bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Duration of Colonization with Methicillin-ResistantStaphylococcus aureusAmong Patients in the Intensive Care Unit: Implications for Intervention
Authors: Ridenour Glenn A. , Wong Edward S. , Call Mark A. , Climo Michael W. 
Published: March 2006

Objectives.To determine the duration of methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA) colonization or infection before entry and during hospitalization in the intensive care unit (ICU) and the characteristics of patients who tested positive for MRSA.Design.Prospective observational cohort survey.Setting.A combined medical and coronary care ICU with 16 single-bed rooms in a 427-bed tertiary care Veteran Affairs Medical CenterPatients.A total of 720 ICU patients associated with 845 ICU admissions were followed up for the detection of MRSA from January 13, 2003, to October 12, 2003. MRSA colonization was detected in patients by using active surveillance cultures (ASCs) of nasal swab specimens obtained within 48 hours of ICU entry and 3 times weekly thereafter. The duration of colonization during ICU stay and before ICU entry was calculated after a review of surveillance culture results, clinical culture results, and medical history.Results.Ninety-three (11.0%) of 845 ICU admissions involved patients who were colonized with MRSA at the time of ICU entry, and 21 admissions (2.5%) involved patients who acquired MRSA during ICU stay. ASCs were positive for MRSA in 84 (73.6%) of the 114 admissions associated with MRSA positivity and were the sole means of identifying MRSA in 50 cases (43.8%). More than half of the MRSA-associated admissions involved patients who were transferred from hospital wards. The total bed-days of care for 38 admissions involving patients who tested positive for MRSA before ICU entry (1131 days) was nearly 20% higher than the total bed-days of care for all admissions associated with MRSA positivity (970 days). Admissions involving MRSA-positive patients were associated with a longer length of hospitalization before ICU entry (P<.001), longer length of ICU stay (P<.001), longer overall length of hospitalization (P<.001), and greater inpatient mortality than admissions involving MRSA-negative patients (P<.001). A total of 22.8% of all bed-care days were dedicated to MRSA-positive patients in the ICU, and 55 (48.2%) of 114 admissions associated with MRSA positivity involved patients who were colonized for the duration of their ICU stay.Conclusions.In our unit, ASCs were an effective means to identify MRSA colonization among patients admitted to the ICU. Unfortunately, the majority of identified patients had long durations of stay in our own hospital before ICU entry, with prolonged MRSA colonization. Enhanced efforts to control MRSA will have to account for the prevalence of MRSA within hospital wards and to direct control efforts at these patients in the future.
Epidemiology of Methicillin-ResistantStaphylococcus aureusand Vancomycin-ResistantEnterococcusin a Rural State
Authors: Polgreen Philip M. , Beekmann Susan E. , Chen Yi Yi , Doern Gary V. , Pfaller Michael A. , Brueggemann Angela B. , Herwaldt Loreen A. , Diekema Daniel J. 
Published: March 2006

Background.Most data on methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) isolates come from large tertiary care centers. Infection control personnel need to understand the epidemiology of MRSA and VRE across the continuum of care, including small rural hospitals, to develop effective control strategies.Objective.To describe the epidemiology of MRSA and VRE in Iowa.Setting.Fifteen hospitals in Iowa.Methods.Between July 1998 and June 2001, a total of 1,968S. aureusisolates and 1,845Enterococcusisolates from patients infected with these pathogens were examined. Multivariate models were developed to evaluate patient and institutional risk factors for MRSA infection and VRE infection.Results.The proportion ofS. aureusisolates resistant to methicillin was 31%, and the proportion ofEnterococcusisolates resistant to vancomycin was 6%. Independent risk factors for MRSA infection included residence in a long-term care facility, age of more than 60 years, hospitalization in a hospital with less than 200 short-term care beds, and acquiring the infection in the hospital. Independent risk factors for VRE infection included use of a central venous catheter, residence in a long-term care facility, acquisition of infection in the hospital, and hospitalization in a hospital with more than 200 short-term care beds.Conclusions.In Iowa, the epidemiology of MRSA differ from those of VRE. MRSA has become established in small rural hospitals. Effective MRSA control strategies may require inclusion of all hospitals in a state or region.
Sliding thermoelastodynamic instability
Authors: Afferrante L , Ciavarella M , Barber J.R 
Published: March 2006

