bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Onychomycosis is no longer a rare finding in children
Authors: Lange M. , Roszkiewicz J. , Szczerkowska‐Dobosz A. , Jasiel‐Walikowska E. , Bykowska B. 
Published: November 2005

SummaryOnychomycosis was considered uncommon in children. This survey was carried out to estimate the frequency of fungal nail infections in children and adolescents (0–18 years of age) attending our clinic in the last decade and gain more insight into the aetiology and clinics of this entity in the paediatric age group. This study is based on data obtained from 2320 children and adolescents suspected of superficial fungal infection. Onychomycosis was diagnosed in 99 cases, representing 19.8% of all mycologically confirmed superficial mycoses (500 cases) in our material. Fingernail onychomycosis was recognized in 52 (10.4%) cases; children under 3 years of age were predominantly involved. Candida albicans was the most common isolated pathogen. Toenail onychomycosis concerned 47 (9,4%) patients; the incidence increased steadily with increasing age. Trichophyton rubrum was the most common aetiological agent with respect to toenail infection followed by T. mentagrophytesvar. interdigitale and T. mentagrophytes var. granulosum. The majority of fungal nail infections were characterized clinically by distal and lateral subungual onychomycosis. The growing trend towards the frequency of toenail and fingernail onychomycosis in children and adolescents was found in the last decade in north Poland. The results of our study show that onychomycosis in prepubertal children is not exceptional and should be considered in differential diagnosis of nail plate disorders.
Molecular mechanisms for thyroid hormone‐induced remodeling in the amphibian digestive tract: A model for studying organ regeneration
Authors: Ishizuya‐Oka Atsuko , Shi Yun‐Bo 
Published: November 2005

During amphibian metamorphosis the digestive tract is extensively remodeled under the control of epithelial–connective tissue interactions. At the cellular level, larval epithelial cells undergo apoptosis, while a small number of stem cells appear, actively proliferate, and then differentiate to form adult epithelium that is analogous to its mammalian counterpart. Therefore the amphibian digestive tract is a unique model system for the study of postembryonic organ regeneration. As amphibian intestinal remodeling can be triggered by thyroid hormone (TH), the molecular mechanisms involved can be studied from the perspective of examining the expression cascade of TH response genes. A number of these genes have been isolated from the intestine of Xenopus laevis. Recent progress in the functional analysis of this cascade has shed light on key molecules in intestinal remodeling such as matrix metalloproteinase‐11, sonic hedgehog, and bone morphogenetic protein‐4. These genes are also thought to play key roles in organogenesis and/or homeostasis in both chick and mammalian digestive tract, suggesting the existence of conserved mechanisms underlying such events in terrestrial vertebrates. In this article, we review our recent findings in this field, focusing on the development of adult epithelium in the X. laevis intestine.
GATA factors as key regulatory molecules in the development of Drosophila endoderm
Authors: Murakami Ryutaro , Okumura Takashi , Uchiyama Hideho 
Published: November 2005

Essential roles for GATA factors in the development of endoderm have been reported in various animals. A Drosophila GATA factor gene, serpent (srp, dGATAb, ABF), is expressed in the prospective endoderm, and loss of srp activity causes transformation of the prospective endoderm into ectodermal foregut and hindgut, indicating that srp acts as a selector gene to specify the developmental fate of the endoderm. While srp is expressed in the endoderm only during early stages, it activates a subsequent GATA factor gene, dGATAe, and the latter continues to be expressed specifically in the endoderm throughout life. dGATAe activates various functional genes in the differentiated endodermal midgut. An analogous mode of regulation has been reported in Caenorhabditis elegans, in which a pair of GATA genes, end‐1/3, specifies endodermal fate, and a downstream pair of GATA genes, elt‐2/7, activates genes in the differentiated endoderm. Functional homology of GATA genes in nature is apparently extendable to vertebrates, because endodermal GATA genes of C. elegans and Drosophila induce endoderm development in Xenopus ectoderm. These findings strongly imply evolutionary conservation of the roles of GATA factors in the endoderm across the protostomes and the deuterostomes.
Ultrahigh‐pressure metamorphism and exhumation of garnet peridotite in Pohorje, Eastern Alps
Authors: JANÁK M. , FROITZHEIM N. , VRABEC M. , KROGH RAVNA E. J. , De HOOG J. C. M. 
Published: November 2005

