bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Hepatocyte dynamics in a three‐dimensional rotating bioreactor
Authors: Miyazawa Mitsuo , Torii Takahiro , Toshimitsu Yasuko , Okada Katsuya , Koyama Isamu 
Published: November 2006

AbstractBackground and Aims:  The use of an artificial liver system with extracorporeal circulation or a three‐dimensional bioreactor perfused with liquid culture medium inevitably exposes hepatocytes to fluid mechanical stress (MS). The expression of liver‐specific hepatocyte functions seems to be modulated by the magnitude of MS. Nonetheless, few studies have focused on the direct effects of MS on hepatocytes. We subjected hepatocytes to MS using an MS loading device and investigated the effects on the cytoskeleton and hepatocyte dynamics inside three‐dimensional scaffolds by monitoring the changes in actin fiber, one of the components of the cytoskeleton. We also assessed the influence of MS on specific hepatocyte functions.Methods:  We subjected hepatocytes to MS by a rotating radial flow bioreactor (RRFB) and examined the effects by comparing the MS‐loaded culture cells with cells cultured under stationary conditions without MS loading. The hepatocytes (1 × 106/cm3) were seeded on gauze without collagen coating and examined to determine morphological changes after 60 h incubation. Actin filaments in samples from the MS‐loaded hepatocyte culture were stained by fluorescein isothiocyanate‐labeled phalloidin.Results:  Hepatocyte aggregation was observed in the MS‐loaded culture, but not in the unloaded stationary culture. Better albumin products were observed in the MS‐loaded group than in the stationary culture group at all measurement points. Actin filaments extended toward the scaffold after the start of MS loading incubation and polymerized around the hepatocytes. The hepatocyte aggregation eventually advanced to the formation of spheroids.Conclusion:  These results suggest that MS‐induced polymerization of actin filaments stimulate hepatocyte aggregation and thereby improve hepatocyte‐specific function.
Predictors reflecting the pathological severity of non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease: Comprehensive study of clinical and immunohistochemical findings in younger Asian patients
Authors: Park Joong‐Won , Jeong Gyu , Kim Sang Jin , Kim Mi Kyung , Park Sill Moo 
Published: November 2006

AbstractBackground and Aims:  The spectrum of non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) ranges from simple steatosis to severe steatohepatitis (NASH). The aim of our study was to identify clinical predictors distinguishing NASH from steatosis and to study the pathogenesis of NASH in a young Korean population.Methods:  Clinical and biochemical variables from 39 biopsied NAFLD patients were retrospectively analyzed. All liver biopsy specimens were immunohistochemically examined for Kupffer cells (CD68, CD14), as well as expression of tumor necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α) and mitochondrial uncoupling protein 2 (UCP‐2).Results:  There were no significant differences in serum biochemistry between the two groups (15 steatosis vs 24 NASH). There was a significant difference between the body mass index (BMI) values (kg/m2) of the NASH (28.4 ± 3.4 kg/m2) and steatosis (25.8 ± 2.8 kg/m2) patients (P < 0.025), with a BMI of 28.9 kg/m2 representing the best threshold for distinguishing NASH from steatosis patients. BMI was significantly related to the degree of fibrosis (P < 0.01). CD68+ Kupffer cells were more common in the livers of NASH patients (P < 0.05), and TNF‐α and UCP‐2 were expressed in all NASH specimens and were related with the severity of inflammation and fibrosis (P < 0.05).Conclusions:  BMI could be used to distinguish NASH from steatosis in younger Korean patients. A high BMI with a low alanine aminotransferase (ALT) value tended to suggest the presence of severe fibrosis in NASH, while the number of CD68+ Kupffer cells and the staining intensity of TNF‐α and UCP‐2 were correlated with general pathologic severity in patients with NAFLD.
Hepatic iron accumulation is associated with disease progression and resistance to interferon/ribavirin combination therapy in chronic hepatitis C
Authors: Fujita Naoki , Sugimoto Ryosuke , Urawa Naohito , Araki Jun , Mifuji Rumi , Yamamoto Mika , Horiike Shinichiro , Tanaka Hideaki , Iwasa Motoh , Kobayashi Yoshinao , Adachi Yukihiko , Kaito Masahiko 
Published: November 2006

