bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of ferrous sulphate and non‐ionic iron–polymaltose complex on markers of oxidative tissue damage in patients with inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: ERICHSEN K. , ULVIK R. J. , GRIMSTAD T. , BERSTAD A. , BERGE R. K. , HAUSKEN T. 
Published: October 2005

SummaryBackground : Iron deficiency is a common complication of inflammatory bowel disease. Oral iron therapy may reinforce intestinal tissue injury by catalyzing production of reactive oxygen species.Aim : To compare the effects of ferrous sulphate and non‐ionic iron–polymaltose complex on markers of oxidative tissue damage and clinical disease activity in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.Methods : Forty‐one patients with inflammatory bowel disease and iron deficiency were randomized to treatment with ferrous sulphate 100 mg twice a day or iron–polymaltose complex 200 mg once a day for 14 days.Results : Following ferrous sulphate, plasma malondialdehyde increased (P = 0.02), while urine 8‐isoprostaglandin F2α and plasma antioxidants did not change significantly. Iron–polymaltose complex did not change plasma malondialdehyde, urine 8‐isoprostaglandin F2α or plasma antioxidants. Comparing the two treatments, changes in plasma malondialdehyde tended to differ (P = 0.08), while urine 8‐isoprostaglandin F2α and plasma antioxidants did not differ. Neither ferrous sulphate nor iron–polymaltose complex altered clinical disease activity indices.Conclusions : Ferrous sulphate increased plasma malondialdehyde, a marker of lipid peroxidation. Comparing treatment with ferrous sulphate and iron–polymaltose complex, changes in plasma malondialdehyde tended to differ. Clinical disease activity was unchanged after both treatments.
Evaluation of the Ez‐HBT Helicobacter blood test to establish Helicobacter pylori eradication
Authors: AHMED F. , MURTHY U. K. , CHEY W. D. , TOSKES P. P. , WAGNER D. A. 
Published: October 2005

SummaryBackground : The urea blood test (Ez‐HBT) has been shown to compare favourably with the urea breath test in the diagnosis of active Helicobacter pylori infection.Aim : To examine the performance characteristics of the Ez‐HBT Helicobacter blood test in establishing success or failure of therapy in H. pylori‐infected adults using the 13C urea breath test as the reference method.Methods : 13C urea breath test and Ez‐HBT Helicobacter blood test were performed 4–6 weeks after completion of treatment in H. pylori positive subjects. Basal urea breath samples were collected; basal Ez‐HBT Helicobacter blood test samples were not. Ez‐HBT Helicobacter blood test results were reported as positive, negative, or indeterminate.Results : Seventy patients generated 126 measurable sets of urea breath and blood tests. The H. pylori cure rate was 93%. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the Ez‐HBT Helicobacter blood test were 100%, 97%, and 97%, respectively. Six of eight false positive and indeterminate Ez‐HBT Helicobacter blood test results could be attributed to incomplete fasting or a 13C enriched diet. After correcting for the non‐fasting state, the positive predictive value of the Ez‐HBT Helicobacter blood test improved from 56% to 86%.Conclusion : The performance characteristics of the Ez‐HBT Helicobacter blood test are comparable with that of 13C‐urea breath test in establishing H. pylori eradication after therapy. Errors related to incomplete fasting can be mitigated by collection of a basal blood sample.
The fractal nature of human gastro‐oesophageal reflux
Authors: GARDNER J. D. , YOUNG W. , SLOAN S. , ROBINSON M. , MINER P. B. 
Published: October 2005