Numerous mechanisms can give rise to instabilities and vibrations in sliding systems. These can generally be characterized as either elastodynamic (e.g. ‘brake squeal’) or thermoelastic. The time-scales of these processes differ considerably, so it is usual to neglect coupling between them, i.e. to neglect thermal effects in elastodynamic analyses and to use the quasi-static approximation in thermoelastic analyses. In the present paper, we consider the potential coupling between them in the simplest possible context—a thermoelastodynamic layer sliding against a rigid plane and constrained to one-dimensional displacements. The results show that although the coupling is extremely weak, it has a destabilizing effect on the natural elastodynamic vibration of the layer at arbitrarily low sliding speeds. A numerical solution of the transient equations below the quasi-static critical speed shows that an initial disturbance grows exponentially until periods of separation develop, after which the system approaches asymptotically to a steady state involving periods of contact and separation alternating at the lowest natural frequency of the elastodynamic system. With increasing sliding speed, the proportion of the cycle spent in contact is reduced and the maximum contact pressure increases.
It is important to note that neither a quasi-static thermoelastic analysis, nor an elastodynamic analysis neglecting thermal expansion would predict instability in this speed range. Similar instabilities due to thermoelastodynamic coupling are almost certain to occur in more complex practical sliding systems such as brakes and clutches, implying the need for the incorporation of these effects in commercial analysis software. The proposed mechanism might also provide an explanation of reported experimental observations of vibrations normal to the contact interface during frictional sliding.
Plant genotype and induced responses affect resistance to herbivores on evening primrose (Oenothera biennis)
Authors: Mcguire Rosanna J. , Johnson Marc T. J. 
Published: March 2006

Abstract.  1. Although both genotype and induced responses affect a plant's resistance to herbivores, little is known about their relative and interactive effects. This study examined how plant genotype of a native plant (Oenothera biennis) and induced plant responses to herbivory affect resistance to, and interactions among, several herbivores.2. In a field experiment, genetic and environmental variation among habitats led to variation in the amount of early season damage and plant quality. The pattern of variation in early season infestation by spittlebugs (Philaenus spumarius, a piercing–sucking herbivore) negatively correlated with oviposition preference by a later feeding specialist weevil (Tyloderma foveolatum, a leaf‐chewer).3. To determine if plant genotype and induced responses to herbivory might be responsible for these field patterns, we performed no‐choice and choice bioassays using four genotypes of O. biennis that varied in resistance. Plants were induced by either spittlebugs or weevils and assays measured the responses of the same specialist weevil as well as a generalist caterpillar (Spodoptera exigua).4. Resistance to adult weevils was largely unaffected by plant genotype, while they experienced induced resistance following damage by conspecific weevils in no‐choice assays. Caterpillars were more strongly affected by plant genotype than induced responses in both no‐choice and choice assays, but they also fed less and experienced higher mortality on plants previously damaged by weevils. In contrast to the pattern suggested by the field experiment, spittlebugs did consistently induce resistance against either weevils or caterpillars in the bioassay experiment.5. These results support recent findings that show herbivore species can compete via induced plant responses. Additionally, a quantitative review of the literature demonstrates that plant genotype tends to be more important than interspecific competition among herbivores (plant‐mediated or otherwise) in affecting herbivore preference and performance.
Mediterranean spotted fever: A review of fifteen cases
Authors: MERT Ali , OZARAS Resat , TABAK Fehmi , BILIR Muammer , OZTURK Recep 
Published: March 2006

