bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Amplification of low quantity bacterial RNA for microarray studies: time‐course analysis ofLeptospirillum ferrooxidansunder nitrogen‐fixing conditions†
Authors: Moreno‐Paz Mercedes , Parro Víctor 
Published: February 2006

SummaryWe have developed a method for the amplification of low quantity total bacterial RNA for DNA microarrays analysis. Current methods are based on the linear amplification by thein vitrotranscription from the T7 promoter, similar to that used for eukaryotic mRNA amplification. For the incorporation of T7 promoter, the prokaryotic RNA must be enzymatically modified for the incorporation of a polyA tail at the 3′ end to emulate the eukaryotic mRNA. The method we describe and validate herein avoids this step by the direct and random incorporation of the T7 promoter. From 500 ng of total bacterial RNA, we obtained 130–150 µg of antisense RNA, such products being good substrate for fluorescent labelling and DNA microarray analysis. The method was validated with bacterial samples from which it is very difficult to obtain sufficient amounts and quality of total RNA for global gene expression analysis. This is critical for low cell density growing microorganisms, environmental samples, or many extremophiles where the composition of the cultural media severely affects the RNA yield, like in the case of the acidophile and iron oxidizer Gram‐negative bacteriumLeptospirillum ferrooxidans. We further validated our amplification method in parallel experiments with non‐amplified RNA by following the expression of theL. ferrooxidans nifregulon along the time‐course of growth.
Improved glycaemic control with insulin glargine plus insulin lispro: a multicentre, randomized, cross‐over trial in people with Type 1 diabetes
Authors: Ashwell S. G. , Amiel S. A. , Bilous R. W. , Dashora U. , Heller S. R. , Hepburn D. A. , Shutler S. D. , Stephens J. W. , Home P. D. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractAims  To compare blood glucose control using insulin glargine + insulin lispro with that on NPH insulin + unmodified human insulin in adults with Type 1 diabetes managed with a multiple injection regimen.Methods  In this 32‐week, five‐centre, two‐way cross‐over study, people with Type 1 diabetes (n = 56, baseline HbA1c 8.0 ± 0.8%) were randomized to evening insulin glargine + mealtime insulin lispro or to NPH insulin (once‐ or twice‐daily) + mealtime unmodified human insulin. Each 16‐week period concluded with a 24‐h inpatient plasma glucose profile.Results  HbA1c was lower with glargine + lispro than with NPH + human insulin [7.5 vs. 8.0%, difference −0.5 (95% CI −0.7, −0.3) %, P < 0.001]. This was confirmed by an 8% lower 24‐h plasma glucose area under the curve (AUC) (187 vs. 203 mmol l−1 h−1, P = 0.037), a 24% reduction in plasma glucose AUC > 7.0 mmol/l1 (47 vs. 62 mmol l−1 h−1, P = 0.017) and a 15% lower post‐prandial plasma glucose AUC (75 vs. 88 mmol l−1 h−1, P = 0.002). There was no reduction in night‐time plasma glucose AUC or increase in plasma glucose area < 3.5 mmol/l. Monthly rate of nocturnal hypoglycaemia was reduced by 44% with glargine + lispro (0.66 vs. 1.18 episodes/month, P < 0.001).Conclusions  Compared with NPH insulin + unmodified human insulin, the combination of insulin glargine with a rapid‐acting insulin analogue as multiple‐injection therapy for Type 1 diabetes improves overall glycaemic control as assessed by HbA1c and 24‐h plasma glucose monitoring to a clinically significant degree, together with a reduction in nocturnal hypoglycaemia.
Is neighbourhood deprivation a risk factor for gestational diabetes mellitus?
Authors: Janghorbani M. , Stenhouse E. A. , Jones R. B. , Millward B. A. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractAims  To assess the relationship between neighbourhood deprivation and the rate of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) using routinely collected data from a clinical information system, in Plymouth, UK.Methods  Between 1 January 1996 and 31 December 1997, 3933 women residing within the Plymouth Primary Care Trust (PCT) were screened for GDM using indices of neighbourhood deprivation and prevalence of GDM. Areas (n = 43) were classified according to the Townsend index, measuring material deprivation. Pregnant women with and without GDM were compared.Results  The prevalence of GDM was 1.7%[95%, confidence interval (CI) 1.20, 2.11]. The prevalence of GDM ranged from 1.05% (95% CI 0.60, 1.70) in the most deprived to 2.10% (95%, CI 1.34, 3.13), in the least deprived neighbourhood. Crude rates decreased by 50%[relative prevalence (RP) (95% CI) 0.50 (0.27, 0.94); P = 0.06] amongst those living in the most‐deprived compared with those living in the least‐deprived areas. Using a stepwise binary logistic regression model, older age at delivery significantly increased the risk of developing GDM. [RP (95%, CI) 1.09, (1.04, 1.13)]. Townsend deprivation score had no significant independent association with GDM when other covariates were considered.Conclusion  These data suggest that the neighbourhood context in which women live has no impact on the risk of GDM.