SummaryBackground : We are unaware of the analyses of time series data resulting from 24 h recordings of human gastric or oesophageal pH. As a result, we have no understanding of the quantitative changes in gastric or oesophageal acidity over time, the patterns that might characterize these changes, or the physiological significance of gastro‐oesophageal reflux.Aim : To examine the time series for gastric and oesophageal pH.Methods : Detrended fluctuation analysis and lag analysis were used to analyse data from 24 h recordings of oesophageal and gastric pH in five normal subjects and five subjects with gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease.Results : Analyses of the patterns of gastric and oesophageal pH over time in normal subjects and subjects with gastro–oesophageal reflux disease indicate that the fluctuations in pH are self‐similar across different time scales and are consistent with an underlying fractal process. Furthermore, there is a significant statistical association between sequential pH values separated by as much as 2.2 h.Conclusions : We hypothesize that the self‐similar, fractal pattern encodes information about gastric acidity and that the oesophagus decodes this information and, when appropriate, may signal the stomach to reduce gastric acidity. Subjects with gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease might have an impaired oesophageal–gastric feedback mechanism that results in increased gastric acid, which reflux from the stomach into the oesophagus.
Homozygosity for human leucocyte antigen‐C ligands of KIR2DL1 is associated with increased risk of relapse after human leucocyte antigen‐C‐matched unrelated donor haematopoietic stem cell transplantation
Authors: Giebel Sebastian , Locatelli Franco , Wojnar Jerzy , Velardi Andrea , Mina Tommaso , Giorgiani Giovanna , Krawczyk‐Kulis Malgorzata , Markiewicz Miroslaw , Wylezol Iwona , Holowiecki Jerzy 
Published: October 2005

SummaryHuman leucocyte antigen (HLA)‐C molecules regulate the function of natural killer cells and may be subdivided into two groups, C(1) and C(2), based on their specificity for inhibitory killer immunoglobulin‐like receptors. We analysed the impact of the HLA‐C genotype on outcome of HLA‐C‐matched unrelated donor haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (URD‐HSCT) recipients. HLA‐C(2) homozygous patients (n = 18) had lower probability of overall survival (P = 0·01) and disease‐free survival (P = 0·02), resulting from increased relapse rate (P = 0·02) when compared with both HLA‐C(1) homozygous (n = 43) and HLA‐C(1),C(2) heterozygous (n = 50) subgroups. Patients lacking HLA‐C(1) should, therefore, be considered at increased risk of relapse following HLA‐C‐matched URD‐HSCT.
Glomerulonephritis, Th1 and Th2: what's new?
Authors: Tipping P G , Kitching A R 
Published: October 2005

SummaryGlomerulonephritis (GN), the major worldwide cause of chronic renal disease and renal failure, shows a wide spectrum of histological patterns, severity of injury and clinical outcomes that may be related to the nature of the nephritogenic immune response. In the majority of cases, there is evidence of a central role for cognate immunity in the initiation of human GN and contributions of both humoral and cellular effector mechanisms have been demonstrated in both humans and in animal models. T helper cell subsets are known to activate different immune effector mechanisms which influence disease outcomes in infectious and autoimmune diseases and evidence is now accumulating that Th1 and Th2 subsets direct diverging effector pathways that lead to different patterns and severity of glomerular injury in GN. Th1-predominant responses appear to be associated strongly with proliferative and crescentic forms of GN that result in severe renal injury, while Th2 responses are associated with membranous patterns of injury. The challenge remains to understand fully the relevance of T helper cell subset responses to the spectrum of human GN and to apply this new knowledge to the development of more potent and selective therapeutic strategies.
Hypodontia in an adolescent with the HbSC genotype: a case report
Authors: OREDUGBA F. A. 
Published: October 2005

SummaryThe haemoglobin SC (HbSC) genotype is a variant form of haemoglobin disorder that often presents less frequent clinical symptoms of sickle cell disease (SCD) than the homozygous state (HbSS). Various dental abnormalities, such as enamel hypoplasia, hypomineralization, midline diastema and delayed eruption of the teeth, have been associated with SCD. This report presents the case of an adolescent patient with HbSC who had hypodontia, transposition of a permanent canine, retained primary teeth, multiple carious lesions and poor oral hygiene complicated by sickle cell crisis. This report focuses on the need for preventive care in such patients to reduce functional and aesthetic complications.
Dental caries and associated factors in 12‐year‐old schoolchildren in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
Authors: DAVID J. , WANG N. J. , ÅSTRØM A. N. , KURIAKOSE S. 
Published: October 2005

