bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of fat distribution on endothelial‐dependent and endothelial‐independent vasodilatation in healthy humans
Authors: Williams I. L. , Chowienczyk P. J. , Wheatcroft S. B. , Patel A. , Sherwood R. , Momin A. , Shah A. M. , Kearney M. T. 
Published: March 2006

Aim:  The present study aims to explore the relationship between inflammatory cytokines, plasma lipids, insulin, blood pressure (BP), total adiposity/markers of fat distribution and endothelial function in healthy people across a wide range of body fatness.Methods:  Seventy‐three healthy people (44 women; age range: 24–64 years) with body mass index (BMI) range of 18.6–73.1 kg/m2 were recruited. All participants underwent assessment of conduit artery endothelial‐dependent vasodilatation by using flow‐mediated vasodilatation (FMD) of the brachial artery and endothelial‐independent vasodilatation to sublingual GTN. They had blood taken for measurement of plasma markers of glucose homeostasis (fasting insulin and glucose), systemic inflammation (interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), C‐reactive protein (CRP) and tumour necrosis factor‐α receptor 2 (TNF‐α R2)) and lipids (low‐density lipoprotein (LDL), high‐density lipoprotein (HDL) and triglycerides). Morphometric assessment (waist circumference, BMI and waist‐to‐hip ratio (WHR)) and systolic and diastolic arterial pressure were also measured.Results:  Markers of total body fat/fat distribution (waist circumference, BMI and WHR), inflammation (IL‐6, CRP and TNF‐α R2), metabolism (fasting insulin, HDL, LDL and triglycerides) and BP (systolic and diastolic) correlated with FMD. Among these measurements, WHR was the only independent predictor of FMD (r2 = 0.30; p = 0.0001).Conclusions:  WHR is an important marker of endothelial dysfunction in healthy people across a wide range of body fatness.
Phenotypic variations between a fat‐preferring strain and a macronutrient non‐preferring strain of mouse
Authors: South T. , Huang X.‐F. 
Published: March 2006

Aim: This study aims to establish a model that will allow the comparison of the phenotypic variations between a fat‐preferring strain and a macronutrient non‐preferring strain of mouse.Methods: Five strains (AKR, A/J, ARC, C57Bl/6 and BALB/c) were fed a two‐choice diet (high‐fat/low‐carbohydrate and low‐fat/high‐carbohydrate) for 30 days. Following completion of the 30‐day feeding period, the brains of the fat‐preferring and macronutrient non‐preferring mice were removed for the analysis of the expression of the genes – agouti‐related peptide (AgRP) and pro‐opiomelanocortin (POMC).Results: Upon completion of the experiment, it was found that the C57Bl/6 strain was the strongest fat preferrer consuming 72% of their calories from the high‐fat diet, whereas the BALB/c was found to have no macronutrient preference. Usingin situhybridization techniques, no significant differences in the expression of POMC were found between the two strains. It was, however, showed that the BALB/c mice had a 33.7% higher expression level of AgRP than the C57Bl/6 mice.Conclusions: The lower expression level of AgRP in the C57Bl/6 mice may be suggestive of a defensive response to their chronic preferential consumption of the high‐fat diet. However, the wide variety of neuroregulatory signals involved in macronutrient preference along with the possibility of the occurrence of post‐transcriptional effects suggests further biological analyses need to be performed using this model.
Energy expenditure, body composition and insulin response to glucose in male twins discordant for the Trp64Arg polymorphism of the β3‐adrenergic receptor gene
Authors: Højlund K. , Christiansen C. , Bjørnsbo K. S. , Poulsen P. , Bathum L. , Henriksen J. E. , Lammert O. , Beck‐Nielsen H. 
Published: March 2006

