bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
An experimental study on the laryngeal electromyography and visual observations in varying types of surgical injuries to the unilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve in the neck
Authors: Mu Liancai , Yang Shilin 
Published: October 2006

AbstractA series of varying types of surgical injuries to the recurrent laryngeal nerve, including half section, double crush, suture ligation, and complete section of the nerve, was investigated in dogs by correlating clinical and electromyographic findings. The state of recovery from palsy was evaluated by recording the electromyography from the affected laryngeal muscles as well as by observing the movements of the vocal cords.Six electromyography patterns were recorded from the affected muscles following injuries to the recurrent laryngeal nerve. There is a close relationship between the electromyography patterns and the types of nerve injuries.Within 3 months after injuries of the recurrent laryngeal nerve, the electromyography motor unit potentials in the involved intrinsic laryngeal muscles and vocal cord movements on the side of the nerve injury were back to normal in the groups of dogs in which the recurrent laryngeal nerves were partially sectioned and doubly crushed; the electromyography potentials and vocal cord motion on the affected side did not return to normal in the group of dogs in which the recurrent laryngeal nerves were permanently ligated with suture. In the group of dogs which had had a complete section of the recurrent laryngeal nerve, no recovery of both electromyography and vocal cord function on the affected side was observed 6 months after injury of the recurrent laryngeal nerve.This study showed that the frequency of the regenerated potentials recorded from the affected muscles is related to the types and degrees of injuries to the recurrent laryngeal nerve. Recovery from recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy is complete within 3 months after nerve impairment if over half of the nerve fibers of the impaired nerve are maintained intact without degeneration. Moreover, the period from onset to complete recovery from palsy was remarkably short, less than 2 months. The most appropriate time for the electromyography examination to evaluate the degrees of the nerve injury and to anticipate the prognosis of recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy was proposed.
Toxic effects of cisplatin alone and in combination with gentamicin in stria vascularis of guinea pigs
Authors: Kohn Sarah , Nir Izhak , Fradis Milo , Podoshin Ludwig , David Yaacov Ben , Zidan Jamal , Robinson Eliezer 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe toxic effects on the stria vascularis of treatment with cisplatin alone and combined with the aminoglycoside antibiotic, gentamicin, were studied in guinea pigs. The toxicity induced in albino and pigmented guinea pigs was investigated morphologically with light and transmission electron microscopy, and functionally by brainstem‐evoked response audiometry. The results of hearing thresholds were variable, ranging from no change in one ear in some of the animals to a hearing loss of 20 dB in one or both ears when treated with low‐dose cisplatin alone or in combination with gentamicin. Bilateral deafness resulted from high‐dose cisplatin combined with gentamicin. The combined treatment produced prominent structural damage in the stria vascularis. The results should be considered when aminoglycoside therapy is required in conjunction with cisplatin.
Future directions of laser phototherapy for diagnosis and treatment of malignancies: Fantasy, fallacy, or reality?
Authors: Castro Dan J. , Ward Paul H. , Castro Donna J. , Saxton Romaine E. , Lufkin Robert B. , Kangarloo Hooshang , Haugland Richard P. , Zwarun Andrew A. , Fetterman Harold R. , Soudant Jacques 
Published: October 2006

AbstractA new and highly promising adjunctive modality for the diagnosis and therapy of malignancies is under development using lasers and tumor targeting dyes. To reach the eventual goal of clinical treatment, several current “fantasies and fallacies” regarding laser applications in medicine must be identified and their problems clearly outlined. A multidisciplinary scientific approach is also required to enable the clinical practicality of this laser targeting approach. Many new dyes and laser wavelengths are being tested to improve specific tumor uptake and/or retention, lower systemic toxicity, increase tissue penetration, and identify fluorochromes with synergistic properties to further enhance laser tumoricidal effects. Rapid technological advancements in magnetic resonance imaging may now provide an extremely sensitive way to detect and monitor laser‐tissue effects, and allow efficient interstitial laser phototherapy of deep and sometimes inaccessible tumors. The current and future prospectives of the emerging field of laser phototherapy are described.
Otologic manifestations of neurofibromatosis
Authors: Smullen Sean , Willcox Thomas , Wetmore Ralph , Zackai Elaine 
Published: October 2006

AbstractA chart review of 440 patients with neurofibromatosis seen at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Neurofibromatosis Clinic between 1980 and 1991 was performed to look for otologic manifestations. Neurofibromatosis 1 was present in 434 patients, and neurofibromatosis 2 was present in 6. A total of 31 otologic abnormalities related to neurofibromatosis were found in 28 patients. Neurofibromas of the external ear, including the pinna and the external auditory canal, were the most common finding. Middle ear neurofibromas were found in two patients. Acoustic neuromas were seen exclusively in patients believed to have neurofibromatosis 2. One cerebellopontine angle neurofibrosarcoma was found in a patient with neurofibromatosis 1.
Periodic rewetting enhances the viability of chondrocytes in human articular cartilage exposed to air
Authors: Pun S. Y. , Teng M. S. , Kim H. T. 
Published: October 2006

