bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The value of a scientific writing training workshop for radiologists and radiation oncologists
Authors: Bydder S , Packer D , Semmens J 
Published: February 2006

SummaryA substantial amount of radiological and radiation oncological research carried out in Australasia is not published. Therefore, a scientific writing skills training workshop was held in conjunction with the 2004 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists Annual Scientific Meeting. Registration for the 3‐h‐long workshop was open to all conference attendees but numbers were limited. The workshop was led by an experienced facilitator who used content based on a literature review. Participants were asked to complete questionnaires rating their agreement with statements regarding their writing abilities and resources before the workshop. Those who attended the workshop repeated the questionnaire 6–8 weeks afterwards. Comparison of the paired preworkshop and postworkshop responses showed increases in the median category of agreement with statements regarding having the required skills, having advice available and understanding the structure of scientific articles. In addition, all participants reported that they found the workshop useful, said that they would recommend attendance to others and felt that such workshops should be available at future Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists Annual Scientific Meetings. Half the participants felt that the workshop made it more likely that they would publish. We have shown that even short workshops appear to have benefits and should be encouraged.
Paediatric and adult computed tomography practice and patient dose in Australia
Authors: Moss M , McLean D 
Published: February 2006

SummaryThe current practice for CT scanning of paediatric patients in Australia has been assessed through a survey sent to the site of all CT scanners licensed in New South Wales and all dedicated children's hospitals in Australia. The survey addressed demographic details, CT scanner details and scanning parameters for four imaging scenarios (brain CT, chest CT, abdomen/pelvis CT and high‐resolution chest CT for three different age groups (8 weeks, 5–7 years and adult patients). The effective dose for each imaging scenario and age group was calculated and compared for 52 sites representing 53 CT scanners. For any age group and imaging scenario, there was a large spread of effective dose. For comparable CT examinations, the effective dose varied by up to 36‐fold between centres. There was a clear trend for centres that frequently carry out CT scans on paediatric patients to have the lowest radiation doses. Four age group/imaging scenarios showed significantly lower effective doses for hospital‐based CT than for nonhospital sites. There was also a trend for doses to be lower at dedicated paediatric centres. Effective dose was closely associated with mAs, with most centres using lower mAs for younger patients, but few centres reduced the kVp for paediatric patients. The results of the survey emphasize the need for continuing education and protocol review, particularly in paediatric CT examinations, in a complex and fast changing environment.
Observations on Bostrychia radicosa comb. nov. (Rhodomelaceae, Rhodophyta)
Authors: West John A. , Zuccarello Giuseppe C. , Hommersand Max , Karsten Ulf , Görs Solvig 
Published: February 2006

SUMMARYOnly two genera in the Rhodomelaceae share the morphological character of transverse division of periaxial cells into two or more tier cells in which the pit connection is retained between the lower cell and the axial cell: Bostrychia and Rhodolachne. One species, Rhodolachne radicosa Itono, has been reported from mangroves, a common habitat for Bostrychia. Many collections of an entity similar to Rhodolachne radicosa have been made from localities around the Indo‐Pacific. Culture observations show a Polysiphonia‐type sexual life history in Malaysia and New Caledonia isolates that produce self‐compatible bisexual gametophytes. The New Caledonia isolate also has unisexual gametophytes. An isolate from New South Wales (Australia) reproduces asexually through successive generations of tetrasporophytes. The Thailand isolate has successive generations of mixed‐phase tetrasporophytes. The tetrasporangial stichidia also bear male spermatangial sectors, but female structures are lacking. Western Australia and Madagascar isolates do not reproduce in culture. Molecular evidence, based on sequencing of the rbcL and the large subunit ribosomal RNA genes, shows that these isolates belong to the genus Bostrychia. Low molecular weight carbohydrate analysis reveals high levels of digeneaside in all isolates. The sugar hexitol sorbitol, an osmolyte characteristic of Bostrychia, occurs in all isolates, whereas the Madagascar and New Caledonia isolates have very low levels of dulcitol. Molecular, low molecular weight carbohydrate and morphological evidence show that Rhodolachne radicosa belongs within the genus Bostrychia. We transfer Rhodolachne radicosa to Bostrychia radicosa (Itono) West, Zuccarello and Hommersand.
Increased plasma monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 level in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension
Authors: ITOH Takefumi , NAGAYA Noritoshi , ISHIBASHI‐UEDA Hatsue , KYOTANI Shingo , OYA Hideo , SAKAMAKI Fumio , KIMURA Hiroshi , NAKANISHI Norifumi 
Published: February 2006

