bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Longterm follow‐up of children with traumatic optic nerve avulsion
Authors: Sturm Veit , Menke Marcel N. , Bergamin Oliver , Landau Klara 
Published: January 2009

Abstract.Purpose:  We report the longterm follow‐up of children with optic nerve avulsion (ONA) caused by traumatic events. The remarkable differences in courses and outcomes may elucidate the spectrum of ONA‐associated symptoms and injuries.Methods:  During the last 15 years, three children with ONA were referred to our department. These cases are presented with special attention to their longterm follow‐up.Results:  Two patients suffered from complete ONA after head injury. The third patient presented with partial ONA caused by a bicycle accident. Longterm follow‐up varied between 7 and 15 years. In the first patient, a pale swollen retina without any visible retinal vasculature was observed early in the course of follow‐up. The retina later completely detached. In the second patient, extended fibroglial scarring occurred and an extremely large epiretinal membrane formed and was finally released spontaneously into the vitreous. The third patient developed only mild fibroglial scarring and retinal pigment epithelium hyperplasia. The optic nerve head in this patient came to resemble a morning glory disc.Conclusions:  Optic nerve avulsion can adopt different courses and outcomes in different patients. Final visual outcome seems to depend on the degree of visual acuity immediately after injury. Substantial intraocular architecture changes can occur as a result of ONA.
Choroidal neovascularization associated with cancer‐associated retinopathy
Authors: Querques Giuseppe , Thirkill Charles E. , Hagege Hervé , Soubrane Gisele , Souied Eric H. 
Published: January 2009

Abstract.Purpose:  To report an unusual association between cancer‐associated retinopathy (CAR) associated with invasive thymoma and choriodal neovascularization (CNV), treated by photodynamic theraphy (PDT).Methods:  A 39‐year‐old man affected with thymoma and paraneoplastic syndrome (myasthenia gravis and diarrhoea) was observed between October 1997 and September 2007. The patient developed progressive visual dysfunction including bilateral visual acuity loss and concentric constriction of visual fields. Ophthalmological, immunological and systemic examinations were performed. Immunological evaluations included an assessment of antibody activity by indirect immunohistochemistry on sectioned rhesus monkey eye, and Western blot reactions upon an extract of pig retina.Results:  Fundus ophthalmoscopy and fluorescein angiography revealed retinal vessel attenuation and retinal pigment epithelium degeneration. Electroretinogram suggested both rod and cone dysfunction. Indirect immunohistochemistry identified antibody activity within the photoreceptor outer segments. Western blots on the retina revealed that most of the patient’s antibody activity was focused upon a retinal protein antigen approximating 145 kD. These findings share the commonalities of size and retinal distribution of the interphotoreceptor retinoid‐binding protein (IRBP), a recognized autoantigen. The surgically resected mediastinal tumour was diagnosed as invasive thymoma. No other malignancy has since been found throughout nearly 10 years of follow‐up. In March 2006, the patient developed a subfoveal CNV in his left eye, which was treated by PDT.Conclusion:  We describe the third case of paraneoplastic retinopathy associated with invasive thymoma. This is the first example of CAR involving autoantibodies reactive with a retinal protein having the characteristics of the IRBP, and is also the first complicated by CNV treated by PDT.
Acquired Immunity to Malaria
Authors: Doolan Denise L. , Dobaño Carlota , Baird J. Kevin 
Published: January 2009

SUMMARYNaturally acquired immunity to falciparum malaria protects millions of people routinely exposed toPlasmodium falciparuminfection from severe disease and death. There is no clear concept about how this protection works. There is no general agreement about the rate of onset of acquired immunity or what constitutes the key determinants of protection; much less is there a consensus regarding the mechanism(s) of protection. This review summarizes what is understood about naturally acquired and experimentally induced immunity against malaria with the help of evolving insights provided by biotechnology and places these insights in the context of historical, clinical, and epidemiological observations. We advocate that naturally acquired immunity should be appreciated as being virtually 100% effective against severe disease and death among heavily exposed adults. Even the immunity that occurs in exposed infants may exceed 90% effectiveness. The induction of an adult-like immune status among high-risk infants in sub-Saharan Africa would greatly diminish disease and death caused byP. falciparum. The mechanism of naturally acquired immunity that occurs among adults living in areas of hyper- to holoendemicity should be understood with a view toward duplicating such protection in infants and young children in areas of endemicity.
Immunobiology of Human Cytomegalovirus: from Bench to Bedside
Authors: Crough Tania , Khanna Rajiv 
Published: January 2009