Desiccation of articular cartilage during surgery is often unavoidable and may result in the death of chondrocytes, with subsequent joint degeneration. This study was undertaken to determine the extent of chondrocyte death caused by exposure to air and to ascertain whether regular rewetting of cartilage could decrease cell death. Macroscopically normal human cartilage was exposed to air for 0, 30, 60 or 120 minutes. Selected samples were wetted in lactated Ringer’s solution for ten seconds every ten or 20 minutes. The viability of chondrocytes was measured after three days by Live/Dead staining. Chondrocyte death correlated with the length of exposure to air and the depth of the cartilage. Drying for 120 minutes caused extensive cell death mainly in the superficial 500 μm of cartilage. Rewetting every ten or 20 minutes significantly decreased cell death. The superficial zone is most susceptible to desiccation. Loss of superficial chondrocytes likely decreases the production of essential lubricating glycoproteins and contributes to subsequent degeneration. Frequent wetting of cartilage during arthrotomy is therefore essential.
Genetics of growth in the normal child
Authors: Pfäffle Roland 
Published: October 2006

Although an impaired longitudinal growth is a part of many chromosomal aberrations and a variety of single gene mutations, rarely is it the only symptom of patients with genetic syndromes. Otherwise, in a healthy child, the influence of parental height on the adult height of their children is well established. Although this genetic influence can be easily demonstrated by statistics and is observed over generations, the hormonal and metabolic factors that control the quantitative marker ‘growth’ remain difficult to establish. Genetics has used different approaches to address this question. Linkage studies so far have yielded some new, but partially conflicting, data about the key factors that influence growth and finally adult height. In contrast, the examination of ‘candidate genes’ has been very fruitful in identifying those genes that are responsible for some well-defined hormonal deficiencies in patients with severe short stature.
As the systematic examination of such genes in short children with and without hormonal deficiencies has become feasible, it appears that the phenotypic appearance of some of these disorders is variable to an extent that makes it difficult to differentiate them from a ‘short normal child’. Both the ‘candidate gene’ and the ‘reverse genetics’ approaches using linkage analysis on a whole genome scale have produced results that have already furthered our understanding of the complex mechanisms that influence growth. Both the approaches have come closer to each other, but so far they have not produced the overlap of evidence that one had initially anticipated.
Gonadal development and reproductive hormones in infant boys
Authors: Main Katharina M , Toppari Jorma , Skakkebæk Niels E 
Published: October 2006

Background: The intrauterine milieu plays a crucial role for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases in adulthood, but little is known about its impact on gonadal development and reproduction. Impaired testis development in fetal life can lead to cryptorchidism, hypospadias, impaired semen quality, and testicular cancer, disorders that may present symptoms of a testicular dysgenesis syndrome. The prevalence of these disorders appears to increase in many areas, probably due to environmental factors actingin utero. Denmark has a significantly higher incidence of testicular cancer and lower sperm quality than Finland.Methods: We conducted a population-based study of newborn boys from Denmark and Finland, in order to examine whether this geographic difference was reflected in the reproductive health of newborns.Results: Danish boys had a lower testis volume at birth, a smaller testis growth up to 18 months of age and lower serum inhibin B and FSH levels at 3 months than Finnish. Danish boys also had a higher prevalence of both cryptorchidism and hypospadias than Finnish boys. In boys with cryptorchidism and hypospadias subtle changes in hormonal levels occurred, towards increased gonadotropins and lower inhibin B in cryptorchidism. Both types of congenital malformations were more frequent in children born small for gestational age, indicative of a relationship between growth and reproductive development.Conclusions: These early postnatal findings suggest that the previously observed population differences in reproductive health between young Danish and Finnish men are of fetal origin. The differences may originate as a result of gene–environment interactions, where endocrine disrupters may also play a role.
The role of corticotrophin-releasing hormone in the diagnosis of Cushing’s syndrome
Authors: Peters C J , Storr H L , Grossman A B , Savage M O 
Published: October 2006