Aim:  The tryptophan to arginine change in position 64 (Trp64Arg) polymorphism of the β3‐adrenergic receptor (β3AR) gene has been associated with an increased prevalence of obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. In this, decreased rates of energy expenditure and impaired insulin secretion could play a role.Methods:  In 10 male twin pairs discordant for the Trp64Arg polymorphism, we examined insulin response to glucose by an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), a frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test (FSIGT), body composition by the bioimpedance method, dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry scanning and energy expenditure by indirect and direct calorimetry.Results:  Twins heterozygous for the Trp64Arg polymorphism showed significantly lower fat mass independent of the method used, and significantly lower fasting insulin and glucose concentrations compared with their homozygous wild‐type co‐twins. Correspondingly, insulin resistance and insulin secretion determined by homeostasis model assessment were significantly lower in twins carrying the Trp64Arg polymorphism. However, there were no significant differences in adiponectin levels, insulinogenic index assessed by OGTT, or insulin sensitivity, acute insulin response to glucose, glucose effectiveness or insulin disposition index assessed by minimal modelling of the FSIGT. Furthermore, there were no differences in sleeping, resting or post‐prandial energy expenditure.Conclusions:  In male twins with a high similarity in genetic and environmental background, the Trp64Arg polymorphism of the β3AR gene is associated with lower fat mass, fasting insulin levels and an appropriate insulin response to glucose. Thus, heterozygosity for the Trp64Arg variant is unlikely to increase the risk of obesity, insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes.
Insulin stimulates arterial neointima formation in normal rats after balloon injury
Authors: Foster E. , Zhang S. , Kahn A. M. 
Published: March 2006

Aim:  Insulin resistance in patients is associated with increased atherosclerosis and arterial restenosis. It is thought that the concomitant hyperinsulinaemia exacerbates vascular disease because resistance to insulin‐induced glucose disposal is associated with resistance to certain effects of insulin which inhibit, but with no resistance to other effects which promote, neointimal hyperplasia. We sought to determine the net effect of hyperinsulinaemia on neointimal hyperplasia in normal animals.Methods:  Rats were infused with or without insulin for 16 days and the carotid artery injured by balloon catheter on day 2.Results:  Steady‐state serum insulin concentrations were 0.56 ± 0.04 and 1.25 ± 0.05 nm for control and hyperinsulinaemic rats respectively (p < 0.01). Systolic blood pressures, weights and serum glucose levels were not affected by hyperinsulinaemia. Fourteen days after injury, the neointima‐to‐media area ratio was 0.72 ± 0.07 and 1.39 ± 0.15 for control and hyperinsulinaemic rats respectively (p < 0.05). Media area was unaffected by hyperinsulinaemia.Conclusions:  The effects of hyperinsulinaemia which promote neointimal hyperplasia after balloon injury of rat carotid artery predominate over the effects which inhibit it even in normal animals.
Proliferation and apoptosis of hippocampal granule cells require local oestrogen synthesis
Authors: Fester L. , Ribeiro‐Gouveia V. , Prange‐Kiel J. , Von Schassen C. , Böttner M. , Jarry H. , Rune G. M. 
Published: March 2006

AbstractOvarian oestrogens have been demonstrated to influence neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus. As considerable amounts of oestrogens are synthesized in hippocampal neurones, we focused on the role of hippocampus‐derived estradiol on proliferation and apoptosis of granule cells in vitro. We used hippocampal dispersion cultures, which allowed for cultivation of the cells under steroid‐ and serum‐free conditions and monitoring of oestrogen synthesis. To address the influence of hippocampus‐derived estradiol on neurogenesis, we inhibited oestrogen synthesis by treatment of hippocampal cell cultures with letrozole, a specific aromatase inhibitor. Alternatively, we used siRNA against steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR). The number of proliferative cells decreased whereas the number of apoptotic cells increased dose‐dependently, in response to reduced estradiol release into the medium after treatment with letrozole. This also held true for siRNA against StAR transfected cell cultures. Application of estradiol to the medium had no effect on proliferation and apoptosis whereas the anti‐proliferative and pro‐apoptotic effects of StAR knock‐down and letrozole treatment were restored by treatment of the cultures with estradiol. Our findings suggest that neurogenesis and apoptosis in the hippocampus require a defined range of estradiol concentrations that is physiologically provided by hippocampal cells but not by gonads.
Are Physician Reimbursement Strategies Associated with Processes of Care and Patient Satisfaction for Patients with Diabetes in Managed Care?
Authors: Ettner Susan L. , Thompson Theodore J. , Stevens Mark R. , Mangione Carol M. , Kim Catherine , Neil Steers W. , Goewey Jennifer , Brown Arleen F. , Chung Richard S. , Venkat Narayan K. M. ,   the TRIAD Study Group
Published: March 2006

