bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Common candidate gene variants are associated with QT interval duration in the general population
Authors: Marjamaa A. , Newton‐Cheh C. , Porthan K. , Reunanen A. , Lahermo P. , Väänänen H. , Jula A. , Karanko H. , Swan H. , Toivonen L. , Nieminen M. S. , Viitasalo M. , Peltonen L. , Oikarinen L. , Palotie A. , Kontula K. , Salomaa V. 
Published: March 2009

Abstract.Objectives.  QT interval prolongation is associated with increased risk of sudden cardiac death at the population level. As 30–40% of the QT‐interval variability is heritable, we tested the association of common LQTS and NOS1AP gene variants with QT interval in a Finnish population‐based sample.Methods.  We genotyped 12 common LQTS and NOS1AP genetic variants in Health 2000, an epidemiological sample of 5043 Finnish individuals, using Sequenom MALDI‐TOF mass spectrometry. ECG parameters were measured from digital 12‐lead ECGs and QT intervals were adjusted for age, gender and heart rate with a nomogram (Nc) method derived from the present study population.Results.  The KCNE1 D85N minor allele (frequency 1.4%) was associated with a 10.5 ms (SE 1.6) or 0.57 SD prolongation of the adjusted QTNc interval (P = 3.6 × 10−11) in gender‐pooled analysis. In agreement with previous studies, we replicated the association with QTNc interval with minor alleles of KCNH2 intronic SNP rs3807375 [1.6 ms (SE 0.4) or 0.08 SD, P = 4.7 × 10−5], KCNH2 K897T [−2.6 ms (SE 0.5) or −0.14 SD, P = 2.1 × 10−7] and NOSA1P variants including rs2880058 [4.0 ms (SE 0.4) or 0.22 SD, P = 3.2 × 10−24] under additive models.Conclusions.  We demonstrate that each additional copy of the KCNE1 D85N minor allele is associated with a considerable 10.5 ms prolongation of the age‐, gender‐ and heart rate‐adjusted QT interval and could thus modulate repolarization‐related arrhythmia susceptibility at the population level. In addition, we robustly confirm the previous findings that three independent KCNH2 and NOSA1P variants are associated with adjusted QT interval.
The positive and negative health effects of alcohol‐ and the public health implications
Authors: Grønbæk M. 
Published: March 2009

Abstract.In this paper, the negative and the positive effects of alcohol on health are reviewed. It is first of all established facts that a high alcohol intake implies an increased risk of a large number of health outcomes, such as dementia, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, cirrhosis, upper digestive tract cancer and alcohol dependency. Second, it is justified that alcohol has beneficial effects for some individuals, especially with regard to prevention of thrombosis of the heart. The public health relevance of these results is considered. The sensible drinking limits, used in both the UK and Denmark, of a maximum of 21 drinks per week for men and 14 drinks per week for women seem valid. A broader public health message of the beneficial effects of alcohol does not seem to be of interest in Western societies, where only a very small fraction of the population are non drinkers and may have very good reasons therefore.
Gender‐specific selection in utero among contemporary human birth cohorts
Authors: Catalano Ralph , Ahern Jennifer , Bruckner Tim , Anderson Elizabeth , Saxton Katherine 
Published: March 2009