AbstractBackground and Aims: Liver iron accumulation in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) has received increasing attention in recent years. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and severity of liver iron deposition in CHC, to assess its relationship with clinical, biochemical and histological characteristics, and to study its influence on the response to interferon (IFN) plus ribavirin combination therapy.Methods: We studied liver biopsy specimens from 103 hepatitis C virus (HCV) and 34 hepatitis B virus (HBV) infected patients and total iron score (TIS) was measured. Seventy patients infected with HCV genotype 1b were treated with IFN/ribavirin for 24 weeks.Results: CHC patients had a significantly higher TIS than chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients (7.03 ± 5.34vs4.41 ± 4.49,P = 0.0056). TIS was significantly correlated with alcohol intake (P = 0.0213,r = 0.290), transaminase level (P = 0.0126,r = 0.247), platelet count (P = 0.0002,r = −0.369), histological grading (P = 0.0121,r = 0.248) and staging (P = 0.0003,r = 0.356) in CHC patients. Pretreatment TIS was significantly higher in non‐sustained virological responders (SVR) than in SVR to IFN/ribavirin treatment (TIS = 7.69 ± 5.76vs4.39 ± 3.27,P = 0.0310). Multiple regression analysis showed that TIS was the only independent variable associated with resistance to IFN/ribavirin (P = 0.0277).Conclusions: Liver iron deposition was common in CHC compared to CHB and was associated with liver disease progression. Increased hepatic iron stores in CHC were related to resistance to IFN/ribavirin treatment.
Perioperative infection control and its effectiveness in hepatectomy patients
Authors: Togo Shinji , Matsuo Kenichi , Tanaka Kuniya , Matsumoto Chizuru , Shimizu Tetsuya , Ueda Michio , Morioka Daisuke , Nagano Yasuhiko , Endo Itaru , Shimada Hiroshi 
Published: November 2006

AbstractBackground and Aim:  Post‐hepatectomy infections require careful attention, because they may deteriorate into liver failure. We retrospectively reviewed such infections in cases without biliary or intestinal reconstruction.Methods:  This retrospective study involved 535 patients with liver tumors who underwent hepatectomy at the Department of Gastroenterological Surgery of Yokohama City University Hospital between April 1992 and March 2005. After classification into four groups depending on changes in infection countermeasures used during different periods, the treatment outcomes were examined. No such anti‐infection measures were taken during the first period; a closed suction drainage system and early enteral nutrition after surgery were introduced between the first and second periods; thorough management of bile leakage and prevention of nosocomial infection were added between the second and third periods; and surgical site infection (SSI) surveillance together with absorbable sutures instead of silk sutures between the third and fourth periods.Results:  The incidence of postoperative infection decreased significantly with additional countermeasures: first period 44.7%; second period 24.1%; third period 15.0%; and fourth period 9.2%. The incidence of both SSI and remote infection were similarly reduced. Postoperative infection risk factors were age, presence of diabetes mellitus, the use of silk sutures and bile leakage, while those for SSI were the use of silk sutures and bile leakage.Conclusion:  The incidence of postoperative infection and SSI were significantly reduced by our infection countermeasures, especially by bile leakage management and the use of absorbable sutures.
Insights into the historical construction of species‐rich biomes from dated plant phylogenies, neutral ecological theory and phylogenetic community structure
Authors: Pennington R. Toby , Richardson James E. , Lavin Matt 
Published: November 2006

SummaryAnalytical methods are now available that can date all nodes in a molecular phylogenetic tree with one calibration, and which correct for variable rates of DNA substitution in different lineages. Although these techniques are approximate, they offer a new tool to investigate the historical construction of species‐rich biomes. Dated phylogenies of globally distributed plant families often indicate that dispersal, even across oceans, rather than plate tectonics, has generated their wide distributions. By contrast, there are indications that animal lineages have undergone less long distance dispersal. Dating the origin of biome‐specific plant groups offers a means of estimating the age of the biomes they characterize. However, rather than a simple emphasis on biome age, we stress the importance of studies that seek to unravel the processes that have led to the accumulation of large numbers of species in some biomes. The synthesis of biological inventory, systematics and evolutionary biology offered by the frameworks of neutral ecological theory and phylogenetic community structure offers a promising route for future work.ContentsSummary605I.Introduction606II.Methodological issues606III.Insights into processes that give rise to species rich biomes608IV.Future directions: neutral ecological theory, community phylogenetic structure, and processes leading to species accumulation612V.Conclusions613Acknowledgements614References614
Relationship between smoking and folic acid, vitamin B12 and some haematological variables in patients with chronic periodontal disease
Authors: Erdemir Ebru Olgun , Bergstrom Jan 
Published: November 2006

