. Time from diagnosis of eyelid carcinoma to metastasis ranged from 0 to 62 months. Treatment of regional nodal metastasis consisted of complete neck dissection followed by radiation therapy. One patient developed lung metastasis 5 years after the diagnosis of eyelid tumor; she was treated with systemic chemotherapy followed by subtotal lung resection. Systemic chemotherapy was considered for two additional patients: in one, chemotherapy was deferred due to poor performance status and ongoing medical problems; and another patient died before chemotherapy could be started. The patient with bony metastasis was treated with radiation therapy to the spine. Two patients died during the study period. The follow‐up time from diagnosis of metastasis to last contact or death ranged from 1 month to 3 years (median of 21 months).Conclusion  Eyelid sebaceous cell carcinoma can result in systemic metastasis and death. Metastasis can be discovered as late as 5 years after treatment of the eyelid carcinoma, warranting continued surveillance. Treatment of metastatic disease may include a combination of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgical neck dissection.
The association of dermatologist‐diagnosed and self‐reported skin diseases with skin‐related quality of life in Latino migrant farmworkers
Authors: Quandt Sara A. , Schulz Mark R. , Vallejos Quirina M. , Feldman Steven R. , Verma Amit , Fleischer Alan B. , Rapp Stephen R. , Arcury Thomas A. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractBackground  Skin diseases are known to affect the quality of life (QoL), but data to support this are based on clinical samples. Few data document the skin‐related QoL in the general population, and whether its association differs with self‐reported or dermatologist‐diagnosed skin ailments. Farmworkers are at high risk for skin diseases, and are an appropriate population in which to explore these associations.Objectives  To compare the association between skin‐related QoL and workers’ self‐reports of skin conditions or dermatologist‐diagnosed skin diseases over the course of a work season.Methods  Three hundred and four Latino farmworkers were recruited from 45 randomly selected residential sites in North Carolina, USA, for longitudinal surveillance. The participants were interviewed up to five times at 3‐week intervals and the reported skin problems and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) were recorded. Nine digital photographs were taken of each participant. A board‐certified dermatologist rated each for the presence of specific skin diseases.Results  An impact of skin disease on QoL was reported in 16% of interviews. In multivariate analyses with self‐reported skin problems, feet or skin fungus, rash, itching, and poison ivy were predictors of QoL. Dermatologist‐diagnosed inflammatory diseases and pigmentary disorders were significant predictors of QoL. The association was stronger for self‐reported skin problems than for dermatologist‐diagnosed conditions.Conclusions  In a population of farmworkers, skin problems had a clinically significant impact on QoL. Itch‐related conditions and cosmetic conditions, such as acne and melasma, were important determinants of QoL. Treatment for these conditions in this population may enhance QoL.
Characteristics of superficial fungal infections in the Riyadh region of Saudi Arabia
Authors: Abanmi Abdullah , Bakheshwain Saadia , El Khizzi Noura , Zouman Abdul Rahman , Hantirah Samir , Al Harthi Fahad , Al Jamal Mohammad , Rizvi Syeda Sadaf , Ahmad Mohammad , Tariq Mohammad 
Published: February 2008

AbstractBackground  The prevalence and characteristics of superficial fungal infections (SFIs) vary with climatic conditions, lifestyle, and population migration patterns. This study was undertaken to determine the characteristics of SFIs amongst patients visiting the dermatology clinic of Riyadh Military Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during the period 2003–2005.Methods  One hundred and nineteen patients with confirmed SFI (37 males and 82 females), aged between 5 months and 67 years, were included in this study. The diagnosis of SFI was based on clinical presentation confirmed by laboratory analysis. The type of mycotic pathogen and the site of infection were recorded as a function of age and sex.Results  Onychomycosis (40.3%) was the most frequent infection, followed by tinea capitis (21.9%), tinea pedis (16%), tinea cruris (15.1%), and tinea corporis (6.7%). Tinea capitis was most prevalent (15.1%) in children (male to female ratio, 1 : 1.57), whereas tinea pedis was most common (11.8%) in adults (male to female ratio, 1 : 2.5). Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Microsporum canis were the most common dermatophytes responsible for tinea infections, and T. mentagrophytes, Candida spp., and Aspergillus spp. were mainly responsible for onychomycosis.Conclusion  The prevalence of SFI was twofold greater in females than males. Children were most commonly affected by tinea capitis, whereas adults generally suffered from tinea pedis. The frequency of onychomycosis was nearly three times higher in adults. This study clearly shows that SFIs are of concern in both genders and in all age groups.