SummaryMuch literature argues that natural selection has conserved mechanisms by which stressed females cull frail males in utero. This argument implies that males from low sex ratio birth cohorts should, on average, live longer than those from high sex ratio cohorts. Research reports such associations but these tests use completed lifespan as the outcome and, therefore, must end with cohorts born in 1913 because too many males survive from more contemporary cohorts to determine average lifespan. The empirical literature does not, therefore, address whether selection affects male mortality in contemporary cohorts. We apply time‐series methods to monthly cohorts born in California between 1989 and 2003 to measure the association between the ratio of male to female live births and infant mortality, controlling for all forms of autocorrelation that induce spurious correlations.Consistent with theories of selection in utero, we find a positive correlation between cohort sex ratio and male infant mortality. The results suggest that natural selection conserved the stress mechanism in females to end the gestation of relatively less fit males and that this mechanism manifests itself in contemporary human societies.
Accumulation of Defence Response‐related and Unique Expressed Sequence Tags during the Incompatible Interaction in theOryza sativa–Magnaporthe oryzaePathosystem
Authors: Dixit Rekha , Bhargava Ashutosh , Dalal Vivek , Plaha Prikshit , Singh Nagendera K. , Sharma Tilak R. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractResistance gene‐dependent accumulation of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) was studied in a blast resistant, Oryzasativassp.indicacv. Tetep after challenge inoculation with an incompatible race ofMagnaporthe oryzae. The nucleotide sequence of 287 randomly selected cDNA clones from the rice cDNA library constructed from the RNA isolated after challenge inoculation of the host was obtained and submitted in NCBI Genbank (Accession Nos.DN475717–DN475431). Of these, 184 (63%) ESTs were highly representative of the rice transcriptomes. A set of 178 unique transcripts was identified after assembly of 287 ESTs into unigenes. These unigenes were categorized into 17 functional groups. Analysis of this EST library illustrated a broad functional representation. Twenty‐one unigenes were identified as putative homologues of the genes that were up regulated during host–pathogen interaction. Similarity search of 178 unigenes with NCBI database of 14 plants unigenes showed similarity ranging from 29–100%. The unigenes obtained in this study were physically located on the pseudomolecules of rice genome. This information can be used for determining the arrays of genes being expressed duringOryza sativa–M. oryzaeinteractions, which will be helpful in understanding the molecular basis of disease resistance.
Significance of lymphatic invasion and cancer invasion‐related proteins on lymph node metastasis in gastric cancer
Authors: Kamata Itaru , Ishikawa Yukio , Akishima‐Fukasawa Yuri , Ito Kinji , Akasaka Yoshikiyo , Uzuki Miwa , Fujimoto Ai , Morita Hiroshi , Tamai Seiichi , Maehara Tadaaki , Ogata Kentaro , Shimokawa Reiko , Igarashi Yoshinori , Miki Kazumasa , Ishii Toshiharu 
Published: March 2009

AbstractBackground and Aims:  Cancer invasion and metastasis are critical events for patient prognosis; however, the most important step in the whole process of lymph node (LN) metastasis in gastric cancer remains obscure. In this study, the significance of cancer cell behaviors, such as cell detachment, stromal invasion and lymphatic invasion on regional LN metastasis in gastric cancer was investigated by comprehensive immunohistochemistry.Methods:  A total of 210 cases with gastric cancer were selected. These consisted of 105 cases with regional LN metastasis (LN[+] group) and 105 cases without LN metastasis (LN[–] group). Both groups exhibited the same depth of invasion. Cancer tissues were subjected to immunohistochemistry with antibodies against claudin‐3, claudin‐4, β‐catenin, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)‐1, and MMP‐2, as well as endothelial markers of lymphatic vessel endothelial hyaluronan receptor‐1 and von Willebrand factor for the objective discrimination between lymphatics and blood vessels. The expression of each protein as well as the histopathological parameters were compared between LN(+) and LN(−) groups.Results:  Along with lymphatic invasion by cancer cells and gross tumor size, MMP‐1 expression in cancer cells at the invasive front of the primary tumor was a significant, independent predictor of LN metastasis. The expression of claudins and β‐catenin was associated with the histopathological type of cancer, but not with LN status.Conclusion:  Among the cancer invasion‐related proteins examined, MMP‐1 plays a vital role in LN metastasis of gastric cancer. Tumor size, lymphatic invasion and MMP‐1 expression level at the invasive front were the predictive factors of LN metastasis of gastric cancer.
The impact of individual differences on e‐learning system satisfaction: A contingency approach
Authors: Lu Hsi‐Peng , Chiou Ming‐Jen 
Published: March 2009