Association of IL‐18 promoter polymorphisms with predisposition to Type 1 diabetes
Authors: Mojtahedi Z. , Naeimi S. , Farjadian S. , Omrani G. R. , Ghaderi A. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractAims  IL‐18, a potent IFN‐γ‐inducing cytokine, is capable of polarizing the immune response to a Th1 phenotype. Recent studies have demonstrated an association between single‐nucleotide polymorphisms located at positions −607 (A/C) and −137 (C/G) in the promoter region of IL‐18 gene and Type 1 diabetes. The aim of the present study was to determine whether the same polymorphisms of the gene were associated with Type 1 diabetes in Iranians.Methods  In 112 patients with Type 1 diabetes and 194 non‐diabetic control subjects, these two single‐nucleotide polymorphisms were analysed by sequence‐specific PCR.Results  Allele and genotype frequencies of the IL‐18 gene polymorphisms were similar in the whole group of Type 1 diabetic patients and controls. However, categorizing patients according to age at onset of diabetes revealed a significant difference in distribution of the genotypes at position −137 between patients with older age at onset (> 15 years) (GG 49%, GC 34%, CC 17%) and control subjects (GG 57.7%, GC 36.6%, CC 5.7%) (P = 0.027). Frequency of the C allele at position −137 was significantly higher in these patients than in controls (P = 0.038). Moreover, there was an association between −607AA/−137CC genotype combination and susceptibility to Type 1 diabetes in this subgroup of patients (pc = 0.027).Conclusions  The results of this study show that polymorphisms of IL‐18 promoter confer susceptibility to Type 1 diabetes in Iranian individuals with onset at older ages. Further investigations are necessary to clarify the effect of IL‐18 variants on immune regulation.
Research into the glomerular podocyte—is it relevant to diabetic nephropathy?
Authors: White K. E. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractThe cause of proteinuria in renal disease is the subject of intensive research and, latterly, the podocyte, a specialized epithelial cell of the kidney glomerulus, has been the focus of much of this endeavour. It is a complex cell with functions and structural features that have an important role in the development of proteinuria. This review explores some of the characteristics of the podocyte and how abnormalities of its structure and function may have particular relevance to the development and progression of clinical diabetic nephropathy.
Improving self‐management in insulin‐treated adults participating in diabetes education. The role of overprotection by the partner
Authors: Hagedoorn M. , Keers J. C. , Links T. P. , Bouma J. , Ter Maaten J. C. , Sanderman R. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractAims  To examine the role of overprotection by the partner—i.e. excessive protection, unnecessary help, excessive praise for accomplishments, or attempts to restrict activities as a consequence of underestimating the patient's capabilities—in changes in patient self‐management in the context of diabetes education.Methods  Sixty‐seven insulin‐treated patients with a partner completed questionnaires on admission to a Multidisciplinary Intensive Education Programme (MIEP) and 3 months after completing the core module of MIEP. Factors assessed were overprotection by their partner and three aspects of diabetes self‐management, namely internal locus of control, diabetes‐related distress and HbA1c. Regression analyses were used to test the independent associations of patient sex, baseline overprotection and the interaction between sex and overprotection with diabetes self‐management at the follow‐up stage, controlling for the baseline value of the dependent variable.Results  The increase in internal locus of control and decrease in HbA1c were both significantly less for female patients who perceived their partner to be rather overprotective than for female patients who did not perceive their partner to be overprotective. The more patients, both male and female, perceived their partner to be overprotective, the less their diabetes‐related distress decreased.Conclusions  Overprotection by the partner showed a negative association with improvement in diabetes self‐management, especially for female patients. Thus, an intervention programme with the aim of reducing overprotection by the partner, or the perception of this, may enhance self‐management in patients participating in diabetes education.
