bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cardiovascular testing in Fabry disease: exercise capacity reduction, chronotropic incompetence and improved anaerobic threshold after enzyme replacement
Authors: Lobo T. , Morgan J. , Bjorksten A. , Nicholls K. , Grigg L. , Centra E. , Becker G. 
Published: June 2008

AbstractAim:  The aim of this study was to document exercise capacity and serial electrocardiogram and echocardiograph findings in a cohort of Australian patients with Fabry disease, in relation to their history of enzyme replacement therapy (ERT).Background:  Fabry disease has multifactorial effects on the cardiovascular system. Most previous studies have focused on electrocardiographic and echocardiographic parameters. Exercise capacity can be used as an integrated measure of cardiovascular function and allows the effects of treatment to be monitored.Methods:  A total of 38 patients (30 men and 8 women) with Fabry disease were monitored by 12‐lead electrocardiograms every 6–12 months, and by annual standardized‐protocol echocardiograms. Bicycle stress tests with VO2 max measurement and once‐only 6 minutes’ walk tests were also carried out in subsets of patients whose general health status allowed testing.Results:  Seventy per cent of patients met electrocardiogram criteria for left ventricular hypertrophy. Left ventricular hypertrophy on echocardiograph was present in 64% of patients (80% of men). Exercise capacity was reduced in patients with Fabry disease compared with that predicted from normative population data. Mild improvement in anaerobic threshold was seen in the first year of ERT (14.1 ± 3.0 to 15.8 ± 3.0, P = 0.02), but no consistent further increase was seen beyond the first year. Most patients had resting bradycardia, with impaired ability to increase heart rate during exercise. Serial testing on ERT showed an improvement in anaerobic threshold but no significant change in VO2 max.Conclusions:  Male patients with Fabry disease were unable to attain predicted maximal heart rate on exercise or to achieve normal exercise levels. ERT was associated with a small improvement in anaerobic threshold over the first year.
Thulium laser resection via a flexible cystoscope for recurrent non‐muscle‐invasive bladder cancer: initial clinical experience
Authors: Gao Xu , Ren Shancheng , Xu Chuanliang , Sun Yinghao 
Published: June 2008

OBJECTIVETo present our initial experience of thulium laser resection via a flexible cystoscope for recurrent non‐muscle‐invasive bladder cancer (ThuRBT), as transurethral resection for bladder tumour (TURBT) is regarded as the reference standard for treating this disease, but alternative laser resection or ablation is suitable especially for recurrent tumours.PATIENTS AND METHODSFrom January 2005 to October 2005, 32 patients with early recurrent bladder tumour (recurrent within a year after TURBT) were treated with ThuRBT via a flexible cystoscope. The follow‐up included urine analysis, ultrasonography and cystoscopy every 3 months.RESULTSAll patients were treated successfully with ThuRBT in one session, with no bladder haemorrhage, obturator nerve reflex or vesicle perforation. Randomized biopsies taken after surgery on and adjacent to the resection surface revealed no residual tumours. The mean (range) tumour diameter was 1.5 (0.5–3) cm and the mean operative duration was 25 (15–35) min. During the first year of follow‐up, local and heterotopic recurrences were found in three and six patients, respectively. The accumulated recurrence rates at 3, 6 and 12 months were 9%, 22% and 28%, respectively.CONCLUSIONSThuRBT is a reliable therapy with minimal morbidity and invasiveness for selected patients with bladder cancer.
Genistein combined polysaccharide enhances activity of docetaxel, bicalutamide and Src kinase inhibition in androgen‐dependent and independent prostate cancer cell lines
Authors: Burich Rebekah A. , Holland William S. , Vinall Ruth L. , Tepper Clifford , DeVere White Ralph W. , Mack Philip C. 
Published: June 2008