Survey assessment of parental perceptions regarding head lice
Authors: Silva Lucía , Alencar Rúbia de Aguiar , Madeira Newton Goulart 
Published: February 2008

AbstractBackground  Head lice constitute a problem in children. Each year, numerous cases of pediculosis occur worldwide. Little work has been performed to evaluate the understanding, opinions, and actions of populations regarding head lice. These areas are important as they enable clinicians and educators to alert parents on how to avoid treatments that are innocuous or of high risk to patients.Methods  A cross‐sectional study was performed by interviewing the heads of households of 100 randomly chosen residences within the study area.Results  The results obtained showed that 13% were infested during the first week of the survey, and 86% in the 24 weeks prior to the study. The number of positive cases increased with increasing resident number, and decreased in families with parents with a higher educational level. Itching was the principal clinical manifestation and caused sleep compromise in 65% of respondents. Innocuous and unhealthy practices to combat infestation, such as the use of inflammables and home insecticides, were common.Conclusion  The results showed that certain beliefs generated worry and confusion in parents, who blamed head lice as the cause of various health problems which were not due to this insect.
CLINICAL STUDY: Prolactin response to fenfluramine in abstinent, alcohol‐dependent patients
Authors: Porter Richard J. , Sellman Doug , Joyce Peter R. , Davies Julia , Frampton Chris 
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACTIt has been suggested that serotonin (5HT) function is abnormal in alcoholics even during abstinence. The prolactin response to fenfluramine (PRF) is generally believed to reflect the activity of the 5HT system and has been previously used to investigate 5HT activity in a variety of conditions, including alcoholism. The origin of the cortisol (CORT) response to fenfluramine is less clear. The objectives of this paper are to examine the prolactin (PRL) and CORT response to dl‐fenfluramine in a large cohort of males with alcohol dependence who had been abstinent for 3 weeks, and to compare this with an age‐matched control group. Ninety‐four subjects with a DSM‐III‐R diagnosis of moderate to severe alcohol dependence who had been abstinent for 3 weeks, and 23 control subjects underwent neuroendocrine challenge with dl‐fenfluramine (10 mg per 10 kg body weight). PRL and CORT responses were measured. No significant difference was found in PRF between abstinent, alcoholic patients and controls (F = 2.7, d.f. = 1.115, P = 0.10). CORT response was significantly lower in abstinent alcoholics than in controls (F = 10.0, d.f. = 1.116, P = 0.002). The results suggest no clear difference in 5HT function between abstinent alcoholics and healthy controls. The reduced CORT response in abstinent alcoholics further supports evidence of hypofunction of the adrenocortical system in this group.
Cannabis reinforcement and dependence: role of the cannabinoid CB1 receptor
Authors: Cooper Ziva D. , Haney Margaret 
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACTAwareness of cannabis dependence as a clinically relevant issue has grown in recent years. Clinical and laboratory studies demonstrate that chronic marijuana smokers can experience withdrawal symptoms upon cessation of marijuana smoking and have difficulty abstaining from marijuana use. This paper will review data implicating the cannabinoid CB1 receptor in regulating the behavioral effects of Δ9‐tetrahydrocannobinol (THC), the primary psychoactive component of cannabis, across a range of species. The behavioral effects that will be discussed include those that directly contribute to the maintenance of chronic marijuana smoking, such as reward, subjective effects, and the positive and negative reinforcing effects of marijuana, THC and synthetic cannabinoids. The role of the CB1 receptor in the development of marijuana dependence and expression of withdrawal will also be discussed. Lastly, treatment options that may alleviate withdrawal symptoms and promote marijuana abstinence will be considered.