AbstractThis study investigated the impact of contingent variables on the relationship between four predictors and students' satisfaction with e‐learning. Five hundred and twenty‐two university students from 10 intact classes engaging in online instruction were asked to answer questionnaires about their learning styles, perceptions of the quality of the proposed predictors and satisfaction with e‐learning systems. The results of analysis of variance and structural equation modelling analyses showed that two contingent variables, gender and job status, significantly influenced the perceptions of predictors and students' satisfaction with the e‐learning system. This study also found a statistically significant moderating effect of two contingent variables, student job status and learning styles, on the relationship between predictors and e‐learning system satisfaction. The results suggest that a serious consideration of contingent variables is crucial for improving e‐learning system satisfaction. The implications of these results for the management of e‐learning systems are discussed.
Ambiguous Allure: The Value–Pragmatics Model of Ethical Decision Making
Authors: WATSON GEORGE W. , BERKLEY ROBYN A. , PAPAMARCOS STEVEN D. 
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACTResearch in organizational ethics emphasizes those dispositional factors that are expected to foster positive ethical behavior. We seek to contribute to this literature by including personal values that are in contention with moral outcomes. Specifically, we combine the values of hedonism and power with benevolence and universalism. Our underlying premise of this value–pragmatics model is that nonmoral, as well as moral, dispositional characteristics simultaneously influence ethical decision making. We further contribute to the existing research by investigating how these contending values interact with situational factors, such as performance rewards and punishments for unethical conduct. We administer an experiment to subjects (N = 177) and analyze their decisions regarding the likelihood they would act unethically. Results indicate that both morally relevant and nonmoral variables have direct effects on these decisions, and that nonmoral as well as moral values interact with situational factors to significantly influence decisions. Implications for practice and research are discussed.
Food Prices and Obesity: Evidence and Policy Implications for Taxes and Subsidies
Authors: POWELL LISA M. , CHALOUPKA FRANK J. 
Published: March 2009

Context:Pricing policies have been posited as potential policy instruments to address the increasing prevalence of obesity. This article examines whether altering the cost of unhealthy, energy‐dense foods, compared with healthy, less‐dense foods through the use of fiscal pricing (tax or subsidy) policy instruments would, in fact, change food consumption patterns and overall diet enough to significantly reduce individuals' weight outcomes.Methods:This article examined empirical evidence regarding the food and restaurant price sensitivity of weight outcomes based on a literature search to identify peer‐reviewed English‐language articles published between 1990 and 2008. Studies were identified from the Medline, PubMed, Econlit, and PAIS databases. The fifteen search combinations used the termsobesity,body mass index, andBMIeach in combination with the termsprice,prices,tax,taxation, andsubsidy.Findings:The studies reviewed showed that when statistically significant associations were found between food and restaurant prices (taxes) and weight outcomes, the effects were generally small in magnitude, although in some cases they were larger for low–socioeconomic status (SES) populations and for those at risk for overweight or obesity.Conclusions:The limited existing evidence suggests that small taxes or subsidies are not likely to produce significant changes in BMI or obesity prevalence but that nontrivial pricing interventions may have some measurable effects on Americans' weight outcomes, particularly for children and adolescents, low‐SES populations, and those most at risk for overweight. Additional research is needed to be able to draw strong policy conclusions regarding the effectiveness of fiscal‐pricing interventions aimed at reducing obesity.
The Perils of Ignoring History: Big Tobacco Played Dirty and Millions Died. How Similar Is Big Food?
Authors: BROWNELL KELLY D. , WARNER KENNETH E. 
Published: March 2009

Context:In 1954 the tobacco industry paid to publish the “Frank Statement to Cigarette Smokers” in hundreds of U.S. newspapers. It stated that the public's health was the industry's concern above all others and promised a variety of good‐faith changes. What followed were decades of deceit and actions that cost millions of lives. In the hope that the food history will be written differently, this article both highlights important lessons that can be learned from the tobacco experience and recommends actions for the food industry.Methods:A review and analysis of empirical and historical evidence pertaining to tobacco and food industry practices, messages, and strategies to influence public opinion, legislation and regulation, litigation, and the conduct of science.Findings:The tobacco industry had a playbook, a script, that emphasized personal responsibility, paying scientists who delivered research that instilled doubt, criticizing the “junk” science that found harms associated with smoking, making self‐regulatory pledges, lobbying with massive resources to stifle government action, introducing “safer” products, and simultaneously manipulating and denying both the addictive nature of their products and their marketing to children. The script of the food industry is both similar to and different from the tobacco industry script.Conclusions:Food is obviously different from tobacco, and the food industry differs from tobacco companies in important ways, but there also are significant similarities in the actions that these industries have taken in response to concern that their products cause harm. Because obesity is now a major global problem, the world cannot afford a repeat of the tobacco history, in which industry talks about the moral high ground but does not occupy it.
Anxiety and depression in children and adolescents with spinal cord injuries
Authors: ANDERSON CAROLINE J , KELLY ERIN H , KLAAS SARA J , RUSSELL HEATHER , DAHARSH ERICA , VOGEL LAWRENCE C 
Published: March 2009