AbstractAim: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between cigarette smoking and the serum levels of folic acid, vitamin B12 and some haematological variables in patients with periodontal disease.Patients and methods: The study base consisted of 88 volunteer patients with periodontal disease, including 45 current smokers in the age range 31–68 years and 43 non‐smokers in the range 32–66 years. The clinical parameters included plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), bleeding on probing (BOP), probing depth (PD) and clinical attachment loss (CAL). Folic acid, vitamin B12 and haematological variables were determined from peripheral blood samples.Results: PI, PD and CAL means were significantly higher in smokers than non‐smokers (p<0.05). The serum folic acid concentration of smokers was lower than that of non‐smokers (p<0.05), whereas the white blood cell count was higher in smokers than in non‐smokers (p<0.05).Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that among patients with periodontal disease the serum folic acid concentration is lower in smokers compared with non‐smokers.
Periodontal conditions in male adolescents using smokeless tobacco (moist snuff)
Authors: Montén Ulrika , Wennström Jan L. , Ramberg Per 
Published: November 2006

AbstractAim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential association of the use of smokeless tobacco (moist snuff) on the periodontal conditions of adolescents.Material and methods: A subject sample of one hundred and three 19‐year‐old male individuals (33 snuff users, 70 controls) living in Göteborg, Sweden, were clinically examined with regard to oral hygiene, gingivitis, probing pocket depth (PPD), clinical attachment loss (CAL) and gingival recession. Bitewing radiographs were obtained for assessments of alveolar bone level. Information about tobacco and oral hygiene habits was obtained by a structured questionnaire. Student 's t‐test, χ2‐test and logistic regression analysis were used for statistical analysis.Results: The mean plaque and gingivitis scores in snuff‐users were 59% (SD 21.0) and 47% (18.6), respectively, and in controls 64% (22.4) and 50% (18.3), respectively. The average PPD and CAL in snuff‐users amounted to 2.3 mm (0.3) and 0.2 mm (0.1), respectively, and in controls 2.4 mm (0.3) and 0.1 mm (0.1) (p>0.05), respectively. The mean bone level was 1.3 mm (0.2) in both groups. The prevalence of subjects showing recession was 42% among snuff‐users and 17% among controls (p=0.006). In snuff users, an average of 4% (0.9) of the teeth showed recession, compared with 1% (0.3) in controls (p<0.001). Limiting the analysis to the maxillary anterior tooth region, 33% of the snuff‐users and 10% of the controls presented recessions (p=0.002). The use of snuff entailed an OR=5.1 to have gingival recessions.Conclusion: In the present population sample of adolescents, the use of smokeless tobacco (moist snuff) was not associated with the presence of periodontal disease except for a significantly high prevalence of gingival recessions.
Immediately Loaded Titanium Implants with a Porous Anodized Surface with at Least 36 Months of Follow‐Up
Authors: Degidi Marco , Perrotti Vittoria , Piattelli Adriano 
Published: November 2006

ABSTRACTBackground:  Results from some studies clearly suggest that immediate loading can achieve equal success rates as those found in delayed or unloaded implants. There is still a lack of knowledge about the role of surface oxide properties during the peri‐implant bone healing processes.Purpose:  The aim of this study was a clinical follow‐up study of immediately loaded implants with a porous anodized surface.Materials and Methods:  A total of 142 TiUniteTM (Nobel Biocare, Göteborg, Sweden) implants were inserted from January to September 2001. All implants have been used in fixed restorations. Fifty implants were inserted in completely edentulous mandibles, and 69 implants were inserted in completely edentulous maxillae. All 119 implants were subjected to immediate functional loading (IFL) (immediate restoration with full occlusal contact). The other 23 implants, inserted in 12 patients, underwent immediate nonfunctional loading (INFL) (immediate restoration without occlusal contact) in different anatomical configurations (single tooth, small bridges in the anterior mandible, anterior maxilla, and posterior maxilla). All 142 implants have been followed for at least 3 years.Results:  All implants appeared to be osseointegrated from a clinical and radiographic point of view. No failures were observed in the IFL and INFL groups. The implant success was 100%. The mean marginal bone loss was 0.8 and 1.0 mm at 12 and 36 months, respectively.Conclusion:  Implants with a porous anodized surface appear to work well under an immediate loading state in the long term.
Outcome of Oral Implant Treatment in Partially Edentulous Jaws Followed 20 Years in Clinical Function
Authors: Lekholm Ulf , Gröndahl Kerstin , Jemt Torsten 
Published: November 2006

