bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Long-term outcome of chronic dialysis in children
Authors: Shroff Rukshana , Ledermann Sarah 
Published: January 2008

AbstractAs the prevalence of children on renal replacement therapy (RRT) increases world wide and such therapy comprises at least 2% of any national dialysis or transplant programme, it is essential that paediatric nephrologists are able to advise families on the possible outcome for their child on dialysis. Most children start dialysis with the expectation that successful renal transplantation is an achievable goal and will provide the best survival and quality of life. However, some will require long-term dialysis or may return intermittently to dialysis during the course of their chronic kidney disease (CKD). This article reviews the available outcome data for children on chronic dialysis as well as extrapolating data from the larger adult dialysis experience to inform our paediatric practice. The multiple factors that may influence outcome, and, particularly, those that can potentially be modified, are discussed.
Persistent host–parasitoid interaction caused by host maturation variability
Authors: Nakamichi Yasufumi , Toquenaga Yukihiko , Fujii Koichi 
Published: January 2008

AbstractThe heterogeneity of parasitism risk among host individuals is a key factor for stabilizing or sustaining host–parasitoid interactions. Host maturation variability, or the variation in the maturation times among host individuals, is the simplest source of such heterogeneity, but it has often been neglected in previous theoretical studies. We developed a configuration individual‐based model (cIBM) of host–parasitoid interaction to investigate to what degree of host maturation variability promotes the persistence of host–parasitoid interactions. We ran simulations with various degrees of host maturation variability for different lengths of unsusceptible period. The result showed that low host maturation variability could sustain host–parasitoid dynamics when the host‐unsusceptible period was short. Conversely, high levels of variability could sustain host–parasitoid dynamics when the host‐unsusceptible period was about half of the total larval period. This suggests that the balance between variability and unsusceptible period is important for the persistence of host–parasitoid interaction. We conclude that maturation variability is a factor that can contribute to the sustainment of host–parasitoid interactions.
Clinical manifestations and natural history of Japanese heterozygous females with Fabry disease
Authors: Kobayashi M. , Ohashi T. , Sakuma M. , Ida H. , Eto Y. 
Published: January 2008

SummaryFabry disease is an X linked lysosomal storage disorder resulting from deficiency of α‐galactosidase A activity. Although disease manifestations in heterozygous females with Fabry disease have been considered to be rare and mild, heterozygous patients with severe symptoms have recently been reported. In this study we focused on the clinical characteristics of Japanese females patients with Fabry disease and analysed data from 36 women. Data on clinical manifestations such as acroparaesthesia, hypohidrosis, angiokeratoma, corneal opacities, proteinuria, end‐stage renal disease (ESRD), left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and cerebral infarction were obtained by questionnaire; these analysed by the Kaplan–Meier method and compared with the data from Japanese male patients. Eighty‐six per cent of female patients had at least one clinical sign of Fabry disease. Their most common symptoms were acroparaesthesia and corneal opacities, and diagnosis was most commonly based on family history. The cumulative incidences of angiokeratoma, corneal opacities, proteinuria, ESRD, LVH and cerebral infarction were significantly lower in female than in male patients. However, corneal opacities, proteinuria and LVH developed progressively in female patients as well as in male patients. The incidence of LVH was especially high in older female patients and the cumulative incidence of LVH in women over 68 years of age was 100%. We consider that the term X‐linked ‘recessive’ is inappropriate for Fabry disease because of the high prevalence of its pathognomonic signs in heterozygous female patients. Careful and long‐term evaluation of clinical signs is important in heterozygous females patients with Fabry disease.
Long-term effect of repeated injections of botulinum toxin in children with cerebral palsy: A prospective study
Authors: Fattal-Valevski Aviva , Domenievitz Dafna , Giladi Nir , Wientroub Shlomo , Hayek Shlomo 
Published: January 2008