AbstractNew evidence for ultrahigh‐pressure metamorphism (UHPM) in the Eastern Alps is reported from garnet‐bearing ultramafic rocks from the Pohorje Mountains in Slovenia. The garnet peridotites are closely associated with UHP kyanite eclogites. These rocks belong to the Lower Central Austroalpine basement unit of the Eastern Alps, exposed in the proximity of the Periadriatic fault. Ultramafic rocks have experienced a complex metamorphic history. On the basis of petrochemical data, garnet peridotites could have been derived from depleted mantle rocks that were subsequently metasomatized by melts and/or fluids either in the plagioclase‐peridotite or the spinel‐peridotite field. At least four stages of recrystallization have been identified in the garnet peridotites based on an analysis of reaction textures and mineral compositions. Stage I was most probably a spinel peridotite stage, as inferred from the presence of chromian spinel and aluminous pyroxenes. Stage II is a UHPM stage defined by the assemblage garnet + olivine + low‐Al orthopyroxene + clinopyroxene + Cr‐spinel. Garnet formed as exsolutions from clinopyroxene, coronas around Cr‐spinel, and porphyroblasts. Stage III is a decompression stage, manifested by the formation of kelyphitic rims of high‐Al orthopyroxene, aluminous spinel, diopside and pargasitic hornblende replacing garnet. Stage IV is represented by the formation of tremolitic amphibole, chlorite, serpentine and talc. Geothermobarometric calculations using (i) garnet‐olivine and garnet‐orthopyroxene Fe‐Mg exchange thermometers and (ii) the Al‐in‐orthopyroxene barometer indicate that the peak of metamorphism (stage II) occurred at conditions of around 900 °C and 4 GPa. These results suggest that garnet peridotites in the Pohorje Mountains experienced UHPM during the Cretaceous orogeny. We propose that UHPM resulted from deep subduction of continental crust, which incorporated mantle peridotites from the upper plate, in an intracontinental subduction zone. Sinking of the overlying mantle and lower crustal wedge into the asthenosphere (slab extraction) caused the main stage of unroofing of the UHP rocks during the Upper Cretaceous. Final exhumation was achieved by Miocene extensional core complex formation.
Febrile Convulsions Induced by the Combination of Lipopolysaccharide and Low‐dose Kainic Acid Enhance Seizure Susceptibility, Not Epileptogenesis, in Rats
Authors: Heida James G. , Teskey G. Campbell , Pittman Quentin J. 
Published: November 2005

Summary: Purpose:Febrile convulsions (FCs) are seizures that occur as a result of fever. Retrospective clinical studies show a large percentage of adults with temporal lobe epilepsy have a positive history of FCs, but it is unknown whether FCs during infancy alter susceptibility to developing late epilepsy. We have tested the hypothesis that FCs affect seizure susceptibility and epileptogenesis in adults.Methods:A novel model of FCs was used, in which lipopolysaccharide (LPS,Escherichia coli), in combination with a subconvulsant dose of kainic acid, caused FCs in 50% of 14‐day‐old male rats. Eight to 10 weeks later, electrodes were implanted into the basolateral amygdalae of all rats. After completion of the kindling procedure, animals were killed and brains examined for neurodegeneration by using Fluoro‐Jade histochemistry.Results:Amygdala stimulation revealed that rats that had a FC as pups had lower afterdischarge thresholds and longer afterdischarge durations when compared with rats that received the same treatment but did not convulse. Despite this, when kindled daily, rats that had FCs as pups kindled at the same rate as did controls. However, an increase in the number of degenerating neurons was noted within the hippocampus of rats with a previous FC.Conclusions:These results suggest that, although FCs during infancy can reduce seizure thresholds, it does not facilitate epileptogenesis in adulthood. Our results indicate that FCs affected local circuits in the amygdala and possibly in the hippocampus but not circuits responsible for seizure generalization.
Causal Links between Brain Cytokines and Experimental Febrile Convulsions in the Rat
Authors: Heida James G. , Pittman Quentin J. 
Published: November 2005

