bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Mesencephalic human neural progenitor cells transplanted into the neonatal hemiparkinsonian rat striatum differentiate into neurons and improve motor behaviour
Authors: Hovakimyan Marine , Haas Stefan Jean‐Pierre , Schmitt Oliver , Gerber Bernd , Wree Andreas , Andressen Christian 
Published: November 2006

AbstractNeural stem cell transplantation is a promising strategy for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. To evaluate the differentiation potential of human neural progenitor cells (hNPCs) as a prerequisite for clinical trials, we intracerebrally transplanted in vitro expanded fetal mesencephalic hNPCs into hemiparkinsonian rats. On postnatal day one (P1), 17 animals underwent a unilateral intraventricular 6‐hydroxydopamine injection into the right lateral ventricle. At P3, animals (n = 10) received about 100 000 hNPCs (1 µL) in the right striatum. Five weeks after birth, animals underwent behaviour tests prior to fixation, followed by immunohistochemistry on brain slices for human nuclei, glial fibrillary acidic protein, S100β, neuronal nuclei antigen, neuron‐specific enolase and tyrosine hydroxylase. Compared with the apomorphine‐induced rotations in the lesioned‐only group (7.4 ± 0.5 min−1), lesioned and successfully transplanted animals (0.3 ± 0.1 min−1) showed a significant therapeutic improvement. Additionally, in the cylinder test, the lesioned‐only animals preferred to use the ipsilateral forepaw. Conversely, the lesioned and transplanted animals showed no significant side bias similar to untreated control animals. Transplanted human nuclei‐immunoreactive cells were found to survive and migrate up to 2000 µm into the host parenchyma, many containing the pan‐neuronal markers neuronal nuclei antigen and neuron‐specific enolase. In the striatum, tyrosine hydroxylase‐immunoreactive somata were also found, indicating a dopaminergic differentiation capacity of transplanted hNPCs in vivo. However, the relative number of tyrosine hydroxylase‐immunoreactive neurons in vivo seemed to be lower than in corresponding in vitro differentiation. To minimize donor tissue necessary for transplantation, further investigations will aim to enhance dopaminergic differentiation of transplanted cells in vivo.
A Multifaceted Intervention to Implement Guidelines Improved Treatment of Nursing Home–Acquired Pneumonia in a State Veterans Home
Authors: Hutt Evelyn , Ruscin J. Mark , Corbett Kitty , Radcliff Tiffany A. , Kramer Andrew M. , Williams Elizabeth M. , Liebrecht Debra , Klenke William , Hartmann Sheryl 
Published: November 2006

OBJECTIVES: To assess the feasibility of a multifaceted strategy to translate evidence‐based guidelines for treating nursing home–acquired pneumonia (NHAP) into practice using a small intervention trial.DESIGN: Pre‐posttest with untreated control group.SETTING: Two Colorado State Veterans Homes (SVHs) during two influenza seasons.PARTICIPANTS: Eighty‐six residents with two or more signs of lower respiratory tract infection.INTERVENTION: Multifaceted, including a formative phase to modify the intervention, institutional‐level change emphasizing immunization, and availability of appropriate antibiotics; interactive educational sessions for nurses; and academic detailing.MEASUREMENTS: Subjects' SVH medical records were reviewed for guideline compliance retrospectively for the influenza season before the intervention and prospectively during the intervention. Bivariate comparisons‐of‐care processes between the intervention and control facility before and after the intervention were made using the Fischer exact test.RESULTS: At the intervention facility, compliance with five of the guidelines improved: influenza vaccination, timely physician response to illness onset, x‐ray for patients not being hospitalized, use of appropriate antibiotics, and timely antibiotic initiation for unstable patients. Chest x‐ray and appropriate and timely antibiotics were significantly better at the intervention than at the control facility during the intervention year but not during the control year.CONCLUSION: Multifaceted, evidence‐based, NHAP guideline implementation improved care processes in a SVH. Guideline implementation should be studied in a national sample of nursing homes to determine whether it improves quality of life and functional outcomes of this debilitating illness for long‐term care residents.
Association Between Hormones and Metabolic Syndrome in Older Italian Men
Authors: Maggio Marcello , Lauretani Fulvio , Ceda Gian Paolo , Bandinelli Stefania , Basaria Shehzad , Ble Alessandro , Egan Josephine , Paolisso Giuseppe , Najjar Samer , Jeffrey Metter E. , Valenti Giorgio , Guralnik Jack M. , Ferrucci Luigi 
Published: November 2006