Objective:  Monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 (MCP‐1), a pro‐inflammatory chemokine, has potent chemoattractant activity for monocytes/macrophages. We sought to investigate the clinical significance of MCP‐1 in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH).Methods:  This study included 28 patients with IPAH, seven patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) related to collagen vascular disease, and 13 healthy subjects. Plasma MCP‐1 levels were measured together with serum IL‐6 and tumour necrosis factor‐α (ΤΝF‐α) levels.Results:  Circulating levels of MCP‐1, IL‐6 and ΤΝF‐α were significantly higher in patients with IPAH than in healthy controls, although they were lower than in patients with PAH related to collagen vascular disease. Plasma MCP‐1 did not significantly correlate with any haemodynamic variables. However, plasma MCP‐1 levels correlated negatively with the disease duration (time from symptom onset).Conclusions:  Plasma MCP‐1 levels were elevated in patients with IPAH, and this elevation was particularly marked in the early stage of disease. Taking into account the chemoattractant activity of MCP‐1, these results imply a contribution of MCP‐1 to the development of pulmonary hypertension.
Oxygen cost of ventilation during incremental exercise to VO2 max
Authors: VELLA Chantal A. , MARKS Derek , ROBERGS Robert A. 
Published: February 2006

Objective:  Evidence of significant oxygen requirements for ventilation during exercise (exercise hyperpnoea) prompted the investigation into whether the oxygen cost of ventilation affects the presence of a whole‐body VO2 plateau at maximal exercise. The purposes of this study were to: (i) use isocapnic hyperpnoea trials to determine the oxygen cost of ventilation (VO2VENT) across a range of ventilation (VE); (ii) determine the mean VO2VENT at maximal exercise expressed as a percentage of whole‐body VO2 max; and (iii) determine if a plateau in VO2 is more evident when the VO2VENT is subtracted from whole‐body VO2 at maximal exercise.Methods:  A total of 21 subjects performed a VO2 max test on the cycle ergometer to determine the range of VE for each subject. From the initial VO2 max test, nine VE values across the range of VE were selected for each subject and the oxygen cost of each was measured.Results:  The mean maximal VO2VENT equalled 8.8 ± 3.3% of VO2 max and ranged from 5.0% to 17.6%. VO2VENT increased exponentially with increasing VE, but there was considerable subject variability in the oxygen cost per litre of VE as VE increased. Subtracting the VO2VENT from whole‐body VO2 at maximal exercise increased the detection of a plateau in VO2 at VO2 max.Conclusions:  The data of the present study indicate that the VO2VENT is a significant portion of VO2 max and may be a limiting factor of maximal exercise performance in some subjects.
Morbidity, mortality and economic burden of renal impairment in cardiac intensive care
Authors: Chew D. P. , Astley C. , Molloy D. , Vaile J. , De Pasquale C. G. , Aylward P. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractBackground: Moderate to severe impairment of renal function has emerged as a potent risk factor for adverse short‐ and long‐term outcomes among patients presenting with cardiac disease.Aims: We sought to define the clinical, late mortality and economic burden of this risk factor among patients presenting to cardiac intensive care.Methods: A clinical audit of patients presenting to cardiac intensive care was undertaken between July 2002 and June 2003. All patients presenting with cardiac diagnoses were included in the study. Baseline creatinine levels were assessed in all patients. Late mortality was assessed by the interrogation of the National Death Register. Renal impairment was defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min per 1.73 m2, as calculated by the Modified Diet in Renal Disease formula. In‐hospital and late outcomes were compared by Cox proportional hazards modelling, adjusting for known confounders. A matched analysis and attributable risk calculation were undertaken to assess the proportion of late mortality accounted for by impairment of renal function and other known negative prognostic factors. The in‐hospital total cost associated with renal impairment was assessed by linear regression.Results: Glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min per 1.73 m2 was evident in 33.0% of this population. Among these patients, in‐hospital and late mortality were substantially increased: risk ratio 13.2; 95% CI 3.0–58.1; P < 0.001 and hazard ratio 6.2; 95% CI 3.6–10.7; P < 0.001, respectively. In matched analysis, renal impairment to this level was associated with 42.1% of all the late deaths observed. Paradoxically, patients with renal impairment were more conservatively managed, but their hospitalizations were associated with an excess adjusted in‐hospital cost of $A1676.Conclusion: Impaired renal function is associated with a striking clinical and economic burden among patients presenting to cardiac intensive care. As a marker for future risk, renal function accounts for a substantial proportion of the burden of late mortality. The burden of risk suggests a greater potential opportunity for improvement of outcomes through optimisation of therapeutic strategies.
The obesity‐driven rising costs of type 2 diabetes in Australia: projections from the Fremantle Diabetes Study
Authors: Davis W. A. , Knuiman M. W. , Hendrie D. , Davis T. M. E. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractBackground: The cost of diabetes is high for both the individual and society. Future health‐care planning requires patient‐level diabetes‐attributable health‐care cost data that have not previously been available for Australia.Aim: To determine Australian national direct diabetes‐attributable health‐care costs for known type 2 diabetes in 2000 and project these to 2051.Methods: A total of 1294 patients with type 2 diabetes was recruited to the Fremantle Diabetes Study between 1993 and 1996. A bottom‐up, prevalence‐based approach using diabetes‐attributable costs provided average annual per patient health‐care costs (in year 2000 A$). Costs were extrapolated to 2051 using Australian type 2 diabetes prevalence figures and Australian Bureau of Statistics population projections, assuming that prevalence rates (i) remain at current levels and (ii) rise steadily.Results: Total annual direct diabetes‐attributable health‐care costs in 2000 in Australia for people ≥25 years with known type 2 diabetes were estimated at A$636 million. As a result of ageing, the number of people with type 2 diabetes will double between 2000 and 2051 with a 2.5‐fold increase in diabetes‐attributable health‐care costs. If obesity and inactivity prevalence rates continue to rise, prevalence rates of type 2 diabetes will further increase. The number of people with type 2 diabetes in 2051 may be 3.5 times higher than in 2000 with a 3.7‐fold cost increase.Conclusions: The financial burden of treating type 2 diabetes could quadruple by 2051 unless more is done to prevent type 2 diabetes and its complications. A smaller proportion of the population will have the capacity to fund these rising health‐care costs.
Association between senescence‐related uncoupling protein 2 gene polymorphisms and abdominal obesity in Japanese subjects: The Tanno and Sobetsu study
Authors: Xu Rui , Ishikawa Kazuhiko , Katsuya Tomohiro , Fu Yuxiao , Akasaka Hiroshi , Ikushima Masashi , Chihara Yukana , Ura Nobuyuki , Shimamoto Kazuaki , Rakugi Hiromi , Ogihara Toshio 
Published: February 2006