Summary: Purpose:Despite the prevalence of febrile convulsions (FCs), their pathophysiology has remained elusive. We tested the hypothesis that components of the immune response, particularly the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β) and its naturally occurring antagonist interleukin‐1 receptor antagonist (IL‐1ra) may play a role in the genesis of FC.Methods:Postnatal day 14 rats were treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 200 μg/kg, i.p.) followed by a subconvulsant dose of kainic acid (1.75 mg/kg, i.p.). Brains were harvested at and 2 h after onset of FCs to measure brain levels of IL‐1β and IL‐1ra. Separate groups of animals were given intracerebroventricular (ICV) injections of IL‐1β, or IL‐1ra in an attempt to establish a causal relation between the IL‐1β/IL‐1ra system and FCs.Results:Animals with FCs showed increased IL‐1β in the hypothalamus and hippocampus but not in the cortex compared with noFC animals that also received LPS and kainic acid. This increase was first detected in the hippocampus at onset of FCs. No detectable difference in IL‐1ra was found in brain regions examined in either group. When animals were treated with IL‐1β ICV, a dose‐dependant increase was noted in the proportion of animals that experienced FCs, whereas increasing doses of IL‐1ra, given to separate groups of animals, were anticonvulsant.Conclusions:Our results suggest that excessive amounts of IL‐1β may influence the genesis of FCs. This may occur by overproduction of IL‐1β, or by alteration in the IL‐1β/IL‐1ra ratio in the brain after an immune challenge.
Prevalence of Active Epilepsy in a Rural Area in South Tanzania: A Door‐to‐Door Survey
Authors: Dent Wolfgang , Helbok Raimund , Matuja William Bahati Pungu , Scheunemann Sönke , Schmutzhard Erich 
Published: November 2005

Summary:  Objective: A door‐to‐door survey was carried out to assess the prevalence of active epilepsy in the rural population within the catchment area of the Mnero Diocesan Hospital in Southern Tanzania. Methods: A total of 4,905 individuals living in 1,047 households were enrolled in a study, consisting of a screening dialogue with a representative family member followed by a face‐to‐face interview with the affected subject. The diagnosis of epilepsy followed clinical guidelines proposed by the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE). Results: We detected 42 cases (21 males and 21 females) of active epilepsy (8.6/1,000; 95% CI: 6.0/1,000–11.1/1,000; age‐adjusted prevalence ratio: 7.4/1,000). Thirty of them met the case definitions of generalized seizures, whereas 12 patients reported partial seizures. The peak prevalence was found in both sexes in the second decade of life (f: 16.9/1,000; m: 15.8/1,000; t: 16.4/1,000), with a second peak in the group aged 30–39 years (f: 10.4/1,000; m: 8.8/1,000; t: 9.7/1,000). Eleven patients (26.2%) were classified as “strongly suspected of symptomatic” epilepsy, the remaining 31 patients (73.8%) as possibly being idiopathic, symptomatic, or cryptogenic epilepsy cases. Discussion: This study provides baseline data about the active epilepsy prevalence in a rural African population. Compared to western countries, our study confirmed a pattern toward higher prevalence of epilepsy in tropical countries. As shown in previous studies, we observed a higher prevalence of epilepsy in children and adolescents, followed by a steady decline with increasing age. Reasons for this type of frequency could be ascribed to malnutrition, trauma, genetic conditions, antenatal and prenatal care, diseases resulting in febrile convulsions, cerebral infections and may even result in death in specifically diseased individuals.
Pregabalin Add‐on Treatment in Patients with Partial Seizures: A Novel Evaluation of Flexible‐dose and Fixed‐dose Treatment in a Double‐blind, Placebo‐controlled Study
Authors: Elger Christian E. , Brodie Martin J. , Anhut Henning , Lee Caroline M. , Barrett Jeannette A. 
Published: November 2005