Purpose To prospectively evaluate long-term effects of repeated botulinum toxin A (BTX-A) injections in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Methods Repeated injections of BTX-A were offered to children with CP, according to clinical indications, for a maximum of four injections within a period of two years. Injections were administered into lower extremity muscles of 26 consecutive children (age 3.7 ± 1.2 years, 16 boys) with hemiplegic or diplegic CP. Clinical assessments before and one month following each injection included a gross motor function measure (GMFM), a modified Ashworth scale, and range-of-motion of knee extension and ankle dorsiflexion. Results Twelve children received two injections, six received three injections, five received one injection, and three received four injections. The most common reason for discontinuing treatment was the need for orthopedic surgery ( n = 17). A long-term effect was demonstrated by a significant increase of the GMFM score before the first injection compared with the last injection for each patient ( P < 0.0001). There was no comparable change in the muscle tone or range-of-motion. The mean rate of GMFM change during the study was significantly higher than literature norms for CP children (13.2 vs. 5.37 per year, respectively, P < 0.01). The increase of the GMFM score before and one-month after injection (short-term effect) was significantly higher after the first injection than after the last injection ( P < 0.05). Similar results were found for the Ashworth scale and popliteal angle. Conclusions Botulinum toxin A injections have a long-term effect on gross motor function in children with CP even though the effect on muscle tone is short-term. The effect apparently declines with repeated injections, with most children benefitting from 2 to 3 injections.
Perception of General Health in Adults with Congenital Heart Disease who no Longer Attend Medical Follow-Up
Authors: Kikkenborg Berg Selina , Pedersen Preben U. 
Published: January 2008

Background: Numerous patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) do not attend regular follow-up. How these patients perceive their health is unknown. A news story recently reached the front pages in Denmark, stating that patients with CHD not attending medical follow-up could be at great risk. This made a number of “lost” patients come forward and offered a unique opportunity to learn more about how these patients manage life. Aims: To describe the perception of general health in a sample of grown-up congenital heart disease (GUCH) patients who are no longer in medical follow-up and to determine whether patients feel affected in daily life because of their heart disease. Methods: A convenient sample of 125 respondents was asked to complete a questionnaire, using questions from Short Form 36 and self-constructed questions. Data were processed in SPSS and analysed by means of Student's t-test, ANOVA, Chi-square test, and Pearson's correlation coefficient. Results: 125 patients participated, with a mean age of 38 years, 37% were men. Mean scores for general health perception were 75.8 for men and 77.2 for women. The scores seem to follow the pattern seen in the general population. Most patients, 83%, did not feel limited in their daily activities. 67% of women and 52% of men, however, worried about their heart disease. Conclusion: Patients not attending medical follow-up seem to be affected to some degree by their heart disease.
Significant differences in central imaging of histamine‐induced itch between atopic dermatitis and healthy subjects
Authors: Schneider Gudrun , Ständer Sonja , Burgmer Markus , Driesch Georg , Heuft Gereon , Weckesser Matthias 
Published: January 2008

AbstractBackground/aim: This is the first investigation of the central processing of itch in the brain in 8 subjects with atopic dermatitis (AD) in comparison to 6 healthy controls (HC), comparing histamine‐induced itch related activations in the frontal, prefrontal, parietal, cingulate cortex, thalamus, basal ganglia and cerebellum.Methods: We employed 1% histamine‐dihydrochlorid‐iontophoresis of the left hand, recorded H2
15O‐PET‐scans and perception of itch intensity on a numeric rating scale.Results: There was no significant difference in perceived itch intensity between AD and HC. Significant increase in rCBF was found in HC in the contralateral somatosensory and motor cortex, midcingulate gyrus, and ipsilateral prefrontal cortex; in AD: in the contralateral thalamus, somatosensory, motor and prefrontal cortex and cerebellum, in the ipsilateral precentral, prefrontal, orbitofrontal cortex, insula, pallidum and cerebellum. More brain sites were activated in AD than in HC. Activation in AD was significantly higher in the contralateral thalamus, ipsilateral caudate and pallidum.Conclusions: We interpret our findings as possible central correlates of changes in the motor system in subjects with chronic itch, with activation of the basal ganglia possibly correlating to the vicious itch‐scratch‐circle in subjects with chronic itching skin diseases. However, further neuroimaging studies in healthy subjects and also in different skin diseases are needed to understand the complex mechanisms of the processing of itch.
Topographical mapping and mechanical pain sensitivity of myofascial trigger points in the infraspinatus muscle
Authors: Ge Hong‐You , Fernández‐de‐las‐Peñas César , Madeleine Pascal , Arendt‐Nielsen Lars 
Published: January 2008