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether low levels of testosterone, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), insulin‐like growth factor‐1 (IGF‐1), and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and high levels of cortisol and leptin would be associated with metabolic syndrome (MS).DESIGN: Cross‐sectional.SETTING: Population‐based sample of older Italian men.PARTICIPANTS: Four hundred fifty‐two men aged 65 and older enrolled in the Invecchiare in Chianti (InCHIANTI) study.MEASUREMENTS: Complete data on testosterone, cortisol, DHEAS, SHBG, fasting insulin, IGF‐1 and leptin. MS was defined according to Adult Treatment Panel III criteria.RESULTS: MS was present in 73 men (15.8% of the sample). After adjusting for confounders, total testosterone (P<.05) and log (SHBG) (P<.001) were inversely associated, whereas log (leptin) was positively associated with MS (P<.001). Independent of age, log (SHBG) was positively associated with high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (P<.05) and negatively associated with abdominal obesity (P<.001) and triglycerides (P<.001). Log (leptin) was significantly associated with each component of MS. Cortisol, DHEAS, free and bioavailable testosterone, and IGF‐1 were not associated with MS. Having three or more hormones in the lower (for hormones lower in MS) or the upper (for hormones higher in MS) quartile was associated with three times the risk of being affected by MS (odds ratio=2.8, 95% confidence interval=1.3–6.9) (P=.005), compared with not having this condition.CONCLUSION: Total testosterone and SHBG are negatively and leptin is positively associated with MS in older men. Whether specific patterns of hormonal dysregulation predict the development of MS should be tested in longitudinal studies.
Are GAF scores reliable in routine clinical use?
Authors: Vatnaland T. , Vatnaland J. , Friis S. , Opjordsmoen S. 
Published: November 2006

Objective:  The Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale has been considered as a reliable tool. However, most studies of GAF reliability have been based on special conditions, such as prior training and test awareness. This study takes a different approach investigating inter‐rater reliability of GAF scores in a routine clinical context.Method:  Eighty‐two consecutively admitted acute psychiatric patients were rated according to routine department procedures and by two researchers at admission and discharge. Intraclass correlations (ICC) were computed using two‐way mixed models.Results:  Inter‐rater reliability between routine scores and research scores were low (ICC coefficients between r = 0.39 and 0.59). Inter‐rater reliability between the two researchers were excellent (ICC coefficients r = 0.81 and 0.85).Conclusion:  Inter‐rater reliability of GAF scores in a routine clinical context seems to be insufficient.
Low episodic memory performance as a premorbid marker of depression: evidence from a 3‐year follow‐up
Authors: Airaksinen E. , Wahlin Å. , Forsell Y. , Larsson M. 
Published: November 2006

Objective:  To examine low episodic memory scores as a potential risk factor for depression.Method:  A population‐based sample of non‐depressed individuals (20–64 years) were re‐examined 3 years after an initial screening (n = 708). At baseline, information on episodic memory scores, demographic and socioeconomic factors, alcohol use and anxiety diagnoses was collected. The data for depression diagnoses were collected at both baseline and follow‐up.Results:  Logistic regressions, conducted on three separate study groups that were defined according to three assessments of episodic memory (i.e. free + cued recall, free recall, cued recall) among individuals who scored in the 25 lowest or highest percentiles in the memory tests, revealed that low episodic memory performance defined as the sum of free and cued recalls of organizable words constitutes a risk of depression diagnosis 3 years later.Conclusion:  Low episodic memory performance predated depressive diagnosis and might be considered as a premorbid marker of depression.
Heterogeneity in the collagen‐degrading ability of Porphyromonas gingivalis‐stimulated human gingival fibroblasts
Authors: Zhou J. , Windsor L. J. 
Published: November 2006