OBJECTIVETo determine the benefit of genistein combined polysaccharide (GCP) in combination with the androgen receptor antagonist bicalutamide, the antimicrotubule taxane docetaxel, and the Src kinase inhibitor pp2 as part of a treatment regimen for advanced prostate cancer (CaP).MATERIALS AND METHODSThe growth inhibitory and apoptotic effects of GCP in combination with bicalutamide, docetaxel and pp2 were evaluated in both the androgen‐dependent LNCaP line, and three androgen‐independent lines: CWR22Rv1, PC‐3, and LNCaP‐R273H. The LNCaP‐R273H model is an LNCaP variant expressing a p53GOF allele; like CWR22Rv1 and PC‐3, it is able to grow in a minimal androgen environment. The effects of GCP treatment in combination with the aforementioned drugs were measured using an MTT assay, Western blotting, flow cytometric analysis, and caspase activation assay. Altered schedules of drug administration were explored using combinations of GCP and docetaxel.RESULTSGCP potentiated the activity of docetaxel in all four cell lines, resulting in growth inhibition and increased apoptosis. The combination of GCP and bicalutamide had enhanced activity in both the LNCaP and LNCaP‐R273H lines, which may better represent patient tumour cells after progression to androgen independence. Administration of docetaxel followed by GCP resulted in a synergistic interaction in LNCaP cells, with increased apoptosis. By contrast, GCP administered first showed subadditivity, probably resulting from GCP‐mediated induction of G1 arrest interfering with docetaxel activity.CONCLUSIONThese data suggest that GCP, an isoflavone‐enriched compound with minimal side‐effects and far superior intestinal absorption rate of genistein, has significant clinical potential in combination with docetaxel, bicalutamide or targeted agents for the treatment of advanced CaP.
Concomitant pathology in the prostate in cystoprostatectomy specimens: a prospective study and review
Authors: Saad Mohamed , Abdel‐Rahim Mona , Abol‐Enein Hassan , Ghoneim Mohammed A. 
Published: June 2008

OBJECTIVESTo investigate possible associated pathology in the prostate removed from patients with invasive bladder cancer and determine if there is a justification for prostate‐sparing cystectomy.PATIENTS AND METHODSBetween March 2005 and July 2007, 425 men (mean age 59 years, sd 8.23) had a cystoprostatectomy at our institute. The prostate was step sectioned at 2–3 mm intervals and any associated pathology determined; patient and tumour characteristics were correlated with prostatic pathology. The results were compared with those published previously, and the potential functional advantages of prostate sparing are reviewed and discussed.RESULTSProstatic adenocarcinoma was detected in 90 of the 425 (21.2%) patients. There was no significant correlation between preoperative prostate‐specific antigen level and the presence of adenocarcinoma, Gleason score or prostatic tumour stage. There was prostatic involvement as a result of direct invasion by the primary bladder tumour (contiguous) in 39 cases (9.2%). Concomitant (non‐contiguous) transitional cell carcinoma of the prostatic urethra and/or ducts was detected in 27 specimens (6.4%). Additional findings were high‐grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia in 43 patients (10.1%) and benign prostatic hyperplasia in 175 (41.2%).CONCLUSIONWe think that the potential oncological risks of prostate‐sparing cystectomy outweigh any small and possible functional benefits; accordingly, the prostate should not be retained.
Effect of levetiracetam on the postmastectomy pain syndrome
Authors: Vilholm O. J. , Cold S. , Rasmussen L. , Sindrup S. H. 
Published: June 2008

Background and purpose:  The aim of this randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, cross‐over study was to test whether levetiracetam relieves the postmastectomy pain syndrome (PMPS).Methods:  Postmastectomy pain syndrome was defined as pain of neuropathic character located in the area of the surgery and/or the ipsilateral arm. The inclusion criteria were: age more than 18 years, characteristic symptoms corresponding to PMPS more than 6 months after surgery for breast cancer, pain duration more than 3 months, peripheral nerve lesions confirmed by abnormal neurological and quantitative sensory tests, intensity of pain more than 4 on a numeric rating scale from 0 to 10 and pain present at least 4 days a week.Results:  Forty‐nine patients were screened for participation and 27 patients were included in the study. Twenty‐five patients completed two treatment phases of 4 weeks duration with levetiracetam (3000 mg/day) and placebo. There was no difference in the rating of pain relief between treatment with levetiracetam (P = 0.83) and placebo nor when adjusted for possible period effect (P = 0.60). Analysis defining response as pain relief more than 4 on an eleven‐point numeric rating scale showed no significant difference between treatment with levetiracetam and placebo (P = 1.00).Conclusions:  Levetiracetam apparently does not relieve peripheral neuropathic pain in PMPS.
Synapse‐specific changes in serotonin signalling contribute to age‐related changes in the feeding behaviour of the pond snail, Lymnaea
Authors: Yeoman Mark S. , Patel Bhavik A. , Arundell Martin , Parker Kim , O’Hare Danny 
Published: June 2008