ABSTRACTWe aimed to determine the following things: the frequency of patients with Mediterranean spotted fever (MSF) during the last 10 years among those patients admitted with fever and rash, their clinical features, and the factors predicting the diagnosis of MSF among patients admitted with fever and rash. Between 1993–2002, the files of all patients admitted to our hospital with fever and rash were collected. The clinical features and serologic results of the patients diagnosed with MSF were further investigated. The diagnosis of MSF was established by epidemiological and clinical features and also by the clinical response within 2 days after doxycycline treatment. During the previous 10 years, 140 patients were admitted with fever and rash, and 15 (10%; four females, 11 males; mean age: 41 years; range: 17–70) of them were diagnosed with MSF. Clinical features were as follows: fever (100%), rash (100%), myalgia and/or arthralgia (93%), headache (87%), petechiae (27%), tache noire (13%), leucocytosis (74%), thrombocytopenia (33%), and accelerated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (100%). In nine of these patients, the diagnosis of MSF was established by epidemiological and clinical features and was confirmed by serologic studies. As a complication, one patient developed facial paralysis. Six (40%) were given several antibiotics. In conclusion, MSF should be considered in the differential diagnosis when a patient is admitted with fever, maculopapular rash, headache, myalgia and/or arthralgia, especially in spring, summer, or autumn.
A probable case of Muckle–Wells syndrome
Authors: KAGAMI Shinji , SAEKI Hidehisa , KUWANO Yoshihiro , IMAKADO Sumihisa , TAMAKI Kunihiko 
Published: March 2006

ABSTRACTMuckle–Wells syndrome is a rare autosomally dominant disorder belonging to the group of periodic fever syndromes. Three main features of the disease are: (i) urticarial eruptions; (ii) progressive perceptive deafness; and (iii) amyloid nephropathy. A 26‐year‐old Japanese woman had suffered at birth from an urticarial rash and episodic fever. The fever was frequently associated with chills and ill‐defined malaise. There was no familial history of urticarial rash or fever. Although she did not recognize hearing loss, audiometry revealed perceptive deafness. She also had hepatosplenomegaly and hyperimmunoglobulinemia, but did not have persistent arthritis, or any neurological or gastrointestinal disorder. No growth retardation was observed. Skin biopsy specimens from her buttock showed a sparse perivascular and interstitial infiltrate of neutrophils in the papillary dermis. Periodic fever syndrome was diagnosed. Muckle–Wells syndrome was most likely, although no amyloid nephropathy was observed and no gene mutations of CIAS1 (T785C, C778T, G907A, G1315A, G1075C) were detected. We treated her with prednisolone, which had a partial effect. Previous treatment with colchicines, antihistamines, dapsone, clarithromycin, minocycline hydrochloride and loxoprofen sodium had been unsuccessful. Muckle–Wells syndrome may go undiagnosed for many years or be misdiagnosed as refractory urticaria. Therefore, we should consider the possibility of periodic fever syndrome when we see patients with refractory urticaria and episodic fever.
A case of implantation dermatosis that formed a tumor
Authors: KONDOH Akio , AKASAKA Emiko , YAMAMOTO Kozo , MIZUTANI Kimihiko , IWASHITA Kenichi , UMEZAWA Yoshinori , OHTA Yukinori , MATSUYAMA Takashi , OZAWA Akira 
Published: March 2006

ABSTRACTA 51‐year‐old man visited our hospital complaining of a tumor located above his lip. He had been hit on his upper left lip by a chopstick holder 2 months previously. The lesion turned into a tumor and gradually enlarged. The tumor was well circumscribed, smooth and covered with reddish, partially milk‐white skin. During surgery to remove the tumor, a piece of a chopstick was found in the subcutaneous tissue, and a diagnosis of implantation dermatosis (ID) was made. On histology, the tumor appeared as an abscess that had increased fibroblasts, small vessels and a large number of neutrophils. In the Japanese published work, we found 86 cases of ID; three were similar to our case and had been clinically diagnosed as adnexal tumors. There were also six cases that showed abscess formation similar to our case on histology. In a survey of the published work from other countries, there were 44 ID cases. There were no common features found among the cases reported in the published work.
A case of carotenemia associated with ingestion of nutrient supplements
Authors: TAKITA Yuko , ICHIMIYA Makoto , HAMAMOTO Yoshiaki , MUTO Masahiko 
Published: March 2006

ABSTRACTCarotenemia is characterized by an abnormal yellowish orange pigmentation of the skin, most prominently seen on the palms and soles. Although it is associated with several disease such as diabetes, hypothyroidism and anorexia nervosa, it is caused by excessive intake of carotene‐rich food such as oranges and carrots in most cases. Herein, we describe an interesting case of carotenemia in a 66‐year‐old female secondary to increased ingestion of oral supplements of carotene in order to improve hemorrhage in the eyeground. There could be an increasing trend of intake of commercial nutrient supplements in which case it is necessary to remind ourselves that commercial nutrient supplements could cause various skin disorders as side‐effects.
A case of sclerodermatous graft‐versus‐host disease following autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation
Authors: NAKAMURA Koichiro , KAWAKAMI Yoshio , OYAMA Noritaka , KANEKO Fumio , ABE Hiroyuki , SAGARA Hiroya , OHTO Hitoshi 
Published: March 2006