SummaryObjectives. The aims of the present study were to describe the dental health status of 12‐year‐old schoolchildren in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India, and to identify sociodemographic factors, oral health behaviours, attitudes and knowledge related to dental caries experience.Methods. The study took the form of a cross‐sectional survey of 838 children in upper primary schools. A two‐stage cluster sampling technique was used. Dental caries was measured using World Health Organization criteria. Sociodemographic factors, oral health behaviours, attitudes and knowledge were assessed by a self‐administered questionnaire.Results. The prevalence of dental caries in the permanent dentition was 27%. The mean number of decayed, missing and filled teeth was 0·5 (SD = 0·9). The decayed component (D) constituted 91% of the total number of decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that children had a higher risk of having dental caries if they lived in urban area [OR = 1·5, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1·1–2·1], had visited a dentist (OR = 1·6, 95% CI = 1·2–2·2), did not use a toothbrush (OR = 1·9, 95% CI = 1·2–2·9), consumed sweets (OR = 1·4, 95% CI = 1·0–1·9) or performed poorly in school (OR = 1·7, 95% CI = 1·0–2·3).Conclusions. The prevalence of caries in this sample of 12‐year‐old schoolchildren was low compared to that in other developing countries. The present study indicated that urban living conditions were associated with more dental caries. Since urbanization is rapid in India, oral health promotion at the present time would be valuable to prevent increased caries prevalence.
Dental fluorosis in primary teeth: a study in rural schoolchildren in Shaanxi Province, China
Authors: RUAN J. P. , WANG Z. L. , YANG Z. Q. , BÅRDSEN A. , ÅSTRØM A. N. , BJORVATN K. 
Published: October 2005

Summary.Objective. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and severity of fluorosis in the primary dentition of 7–8‐year‐old Chinese schoolchildren in areas with fluoride concentrations in the drinking water ranging from 0·35 to 7·6 mg L−1.Subjects and methods. Four hundred and seventy‐two children from 13 different schools were divided into four groups according to the fluoride concentration of the drinking water: (A) ≤ 1·0 mg L−1; (B) 1·1–2·0 mg L−1; (C) 2·1–3·8 mg L−1; and (D) 7·6 mg L−1. Clinical examinations were made under field conditions, and dental fluorosis on the buccal surfaces of all teeth was recorded using the Thylstrup–Fejerskov Index (TFI).Results. The prevalence of dental fluorosis in primary teeth varied from 6·2% to 96·6% according to the fluoride concentration of the drinking water. The differences of median of TFI scores between all groups were statistically significant (P < 0·001) except for groups B and C. No statistically significant difference in the severity of dental fluorosis was observed between genders. The second primary molars were most severely affected by dental fluorosis. Disregarding group A, TFI scores between 3 and 4 were most frequently recorded. Dental fluorosis was symmetrically distributed in both jaws.Conclusion. Dental fluorosis is prevalent in the primary teeth of children living in areas supplied with drinking water with fluoride concentrations higher than 1·0 mg L−1. The primary teeth may act as biomarkers of fluoride exposure. The examination of primary teeth may give an early warning of this condition, and thus, provide a basis for intervention to prevent dental fluorosis in the permanent teeth.
Magic trick: a behavioural strategy for the management of strong‐willed children
Authors: PERETZ B. , GLUCK G. 
Published: October 2005

SummaryObjective. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of using a magic trick to persuade strong‐willed children who refuse to sit in the dental chair at the first visit with more conventional methods like tell‐show‐do (TSD).Methods. Seventy children aged 3–6 years of age who were identified as manifesting strong‐willed behaviour were selected for this study. The children were randomly assigned to be managed either by a magic trick distraction or by TSD. There were 35 subjects in each group. The following variables were recorded for each child: time from the beginning of the session to sitting on the dental chair (in minutes); ability to perform a dental examination (yes or no); and Frankl's behavioural category.Results. Children who were shown a magic trick (Magic+) sat significantly faster on the dental chair than children who were not shown the magic trick (Magic–) (141·2 ± 71·5 and 221·7 ± 110·7 s, respectively). In addition, radiographs could be taken in significantly more Magic+ children (91% and 54%, respectively). When time till sitting on dental chair, radiographs taken and Frankl's behavioural categories were examined by gender, age, first time at the dentist and by parent assessment, the following pattern emerged: (1) Children in the Magic+ group sat on the dental chair significantly faster than children in the Magic– group. (2) Radiographs could be taken for more Magic+ children. (3) The Magic+ children demonstrated more cooperative behaviour (Frankl's categories 3 and 4).Conclusion. This study demonstrates that a magic trick is able to facilitate two types of cooperative behaviour: (1) it expedites the movement of the child into the dental chair; and (2) it enables the dentist to take radiographs more easily.
Reasons for and parental satisfaction with children's dental care under general anaesthesia
Authors: SAVANHEIMO N. , VEHKALAHTI M. M. , PIHAKARI A. , NUMMINEN M. 
Published: October 2005