AbstractThis study utilised the pond snail, Lymnaea to examine the contribution that alterations in serotonergic signalling make to age‐related changes in feeding. Age‐related decreases in 5‐HIAA levels in feeding ganglia were positively correlated with a decrease in the number of sucrose‐evoked bites and negatively correlated with an increase in inter‐bite interval, implicating alterations in serotonergic signalling in the aged phenotype. Analysis of the serotonergic cerebral giant cell (CGC) input to the protraction motor neurone (B1) demonstrated that fluoxetine (10–100 nM) increased the amplitude/duration of the evoked EPSP in both young and middle aged but not in old neurones, suggesting an age‐related attenuation of the serotonin transporter. 5‐HT evoked a concentration‐dependent increase in the amplitude/duration of B1 EPSP, which was greater in old neurones compared to both young and middle aged. Conversely, the 5‐HT‐evoked depolarisation and conditional bursting of the swallow motor neurone (B4) were attenuated in old neurones, functions critical for a full feeding rhythm. The CGCs’ ability to excite B1 was blocked by cinanserin but not by methysergide. Conversely, the CGC to B4 connection was completely blocked by methysergide and only partially by cinanserin suggesting that age‐related changes may be receptor‐specific. In summary, synapse‐specific attenuation of the CGC‐B4 connection and enhancement of the CGC‐B1 connection would slow the swallow phase and maintain protraction, consistent with behavioural observations.
Sympathetic histamine exerts different pre‐ and post‐synaptic functions according to the frequencies of nerve stimulation in guinea pig vas deferens
Authors: He Gonghao , Hu Jing , Ma Xue , Li Mingkai , Wang Hui , Meng Jingru , Jia Min , Luo Xiaoxing 
Published: June 2008

AbstractHistamine (HA) was found to be present in the sympathetic nerve terminals of guinea pig hearts and vasa deferentia in our previous study; however, little is known about the functions of this neurogenic HA. In this study, we used guinea pig vasa deferentia to investigate the pre‐ and post‐synaptic functions of HA evoked by different frequencies of sympathetic nerve stimulation. We found that sympathetic nerve stimulation could evoke HA release, which was independent to mast cell degranulator compound 48/80 and mast cell stabilizer cromolyn, but was highly sensitive to Na+channel blocker tetrodotoxin and chemical sympathectomy with 6‐hydroxydopamine. The neurogenically released HA evoked by 12.5 Hz of nerve stimulation activated only pre‐synaptic H3receptors and mediated pre‐synaptic inhibitory effects, while under 25 or 50 Hz stimulation condition, HA simultaneously activated both pre‐synaptic H3receptors and post‐synaptic H1receptors. However, the direct contractile responses evoked by sympathetic HA via H1receptors were observed at 50 Hz. HA release and HA‐mediated contractile responses upon sympathetic nerve stimulation were significantly inhibited by pre‐treatment of histidine decarboxylase inhibitor α‐fluoromethylhistidine. Furthermore, application of exogenous HA could mimic these pre‐ and post‐synaptic effects. Our findings indicate that HA in sympathetic neurons acts as a neurotransmitter and its functions vary from pre‐synaptic inhibition, to post‐synaptic facilitation, to direct post‐synaptic contractile responses according to sympathetic nerve stimulation frequencies.
Ultrahigh‐pressure garnet peridotites from the devolatilization of sea‐floor hydrated ultramafic rocks
Authors: YANG J‐J. , POWELL R. 
Published: June 2008