ABSTRACTBackground:  Most long‐term follow‐up studies of implants in partially edentulous jaws present their outcomes as mean values of implant survival and follow‐up time, and few address the fate of the remaining teeth.Purpose:  The aim of this study was to investigate the results of oral implant treatment in partially edentulous jaws after 20 years, and simultaneously to assess what happens to teeth present at the time of implant placement.Materials and Methods:  Seventeen partially edentulous patients, of 27 originally treated individuals, were retrospectively reviewed after receiving implants from 1983 to 1985. The parameters studied were implant survival, prosthesis stability, marginal bone loss at teeth and implants, treatment complications, need for dental treatment, and patient’s satisfaction with the outcome.Results:  The cumulative survival rate was 91%, when all 27 patients were assessed, that is, including the 10 dropouts. Of the 69 inserted and followed implants (Brånemark system®; Nobel Biocare AB, Göteborg, Sweden), six failed (8.7%) during the 20‐year period, four during the first decade, and the remaining two during the second. A majority (n=4) of the losses were due to implant fractures, two after 8 years, and two after 17 years. In all, 10 of the original fixed bridges being followed (n=24) remained in function during the entire investigation period, whereas 12 were exchanged for new constructions after an average of 7 years. The mean marginal bone loss at teeth was 0.7 mm, and at implants it was 1.0 mm. The major complication observed during the second decade was veneer material fractures, which occurred 14 times in six patients. Component loosening and abutment‐ and bridge‐locking screw fractures were the second most common problems seen, indicating material/component fatigue. Most patients were satisfied with their treatment and many mentioned that they did not think of the constructions as anything but a part of their own body.Conclusion:  Over the decades, treatment of partially edentulous jaws with turned titanium implants seems to function well and to provide patients with good support for fixed short‐span bridge constructions.
Correlation Between Implant Stability Quotient and Bone‐Implant Contact: A Retrospective Histological and Histomorphometrical Study of Seven Titanium Implants Retrieved from Humans
Authors: Scarano Antonio , Degidi Marco , Iezzi Giovanna , Petrone Giovanna , Piattelli Adriano 
Published: November 2006

ABSTRACTBackground:  Primary stability has a relevant role in the long‐term success of dental implants. A quantitative method for the measurement of implant stability has been introduced (resonance frequency analysis RFA]). Information about the significance of RFA measurements and about the relationship between RFA values and their association with implant osseointegration, success, or failure is important from a clinical point of view.Purpose:  The aim of the present histological and histomorphometric study was to see if a correlation existed between the bone‐implant contact (BIC) percentage of retrieved human implants and RFA values.Materials and Methods:  Seven implants inserted in the posterior mandible, with a sandblasted and acid‐etched surface and retrieved after a 6‐month period, were evaluated in the present study. These seven implants had been retrieved for different causes. All these implants were submerged and were retrieved with a 5‐mm trephine bur and immersed in 10% buffered formalin to be processed for histology.Results:  A statistically significant correlation could be detected between implant stability quotient and BIC (p=.016).Conclusions:  Even if the relationship between bone structure and RFA is still not fully understood, in our study, a statistically significant correlation was found between RFA and BIC values. Further studies are needed to evaluate a correlation of RFA and BIC in human implants retrieved after a range of healing periods.
The Yad Sarah geriatric dental clinic, a different model
Authors: Pietrokovski Jaime , Zini Avi 
Published: November 2006