AbstractObjectives: To screen for the presence of latent and active myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) in patients with unilateral shoulder and arm pain and perform topographical mapping of mechanical pain sensitivity bilaterally in the infraspinatus muscles.Methods: Nineteen patients with unilateral musculoskeletal shoulder pain participated in the study. The area overlying the infraspinatus on each side was divided into 10 adjacent sub‐areas of 1cm2, corresponding to the area of a pressure algometer probe. Pressure pain threshold (PPT) was measured in each sub‐area bilaterally in the infraspinatus muscles. Following PPT measurement, an acupuncture needle was inserted into each sub‐area five times in different directions in order to induce local twitch response and/or referred pain.Results: A significantly lower PPT level in the infraspinatus muscle was detected on the painful side compared with the non‐painful side (P=0.001). PPT at midfiber region of the infraspinatus muscles was lower than that at other muscle parts (P<0.05). Multiple, but not single, active MTrPs were found in the infraspinatus muscle on the painful side and there were also multiple latent MTrPs bilaterally in the infraspinatus muscles. PPT at active MTrPs was much lower than the latent MTrPs and again lower than the non‐MTrPs.Conclusions: There exists bilateral mechanical hyperalgesia in patients with unilateral shoulder pain. Further, the association of multiple active MTrPs with unilateral shoulder pain and the heterogeneity of mechanical pain sensitivity distribution suggest a crucial role of peripheral sensitization in chronic myofascial pain conditions. Additionally, the locations of MTrPs identified with dry needling correspond well to PPT topographical mapping, suggesting that dry needling and PPT topographical mapping are sensitive techniques in the identification of MTrPs.
Accuracy of marker-assisted selection with single markers and marker haplotypes in cattle
Authors: HAYES B. J. , CHAMBERLAIN A. J. , McPARTLAN H. , MACLEOD I. , SETHURAMAN L. , GODDARD M. E. 
Published: January 2008

SummaryA key question for the implementation of marker-assisted selection (MAS) using markers in linkage disequilibrium with quantitative trait loci (QTLs) is how many markers surrounding each QTL should be used to ensure the marker or marker haplotypes are in sufficient linkage disequilibrium (LD) with the QTL. In this paper we compare the accuracy of MAS using either single markers or marker haplotypes in an Angus cattle data set consisting of 9323 genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) genotyped in 379 Angus cattle. The extent of LD in the data set was such that the average marker–marker r2 was 0·2 at 200 kb. The accuracy of MAS increased as the number of markers in the haplotype surrounding the QTL increased, although only when the number of markers in the haplotype was 4 or greater did the accuracy exceed that achieved when the SNP in the highest LD with the QTL was used. A large number of phenotypic records (>1000) were required to accurately estimate the effects of the haplotypes.
Population genetic inference using a fixed number of segregating sites: a reassessment
Authors: RAMOS-ONSINS SEBASTIÁN E. , MOUSSET SYLVAIN , MITCHELL-OLDS THOMAS , STEPHAN WOLFGANG 
Published: January 2008