SummaryObjectives. The aim of this study was to describe why healthy children's previous treatment experiences can be reasons for their dental treatment under general anaesthesia (GA), and to describe their parents’ experiences and satisfaction with that treatment.Subjects and methods. The data cover those children (n = 102) below 16 years of age who, being otherwise healthy, were referred for Public Dental Service GA dental care in Helsinki, Finland, over the course of one year because of serious difficulties in dental treatment. The parents were given a self‐administered questionnaire inquiring about their child's previous experiences of dental care, and about their access to and satisfaction with the present GA treatment. Data on the children's dental state were taken from patient records.Results. The children's mean age was 6·4 years (SD = 2·6 years), and the mean number of teeth with untreated caries was 7·7 (SD = 3·0). Of the total sample, 32% had undergone four or more previous unsuccessful dental visits. At the time of their first difficulties in dental care, 39% were below 3 years of age. The older the child, the more serious was her or his parents’ ranking of the difficulties met during dental care (P = 0·02). From the parents’ point of view, dental fear was the most important reason for treatment failures, followed by pain. Seeking GA treatment had been easy for 93% of parents, and most of them were also satisfied with their child's present GA treatment.Conclusions. The most important factors leading to the use of GA, as reported by the parents, are dental fear and repeated unpleasant experiences during dental care, and therefore, these should always be properly diagnosed, prevented and controlled.
The MreB and Min cytoskeletal‐like systems play independent roles in prokaryotic polar differentiation
Authors: Shih Yu‐Ling , Kawagishi Ikuro , Rothfield Lawrence 
Published: October 2005

SummaryEstablishment of an axis of cell polarity and differentiation of the cell poles are fundamental aspects of cellular development in many organisms. We compared the effects of two bacterial cytoskeletal‐like systems, the MreB and MinCDE systems, on these processes in Escherichia coli. We report that the Min proteins are capable of establishing an axis of oscillation that is the initial step in establishment of polarity in spherical cells, in a process that is independent of the MreB cytoskeleton. In contrast, the MreB system is required for establishment of the rod shape of the cell and for polar targeting of other polar constituents, such as the Shigella virulence factor IcsA and the aspartate chemoreceptor Tar, in a process that is independent of the Min system. Thus, the two bacterial cytoskeletal‐like systems act independently on different aspects of cell polarization.
SsgA‐like proteins determine the fate of peptidoglycan during sporulation of Streptomyces coelicolor
Authors: Noens Elke E. E. , Mersinias Vassilis , Traag Bjørn A. , Smith Colin P. , Koerten Henk K. , van Wezel Gilles P. 
Published: October 2005

SummaryDuring developmental cell division in sporulation‐committed aerial hyphae of streptomycetes, up to a hundred septa are simultaneously produced, in close harmony with synchromous chromosome condensation and segregation. Several unique protein families are involved in the control of this process in actinomycetes, including that of the SsgA‐like proteins (SALPs). Mutants for each of the individual SALP genes were obtained, and high‐resolution and fluorescence imaging revealed that each plays an important and highly specific role in the control of the sporulation process, and their function relates to the build‐up and degradation of septal and spore‐wall peptidoglycan. While SsgA and SsgB are essential for sporulation‐specific cell division in Streptomyces coelicolor, SsgC–G are responsible for correct DNA segregation/condensation (SsgC), spore wall synthesis (SsgD), autolytic spore separation (SsgE, SsgF) or exact septum localization (SsgG). Our experiments paint a picture of a novel protein family that acts through timing and localization of the activity of penicillin‐binding proteins and autolysins, thus controlling important steps during the initiation and the completion of sporulation in actinomycetes.
Sialic acid transport in Haemophilus influenzae is essential for lipopolysaccharide sialylation and serum resistance and is dependent on a novel tripartite ATP‐independent periplasmic transporter
Authors: Severi Emmanuele , Randle Gaynor , Kivlin Polly , Whitfield Kate , Young Rosie , Moxon Richard , Kelly David , Hood Derek , Thomas Gavin H. 
Published: October 2005