SUMMARYFollowing primary infection, human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) establishes lifelong latency and periodically reactivates without causing symptoms in healthy individuals. In the absence of an adequate host-derived immune response, this fine balance of permitting viral reactivation without causing pathogenesis is disrupted, and HCMV can subsequently cause invasive disease and an array of damaging indirect immunological effects. Over the last decade, our knowledge of the immune response to HCMV infection in healthy virus carriers and diseased individuals has allowed us to translate these findings to develop better diagnostic tools and therapeutic strategies. The application of these emerging technologies in the clinical setting is likely to provide opportunities for better management of patients with HCMV-associated diseases.
AmpC β-Lactamases
Authors: Jacoby George A. 
Published: January 2009

SUMMARYAmpC β-lactamases are clinically important cephalosporinases encoded on the chromosomes of many of the Enterobacteriaceae and a few other organisms, where they mediate resistance to cephalothin, cefazolin, cefoxitin, most penicillins, and β-lactamase inhibitor-β-lactam combinations. In many bacteria, AmpC enzymes are inducible and can be expressed at high levels by mutation. Overexpression confers resistance to broad-spectrum cephalosporins including cefotaxime, ceftazidime, and ceftriaxone and is a problem especially in infections due to Enterobacter aerogenes and Enterobacter cloacae, where an isolate initially susceptible to these agents may become resistant upon therapy. Transmissible plasmids have acquired genes for AmpC enzymes, which consequently can now appear in bacteria lacking or poorly expressing a chromosomal blaAmpCgene, such as Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Proteus mirabilis. Resistance due to plasmid-mediated AmpC enzymes is less common than extended-spectrum β-lactamase production in most parts of the world but may be both harder to detect and broader in spectrum. AmpC enzymes encoded by both chromosomal and plasmid genes are also evolving to hydrolyze broad-spectrum cephalosporins more efficiently. Techniques to identify AmpC β-lactamase-producing isolates are available but are still evolving and are not yet optimized for the clinical laboratory, which probably now underestimates this resistance mechanism. Carbapenems can usually be used to treat infections due to AmpC-producing bacteria, but carbapenem resistance can arise in some organisms by mutations that reduce influx (outer membrane porin loss) or enhance efflux (efflux pump activation).
Toward Diagnosing
Leishmania infantum
Infection in Asymptomatic Dogs in an Area Where Leishmaniasis Is Endemic
Authors: Otranto D. , Paradies P. , de Caprariis D. , Stanneck D. , Testini G. , Grimm F. , Deplazes P. , Capelli G. 
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT

The most frequently used diagnostic methods were compared in a longitudinal survey with
Leishmania infantum
-infected asymptomatic dogs from an area of Italy where leishmaniasis is endemic. In February and March 2005, 845 asymptomatic dogs were tested by an immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT), a dipstick assay (DS), and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for
L. infantum
and by IFAT for
Ehrlichia canis
. Dogs seronegative for
L. infantum
were further parasitologically evaluated by microscopic examination of lymph node tissues and PCR of skin samples. A total of 204 animals both serologically and parasitologically negative for
L. infantum
at the first sampling were enrolled in the trial and were further examined for canine leishmaniasis (CanL) and canine monocytic ehrlichiosis in November 2005 (i.e., the end of the first sandfly season) and March 2006 and 2007 (1- and 2-year follow-ups, respectively). At the initial screening, the overall rates of
L. infantum
seroprevalence were 9.5% by IFAT, 17.1% by ELISA, and 9.8% by DS and the overall rate of
E. canis
seroprevalence was 15%. The rates of concordance between the results of IFAT and DS were almost equal, whereas the rate of concordance between the results of IFAT and DS and those of the ELISA was lower. The results of the annual incidence of
Leishmania
infection were variable, depending on the test employed, with the highest values registered for PCR (i.e., 5.7% and 11.4% at the 1- and 2-year follow-ups, respectively), followed by ELISA, IFAT, and DS. Over the 2 years of observation, 55 animals (i.e., 26.9%) became positive for
L. infantum
by one or more diagnostic tests at different follow-up times, with 12.7% showing clinical signs related to CanL, while the remaining 87.3% were asymptomatic. A diagnostic scheme for assessment of the
L. infantum
infection status in asymptomatic dogs is suggested.
The prevalence of household second-hand smoke exposure and its correlated factors in six counties of China
Authors: Wang C-P , Ma S J , Xu X F , Wang J-F , Mei C Z , Yang G-H 
Published: January 2009