Background and Objective:  The purpose of this study was to characterize the heterogeneity of the collagen‐degrading ability of different human gingival fibroblast cell lines treated with Porphyromonas gingivalis supernatant.Material and Methods:  Seven human gingival fibroblast cell lines were analyzed for their ability to cleave Type I collagen in the presence and absence of culture supernatant from P. gingivalis ATCC 33277 (10% v/v). The matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitors of MMPs (TIMPs) produced by these human gingival fibroblasts were monitored at the protein level by zymography and/or western blot analyses, as well as at the mRNA level by reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction.Results:  The collagen‐degrading ability of the human gingival fibroblasts increased in four cell lines (aggressive) and was only slightly altered in the other three cell lines (nonaggressive) in the presence of P. gingivalis supernatant. MMP‐1, MMP‐2, and MMP‐3 more readily underwent activation while the TIMP‐1 level was decreased in the conditioned media from a P. gingivalis‐treated human gingival fibroblast aggressive cell line. None of these was altered in a nonaggressive cell line. The mRNA levels of the MMPs and TIMPs were only slightly different between these two cell lines.Conclusion:  Heterogeneity exists in human gingival fibroblasts in regard to their collagenolytic activity in the presence of P. gingivalis.
Clinically Relevant Issues Related to Preheating Composites
Authors: Daronch Márcia , Rueggeberg Frederick A. , Moss Linda , De Goes Mario Fernando 
Published: November 2006

ABSTRACTStatement of the Problem:  Issues regarding the use of composite preheating need to be investigated so that the clinician will better understand the variables associated with this method.Purpose:  To examine the multiple aspects of use of a commercial composite preheating device (Calset, AdDent Inc., Danbury, CT, USA).Materials and Methods:  Temperature values of three heating units and composite compules were obtained using a K‐type thermocouple and were recorded digitally in real time. The following parameters were measured: maximum heater and composite temperature and its stability upon storage, composite temperature change when removed from the heater and injected, the effect of delivery system on ejected composite temperature, and the effect of repeated and extended preheating on composite monomer conversion (using infrared spectroscopy). Monomer conversion was measured after repeated composite cycling (from room temperature [RT] to 60°C, 10×) or extended preheating (24 hours at 60°C), and values were compared with composite maintained at RT (control group). Among test parameters, data (N=5 for each parameter) were analyzed using Student’s t‐test, analysis of variance, and the Tukey–Kramer post‐hoc test where appropriate (alpha=0.05).Results/Conclusions:  Two of the three tested units achieved the stated preset temperatures. Composite attained temperature values close to the heating unit. Composite temperature drop upon removal from the heater was dramatic: within 2 minutes a 50% temperature drop was noted. Heating the compule while preloaded in the syringe provided higher delivery temperatures than heating the compule separately (p < 0.00). Optimum results were achieved when preheated composite was dispensed and used as quickly as possible. Neither repeated nor extended preheating of composite significantly affected monomer conversion.CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCEPreheating composite has potential benefits, but should be used with knowledge of its limitations. Reheating of unused composite does not affect its degree of conversion, thus decreasing material waste. Heating of the composite preloaded in the delivery syringe enhances the temperature of extruded composite.
Englishness and the Victorians
Authors: Ebbatson Roger 
Published: November 2006