Summary:  Purpose: To evaluate pregabalin as add‐on therapy for patients with partial seizures administered as fixed dose or as flexible dose adjusted to optimal seizure reduction and tolerability. Methods: Patients receiving antiepileptic drugs (98.8% between 1 and 3 AEDs; 1.2% on more than 3 AEDs) and experiencing ≥4 partial seizures during the 6‐week baseline period and no 4‐week seizure‐free interval were randomized (1:2:2) to placebo (n = 73), pregabalin fixed dose (600 mg/day BID; n = 137), or pregabalin flexible dose (n = 131; 150 and 300 mg/day for 2 weeks each; 450 and 600 mg/day for 4 weeks each, BID) for 12 weeks. Dosage could be adjusted based on tolerability and maintained when a 4‐week seizure‐free period was achieved. Primary efficacy parameter was reduction in seizure frequency from baseline. Results: Both pregabalin regimens significantly reduced seizure frequency compared with placebo, by 35.4%, for flexible dose (p = 0.0091) and 49.3% for fixed dose (p = 0.0001) versus 10.6% for placebo, and the fixed‐dose group was superior to the flexible‐dose group (p = 0.0337). Most adverse events were mild or moderate. Discontinuation rates due to adverse events were 6.8% (placebo), 12.2% (pregabalin flexible dose), and 32.8% (pregabalin fixed dose). Patients receiving pregabalin fixed dose discontinued due to adverse event earlier than other groups. Conclusions: Pregabalin administered twice daily, either as fixed (600 mg/day), or as flexible (150–600 mg/day) dose, was highly effective and generally well‐tolerated as add‐on therapy for partial seizures with or without secondary generalization. Lower incidence of adverse events and discontinuations were achieved in patients receiving pregabalin when dosing was individualized to optimize efficacy and tolerability.
Somatic Comorbidity of Epilepsy in the General Population in Canada
Authors: Téllez‐Zenteno José F. , Matijevic Suzan , Wiebe Samuel 
Published: November 2005

Summary: Purpose:There is a notion that people with epilepsy have substantial and often unrecognized comorbidity of chronic conditions. However, most studies focus on selected patient groups; population‐based studies are scarce. We compared the prevalence of chronic somatic conditions in people with epilepsy with that in the general population using Canadian, nationwide, population‐based health data.Method:We examined epilepsy‐specific and general population health data obtained through two previously validated, independently performed, door‐to‐door Canadian health surveys, the National Population Health Survey (NPHS, N = 49,000) and the Community Health Survey (CHS, N = 130882), which represent 98% of the Canadian population. The prevalence of epilepsy and 19 other chronic conditions was ascertained through direct inquiry from respondents about physician‐diagnosed illnesses. Weighted prevalence, prevalence ratios (PR), and 95% confidence intervals were obtained for the entire population and for males and females separately. Multivariate analyses assessed the strength of association of comorbid conditions with epilepsy as compared with the general population.Results:People with epilepsy had a statistically significant higher prevalence of most chronic conditions than the general population. Conditions with particularly high prevalence in epilepsy (prevalence ratio ≥ 2.0) include stomach/intestinal ulcers (PR, CHS 2.5, NPHS 2.7), stroke (PR, CHS 3.9, NPHS 4.7), urinary incontinence (PR, CHS 3.2, NPHS 4.4), bowel disorders (PR, CHS 2.0, NPHS 3.3), migraine (PR, CHS 2.0, NPHS 2.6), Alzheimer's disease (PR, NPHS 4.3), and chronic fatigue (PR, CHS 4.1). There were no gender‐specific differences in prevalence of chronic conditions among people with epilepsy.Conclusions:People with epilepsy in the general population, not only those actively seeking medical care, have a high prevalence of chronic somatic comorbid conditions. The findings are consistent across two independent surveys, which show that people with epilepsy in the general population have a two‐ to five‐fold risk of somatic comorbid conditions, as compared with people without epilepsy. This patient‐centered comorbidity profile reflects health aspects that are important to people with epilepsy, and indicate the need for a more integrated approach to people with epilepsy. The impact of epilepsy relative to other comorbid conditions requires further analysis, as does the contribution of comorbidity to epilepsy intractability and to differential health care needs. Similarly, it remains to be determined whether the observed comorbidity patterns are specific to epilepsy or simply reflect a pattern that is common to chronic illnesses in general.
Fraud Detection Using a Multinomial Logit Model With Missing Information
Authors: Caudill Steven B. , Ayuso Mercedes , Guillén Montserrat 
Published: November 2005

AbstractRecently,Artís, Ayuso, and Guillén(2002,Journal of Risk and Insurance69: 325–340; henceforth AAG) estimate a logit model using claims data. Some of the claims are categorized as “honest” and other claims are known to be fraudulent. Using the approach ofHausman, Abrevaya, and Scott‐Morton(1998Journal of Econometrics87: 239‐269), AAG estimate a modified logit model allowing for the possibility that some claims classified as honest might actually be fraudulent. Applying this model to data on Spanish automobile insurance claims, AGG find that 5 percent of the fraudulent claims go undetected. The purpose of this article is to estimate the model of AAG using a logit model with missing information. A constrained version of this model is used to reexamine the Spanish insurance claim data. The results indicate how to identify misclassified claims. We also show how misclassified claims can be identified using the AAG approach. We show that both approaches can be used to probabilistically identify misclassified claims.
The (1992) Bonus‐Malus System in Tunisia: An Empirical Evaluation
Authors: Dionne Georges , Ghali Olfa 
Published: November 2005