Objective:To study the prevalence of, and discuss factors contributing to, household second-hand smoke exposure in six counties in China, providing scientific support for the need to establish tobacco control measures in these areas.Methods:A cross-sectional survey was performed. Investigators conducted face-to-face interviews using a standardised questionnaire to collect information on demographics, passive smoking behaviours and knowledge, and attitudes towards tobacco control. The setting was six counties from the three provinces: Mianzhu and Xichong counties in Sichuan Province; Anyi and Hukou counties in Jiangxi Province; and Xinan and Yanshi counties in Henan Province. A total of 8142 non-smokers (aged 18–69) in 2004 were included in the data analysis. Household second-hand smoke exposure rate as defined as the proportion of household passive smokers in the non-smoker population was used as the measure of household second-hand smoke exposure.Results:The analysis of 8142 non-smokers revealed that, in these selected counties, the household second-hand smoke exposure rate was 48.3%. Respondents had positive attitudes towards tobacco control. Of 6972 respondents, 84.4% supported all the three tobacco control policies (banning smoking in public places, banning the selling of cigarettes to minors, banning all cigarette advertisements). In 3165 families with smokers, 87.2% of respondents reported that smokers would smoke in front of them. In 2124 families with smokers and children, 76.5% of respondents reported that smokers would smoke in front of children. As many as 42.1% of non-smokers would offer cigarettes to their guests, and only 46.8% of respondents would ask smokers to smoke outdoors. Only 6.3% of families completely forbade smoking at home. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed high second-hand smoke exposure for the following demographic groups: Jiangxi Province inhabitants, females, those with low education level, farmers and married respondents.Conclusions:Household second-hand smoke exposure rates in the selected counties were high. A high percentage of respondents reported that smokers would smoke in front of them and children. The pressure from non-smokers against smoking was relatively low, although offering cigarette was prevalent. Households that were completely smoking-free were rare, Further studies on these correlated factors could help us establish effective measures to reduce household second-hand smoke exposure.
Economic cost of tobacco use in India, 2004
Authors: John R M , Sung H-Y , Max W 
Published: January 2009

Objective:To estimate the tobacco-attributable costs of diseases separately for smoked and smokeless tobacco use in India.Methods:The prevalence-based attributable-risk approach was used to estimate the economic cost of tobacco using healthcare expenditure data from the National Sample Survey, a nationally representative household sample survey conducted in India in 2004. Four major categories of tobacco-related disease—tuberculosis, respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases and neoplasms—were considered.Results:Direct medical costs of treating tobacco related diseases in India amounted to $907 million for smoked tobacco and $285 million for smokeless tobacco. The indirect morbidity costs of tobacco use, which includes the cost of caregivers and value of work loss due to illness, amounted to $398 million for smoked tobacco and $104 million for smokeless tobacco. The total economic cost of tobacco use amounted to $1.7 billion. Tuberculosis accounted for 18% of tobacco-related costs ($311 million) in India. Of the total cost of tobacco, 88% was attributed to men.Conclusions:The cost of tobacco use was many times more than the expenditures on tobacco control by the government of India and about 16% more than the total tax revenue from tobacco. The tobacco-attributable cost of tuberculosis was three times higher than the expenditure on tuberculosis control in India. The economic costs estimated here do not include the costs of premature mortality from tobacco use, which is known to comprise roughly 50% to 80% of the total economic cost of tobacco in many countries.
Problems Associated with Estimation of Net Calcium Uptake During Enamel Formation Using 45Ca
Authors: Moran R.A. , Deaton T.G. , Bawden J.W. 
Published: January 2009