SummarySialylation of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is an important mechanism used by the human pathogen Haemophilus influenzae to evade the innate immune response of the host. We have demonstrated that N‐acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac or sialic acid) uptake in H. influenzae is essential for the subsequent modification of the LPS and that this uptake is mediated through a single transport system which is a member of the tripartite ATP‐independent periplasmic (TRAP) transporter family. Disruption of either the siaP (HI0146) or siaQM (HI0147) genes, that encode the two subunits of this transporter, results in a complete loss of uptake of [14C]‐Neu5Ac. Mutant strains lack sialylated glycoforms in their LPS and are more sensitive to killing by human serum than the parent strain. The SiaP protein has been purified and demonstrated to bind a stoichiometric amount of Neu5Ac by electrospray mass spectrometry. This binding was of high affinity with a Kd of ∼0.1 µM as determined by protein fluorescence. The inactivation of the SiaPQM TRAP transporter also results in decreased growth of H. influenzae in a chemically defined medium containing Neu5Ac, supporting an additional nutritional role of sialic acid in H. influenzae physiology.
CsrA and three redundant small RNAs regulate quorum sensing in Vibrio cholerae
Authors: Lenz Derrick H. , Miller Melissa B. , Zhu Jun , Kulkarni Rahul V. , Bassler Bonnie L. 
Published: October 2005

SummaryBacteria communicate using a process called quorum sensing which involves production, secretion and detection of signalling molecules called autoinducers. Quorum sensing allows populations of bacteria to simultaneously regulate gene expression in response to changes in cell density. The human pathogen, Vibrio cholerae, uses a quorum‐sensing circuit composed of parallel systems that transduce information through four redundant regulatory small RNAs (sRNAs) called quorum regulatory RNAs (Qrr) to control the expression of numerous genes, most notably those required for virulence. We show that the VarS/VarA two‐component sensory system comprises an additional regulatory input controlling quorum‐sensing‐dependent gene expression in V. cholerae. VarS/VarA controls transcription of three previously unidentified small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) that are similar to the sRNAs CsrB and CsrC of Escherichia coli. The three V. cholerae sRNAs, which we name CsrB, CsrC and CsrD, act redundantly to control the activity of the global regulatory protein, CsrA. The VarS/VarA‐CsrA/BCD system converges with the V. cholerae quorum‐sensing systems to regulate the expression of the Qrr sRNAs, and thus, the entire quorum‐sensing regulon.
Mrr instigates the SOS response after high pressure stress in Escherichia coli
Authors: Aertsen Abram , Michiels Chris W. 
Published: October 2005

SummaryThe bacterial SOS response is not only a vital reply to DNA damage but also constitutes an essential mechanism for the generation of genetic variability that in turn fuels adaptation and resistance development in bacterial populations. Despite the extensive depiction of the SOS regulon itself, its activation by stresses different from typical DNA damaging treatments remains poorly characterized. Recently, we reported the RecA‐ and LexA‐dependent induction of the SOS response in Escherichia coli MG1655 after exposure to high hydrostatic pressure (HP, ∼100 MPa), a physical stress of which the cellular effects are not well known. We now found this HP mediated SOS response to depend on RecB and not on RecF, which is a strong indication for the involvement of double strand breaks. As the pressures used in this work are thermodynamically unable to break covalent bonds in DNA, we hypothesized the involvement of a cellular function or pathway in the formation of this lesion. A specialized screening allowed us to identify the cryptic type IV restriction endonuclease Mrr as the final effector of this pathway. The HP SOS response and its corresponding phenotypes could be entirely attributed to the HP triggered activation of Mrr restriction activity. Several spontaneously occurring alleles of mrr, incapable of triggering the HP‐induced SOS response, were isolated and characterized. These results provide evidence for a specific pathway that transmits the perception of HP stress to induction of the SOS response and support a role for Mrr in bacterial stress physiology.