AbstractThe Victorian era witnessed an intensification and deepening of the debate surrounding an English national identity, a debate staged and refracted in the literature of the period. Whilst England was often visualised or conceived as an amalgam of other racial groupings, both the new vogue for topographical description and classification and the political and administrative reorganisation of the age lent weight and urgency to the sense of national identity. It was largely during the 1980s, a decade marked in Britain by polarisation and a renewed rhetoric of ‘patriotism’, that these Victorian preoccupations came under renewed scrutiny in a series of studies primarily motivated by the left‐liberal cultural studies instigated by Raymond Williams. Much work was done at this time, for instance, to identify the ‘discovery’ of a semi‐mythicised South Country embodied in the prose of George Borrow, Richard Jefferies or Thomas Hardy, whilst John Clare and Alfred Tennyson often served as paradigmatic poets in the reading of landscape as part of history and national formation. More recently, this focus has shifted to reflect a more theorised, post‐colonial sense of the Victorians and their sense of an ever‐shifting definition of literary England.
The management of potato cyst nematodes using resistant Solanaceae potato clones as trap crops
Authors: Turner S.J. , Martin T.J.G. , McAleavey P.B.W. , Fleming C.C. 
Published: November 2006

AbstractThe concept of using a range of Solanaceae potato clones as trap crops for potato cyst nematode (PCN) management was investigated. A series of field trials were undertaken from 1999 to 2002 that evaluated 10 clones of either wild Solanum potato species, breeder’s hybrid lines or commercial cultivars. All had high resistance to all known PCN pathotypes (both Globodera rostochiensis and Globodera pallida) and the ability to stimulate high levels of PCN hatch. Investigations showed potential for the development of some clones as a means of reducing high PCN field population levels and for use by organic potato producers.
Tuber induction and initiation during production and early field growth of transplants from in vitro‐derived potato plants
Authors: Lommen W.J.M. , Struik P.C. 
Published: November 2006

AbstractIn transplants from in vitro‐derived plantlets from very early potato (Solanum tuberosum) cultivars, a lower degree of tuber induction at the time of field planting is thought to increase tuber production. Leaf‐bud cuttings were used to assess the progress to tuber induction in in vitro‐derived potato plantlets during the transplant production phase and after subsequent transplanting into the field. Induction and initiation of tubers on the same plants were assessed to study the effects of the duration of transplant production and conditions during transplant production for cv. Gloria (very early) and cv. Bintje (mid‐early). In vitro‐produced plantlets were not induced by the time of planting but rapidly progressed to the induced state thereafter. The progress in induction with time and the change in percentage of plants showing tubers fitted typical sigmoid curves. Plantlets achieved 50% induction ca 15 days after planting into in vivo conditions, and 50% tuber initiation usually occurred 10 days later. Shorter transplant production periods reduced the degree of induction of the transplants at field planting. Transplant production for more than 2 weeks was required to allow conditions during that period to affect induction or initiation. Long‐term non‐inducing conditions delayed the progress to tuber induction in cv. Gloria and delayed tuber initiation in both cultivars. Cv. Gloria showed no faster progress to induction than cv. Bintje but initiated tubers earlier. The results suggest that the relation between progress to induction and tuber initiation is cultivar dependent and that leaf‐bud cuttings can be used successfully in very young in vitro‐derived plants for assessing the progress to tuber induction.
Consumers' Food Choices with Voluntary Access to Genetic Modification Information
Authors: Hu Wuyang , Veeman Michele , Adamowicz Wiktor , Gao Ge 
Published: November 2006