Objective. To examine associations between physician reimbursement incentives and diabetes care processes and explore potential confounding with physician organizational model.Data Sources. Primary data collected during 2000–2001 in 10 managed care plans.Study Design. Multilevel logistic regressions were used to estimate associations between reimbursement incentives and process measures, including the receipt of dilated eye exams, foot exams, influenza immunizations, advice to take aspirin, and assessments of glycemic control, proteinuria, and lipid profile. Reimbursement measures included the proportions of compensation received from salary, capitation, fee‐for‐service (FFS), and performance‐based payment; the performance‐based payment criteria used; and interactions of these criteria with the strength of the performance‐based payment incentive.Data Collection. Patient, provider group, and health plan surveys and medical record reviews were conducted for 6,194 patients with diabetes.Principal Findings. Without controlling for physician organizational model, care processes were better when physician compensation was based primarily on direct salary rather than FFS reimbursement (four of seven processes were better, with relative risks ranging from 1.13 to 1.23) or capitation (six were better, with relative risks from 1.06 to 1.36); and when quality/satisfaction scores influenced physician compensation (three were better, with relative risks from 1.17 to 1.26). However, these associations were substantially confounded by organizational model.Conclusions. Physician reimbursement strategies are associated with diabetes care processes, although their independent contributions are difficult to assess, due to high correlation with physician organizational model. Regardless of causality, a group's use of quality/satisfaction scores to determine physician compensation may indicate delivery of high‐quality diabetes care.
Practice Characteristics Associated with Patient‐Specific Receipt of Dental Diagnostic Radiographs
Authors: Gilbert Gregg H. , Weems Richard A. , Litaker Mark S. , Shelton Brent J. 
Published: March 2006

Objective. To quantify the role of practice characteristics in patient‐specific receipt of dental diagnostic radiographic services.Data Source/Study Setting. Florida Dental Care Study (FDCS).Study Design. The FDCS was a 48‐month prospective observational cohort study of community‐dwelling adults. Participants' dentists were asked to complete a questionnaire about their practice characteristics.Data Collection/Extraction Methods. In‐person interviews and clinical examinations were conducted at baseline, 24, and 48 months, with 6‐monthly telephone interviews in between. A single multivariate (four radiographic service outcomes) multivariable (multiple explanatory covariates) logistic regression was used to model service receipts.Principal Findings. These practice characteristics were significantly associated with patient‐specific receipt of radiographic services: number of different practices attended during follow‐up; dentist's rating of how busy the practice was; typical waiting time for a new patient examination; practice size; percentage of patients that the dentist reported as interested in details about the condition of their mouths; percentage of African American patients in the practice; percentage of patients in the practice who do not have dental insurance; and dentist's agreement with a statement regarding whether patients should be dismissed from the practice. Effects had differential magnitudes and directions of effect, depending upon radiograph type.Conclusions. Practice characteristics were significantly associated with patient‐specific receipt of services. These effects were independent of patient‐specific disease level and patient‐specific sociodemographic characteristics, suggesting that practitioners do influence receipt of these diagnostic services. These findings are consistent with the conclusion that practitioners act in response to a mix of patients' interests, economic self‐interests, and their own treatment preferences.
Familial Pseudo‐Wolff‐Parkinson‐White Syndrome
Authors: STERNICK EDUARDO BACK , OLIVA ANTONIO , MAGALHÃES LUIZ P. , GERKEN LUIZ M. , HONG KUI , SANTANA OTO , BRUGADA PEDRO , BRUGADA JOSEP , BRUGADA RAMON 
Published: March 2006