Increased prevalence of cardiovascular disease in Type 2 diabetic patients with non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease
Authors: Targher G. , Bertolini L. , Padovani R. , Poli F. , Scala L. , Tessari R. , Zenari L. , Falezza G. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractAims  To estimate the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Type 2 diabetic patients with and without non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and to assess whether NAFLD is independently related to prevalent CVD.Methods  We studied 400 Type 2 diabetic patients with NAFLD and 400 diabetic patients without NAFLD who were matched for age and sex. Main outcome measures were prevalent CVD (as ascertained by medical history, physical examination, electrocardiogram and echo‐Doppler scanning of carotid and lower limb arteries), NAFLD (by ultrasonography) and presence of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) as defined by the World Health Organization or Adult Treatment Panel III criteria.Results  The prevalences of coronary (23.0 vs. 15.5%), cerebrovascular (17.2 vs. 10.2%) and peripheral (12.8 vs. 7.0%) vascular disease were significantly increased in those with NAFLD as compared with those without NAFLD (P < 0.001), with no differences between sexes. The MetS (by any criteria) and all its individual components were more frequent in NAFLD patients (P < 0.001). In logistic regression analysis, male sex, age, smoking history and MetS were independently related to prevalent CVD, whereas NAFLD was not.Conclusions  The prevalence of CVD is increased in patients with Type 2 diabetes and NAFLD in association with an increased prevalence of MetS as compared with diabetic patients without NAFLD. Follow‐up studies are necessary to determine whether this higher prevalence of CVD among diabetic patients with NAFLD affects long‐term mortality.Diabet. Med. (2006)
Myocardial perfusion imaging and cardiac events in a cohort of asymptomatic patients with diabetes living in southern France
Authors: Sultan A. , Piot C. , Mariano‐Goulart D. , Daures J. P. , Comte F. , Renard E. , Avignon A. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractAims  To assess the association between abnormal stress myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) and cardiac events (CE) in asymptomatic patients with diabetes and with ≥ 1 additional risk factor. Predictors of abnormal stress MPI were also evaluated.Methods  Four hundred and forty‐seven consecutive patients who underwent stress MPI were prospectively followed for 2.1 [0.5–4.1] years for the subsequent occurrence of hard CE (myocardial infarction and sudden or coronary death) and soft CE (unstable angina and ischaemic heart failure requiring hospitalization). Re‐vascularization procedures performed as a result of the screening protocol were not included in the analysis.Results  Follow‐up was successful in 419 of 447 patients (94%), of whom 71 had abnormal MPI at baseline. Medical therapy was intensified in all subjects and especially in those with abnormal MPI. Twenty‐three patients with abnormal MPI underwent a re‐vascularization procedure. CEs occurred in 14 patients, including six of 71 patients (8.5%) with abnormal MPI and eight of 348 patients (2.3%) with normal MPI (P < 0.005). Only two patients developed a hard CE and 12 a soft CE. In multivariate analysis, abnormal MPI was the strongest predictor for CEs [odds ratio (OR) (95% CI) = 5.6 (1.7–18.5)]. Low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol ≥ 3.35 mmol/l [OR (95% CI) = 7.3; 1.5–34.7] and age > median [OR (95% CI) = 6.0 (1.2–28.6)] were additional independent predictors for CE. The independent predictors for abnormal MPI were male gender, plasma triglycerides ≥ 1.70 mmol/l, creatinine clearance < 60 ml/min and HbA1c > 8%, with male gender the strongest [OR (95% CI) = 4.0 (1.8–8.8)].Conclusions  Asymptomatic patients with diabetes in this study had a very low hard cardiac event rate over an intermediate period. This could be explained by the effects of intervention or by the low event rate in the background population. Randomized studies of cardiac heart disease screening are required in asymptomatic subjects with diabetes to determine the effectiveness of this intervention.Diabet. Med. (2006)
Ten Years After: South African Employment Relations Since the Negotiated Revolution
Authors: Donnelly Eddy , Dunn Stephen 
Published: February 2006