AbstractGarnet peridotites occur in quartzofeldspathic gneisses in the Northern Qaidam Mountains, western China. They are rich in Mg and Cr, with mineral compositions similar to those in mantle peridotites found in other orogenic belts and as xenoliths in kimberlite. Garnet‐bearing lherzolites interlayered with dunite display oriented ilmenite and chromite lamellae in olivine and pyroxene lamellae in garnet that have been interpreted to indicate pressures in excess of 6 GPa. However, some garnet porphyroblasts include hornblende, chlorite and spinel + orthopyroxene symplectite after garnet; some clinopyroxene porphyroblasts include abundant actinolite/edenite, calcite and lizardite in the lherzolite; some olivine porphyroblasts (Fo92) include an earlier generation Mg‐rich olivine (Fo95–99), F‐rich clinohumite, pyroxene, chromite, anthophyllite/cummingtonite, Cl‐rich lizardite, carbonates and a new type of brittle mica, here termed ‘Ca‐phlogopite’, in the associated dunite. The pyrope content of garnet increases from core to rim, reaching the pyrope content (72 mol.%) of garnet typically found in the xenoliths in kimberlite. The simplest interpretation of these observations is that the rock association was formerly mantle peridotite emplaced into the oceanic crust that was subjected to serpentinization by seawater‐derived fluids near the sea floor. Dehydration during subduction to 3.0–3.5 GPa and 700 °C transformed these serpentinites into garnet lherzolite and dunite, depending on their Al and Ca contents. Pseudosection modelling usingthermocalcshows that dehydration of the serpentinites is progressive, and involved three stages for Al‐rich and two stages for Al‐poor serpentinites, corresponding to the breakdown of the key hydrous minerals. Static burial and exhumation make olivine a pressure vessel for the pre‐subduction mineral inclusions during ultrahigh‐pressure (UHP) metamorphism. The time span of the UHP event is constrained by the clear interface between the two generations of olivine to be very short, implying rapid subduction and exhumation.
Irsogladine maleate abolishes the increase in interleukin‐8 levels caused by outer membrane protein 29 from Aggregatibacter (Actinobacillus) actinomycetemcomitans through the ERK pathway in human gingival epithelial cells
Authors: Kishimoto A. , Fujita T. , Shiba H. , Komatsuzawa H. , Takeda K. , Kajiya M. , Hayashida K. , Kawaguchi H. , Kurihara H. 
Published: June 2008

Background and Objective:  Irsogladine maleate (IM) suppresses the increase in interleukin (IL)‐8 production induced by outer membrane protein (OMP) 29 from Aggregatibacter (Actinobacillus) actinomycetemcomitans in cultures of human gingival epithelial cells (HGEC). However, how IM suppresses the OMP29‐induced increase in IL‐8 expression remains unknown. In this study, we focused on intracellular signaling pathways to elucidate the mechanism behind the suppression.Material and Methods:  HGEC, which had been pretreated with inhibitors of intracellular signaling molecules, were exposed to OMP29 (1 μg/mL) with or without IM (1 μm). IL‐8 expression at the mRNA and protein levels was examined by real‐time polymerase chain reaction and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. Extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK) activity was measured with a p44/42 mitogen‐activated protein kinase assay kit.Results:  An ERK inhibitor, PD98059, as well as IM, obviated the OMP29‐induced increase in IL‐8 levels in HGEC. A Jun kinase inhibitor, SP600125, and a nuclear factor κB inhibitor, PDTC, did not influence the OMP29‐induced increase in IL‐8 mRNA expression. The OMP29 stimulated phosphorylation of ERK in HGEC. Irsogladine maleate inhibited the phosphorylation.Conclusion:  The suppression of the phosphorylation of ERK by IM in HGEC culminates in inhibition of the OMP29‐induced increase in IL‐8.
Differential gender effects of a reduced‐calorie diet on systemic inflammatory and immune parameters in nonhuman primates
Authors: Ebersole J. L. , Steffen M. J. , Reynolds M. A. , Branch‐Mays G. L. , Dawson D. R. , Novak K. F. , Gunsolley J. C. , Mattison J. A. , Ingram D. K. , Novak M. J. 
Published: June 2008

Background and Objective:  Dietary manipulation, including caloric restriction, has been shown to impact host response capabilities significantly, particularly in association with aging. This investigation compared systemic inflammatory and immune‐response molecules in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta).Material and Methods:  Monkeys on continuous long‐term calorie‐restricted diets and a matched group of animals on a control ad libitum diet, were examined for systemic response profiles including the effects of both gender and aging.Results:  The results demonstrated that haptoglobin and α1‐antiglycoprotein levels were elevated in the serum of male monkeys. Serum IgG responses to Campylobacter rectus, Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans and Porphyromonas gingivalis were significantly elevated in female monkeys. While only the antibody to Fusobacterium nucleatum was significantly affected by the calorie‐restricted diet in female monkeys, antibody levels to Prevotella intermedia, C. rectus and Treponema denticola demonstrated a similar trend.Conclusion:  In this investigation, only certain serum antibody levels were influenced by the age of male animals, which was seemingly related to increasing clinical disease in this gender. More generally, analytes were modulated by gender and/or diet in this oral model system of mucosal microbial challenge.
Distribution of 10 periodontal bacterial species in children and adolescents over a 7‐year period
Authors: Nakano K , Miyamoto E , Tamura K , Nemoto H , Fujita K , Nomura R , Ooshima T 
Published: June 2008