Introduction: PRKAG2 plays a role in regulating metabolic pathways, and mutations in this gene are associated with familial ventricular preexcitation, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and atrioventricular conduction disturbances. Clinico‐pathologic and experimental data suggest the hypothesis of a glycogen storage disease. Objective: To report a unique pattern of clinical features observed in individuals with a mutant PRKAG2 from two unrelated families. Methods and Results: We studied two large families and found a total of 20 affected individuals showing a combination of sinus bradycardia, short PR interval, RBBB, intra and infrahisian conduction disturbances often requiring a pacemaker, and atrial tachyarrhythmias. Three individuals died suddenly at a young age. No patient had the Wolff‐Parkinson‐White (WPW) syndrome, and only two patients (10%) had myocardial hypertrophy. We performed screening of the exons and exon‐intron boundaries of PRKAG2. Genetic analysis revealed a missense mutation (Arg302Gln) in the affected individuals from both families. This mutation had been described before and has been associated with the familial form of the WPW syndrome and with a high prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy. Conclusion: PRKAG2 mutations are responsible for a diverse phenotype and not only the familial form of the WPW syndrome. Familial occurrence of right bundle branch block, sinus bradycardia, and short PR interval should raise suspicion of a mutant PRKAG2 gene.
Technological and policy options for sustainable agricultural intensification in eastern Uganda
Authors: Woelcke Johannes 
Published: March 2006

AbstractThis article presents a bio‐economic household model, which has been developed to assess the potential impacts of agricultural intensification efforts on economic and ecological indicators in eastern Uganda. A study region in the Lake Victoria Crescent was selected with comparative advantages for intensive agricultural production: high agricultural potential, high market access, and high population density. However, current production is characterized by low input–output systems revealing a discrepancy between development opportunities and actual development outcomes. Based on a farmer participatory research approach, production methods were introduced in the study region aimed at fostering sustainable agricultural development. Data from two community surveys, two comprehensive household and plot level surveys, and farm‐trial data were used to develop and calibrate bio‐economic models for four representative household types. Model scenarios reveal that farm households in eastern Uganda would not pursue sustainable intensification under current socio‐economic conditions. The market environment has to be improved substantially, i.e., transaction and transportation costs have to be reduced, innovative credit schemes for smallholders have to be introduced, and alternative forms of labor acquisition have to be promoted, to provide sufficient economic incentives for the adoption of environmentally sound production methods. In addition, agricultural service provision needs to be reformed and more agricultural research is needed for new and better‐targeted technologies.
Policies for sustainable development in the hillside areas of Honduras: a quantitative livelihoods approach
Authors: Jansen Hans G. P. , Pender John , Damon Amy , Wielemaker Willem , Schipper Rob 
Published: March 2006

AbstractIn this article, we use data for 376 households, 1,066 parcels, and 2,143 plots located in 95 villages in the hillside areas in Honduras to generate information needed by decision makers to assess the needs and opportunities for public investments, and design policies that stimulate natural resource conservation. We develop a quantitative livelihood approach, using factor and cluster analysis to group households based on the use of their main assets. This resulted in seven household categories that pursue similar livelihood strategies. We use a multinomial logit model to show that livelihood strategies are determined by comparative advantages as reflected by a combination of biophysical and socioeconomic variables. While 92% of the rural hillsides population in Honduras lives on US$1.00/capita/day or less, households that follow a livelihood strategy based on basic grain farming are the poorest because they often live in isolated areas with relatively poor agro‐ecological and socioeconomic conditions. Opportunities for off‐farm work tend to be limited in these areas and household strategies that combine on‐farm work with off‐farm work earn higher incomes. Per capita incomes can be increased by improving road infrastructure, widening access to land, policies that reduce household size and dependency ratios, and adoption of sustainable land management technologies that restore soil fertility. We used probit models to show that the latter can be promoted by agricultural extension programs and land redistribution. Investments in physical assets should be directed toward households that pursue livelihood strategies based on off‐farm employment or coffee production, while agricultural training programs are best focused on livestock producers.
Tenure security, resource poverty, public programs, and household plot‐level conservation investments in the highlands of northern Ethiopia
Authors: Hagos Fitsum , Holden Stein 
Published: March 2006