Preclinical ex vivo expansion of peripheral blood CD34+ selected cells from cancer patients mobilized with combination chemotherapy and granulocyte colony‐stimulating factor
Authors: Lorenzon D. , Mazzucato M. , Abbruzzese L. , Cilli M. , De Angeli S. , Degan M. , Mambrini G. , Piccardi F. , Rupolo M. , Michieli M. , De Marco L. , Gattei V. , Astori G. 
Published: February 2008

Background and Objectives  Ex vivo peripheral blood progenitor cell (PBPC) expansion has been proposed as a strategy to increase the number of haematopoietic progenitors available for cell transplantation. We have expanded CD34+ cells from PBPCs obtained from four patients with haematological malignancies and one patient with an Ewing's sarcoma.Materials and Methods  Cells were expanded in the Dideco ‘Pluricell system’. After 12 days in culture, we evaluated cell phenotype, total nucleated cells, CD34+ fold increase, cell apoptosis and colony assay of expanded cells. Cell engraftment has been evaluated by transplanting two groups of irradiated non‐obese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient (NOD‐SCID) mice with expanded and non‐expanded cell populations.Results  Total nucleated cells and CD34+ cells increased 59·5 and 4·0 times, respectively. The expanded cells were mainly constituted of myeloid and megakaryocytic cells. A significant increase in the number of colony‐forming unit–granulocyte macrophage (CFU‐GM) was observed in the CFU assay. Ten mice transplanted with expanded cells showed a best overall survival (80%) compared to 10 mice transplanted with non‐expanded cells (20%). Human CD45+ cells were detected by flow cytometry and polymerase chain reaction in bone marrow and spleen of transplanted animals. The relative low engraftment level obtained with the expanded cells suggests a loss of SCID repopulating cells maybe due to cell differentiation during expansion.Conclusions  We have demonstrated the feasibility of the ex vivo expansion of mobilized PBPCs from cancer patients, evidencing a clonal expansion of CFUs and the ability of the expanded cells to engraft the bone marrow and spleen of immunosuppressed mice. The differentiation of the CD34+ stem cell compartment could be further minimized by ameliorating the expansion conditions.
Shifting Mosaics in Grazed Woodlands Driven by the Alternation of Plant Facilitation and Competition
Authors: Olff H. , Vera F. W. M. , Bokdam J. , Bakker E. S. , Gleichman J. M. , de Maeyer K. , Smit R. 
Published: February 2008

Abstract: Free‐ranging large grazers, such as cattle and horses, are increasingly reintroduced to former agricultural areas in Western Europe in order to restore natural and diverse habitats. In this review we outline mechanisms by which large grazers induce and maintain structural diversity in the vegetation (mosaics of grasslands, shrub thickets and trees). This variation in vegetation structure is considered to be important for the conservation of biodiversity of various plant and animal groups.The process of spatial association with unpalatable plants (as‐sociational resistance) enables palatable plants to establish in grasslands maintained by large grazers. In this way, short unattractive (thorny, low quality or toxic) species facilitate taller unattractive shrubs, which facilitate palatable trees, which in turn outshade the species that facilitated their recruitment. Established trees can, therefore, not regenerate under their own canopy, leading to cyclic patch dynamics. Since this cyclic dynamic occurs on a local scale, this contributes to shifting mosaics. The mechanisms involved in creating and maintaining the resulting shifting mosaics are described for temperate flood‐plain and heathland ecosystems, including the effects on nutrient transport within grazed landscapes. How grazing leads to shifting mosaics is described in terms of plant functional types, allowing potential generalisation to other ecosystems.The resulting interaction web of grasses, unpalatable forbs and shrubs, palatable light‐demanding trees and shade‐tolerant trees is discussed, and was found to contain various interesting direct and indirect effects. The key process contributing to spatial diversity in vegetation structure is the alternation of positive (facilitation) interactions between plant species at one life cycle stage, and competitive displacement at another stage. Grazing thus causes directional successional sequences to change to shifting mosaics. The implications of this theory for nature conservation are discussed, including the relevant management problems, possible choices and practical solutions.We conclude that the theoretical framework outlined in this review provides helpful insights when coping with nature conservation issues in temperate woodland habitats.