AbstractPost‐apartheid South Africa has embarked on an ambitious programme of labour market reform in pursuit of ‘dynamic efficiency’ and ‘redistributive justice’. It involves both legislation to promote equality among races and an institutional framework inspired by the European Social Model. We examine how this framework has fared over the past decade, in particular pinpointing the tension between adversarial traditions and the new social partnership, and between market‐oriented economic policy and corporatist institutions. Our conclusion is that the system has performed reasonably well, but tackling the mass unemployment at the root of continued inequality is a far longer‐term project.
Choices Within Collective Labour Agreementsà la Cartein the Netherlands
Authors: Delsen Lei , Benders Jos , Smits Jeroen 
Published: February 2006

AbstractIn recent years European employers, unions and governments have developed initiatives that offer employees the right to exchange certain items within an agreed package of employment conditions. So far, the available evidence on the use of such ‘cafeteria systems’ is largely based on survey data rather than on actual choices. We analyse the actual choices made by the employees of Radboud University Nijmegen in the years 2002–2004. The results cast doubt on the efficiency and the effectiveness of employee choices within collective agreements, contradict the unions’ push for working time reduction and question wage moderation and policies on work–life balance.
Flexibility and Fairness in Liberal Market Economies: The Comparative Impact of the Legal Environment and High‐Performance Work Systems
Authors: Colvin Alexander J. S. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractThis paper compares management flexibility in employment decision making in the United States and Canada through a cross‐national survey of organizations in representative jurisdictions in each country, Pennsylvania and Ontario, respectively, that investigates the impact of differences in their legal environments. The results indicate that, compared to their Ontario counterparts, organizations in Pennsylvania have a higher degree of flexibility in employment outcomes, such as higher dismissal and discipline rates, yet do not experience any greater flexibility or simplicity in management hiring and firing decisions. One explanation for this result may lie in the finding that organizations in Pennsylvania experience greater legal pressures on decision making, reflecting the generally more intense conflict in the employment law system in the United States. By contrast, high‐performance work systems, which some have looked to as a possible management‐driven mechanism for enhancing fairness in employment, had more modest effects.
Human Resource Management and Performance in UK Call Centres
Authors: Wood Stephen , Holman David , Stride Christopher 
Published: February 2006

AbstractUsing data from a sample of 145 UK call centres, the authors test the core propositions of the strategic human resource management (SHRM) approach that: (a) there are coherent links through the SHRM chain from strategy, through operational requirements, to work design and human resource management, and (b) the fit between the human resource practices and market factors determines organizational performance. Little support for these hypotheses is found as only (a) a few direct relationships between the elements of the SHRM chain are found, and (b) direct relationships, rather than those moderated by market factors, are found between human resource practices and performance. But key operational requirements are linked to work design, which is itself related to a limited number of human resource practices. The direct effects of work design on key performance indicators are more pronounced than those of human resource practices.
The Bases of Compromise in the Workplace: A Theoretical Framework
Authors: Edwards Paul , Bélanger Jacques , Wright Martyn 
Published: February 2006

AbstractSchemes for workplace participation have long been promoted and vilified. Such conflicting views have been brought into sharp focus by the highly variable results of such practices as teamwork. Yet a theoretical framework to grasp workplace co‐operation is lacking. This paper develops a framework on the basis of theory and a review of a wide range of empirical studies. Capital and labour each have two sets of ‘concerns’: over ‘control’ of the workplace and the longer term ‘development’ of the productive forces. Cross‐classifying these concerns produces a matrix of patterns of workplace relations. Each cell of the matrix represents a different combination of the interests of capital and labour. The matrix can be used to map participation schemes so as to capture their varying features. The next task, pursued elsewhere, is to identify the conditions leading to locations in different cells of the matrix.
Toxicology and health risks of hydroquinone in skin lightening formulations
Authors: Kooyers TJ , Westerhof W 
Published: February 2006