ABSTRACTWe report a 65‐year‐old woman with chronic graft‐versus‐host disease (GVHD) who developed severely sclerotic skin on the fingers, hand and trunk following autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (APBSCT). The patient had suffered from breast cancer and been treated with surgery and chemotherapy. She showed pancytopenia and was treated with APBCST. Four years after APBSCT, she developed the severe sclerotic changes on the fingers, hands, extremities and trunk. The skin biopsy showed a flattened epidermis and a proliferation of collagen bundles in the dermis. No anti‐nucleolar DNA titers were detected in the serum. She was diagnosed with chronic GVHD. Despite treatment with oral prednisolone, the skin sclerotic change developed and the breast cancer recurred. She died due to pericarditis. This is a rare case of sclerodermatous GVHD following APBSCT. The serum interleukin (IL)‐12 levels were examined during the treatment.
Role of ABCG2 as a biomarker for predicting resistance to CPT‐11/SN‐38 in lung cancer
Authors: Bessho Yuji , Oguri Tetsuya , Achiwa Hiroyuki , Muramatsu Hideki , Maeda Hiroyoshi , Niimi Takashi , Sato Shigeki , Ueda Ryuzo 
Published: March 2006

To examine the mechanism of resistance to 7‐ethyl‐10‐hydroxycamptothecin (SN‐38) in lung cancer, we continuously exposed the non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell line NCI‐H23 to SN‐38 and selected the SN‐38‐resistant clone H23/SN‐38. After 2 months of culturing in SN‐38‐free conditions, H23/SN‐38 cells recovered their sensitivity to SN‐38 and were subsequently established as the revertant H23/SN‐38REV cell line. Because H23/SN‐38 cells show cross resistance to certain anticancer drugs, such as topotecan, etoposide, doxorubicin and mitoxantrone, we examined the gene and protein expression levels of drug efflux transporters of the ATP‐binding cassette (ABC) family. We found that both gene and protein expression of ABCG2/BCRP (ABCG2) in H23/SN‐38 cells was increased compared with that in NCI‐H23 cells and H23/SN‐38REV cells. The cellular accumulation of topotecan in H23/SN‐38 cells was decreased compared with that in NCI‐H23 and H23/SN‐38REV cells, and treatment with reserpine (an inhibitor of ABCG2) increased the cellular accumulation of topotecan in H23/SN‐38 cells. Furthermore, treatment with reserpine also altered the sensitivity of H23/SN‐38 cells to SN‐38. These results indicate that the upregulation of ABCG2 was functional, and related to the resistance of H23/SN‐38 cells to SN‐38. Moreover, we found that gene expression levels of ABCG2 were significantly correlated with the concentration of SN‐38 for 50% cell survival in 13 NSCLC cells (r = 0.592, P < 0.05). The present results indicate that the induction of ABCG2 by SN‐38 does confer acquired resistance to CPT‐11/SN‐38, but the induction of ABCG2 and subsequent drug resistance are reversible. However, the expression level of ABCG2 may be a useful indicator of CPT‐11/SN‐38 activity in lung cancer. (Cancer Sci 2006; 97: 192–198)
Impairment of double‐strand breaks repair and aberrant splicing of ATM and MRE11 in leukemia–lymphoma cell lines with microsatellite instability
Authors: Ham Maria Francisca , Takakuwa Tetsuya , Luo Wen‐Juan , Liu Angen , Horii Akira , Aozasa Katsuyuki 
Published: March 2006