Background:  Uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) plays an important role in regulating body weight, energy expenditure and insulin secretion. UCP2 is upregulated in white fat in response to fat feeding, and negatively controls insulin secretion. UCP2 also has a function that protects cells from apoptosis and oxidative stress, which shows UCP2 might be a senescence‐related gene. Previously, UCP2‐866G/A polymorphism in the promoter region has been reported to alter adipose tissue mRNA expression and is associated with obesity in Caucasians.Methods:  In this study, we investigated the association between this polymorphism and obesity, insulin secretion and hypertension in the general Japanese population.Results:  The allele frequency of UCP2‐866G/A polymorphism was significantly higher in Japanese subjects compared to Caucasians. It revealed that subjects only in the obese group with the AA type of UCP2‐866G/A polymorphism had significantly higher levels of body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that this polymorphism was independently associated with waist circumference. This positive association remained in the analysis of the subgroup younger than 65 years, but not in the older group. This polymorphism did not affect levels of insulin and homeostasis model assessment ratio (HOMA‐R).Conclusions:  These results suggest that the AA type of UCP2‐866G/A polymorphism is related to abdominal obesity, which indicates the possible role of this polymorphism in causing metabolic syndromes.
Depressive symptoms are associated with both immune suppression and leucocytosis among elderly with acute hospitalization
Authors: German Larissa , Gidron Yori , Shahar Avner , Yirmiyahu Tikva , Castel Hanna , Harman‐Boehm Ilana , Shahar Danit R 
Published: February 2006

Background:  The relation between immune parameters and depression has been inconsistent, with some studies reporting immunosuppression while others reporting excessive immune responses in depressed people. This topic has not been extensively studied in the elderly, nor have researchers attempted to examine it in a non‐linear manner, given previously observed contrasting findings.Objective:  To examine the non‐linear relation between initial white blood cell count (WBC) and depressive symptoms among acutely hospitalized elderly people.Methods:  The investigation was designed as a cross‐sectional analysis within a longitudinal study. Two‐hundred and four patients aged 65 and above (60.3% men), admitted to internal medicine at the Soroka University Medical Center, Israel, were recruited for this study. Depression was assessed using the total 30‐item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). WBC was obtained from medical records as well as demographic data, diagnoses and medications, and nutritional status was assessed also with self‐report. To analyze a non‐linear relation, we trichotomized WBC levels into low (< 6000), normal (≥ 6000 to ≤ 10 000) and high (> 10 000).Results:  The prevalence of depression (GDS > 10) was 26.5%. GDS scores were significantly higher among patients with low and high WBC (P < 0.005) than in patients with normal WBC levels. After adjustment for sex, education, nutritional status and diagnoses of arthritis and gastrointestinal diseases, this non‐linear relation remained significant (P < 0.05). Finally, 40.5%, 17.1% and 37% of patients with low, normal and high WBC, respectively, were categorically depressed (P < 0.003).Conclusions:  Our findings suggest that depressive symptoms are associated with immunological dysregulation among hospitalized elderly patients with an acute illness. Future studies need to identify which elements of the immune system are suppressed and which are excessively active among depressed elderly people and the health consequences of this immune dysregulation.
Cognitive profiles and response to donepezil treatment in Alzheimer's disease patients
Authors: Shimizu Soichiro , Hanyu Haruo , Sakurai Hirofumi , Iwamoto Toshihiko , Takasaki Masaru 
Published: February 2006

Background:  The aim of this study was to determine whether there are certain characteristic neuropsychological profiles, assessed by the Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE) at baseline, which predict donepezil treatment response.Methods:  A total of 112 consecutive outpatients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) were treated with donepezil for 3–4 months. Multiple regression analysis was performed to estimate the relative contributions of individual subscales at baseline to the MMSE change (study point – baseline). To identify the characteristic patterns in cognitive deficits of patients with AD who responded to donepezil therapy, the subscales of the MMSE at baseline of responders and non‐responders were compared.Results:  Multiple regression analysis revealed that lower scores on attention and calculation, and language function, and a higher scale on orientation (date) are related to an improvement of the MMSE. When an improvement of 4 or more points on the MMSE score was defined as a significant response, responders scored significantly lower than non‐responders on attention and calculation, whereas non‐responders scored significantly lower than responders on memory.Conclusion:  Our results suggest that individual differences in patterns of neuropsychological impairments may partly contribute to the diversity of the response to donepezil treatment. Although further studies with more detailed neuropsychological tests are needed to confirm our results, the MMSE may add to the prediction of response to donepezil treatment in patients with AD.
Cold drawn steel wires—processing, residual stresses and ductility Part II: Synchrotron and neutron diffraction
Authors: PHELIPPEAU A. , POMMIER S. , ZAKHARCHENKO I. , LEVY‐TUBIANA R. , TSAKALAKOS T. , CLAVEL M. , CROFT M. , ZHONG Z. , PRIOUL C. 
Published: February 2006