Aim  To determine the levels of anxiety and depression in young people with spinal cord injuries (SCI) and their associated factors and outcomes.Method  Children and adolescents aged 7 to 17 years at interview who had sustained SCI at least 1 year before the study were assessed using the Children’s Depression Inventory, the Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale, the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory, the Children’s Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment, and a demographic questionnaire designed for the study.Results  The 118 participants (61 males, 57 females) had a mean age of 12 years 4 months, SD 3y 1mo, range 7‐17y. Mean age at injury was 5 years 11 months, SD 4y 11m, range 0‐16y; 89 participants (75%) had paraplegia and 29 (25%) had tetraplegia. Fifty‐seven (52%) had complete injuries and 52 (48%) had incomplete injuries according to the American Spinal Injury Association impairment scale. Thirteen participants (13%) reported significant symptoms of anxiety, and seven (6%) reported significant levels of depression, which were comparable to the normative population. Age, race, and sex were not associated with anxiety or depression, but participants with shorter duration of injury were more likely to be anxious, and those with less functional independence were more likely to be depressed. Only one dimension of participation was associated with anxiety and depression, but all aspects of quality of life were decreased among those with anxiety or depression.Interpretation  The levels of anxiety and depression in young people with SCI are comparable to the normative range. When anxiety and depression occur they are associated with reduced levels of quality of life.
Research priorities in urinary incontinence: results from citizens’ juries
Authors: Herbison P , Hay‐Smith J , Paterson H , Ellis G , Wilson D 
Published: March 2009

Objective  The objective of this study was to elicit research ideas, priorities and outcome measures from women who suffer from urinary incontinence.Design  Citizens’ juries gather participants together for a combination of education and deliberation on a specific topic. The juries were held in November 2007.Setting  Women living in the community with urinary incontinence.Sample  Purposively selected responders to public advertisements in Dunedin, New Zealand, were grouped into two juries dependent on whether stress urinary incontinence or urge urinary incontinence was the predominant problem.Methods  The juries had a day of education in incontinence and research‐related issues, with a half day for deliberation and reporting.Main outcome measures  Ideas for areas where research may help the lives of women with incontinence in priority order and how best to measure the outcome of that research.Results  The juries identified five main areas for incontinence research with only minor differences depending on which jury. These are, in priority order, making seeking help easier, making day‐to‐day life more manageable, finding out total costs, more knowledge about causes and the effects of lifestyle. Quality of life was considered by far the most important outcome.Conclusions  Citizens’ juries are able to come up with ideas for research and prioritise these. Research in the areas suggested would be likely to improve the lives of women with urinary incontinence and may lead to a different mix of research projects than is currently the case.
Neurochemistry and epileptology
Authors: Van Rijn Clementina , Meinardi Harry 
Published: March 2009