AbstractThe objective of this study is to assess empirically what impact introduction of the bonus‐malus system (BMS) has had on road safety in Tunisia. The results of the Tunisian experiment are of particular importance since, during the last decade, many European countries decided to eliminate their mandatory bonus‐malus scheme. These results indicate that the BMS reduced the probability of reported accidents for good risks but had no effect on bad risks. Moreover, the reform's overall effect on reported accident rates is not statistically significant, but the exit variable is positive in explaining the number of reported accidents. To avoid any potential selectivity bias, we also made a joint estimate of the reported accident and selection equations. The reform has a positive effect on the exit variable but still does not affect the accidents reported. This indicates that policyholders who switch companies are those attempting to skirt the imposed incentive effects of the new rating policy. Some of the control variables are statistically significant in explaining the number of reported accidents: the vehicle's horsepower, the policyholder's place of residence, and the coverages for which policyholders are underwritten.
An Empirical Investigation of Market Structure, Efficiency, and Performance in Property‐Liability Insurance
Authors: Choi Byeongyong Paul , Weiss Mary A. 
Published: November 2005

AbstractThis study examines the relationships among market structure and performance in property‐liability insurers over the period 1992–1998 using data at the company and group levels. Three specific hypotheses are tested: traditional structure‐conduct‐performance, relative market power, and efficient structure (ES). The results provide support for the ES hypothesis. The ES hypothesis posits that more efficient firms can charge lower prices than competitors, enabling them to capture larger market shares and economic rents, leading to increased concentration. Both revenue and cost efficiency are used in the analysis, and this is the first study to use revenue efficiency in this type of analysis. The results for the sample period as a whole and by year are consistent. The overall results suggest that cost‐efficient firms charge lower prices and earn higher profits, in conformance with the ES hypothesis. On the other hand, prices and profits are found to be higher for revenue‐efficient firms. Revenue X‐efficiency is derived from activities such as cross‐selling and may rely heavily on the use of detailed information from customer databases to identify potential customers. The implications of this research are that regulators should be more concerned with efficiency (both cost and revenue) rather than the market power that arises from the consolidation activity taking place in insurance.
The Mystery of the Lost Star: A Statistical Detective Story
Authors: Spiegelhalter David 
Published: November 2005

Abstract
In July 2005 the Healthcare Commission released its annual “star ratings” for English National Health Service (NHS) trusts1, in which acute or specialist hospitals, mental health services, ambulance services and primary care trusts were each given 0, 1, 2 or 3 stars. There was some surprise that the Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (better known as Addenbrooke's Hospital) dropped from the 3 stars obtained in 2004 to 2 stars. David Spiegelhalter investigated.
The Downside of Publication
Authors: Copas John 
Published: November 2005

Abstract
No one questions the vital role that publication and peer review play in scientific progress, says John Copas. Results and ideas are made available for discussion and debate, having been vetted first by independent referees. Although the system is not perfect, on the whole it works pretty well. But in the empirical sciences, the selection of papers for publication poses a very challenging problem.
Sexes and Statistics
Authors: Edwards A. W. F. 
Published: November 2005

Abstract
Arthur Geissler's data for the distribution of the sexes in families with eight children, published in 1889, became famous through its use by R. A. Fisher in Statistical Methods for Research Workers in 1925 as an example of the binomial distribution. Geissler compiled data from Saxony for the period 1876-1885 for all family sizes. How did Fisher obtain the figures for his example? And why did he change the sixth significant figure of his value for the variance in his fourth edition of 1932?
Prisoner Escort in Scotland: Costs, Projection and Performance under Scrutiny
Authors: Eyre David , Bird Sheila 
Published: November 2005

Abstract
David Eyre is a journalist. He says that he is a little ignorant when it comes to statistics, as he thinks many people in the media are. Which is pretty surprising when you consider the number of stories that are based on statistics—everything from crime surveys to NHS waiting lists. Here he and Sheila Bird describe how they sought to address this problem in the context of prisoner escort in Scotland.