45Ca uptake in mineralizing tissues may occur by net Ca uptake or by isotopic exchange. It is rarely possible to differentiate between these effects, making interpretation of the findings difficult. Unfortunately, this problem is not often considered, and 45Ca uptake is usually regarded as representative of only net calcium uptake. The study reported here was undertaken to estimate the extent to which 45Ca uptake in mineralizing enamel is due to net Ca deposition or to isotopic exchange, and to consider the implications. The enamel surfaces of the lower incisors of adult rats were notched at the gingival line, and the eruption distance over 16 hours was measured. This distance was used to establish the position of a 0.3-mm-wide increment of enamel at the beginning and end of the 16-hour period, during which it passed through the early-maturation stage of enamel formation. The rate of Ca uptake was determined by chemical assay. Other rats were injected with 45Ca, mean plasma specific activity values for the experimental period determined, and the rate of Ca uptake through the same area of enamel formation was estimated. The estimates were from two- to nearly ten-fold greater than those established by chemical assay, indicating that from 50 to 90% of the 45Ca uptake occurred by isotopic exchange. 45Ca uptake may indicate more about the labile state of Ca in mineralizing enamel than about the rate of mineral deposition.
A Follow-up Study of Radiographic Findings in the Mandibular Condyles of Orthodontically Treated Patients and Associations with TMD
Authors: Peltola J.S. , Könönen M. , Nyström M. 
Published: January 2009

Our earlier studies have shown that some radiographic structural findings in the mandibular condyles are more common in orthodontically treated populations than in normal populations. To test the hypothesis that these findings are stable, we studied condylar findings in panoramic radiographs longitudinally in 39 subjects and in 39 sex- and age-matched controls. The subjects had condylar findings at the end of orthodontic treatment at about 15 years of age; no such findings were seen in the controls. The subjects and controls were re-examined radiographically about 12 years after the posttreatment radiographic examination. We also tested the hypothesis that radiographic condylar findings are associated with temporomandibular disorders (TMD). No statistically significant differences were found between subjects and controls in terms of reported subjective TMD symptoms. Clinically, the subjects had temporomandibular joint (TMJ) crepitation significantly more frequently (27%) than controls (8%) (p < 0.05). Crepitation correlated with some reported symptoms and clinical signs, suggesting that osteoarthrosis might have been an important etiological factor for TMD in the present subjects. At the follow-up examination, radiographic condylar findings were seen in 25 subjects and in four controls (p < 0.001). The condylar findings varied greatly between the time of orthodontic treatment and follow-up in the subjects. The findings had become more severe in 49% of the subjects, more often in females than in males (p < 0.05), whereas in 28% of the subjects the condylar findings had disappeared. Although the radiographic findings after orthodontic treatment fluctuated with age, in most adolescents with changes in their condyles, these findings remained constant or became more severe. It should be emphasized, however, that although there were certain associations between radiographic findings and TMD, the subjective symptoms and clinical signs seemed to cause the subjects no or only minor problems.
Description of Mandibular Finite Helical Axis Pathways in Asymptomatic Subjects
Authors: Gallo L.M. , Airoldi G.B. , Airoldi R.L. , Palla S. 
Published: January 2009