The effects on product choices of voluntarily accessed information are examined in the context of an experimental survey relating to genetically modified food. The data and analysis in this study avoid the assumption that information made available or given to consumers is equivalent to information processed by consumers. Instead we focus on information access behavior. Three different approaches to model this behavior are applied in a Bayesian estimation framework, including conditional logit (CL) models based on the full sample, ex post analysis of individual parameters from mixed logit models, and CL models within the different information scenarios. All three approaches give consistent results. However, the assumption of voluntary information access generates different results than assuming that all information is processed. The results of the analysis show that different types of information do have impacts on consumers' product choices. The nature of these effects appears to be influenced by voluntary access to information. Les répercussions de l'accès volontaire à l'information sur les choix de produits ont été examinées dans le cadre d'un sondage expérimental sur les aliments génétiquement modifiés. Dans la présente étude, l'hypothèse voulant que l'information offerte ou transmise aux consommateurs soit équivalente à l'information que les consommateurs trouvent d'eux‐mêmes a étéécartée. Nous avons plutôt mis l'accent sur le comportement face à l'accès à l'information. Pour modéliser ce comportement, trois méthodes différentes ont été appliquées dans une structure d'estimation bayésienne, à savoir des modèles logit conditionnels fondés sur l'échantillon complet, une analyse ex post des paramètres individuels tirés de modèles logit mixtes et des modèles logit conditionnels parmi les divers scénarios d'information. Les trois méthodes ont donné des résultats concordants. Toutefois, l'hypothèse de l'accès volontaire à l'information a généré des résultats qui différaient de ceux de l'hypothèse voulant que toute l'information soit traitée. Les résultats de l'analyse ont montré que différents types d'information ont des répercussions sur les choix de produits des consommateurs. La nature de ces répercussions semble être influencée par l'accès volontaire à l'information.
A Censored Quantile Regression Analysis of Vegetable Demand: The Effects of Changes in Prices and Total Expenditure
Authors: Gustavsen Geir Wæhler , Rickertsen Kyrre 
Published: November 2006

Many diseases are linked to dietary behavior. One major diet‐related risk factor is a low consumption of vegetables. The consumption may be increased through public policies. The effects on vegetable purchases of either removing the value added tax on vegetables or a general income support are investigated. Adverse health effects are most serious in households consuming low quantities of vegetables. Therefore, the effects on high‐ and low‐consuming households are estimated by using quantile regressions (QRs). Since many households did not purchase any vegetable during each survey period, censored as well as ordinary QRs are used. Our results suggest that the effects of the policy variables differ in different parts of the conditional distribution of vegetable purchases. None of the proposed policy options is likely to substantially increase vegetable purchases among low‐consuming households. Bon nombre de maladies découlent des habitudes alimentaires. La faible consommation de légumes constitue un important facteur de risque liéà l'alimentation. Cette consommation pourrait être accrue par l'instauration de politiques gouvernementales. Nous avons examiné les effets de l'abolition de la taxe sur la valeur ajoutée ou d'un soutien du revenu sur les achats de légumes. Les effets néfastes sur la santé sont plus graves chez les ménages qui consomment de faibles quantités de légumes. Nous avons donc estimé les effets chez les ménages à forte et à faible consommation de légumes à l'aide de régressions par quantile. Comme de nombreux ménages n'ont pas acheté de légumes au cours des périodes sondées, nous avons utilisé des régressions par quantile censurées et des régressions par quantile ordinaires. Nos résultats ont indiqué que les effets des variables concernant les politiques diffèrent dans différentes parties de la distribution conditionnelle des achats de légumes. Aucune des options politiques proposées ne semble susceptible d'accroître substantiellement les achats de légumes chez les ménages qui en consomment peu.
SHORTEST PATH AMIDST DISC OBSTACLES IS COMPUTABLE
Authors: CHANG EE-CHIEN , CHOI SUNG WOO , KWON DO YONG , PARK HYUNGJU , YAP CHEE K. 
Published: November 2006

An open question in Exact Geometric Computation is whether there are transcendental computations that can be made "geometrically exact". Perhaps the simplest such problem in computational geometry is that of computing the shortest obstacle-avoiding path between two points p,q in the plane, where the obstacles are a collection of n discs. This problem can be solved in O(n2 log n) time in the Real RAM model, but nothing was known about its computability in the standard (Turing) model of computation. We first give a direct proof of the Turing-computability of this problem, provided the radii of the discs are rationally related. We make the usual assumption that the numerical input data are real algebraic numbers. By appealing to effective bounds from transcendental number theory, we further show a single-exponential time upper bound when the input numbers are rational. Our result appears to be the first example of a non-algebraic combinatorial problem which is shown computable. It is also a rare example of transcendental number theory yielding positive computational results.