Objective:  There is scant information available regarding the distribution of periodontal bacterial species in children and adolescents over an extended period. The purpose of this study was to compare bacterial profiles in the same individuals over a period of 7 years.Subject and methods:  Twenty‐six children and adolescents from whom dental plaque and saliva specimens were obtained during both the first (1999–2000) and second (2006–2007) periods, were analyzed. Bacterial DNA was extracted from each specimen and the presence of 10 periodontal bacterial species was determined using a PCR method, with a focus on the red complex species of Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola, and Tannerella forsythia.Results:  Subjects with red complex species in saliva specimens obtained during the second collection possessed a significantly higher number of total bacterial species than those without. The detection rate of the red complex species in the second collection period samples was significantly greater in subjects who had two or more species detected in samples taken during the first collection compared with the other subjects.Conclusion:  Subjects possessing red complex species may be at possible risk for infection with a high number of periodontal bacterial species during adolescent and younger adult years.
Expression of resistance to Leptosphaeria maculans in Brassica napus double haploid lines in France and Australia is influenced by location
Authors: Delourme R. , Brun H. , Ermel M. , Lucas M.O. , Vallee P. , Domin C. , Walton G. , Li Hua , Sivasithamparam K. , Barbetti M.J. 
Published: June 2008

AbstractBlackleg, caused by Leptosphaeria maculans, is a major disease of oilseed rape (Brassica napus), worldwide, including Australia and France. The aims of these studies were first, to determine if higher levels of resistance to L. maculans could be generated in double haploid (DH) lines derived from spring‐type B. napus cv. Grouse, which has a good level of field resistance to blackleg; and second, to determine whether the resistance to blackleg disease of individual DH lines responds differentially to different L. maculans field populations within and between the two countries. DH lines were extracted from cv. Grouse and tested in field experiments carried out in both France and Australia against natural L. maculans populations. Extracting and screening DH lines were an effective means to select individual lines with greatly improved expression of resistance to blackleg crown canker disease in comparison with the original parental population. However, relative disease resistance rankings for DH lines were not always consistent between sites. The higher level of resistance in France was shown to be because of a high expression level of quantitative resistance in the French growing conditions. Big differences were observed for some DH lines between the 2004 and the 2005 field sites in Australia where the L. maculans populations differed by their virulence on single dominant gene‐based resistant lines derived from Brassica rapa ssp. sylvestris. This differential behaviour could not be clearly explained by the specific resistance genes until now identified in these DH lines. This investigation highlights the potential to derive DH lines with superior levels of resistance to L. maculans compared with parental populations. However, in locations with particularly high pathogen diversity, such as in southern Australia, multiyear and multisite evaluations should be performed to screen for the most efficient material in different situations.
Sexually Transmitted Infection Among Adolescents Receiving Special Education Services
Authors: Mandell David S. , Eleey Catharine C. , Cederbaum Julie A. , Noll Elizabeth , Katherine Hutchinson M. , Jemmott Loretta S. , Blank Michael B. 
Published: June 2008

ABSTRACTBackground:  To estimate the relative risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among children identified as having learning disabilities through the special education system.Methods:  This cross‐sectional study used special education data and Medicaid data from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for calendar year 2002. The sample comprised 51,234 Medicaid‐eligible children, aged 12‐17 years, 8015 of whom were receiving special education services. Claims associated with diagnoses of STIs were abstracted, and logistic regression was used to estimate the odds of STI among children in different special education categories.Results:  There were 3% of males and 5% of females who were treated for an STI through the Medicaid system in 2002. Among females, those in the mental retardation (MR) category were at greatest risk (6.9%) and those in the emotionally disturbed or “no special education” category at lowest risk (4.9% each). Among males, STIs were most prevalent among those classified as mentally gifted (6.7%) and lowest among those in the MR category (3.0%). In adjusted analyses, males with specific learning disabilities and females with MR or who were academically gifted were at excess risk for STIs.Conclusions:  The finding that children with learning disabilities are at similar or greater risk for contracting STIs as other youth suggests the need to further understand their risk behaviors and the potential need to develop prevention programs specific to their learning needs.