SummaryThis paper gives an account of the global evolution of (neuro‐)chemistry in epileptology with an emphasis on the role of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), which declared in its constitution a mission “to make the epilepsy‐problem the object of special study and to make practical use of the results of such study.” AsEpilepsiais the scientific journal of the ILAE, the review emphasizes papers published in the journal.
Drug treatment of epilepsy in the century of the ILAE: The first 50 years, 1909–1958
Authors: Shorvon Simon D. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryThis paper provides a review of the drug treatment of epilepsy from 1909, the year of the foundation of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), to 1958. It was during this period that modern approaches to the medicinal therapy of epilepsy were formulated and many new drugs were introduced. Of these, both phenytoin and phenobarbital continue to be widely used today. This was the period when scientific screening was also introduced into drug discovery. The leading figures in the ILAE played an important role in guiding the evolution of the treatment of epilepsy during this period.
Drug treatment of epilepsy in the century of the ILAE: The second 50 years, 1959–2009
Authors: Shorvon Simon D. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryThe drug therapy of epilepsy evolved enormously in this 50 year period. Advances in therapeutics included the incorporation of pharmacokinetics into clinical practice, enormous advances in neurochemistry, a trend to antiepileptic drug monotherapy, better drug assessment, better understanding of therapeutic outcomes, and the recognition of the large epilepsy treatment gap in many countries. An unprecedented range of new drugs was introduced in this period. Before 1989, these included carbamazepine, valproate, ethosuximide, and the benzodiazepines. Since 1989, 13 more new drugs have been licensed and marketed and there are others in the pipeline. The International League Against Epilepsy and its leading figures have played an important role in these developments. In this period, too, there has been a rapid expansion in research and development within the pharmaceutical industry and a rise in the value of the antiepileptic drug market. In parallel, governmental regulation of pharmaceuticals has greatly increased. To what extent the overall prognosis of epilepsy has improved as a result of these activities is an interesting and perplexing question.
Epilepsy Surgery: Historical Highlights 1909–2009
Authors: Feindel William , Leblanc Richard , De Almeida Antonio Nogueira 
Published: March 2009

SummaryThis review focuses on some historical highlights of the surgery of epilepsy, beginning with the reports of Horsley, Krause, and Cushing to which appeared in 1909, the year that The International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) was inaugurated. We then outline key contributions from Europe and North America, and examine particularly the evolution of our understanding of temporal lobe seizures, which have now become the most common form of epilepsy amenable to surgical cure.
Chronic Atrophic Gastritis and Metachronous Gastric Cancer in Japanese Alcoholic Men With Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Yokoyama Akira , Omori Tai , Yokoyama Tetsuji , Kawakubo Hirofumi , Mori Shuka , Matsui Toshifumi , Maruyama Katsuya 
Published: March 2009

Background:  The risk of metachronous gastric cancer is high in Japanese with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), especially in alcoholic men, suggesting a common background underlying the gastric and esophageal cancers.Methods:  Endoscopic follow‐up ranging from 7 to 160 months (median, 47 months) after the initial diagnosis was performed in 99 Japanese gastric‐cancer‐free alcoholic men (56.8 ± 6.4 years) with esophageal SCC detected by an endoscopic screening examination. Chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) assessed by the serum pepsinogen test and Helicobacter pylori status was compared between 90 of the 99 esophageal SCC cases and 180 age‐matched Japanese gastric‐ and esophageal‐cancer‐free alcoholic men.Results:  The serum pepsinogen test showed a higher seroprevalence of severe CAG among the cases than among the age‐matched controls (35.4% vs. 14.2% for H. pylori‐seropositive, 71.4% vs. 7.7% for H. pylori‐indeterminate, and 17.1% vs. 9.8% for H. pylori‐negative, respectively; H. pylori status‐adjusted p = 0.0008), whereas their H. pylori status was similar. The accelerated progression of severe CAG observed in the Japanese alcoholic men with esophageal SCC suggests the existence of common mechanisms by which both esophageal SCC and H. pylori‐related severe CAG develop in this population. Metachronous gastric adenocarcinoma was diagnosed in 11 of the 99 gastric‐cancer‐free patients, and the cumulative rate of metachronous gastric cancer within 5 years was estimated to be 15% according to the Kaplan–Meier method. The age‐adjusted hazard ratios were 7.87 (95% confidence interval: 1.43 to 43.46) and 4.84 (1.16 to 20.21), respectively, in the patients with severe CAG in comparison with those without CAG and those without severe CAG. Inactive heterozygous aldehyde dehydrogenase‐2, a very strong risk factor for esophageal SCC in the alcoholics, was not associated with an increased risk of metachronous gastric cancer.Conclusions:  Accelerated development of severe CAG at least partially explained the very high frequency of development of metachronous gastric cancer in this population.