ABSTRACTCold drawing of steel wires leads to an increase of their mechanical strength and to a drop in their ductility. The increase of their mechanical strength has long been related to the reduction of the various material scales by an intense plastic deformation. Besides, it was discussed in the companion paper that large plastic deformation leads to the loss of the material hardening capabilities and that, in such a case, residual stresses preserve the elongation to failure of wires. Experimental measurements of residual stresses inside the wire have therefore been undertaken. In this paper, lattice parameters as measured using synchrotron diffraction are compared with those calculated using the residual stress fields as determined by the finite‐element method. There is a major disagreement between experimental and numerical results that is too large to be attributed to the errors of the finite‐element analyses. Therefore, neutron diffraction experiments have also been performed. These measurements show that there is a significant variation of the lattice parameter with the drawing level, which is not inherited from residual stresses, and that variation is very sensitive to the cooling rate after processing. It is therefore proposed that cold drawing would induce a phase transformation of the steel, possibly a martensitic transformation.
Mechanism for blockade of angiotensin subtype 1 receptors to lower plasma glucose in streptozotocin‐induced diabetic rats
Authors: Chan P. , Liu I.‐M. , Tzeng T.‐F. , Yang T.‐L. , Cheng J.‐T. 
Published: February 2006

Aims:  We investigated the mechanism(s) by which valsartan, a selective antagonist of angiotensin subtype 1 (AT1) receptor, decreased plasma glucose in streptozotocin (STZ)‐induced diabetic rats.Methods:  The plasma glucose concentration was assessed by the glucose oxidase method. The concentration of β‐endorphin in plasma or medium incubating adrenal medulla was measured using an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. The mRNA levels of the subtype 4 form of glucose transporter (GLUT4) in soleus muscle and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) in the liver were detected by Northern blotting analysis, while the protein levels of GLUT4 in isolated soleus muscle and hepatic PEPCK were investigated using Western blotting analysis.Results:  A single intravenous injection of valsartan dose‐dependently increased plasma β‐endorphin‐like immunoreactivity (BER) in parallel with the lowering of plasma glucose concentration in STZ‐induced diabetic rats. Naloxone and naloxonazine inhibited the plasma glucose‐lowering action of valsartan at doses sufficient to block opioid µ‐receptors. In contrast to its action in wild‐type diabetic mice, valsartan failed to modify plasma glucose in opioid µ‐receptor knockout diabetic mice. Bilateral adrenalectomy in STZ‐induced diabetic rats eliminated both the plasma glucose‐lowering action and the plasma BER‐elevating action of valsartan. In the isolated adrenal medulla of STZ‐induced diabetic rats, angiotensin II (Ang II) or valsartan did not affect spontaneous BER secretion. Activation of cholinergic receptors by 1.0 µmol/l acetylcholine (ACh) enhanced BER secretion from the isolated adrenal medulla of STZ‐induced diabetic rats, but not in the presence of 1.0 nmol/l Ang II, while valsartan reversed this inhibition by Ang II in a concentration‐dependent manner. Treatment of STZ‐induced diabetic rats with valsartan (0.2 mg/kg) three times daily for 3 days resulted in an increase in gene expression of GLUT4 in soleus muscle and impeded the reduction of elevated mRNA or protein level of hepatic PEPCK. Both of these effects were blocked by opioid µ‐receptor antagonist.Conclusions:  The results suggest that blockade of AT1 receptor by valsartan may enhance the adrenal β‐endorphin secretion induced by ACh, activating the opioid µ‐receptors to increase glucose utilization and/or to decrease hepatic gluconeogenesis, resulting in the reduction of plasma glucose in STZ‐induced diabetic rats.