Introduction:  There are not sufficient dental services for elderly people around the world. Yad Sarah is an Israel‐wide network of volunteers aiding sick, elderly, isolated and housebound people with an array of services aimed at making home care possible. It provides medical and social services to more than 380 000 elderly persons per year and in addition, lends medical equipment free of charge, has day rehabilitation centres, legal aid council for seniors, provides transportation for the disabled, meal deliveries and geriatric dental services.Materials and methods:  The latter are equipped with five dental units (one mobile unit) and a dental laboratory. During the 5 years from 2000 to 2004 the dental services provided dental care for 3890 elderly patients with the main clinic located in Jerusalem. Patients pay an average of 70% of the cost price of their dental care, with the difference being subsidised by Yad Sarah. Of the 515 patients who applied for treatment in 2004, 54% possessed natural teeth in both jaws, 28% were fully edentulous, 12% were edentulous in the maxilla and 6% were edentulous in the mandible. Females applied for dental treatment more often than the male population. Older patients (75–101 years old) required oral care at their homes or at old age residences, more frequently than the younger age groups (60–74 years old).Conclusion:  Dental treatment was administered by 70 volunteer dental surgeons, two certified dental hygienists and dental hygienist students. The clinical staff was provided with a comprehensive in‐service training in geriatric dentistry during the 3‐year service learning period. A survey in 2004 showed that 83% of the selected patients were satisfied, compared with 14% who were not. The reasons for satisfaction were, mainly, the personal relationship with the attending staff (41%) and the professional ability of the dental team (46%).
Relationship between survival rates and numbers of natural teeth in an elderly Japanese population
Authors: Morita Ichizo , Nakagaki Haruo , Kato Kazuo , Murakami Taeko , Tsuboi Shinji , Hayashizaki Junko , Toyama Atsushi , Hashimoto Masanori , Simozato Tsukasa , Morishita Norikazu , Kawanaga Tetsuhiro , Igo Junko , Sheiham Aubrey 
Published: November 2006

Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess whether elderly people with 20 or more natural teeth were more likely to live longer than a cohort with less than 20 teeth.Materials and methods: Groups of elderly people over 80 years of age (24 males and 35 females) with 20 or more teeth (≥20 group) were compared with elderly people (24 males and 35 females) with less than 20 teeth (<20 group). Follow‐up studies were conducted at regular intervals for 10 years from July 1992 to July 2002. The cumulative survival rate of the ≥20 group (average ± SE tooth number of teeth – males, 23.9 ± 0.6; females, 23.8 ± 0.4) was compared with the <20 group (average number of teeth – males, 3.8 ± 1.1; females, 2.6 ± 0.8). The multivariate Cox proportional hazard models with the number of teeth in a group (≥20 group or <20 group). Smoking status and alcohol intake as covariates were used to adjust the cumulative survival rate.Results: The male participants in the ≥20 group had a significantly higher cumulative survival rates (p < 0.05) than the <20 group at 18 and 21 months from baseline. There were no significant differences in survival rates between the female groups. Adjusted cumulative survival rate was significantly different at 72, 75 and 78 months between the ≥20 group and <20 group for males but not for females.Conclusion: Having 20 or more natural teeth was associated with increased survival rate in elderly males, but not among the elderly females.
PHASE EQUILIBRIUM FOR SUPERCRITICAL CO2 AND THE METHYL ESTERIFIED PRODUCT FROM SOYBEAN OIL DEODORIZER DISTILLATE
Authors: LIU YUN , FANG TAO , DING XIAOLIN 
Published: November 2006

ABSTRACT In order to study the feasibility of using supercritical CO2 (SC‐CO2) to concentrate natural tocopherols from soybean oil deodorizer distillate (DOD), the vapor–liquid phase equilibrium data were determined for SC‐CO2 and methyl esterified DOD (ME‐DOD) at 40C and in the pressure range of 9.7–16.2 MPa. A vapor and liquid phase circulation apparatus was employed. The samples from the liquid and vapor phases were analyzed by gas chromatography and high‐performance liquid chromatography
methods. According to the determined data, the distribution coefficient and separation factor were calculated and discussed. The results showed that the separation factor between tocopherols and fatty acid methyl esters was from 2.5 to 3.8 at 40C and 9.7–16.2 MPa, which is fundamental and necessary for future process designs.