SummaryCoalescent theory is commonly used to perform population genetic inference at the nucleotide level. Here, we examine the procedure that fixes the number of segregating sites (henceforth theFSprocedure). In this approach a fixed number of segregating sites (S) are placed on a coalescent tree (independently of the total and internode lengths of the tree). Thus, although widely used, theFSprocedure does not strictly follow the assumptions of coalescent theory and must be considered an approximation of (i) the standard procedure that uses a fixed population mutation parameter θ, and (ii) procedures that condition on the number of segregating sites. We study the differences in the false positive rate for nine statistics by comparing theFSprocedure with the procedures (i) and (ii), using several evolutionary models with single-locus and multilocus data. Our results indicate that for single-locus data theFSprocedure is accurate for the equilibrium neutral model, but problems arise under the alternative models studied; furthermore, for multilocus data, theFSprocedure becomes inaccurate even for the standard neutral model. Therefore, we recommend a procedure that fixes the θ value (or alternatively, procedures that condition onSand take into account the uncertainty of θ) for analysing evolutionary models with multilocus data. With single-locus data, theFSprocedure should not be employed for models other than the standard neutral model.
The geographic distribution of the ACE II genotype: a novel finding
Authors: Saab Y. B. , Gard P. R. , Overall A. D. J. 
Published: January 2008

SummaryAngiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene polymorphism insertion (I) or deletion (D) has been widely studied in different populations, and linked to various functional effects and associated with common diseases. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between the ACE I/D frequency in different populations and geographic location; ACE I/D allele frequency in the Lebanese population and ACE II genotype contribution to the geographic trend were also identified. Five hundred and seventy healthy volunteers were recruited from the Lebanese population. Genomic DNA was extracted from buccal cells, and amplified by polymerase chain reaction; products were then identified by gel electrophoresis. The frequencies of the different ACE I/D genotypes were determined and tested for Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (HWE). To assess the relationship between ACE I/D frequency and geographic location, and to identify how the Lebanese population contributes to the geographic trend in ACE I/D frequencies, Eurasian population samples and Asians were incorporated in the analyses from the literature. The frequency of the I allele in the Lebanese population was 27% and the corresponding II genotype was at a frequency of 7·37% (in HWE;P=0·979). The ACE I allele and genotype frequencies show an association with longitude, with frequencies increasing eastwards and westwards from the Middle East.
Inertia–gravity-wave radiation by a sheared vortex
Authors: ÓLAFSDÓTTIR E. I. , DAALHUIS A. B. OLDE , VANNESTE J. 
Published: January 2008

We consider the linear evolution of a localized vortex with Gaussian potential vorticity that is superposed on a horizontal Couette flow in a rapidly rotating strongly stratified fluid. The Rossby number, defined as the ratio of the shear of the Couette flow to the Coriolis frequency, is assumed small. Our focus is on the inertia–gravity waves that are generated spontaneously during the evolution of the vortex. These are exponentially small in the Rossby number and hence are neglected in balanced models such as the quasi-geostrophic model and its higher-order generalizations. We develop an exponential-asymptotic approach, based on an expansion in sheared modes, to give an analytic description of the three-dimensional structure of the inertia–gravity waves emitted by the vortex. This provides an explicit example of the spontaneous radiation of inertia–gravity waves by localized balanced motion in the small-Rossby-number regime.The inertia–gravity waves are emitted as a burst of four wavepackets propagating downstream of the vortex. The approach employed reduces the computation of inertia–gravity-wave fields to a single quadrature, carried out numerically, for each spatial location and each time. This makes it possible to unambiguously define an initial state that is entirely free of inertia–gravity waves, and circumvents the difficulties generally associated with the separation between balanced motion and inertia–gravity waves.
Balance in non-hydrostatic rotating stratified turbulence
Authors: McKIVER WILLIAM J. , DRITSCHEL DAVID G. 
Published: January 2008