Despite wide use of systems to record jaw motion with six degrees of freedom, most studies have analyzed only the movement of a single mandibular point. The finite helical axis (FHA) is a mathematical model which can be used to describe comprehensively the movements of a rigid body. The aim of this investigation was to describe the FHA of the mandible during habitual jaw movements. Thirty subjects (13 females, 17 males; mean age, 26 years; range, 18 to 34 years) without myoarthropathies of the masticatory system participated in the study. Opening and closing movements, performed at 1-Hz frequency, were recorded with the optoelectronic system Jaws-3D. Three opening and closing movements were recorded from the right side and three from the left side of the jaw. The movement data were low-pass-filtered for noise reduction prior to the computation of the finite helical axis by means of a software program developed in our laboratory. The following parameters were calculated: the rotation of the FHA, its spatial orientation, and the translation along it, as well as its position and distance relative to an intracondylar point. In addition, methodological errors of the model were calculated. During opening and closing, the group mean FHA rotation was 24.3° ± 4.2°. The group mean of the maximum total translation along the FHA was 0.9 ± 0.7 mm. The group mean distance between the FHA and the intracondylar point was 48.9 ± 9.9 mm. The FHA pathways were smooth and varied between individuals. Furthermore, the finite helical axes were never localized within the condyle, and often were located outside of the mandible. The analysis of the FHA pathways yields more information on whole mandibular movements than simply the movements of a single condylar point.
Effects of the D2 Receptor Agonist Bromocriptine on Sleep Bruxism: Report of Two Single-patient Clinical Trials
Authors: Lobbezoo F. , Soucy J.-P. , Hartman N.G. , Montplaisir J.Y. , Lavigne G.J. 
Published: January 2009

An altered dopamine receptor status has been associated with sleep bruxism. Evidence from a functional neuro-imaging study has implicated an abnormal side imbalance in striatal D2 receptor expression in its pathophysiology. To assess the significance of this finding, we studied the effects of short-term administration of the preferential dopamine D2 receptor agonist bromocriptine on sleep bruxism in a double-blind, placebo-controlled polysomnographic and neuro-imaging study with a single crossover design. Six otherwise healthy and drug-free patients with sleep bruxism were entered into the trial. One of the patients dropped out due to an intercurrent illness, while three others were discontinued from the study due to severe adverse reactions to bromocriptine. Because of the high frequency and intensity of the side-effects, the trial was interrupted. Two patients, however, completed the trial without any adverse reactions. Their outcome measures are presented as single-patient clinical trials. Following a two-week administration of bromocriptine, both patients showed a decrease in the number of bruxism episodes per hour of sleep of about 20% to 30% with respect to the placebo. While no significant differences between both conditions (i.e., placebo and bromocriptine) were found for the number of bruxism bursts per episode, significantly lower root-mean-squared EMG levels per bruxism burst occurred during bromocriptine use. In association with this polysomnographically established attenuation of sleep bruxism, bromocriptine afforded a decreased abnormal side distribution of striatal D2 receptor binding, as was evidenced by single-photon-emission computed tomography using the radioactive D2 receptor antagonist iodine-123-iodobenzamide. This study supports previous suggestions that the central dopaminergic system may be involved in the modulation of sleep bruxism. To see if the present findings apply across a population, investigators should use a peripheral D-2 antagonist to prevent side-effects.
Adding Fluoride to Sugar—a New Avenue to Reduce Dental Caries, or a "Dead End"?
Authors: Bratthall D. , Barmes D.E. 
Published: January 2009

A study group was formed in 1989 by the Oral Health Program of WHO, Geneva, to consider the possibility of reducing dental caries by adding fluoride to sugar. Although a few promising clinical reports were available for review, the group found that information was too scarce for field trials to be recommended at this stage. Among the many items to be considered was what concentration of fluoride in sugar could reasonably be regarded as cariostatic. Thus, the committee decided to initiate studies to obtain further background information. Unlike fluoridated salt, the concept of fluoridated sugar does not involve trying to give the individual a certain daily amount of fluoride, since daily consumption varies considerably. Instead, the idea is to elaborate on recent fluoride research showing that low concentrations of fluoride may also be beneficial, particularly for remineralization, if present at the sites where caries occurs. This paper is an introduction to a set of papers describing the background for the project, attempting to define optimal concentrations for a clinical trial, and concluding that, although dental caries prevalence continues to decrease in industrialized countries, the potential for large increases remains in the huge populations in developing countries. All avenues must be searched for a system which optimizes preventive efficiency. However, the possible introduction of fluoridated sugar on the market is not related only to oral health. Safety aspects are of high priority, and several ethical, political, and economic factors must also be considered. These papers attempt to present the issue for broad discussion and to stimulate researchers to conduct further studies which can guide decisions on whether fluoridated sugar may be an avenue worth testing on a broader scale, or whether the idea should be abandoned.