ABSTRACTBackground Hydroquinone has been used for decades as a skin lightening agent. As a result of concerns about mid‐term effects like leukomelanoderma en confetti and exogenous ochronosis, its use in cosmetics has been banned since January 2001.Objective Until recently no attention was paid to potential long‐term side‐effects, despite the fact that there are indications that these may exist. It was decided that a clearer picture of these potential long term effects was needed.Methods A literature search was conducted with an emphasis on the biochemistry and toxicology of hydroquinone, benzene and related molecules.Results It appeared that since 1996 an enormous amount of articles have been published on the carcinogenicity of hydroquinone, benzene and related molecules.The literature search on hydroquinone as a skin lightening agent suggests that possible long‐term effects like carcinogenesis may be expected.Conclusion The risks of long‐term effects (cancer) of topically applied hydroquinone may no longer be ignored. Based on recent evidence of the potential risks, which are higher than has been assumed up until now, we plead that the use of hydroquinone as a skin lightening agent will be stopped completely.
Cutaneous plasmacytosis associated with lung and anal carcinomas
Authors: Martín JM , Calduch L , Monteagudo C , Molina I , Ramón D , Alonso V , Jordá E 
Published: February 2006

AbstractCutaneous plasmacytosis is a rare disorder characterized by a benign proliferation of mature plasma cells that appears as multiple dark‐brown to purplish skin lesions, often associated with polyclonal hypergammaglobulinaemia. We present the case of a 55‐year‐old Caucasian man who suffered from a cutaneous plasmacytosis associated with two different carcinomas. Cutaneous plasmacytosis seems to be a reactive process because most cases reported are not associated with any apparent underlying disease. Nevertheless, because few reported cases were associated with malignancies, screening of additional neoplasms would be justified.
Pyoderma gangrenosum as first clinical manifestation of gastric adenocarcinoma
Authors: da Costa França AE , Braga Salvino LK , Rodrigues Leite SH , Paraíso Ferraz JG , Santos Rocha TD , Cintra ML , Neves Velho PE , Souza EM 
Published: February 2006

AbstractPyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a neutrophilic dermatosis of unknown etiology characterized by typical skin ulcers. It may be related to systemic disorders but its association with solid tumors is very unusual. In this setting, we describe a patient in whom PG was the first and isolated manifestation of advanced gastric adenocarcinoma.
Peripheral insulin resistance in patients with Behçet's disease
Authors: Erdem H , Dinc A , Pay S , Simsek I , Turan M 
Published: February 2006

AbstractIn this study, we examined peripheral insulin resistance in patients with Behçet's disease (BD) characterized by chronic inflammation and endothelial dysfunction. Fourteen patients with BD and 15 healthy controls were recruited to the study. Insulin resistance was investigated by the hyperinsulinaemic–euglycaemic glucose clamp technique. BD patients displayed an enhanced rate of insulin resistance compared to healthy controls (P = 0.014). The insulin sensitivity (M), measured as the glucose utilization rate under steady‐state conditions of euglycaemia, was significantly decreased (P = 0.001) in BD patients compared to the controls (4.09 ± 0.16 vs. 5.60 ± 0.27 mg/kg/min). The C‐reactive protein (CRP) level, but not the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), was significantly related to the presence of insulin resistance (CRP: rs = 0.589, P = 0.27; ESR: rs = 0444, P = 0112), whereas no relationship was found between the M‐value and ESR or CRP. We conclude that patients with BD exhibit peripheral insulin resistance; this could be explained as the diverse consequences of inflammation and endothelial dysfunction in BD.
Sweet's syndrome on the area of postmastectomy lymphoedema
Authors: García‐Río I , Pérez‐Gala S , Aragüés M , Fernández‐Herrera J , Fraga J , García‐Díez A 
Published: February 2006

AbstractBackground  Sweet's syndrome (SS) has been reported in association with many conditions, including malignancy, infections, autoimmune disorders, pregnancy and drugs.Materials and methods  We reviewed patients with SS‐like lesions on the lymphoedema area seen in our department. Clinical manifestations, histopathologic characteristics, treatment and outcome data were recorded and analysed.Results  We report seven women with a history of surgery for breast cancer with axillary lymphadenectomy. Six of them were on tamoxifen. All of them had various lesions consistent with SS localized predominantly on the limb affected by the postmastectomy lymphoedema, and on the ipsilateral chest, trunk and back. One of them presented bullous lesions. Three of the cases underwent spontaneous remission, two resolved with antibiotic therapy, one healed with corticosteroids, and one with corticosteroids plus antibiotic.Conclusions  Erythematous tender plaques on the area of postmastectomy lymphoedema could be considered an unusual manifestation of Sweet's syndrome. We have found only three similar cases in the literature. Although it is difficult to elucidate the pathogenesis of this entity, it has been suggested that it could be due to immune surveillance impairment.