It is now well established that two distinct types of motion occur in geophysical turbulence: slow motions associated with potential vorticity advection and fast oscillations due to inertia–gravity waves (or acoustic waves). Many studies have theorized the existence of a flow for which the entire motion is controlled by the potential vorticity (or one ‘master variable’) – this is known as balance. In real geophysical flows, deviations from balance in the form of inertia–gravity waves or ‘imbalance’ have often been found to be small. Here we examine the extent to which balance holds in rotating stratified turbulence which is nearly balanced initially.Using the non-hydrostatic fluid dynamical equations under the Boussinesq approximation, we analyse properties of rotating stratified turbulence spanning a range of Rossby numbers (Ro≡|ζ|max/f) and the frequency ratios (c≡N/f) where ζ is the relative vertical vorticity, f is the Coriolis frequency and N is the buoyancy frequency. Using a recently introduced diagnostic procedure, called ‘optimal potential vorticity balance’, we extract the balanced part of the flow in the simulations and assess how the degree of imbalance varies with the above parameters.We also introduce a new and more efficient procedure, building upon a quasi-geostrophic scaling analysis of the complete non-hydrostatic equations. This ‘nonlinear quasi-geostrophic balance’ procedure expands the equations of motion to second order in Rossby number but retains the exact (unexpanded) definition of potential vorticity. This proves crucial for obtaining an accurate estimate of balanced motions. In the analysis of rotating stratified turbulence at Ro≲1 and N/f≫1, this procedure captures a significantly greater fraction of the underlying balance than standard (linear) quasi-geostrophic balance (which is based on the linearized equations about a state of rest). Nonlinear quasi-geostrophic balance also compares well with optimal potential vorticity balance, which captures the greatest fraction of the underlying balance overall.More fundamentally, the results of these analyses indicate that balance dominates in carefully initialized simulations of freely decaying rotating stratified turbulence up to O(1) Rossby numbers when N/f≫1. The fluid motion exhibits important quasi-geostrophic features with, in particular, typical height-to-width scale ratios remaining comparable to f/N.
Convection in heated fluid layers subjected to time-periodic horizontal accelerations
Authors: PESCH W. , PALANIAPPAN D. , TAO J. , BUSSE F. H. 
Published: January 2008

A theoretical study is presented of convection in a horizontal fluid layer heated from below or above which is periodically accelerated in its plane. The analysis is based on Galerkin methods as well as on direct numerical simulations of the underlying Boussinesq equations.Shaking in a fixed direction breaks the original isotropy of the layer. At onset of convection and at small acceleration, we find longitudinal rolls, where the roll axis aligns parallel to the acceleration direction. With increasing acceleration amplitude, a shear instability takes over and transverse rolls with the axis perpendicular to the shaking direction nucleate at onset. In the nonlinear regime, the longitudinal rolls become unstable against transverse modulations very close to onset which leads to a kind of domain chaos between patches of symmetry degenerated oblique rolls.In the case of circular shaking, the system is isotropic in the time average sense, however, with a broken chiral symmetry. The onset of convection corresponds to the transverse roll case studied before with the roll axis selected spontaneously. With increasing Rayleigh number, a heteroclinic cycle is observed with the roll changing its orientation periodically in time. At even higher Rayleigh number, this heteroclinic cycle becomes chaotic similarly to the case of the Küppers–Lortz instability.
Descriptive epidemiology of intestinal helminth parasites from stray cat populations in Qatar
Authors: Abu-Madi M.A. , Pal P. , Al-Thani A. , Lewis J.W. 
Published: January 2008

AbstractA total of 488 stray cats, 212 adult and 29 juvenile females plus 235 adult and 12 juvenile males, were examined post-mortem during the winter and summer months of 2006 from five sites in the vicinity of Doha and its outskirts. Five helminths, comprising three nematode and two cestode species were identified and the majority of cats harboured two of these species. The most prevalent was the cestodeTaenia taeniaeformis(75.8%), followed by the cestodeDiplopylidiumsp. (42.8%), and the nematodesAncylostoma tubaeforme(17.0%),Physalopterasp. (6.6%) andToxocara cati(0.8%). All five species were found to be typically overdispersed in their distribution. Using univariate and multivariate analyses, the prevalence and abundance of infections were primarily influenced by host gender and season, with females tending to harbour higher levels of infection during the summer. No significant differences were found relative to site except in the case ofPhysalopterasp. Using bivariate Pearson product moment correlations, significant positive co-occurrences were identified betweenDiplopylidiumsp. andT. taeniaeformisand also betweenA. tubaeformeandT. taeniaeformis. The results are discussed in relation to the effect of environmental conditions on the intestinal helminth infracommunities and their possible interactions in stray cat populations from such a harsh and arid region as Qatar.