The Size of Cells and Organisms in Relation to the Evolution of Embryophytes
Authors: Raven J. A. 
Published: February 2008

Abstract: The earliest O2‐‐evolvers were marine cyanobacteria (3.5 billion years ago) with marine eukaryotic phototrophs from 2.0 billion years ago. These organisms were, and are, poikilo‐hydric, i.e., cannot remain hydrated when exposed to a desiccating atmosphere (as can occur for intertidal benthic algae and cy anobacteria at low tide). The smallest marine primarily poikilo‐hydric O2‐‐evolvers are close to the lower size limit imposed by non‐scaleable components such as minimum genome size and constant membrane thickness, with cyanobacterial unicells 0.65 μn in diameter and eukaryotic unicells 0.95 μm in diameter. The largest (multicellular) marine primarily aquatic poikilohydric O2‐‐evolvers are brown algae at least 60 m long and over 100 kg fresh mass; there are no obvious constraints on the max imum size of such organisms. In freshwaters the size range for primarily poikilohydric O2‐‐evolving organisms is smaller, due to the absence of very large organisms. An even smaller size range characterizes terrestrial algae and cyanobacteria which have occurred for about 1 billion years. Desiccation‐tolerant cyanobacterium and algae (intertidal, freshwater, terrestrial) are at the lower end of the size ranges.Embryophytic terrestrial O2‐‐evolvers arose some 450 million years ago and were than all poikilohydric and (probably) desiccation‐tolerant. Embryophytic defining structural features re quire organisms of at least 100 μm equivalent spherical diameter for both gametophyte and sporophyte phases. Primarily poi kilohydric embryophytes are not more than 1 m tall as a result of a mechanistically mysterious size limit for desiccation‐tolerant organisms. Homoiohydric embryophytes evolved some 420 mil lion years ago in the sporophyte phase (later to become the dominant terrestrial vegetation) and possibly in the gameto phyte phase (although no such homoiohydric gametophytes are known today). The homoiohydric features of gas spaces, stomata, cuticle, endohydric water conducting system and water and nutrient uptake structures require an organism at least 5 mm high; this has implications for the minimum size of mega‐spores and seeds. The tallest homoiohydric plants are (or were within historic times) 130 m high, with height constrained by re source costs of the synthesis and maintenance of the mechanical and water conduction systems, andbr of xylem water trans port. Secondarily poikilohydric embryophytes in aquatic, or very damp terrestrial, habitats are derived from homoiohydric plants; they retain most homoiohydric features but are not functionally homoiohydric. The smaller secondarily poikilohydric plants are less than one tenth of the size of the smallest functionally homoiohydric plants.
Systematic Exploration of the Equine Tarsus by Ultrasonography
Authors: Vilar J. M. , Rivero M. A. , Arencibia A. , Morales I. , Pinedo M. 
Published: February 2008

SummaryThe authors propose a standard protocol of ultrasonographic exploration of the tarsal region in transversal and longitudinal planes, with the aim to spread with an accurate location of the anatomical structures. For this study, 10 adult horses of different races and ages (ranged 5–10 years) were used, with the characteristic of not having suffered any kind of tarsic pathology. The equipment was a real time ultrasound machine with a 7.5 mHz lineal transducer. Some different anatomical structures in this region of the hind‐limb such as the tendons, ligaments, muscles and articular components were identified and labelled as regards their echoic characteristics.