AbstractLand degradation poses a serious problem for the livelihoods of rural producers. Furthermore, there is rarely enough private investment taking place to commensurate the scale of the problem. This article examines the role of tenure insecurity, resource poverty, risk and time preferences, and community‐led land conservation on differentiated patterns of household investment in land conservation in northern Ethiopia. We control for biophysical, household characteristics, market access conditions, and village level factors. Investments in soil bunds and stone terraces are specifically studied so as to capture the link between these various factors and the durability of conservation investments. We introduce the distinction between the determinants of the decision to invest and how much to invest in conservation. Regression results show that publicly led conservation programs seem to significantly stimulate private investment. A host of plot‐level variables and household perceptions of returns on conservation investments, expressed in terms of perceived improvements in land quality and increased crop yields, were found to be critical to the decision to invest and intensify soil conservation. The evidence on the significance of households' attitudes toward risk aversion suggests the important role of risk and the household's risk‐bearing capacity in the decision to intensify conservation measures. At the same time, tenure security indicators and households' resource endowments (resource poverty) had weaker effects in increasing willingness to invest and the level of investment made. The policy implications of these results point to the importance of agricultural research and extension efforts that target technologies which reduce household risk and poverty while enabling sustainable investments in conservation measures by individual households.
Sustainable agricultural intensification in forest frontier areas
Authors: Maertens Miet , Zeller Manfred , Birner Regina 
Published: March 2006

AbstractThe Lore Lindu region in Indonesia—as in many forest frontier areas in Southeast Asia—has experienced rapid deforestation due to agricultural expansion in the uplands, at the forest margins. This has resulted in aggravated problems of erosion and water availability, threatening agricultural productivity growth. At the same time, technical progress is promoting agricultural intensification in the lowlands. In this article, we examine how improved technologies for paddy rice cultivation in the lowlands have affected agricultural expansion and deforestation in the uplands. The question of a “forest‐saving” or “forest‐clearing” effect related to technical innovation is important from a sustainable development perspective and remains a controversial issue in the literature. We address this question for the Lore Lindu region with an empirical model in which expansion in the lowlands and the uplands is estimated simultaneously. We use data from an extensive village survey conducted in the region, combined with GIS data. To guide the empirical analysis, we develop a theoretical framework based on a Chayanov‐type agricultural household model. The model analyzes farmers' land allocation decisions, taking into account the lowland–upland dichotomy in the agricultural sector. The empirical findings, corroborated by the analytically derived results, show how technical progress for lowland production affects land use at the forest margins and how these effects depend on the factor‐intensity of the technology. The findings imply specific rural development policies for sustainable agricultural intensification in forest frontier areas.
Learning priorities and attitudes towards computer‐assisted learning of general medical practitioners, general dental practitioners and dental hygienists
Authors: Al‐Wahadni A , Elnasser Z , Azab M , Owais AI 
Published: March 2006

Abstract: Objectives: The objectives of this survey were to assess the attitudes and learning priorities of general medical practitioners (GMPs), general dental practitioners (GDPs), and dental hygienists (DHs) working at Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST), Irbid, Jordan in relation to post‐graduate education, to gather information on their attitudes and skills in using computers and computer‐assisted learning (CAL) and to see whether the material in this form is acceptable to participate as a means of teaching. Methods: Data for this study was gathered via a questionnaire distributed to 63 health professionals including GMPs, general dental practitioners and DHs (mean age 24.79 ± 2.69 years) working at JUST. Results: Of the 63 participants, 80% of the participants have home computers, 38% have office computers at work and only 25% have both home and office computers. Approximately 53% of the participants had their first CAL experience at home. Seventy‐three of the participants indicated that connection to Internet is necessary for their work. Seventy‐one of the participants were interested in the possibility of using CAL to further improve and increase their medical knowledge. The most important topic for doctors was ‘learning about new techniques which may supersede those in current use’, for DHs it was ‘improve knowledge or skill in radiology’, and for dentists it was ‘reinforcement of well established techniques commonly used in dental practice’. Conclusions: It is necessary for practicing health care professionals to update themselves by taking continuous education courses after graduation more conveniently via CAL methods.