Mutations of DNA double‐strand breaks (DSB) repair genes, ATM, MRE11, RAD50, NBS1 and ATR, are postulated to play a role in the development of gastrointestinal malignancies with an impaired mismatch repair (MMR) function. In the present study, mutations of these genes together with the presence of microsatellite instability (MSI) were examined in 50 leukemia–lymphoma cell lines. MSI was detected in 13 (26%) lines. Mutations of intronic mononucleotide repeats in ATM and MRE11 were found in nine and six lines, respectively, whereas mutations of mononucleotide repeats of RAD50 were found in only one line, and none were found in either NBS1 or ATR. Frequencies of ATM and MRE11 mutations were significantly higher in MSI‐positive than MSI‐negative lines. These mutations generated aberrant splicing in both genes. The intensity of the aberrant transcript of ATM (497del22) was stronger in five lines harboring mononucleotide mutations of 2 bp or more than in the lines without or with a 1‐bp mutation. The intensity of the aberrant transcript of MRE11 (315del88) was stronger in four lines with mononucleotide mutations than in lines without. The expression levels of ATM and MRE11 transcripts in MSI‐positive lines were significantly higher than those in MSI‐negative lines. MSI‐positive cell lines showed delay or abrogation of DSB repair. The present study suggests that impairment of the MMR system causes aberrant transcripts in the DSB repair genes ATM and MRE11. This might result in inactivation of the DSB repair system, thus inducing an acceleration of genome instability and accumulation of genetic damage. (Cancer Sci 2006; 97: 226–234)
Persisting concentrating and second gas effects on oxygenation during N2O anaesthesia
Authors: Peyton P. J. , Stuart‐Andrews C. , Deo K. , Strahan F. , Robinson G. J. B. , Thompson B. R. , Pierce R. 
Published: February 2006

SummaryTheoretical modelling predicts that the concentrating effect of nitrous oxide (N2O) uptake on alveolar oxygenation is a persisting phenomenon at typical levels of ventilation – perfusion (V/Q) inhomogeneity under anaesthesia. We sought clinical confirmation of this in 20 anaesthetised patients. Arterial oxygen pressure (Pao2) was measured after a minimum of 30 min of relaxant general anaesthesia with an inspired oxygen (FIo2) of 30%. Patients were randomly allocated to two groups. The intervention group had N2O introduced following baseline blood gas measurements, and the control group continued breathing an identical FIo2 in nitrogen (N2). The primary outcome variable was change in Pao2. Mean (SD) in Pao2 was increased by 1.80 (1.80) kPa after receiving a mean of 47.5 min of N2O compared with baseline conditions breathing O2/N2 (p = 0.01). This change was significantly greater (p = 0.03) than that in the control group: + 0.09 (1.37) kPa, p = 0.83 and confirms the presence of significant persisting concentrating and second gas effects.
Late orogenic intramontane basin development: the Granada basin, Betics (southern Spain)
Authors: Rodríguez‐Fernández J. , Sanz de Galdeano C. 
Published: March 2006

ABSTRACTThe quantitative study of subsidence in the Granada basin, using decompaction and backstripping techniques, and contemporaneous relief development in the surrounding areas, especially in the Sierra Nevada, provides a good case example of the development of an intramontane basin. In the Granada basin, according to the interpretation of the seismic profiles and results of the backstripping analysis, subsidence and sedimentation rates were at a maximum in the late Tortonian and decreased progressively; meanwhile, the neighbouring areas were uplifted forming important relief. Chronostratigraphical revisions of the marine sediments show that the marine incursion that deposited sediments in the Granada basin lasted only 1.3 Ma, between 8.5 and 7.2 Ma. The gradual retreat of the sea in the Granada basin is not attributable to global eustatic fluctuations, but rather to uplift in the Sierra Nevada and its adjacent areas. From latest Tortonian to early Messinian times, the region became continental and the Granada basin acquired its present physiography and was differentiated as such. From the late Tortonian onwards, NNW–SSE compression combined with ENE–WSW extension affected the cordillera. In the Granada basin, extension controlled fault movements. There are two well‐defined fault sets: the first trends 70°N–90°E, with low angle faults (less than 30°) dipping towards the north and south, defining the subsiding areas which have approximately E–W direction; whereas the second set has a NW–SE direction, and cuts and displaces the previous ones, defining the main subsiding areas in the eastern part of the basin. The reinterpretation of seismic profiles reveals that the subsiding axes within the Granada basin persisted from the Tortonian to the present because of continued displacements of the main faults.