Background: Corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) was identified by Vale and co-workers in 1981 and has since been used extensively in the diagnosis of ACTH-dependent Cushing’s syndrome (CS). It was hoped that the CRH test would discriminate between pituitary and ectopic ACTH secretion. In adults, a rise from basal to peak plasma cortisol of ≥20% and ACTH of ≥50% is consistent with Cushing’s disease (CD).
Methods: Twenty-seven paediatric patients, with CD (mean age ± s.d. 13.1 ± 3.2; range 6.4–17.8 years) were investigated in our centre between 1982 and 2005.
Results: During the CRH test, all patients showed an increase in cortisol of >20% (range 106–554%). In one patient with ectopic ACTH syndrome, there was no increase in cortisol after CRH. In six paediatric patients with CS due to primary adrenal hyperplasia, no patient showed an increase in cortisol after CRH of >1%.
Conclusions: A further suggested use of CRH is to increase the sensitivity of the central to peripheral and interpetrosal ratios of ACTH during inferior petrosal sinus catheterisation (IPSS). Bilateral IPSS with human CRH (hCRH) has been performed in our unit in 21 children with CD, as part of the preoperative preparation prior to transsphenoidal surgery (TSS). Its principal role was to identify the site of the microadenoma. Sixteen of 21 patients (76%) who underwent IPSS with hCRH were cured following TSS. In our view, the CRH test is of value during IPSS by clarifying the position of the microadenoma and in this way contributed to the overall outcome of TSS in paediatric patients with CD.
Beyond unusual? Examining the role of attention in the weapon focus effect
Authors: Hope Lorraine , Wright Daniel 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe current study examined whether the weapon focus effect could be accounted for in terms of stimulus novelty. Participants viewed a slideshow of a simulated event while attending to a secondary task. In the critical slide, the target was shown holding a threatening object (weapon condition), a novel object (unusual condition) or a neutral object (control condition). Reaction times on the secondary task were impaired in the weapon and unusual conditions. Participants in the weapon condition had poorest recognition scores for the target's appearance when confidence was also taken into account. Results suggest that while both unusual and threatening objects command attention, the significance of a weapon can lead to impaired performance on less immediately informative aspects of a scene such as target appearance. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Finite‐model adaptive control using an LS‐like algorithm
Authors: Ma Hongbin 
Published: October 2006

AbstractAdaptive control problem of a class of discrete‐time nonlinear uncertain systems, of which the internal uncertainty can be characterized by a finite set of functions, is formulated and studied by using an least squares (LS)‐like algorithm to design the feedback control law. For the finite‐model adaptive control problem, this algorithm is proposed as an extension of counterpart of traditional LS algorithm. Stability in sense of pth mean for the closed‐loop system is proved under a so‐called linear growth assumption, which is shown to be necessary in general by a counter‐example constructed in this paper. The main results have been also applied to parametric cases, which demonstrate how to bridge the non‐parametric case and parametric case. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Microwave processing of starch‐based porous structures for tissue engineering scaffolds
Authors: Torres Fernando G. , Boccaccini Aldo R. , Troncoso Omar P. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractA novel microwave (MW) processing technique was used to produce biodegradable scaffolds for tissue engineering from different types of starch‐based polymers. Potato, sweet potato, corn starch, and nonisolated amaranth and quinoa starch were used to produce porous structures. Water and glycerol were used as plasticizers for the different types of starch. Characterization of the pore morphology of the scaffolds was carried out with scanning electron microscopy. Three‐dimensional structures with variable porosity and pore size distribution were obtained with the MW foaming technique. The amount of remaining water in the scaffolds and their corresponding densities showed important variations among the different types of starch. Compressive mechanical properties were assessed by indentation tests, and a strong dependence of the indentation stress on the average pore size was found. Studies in simulated body fluid were used to assess the in vitro bioactivity, degradability, and surface topology evolution in the scaffolds. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 1332–1339, 2007
Culturing freshwater pearl mussel Margaritifera margaritifera: a breakthrough in the conservation of an endangered species
Authors: Preston S.J. , Keys A. , Roberts D. 
Published: October 2006

Abstract
The freshwater pearl mussel Margaritifera margaritifera L. is globally endangered and is threatened by commercial exploitation, pollution and habitat loss throughout its range. Captive breeding would be a valuable tool in enhancing the status of M. margaritifera in the UK.
We have developed a semi‐natural system for successfully infecting juvenile brown trout with glochidial M. margaritifera, and culturing juvenile mussels in experimental tanks where glochidial M. margaritifera can excyst from fish gills and settle into sediment.
Infected fish had less than 1% mortality. Levels of infection varied among fish. Two yearly cohorts of juvenile M. margaritifera were identified from samples of sediment taken from each experimental tank. Individuals range in size from 1.4 mm (2000 cohort) to >3 mm in length (1999 cohort).
The number of juvenile M. margaritifera present in the two experimental tanks are estimated to be between 3600 (tank A) and 0 (tank B) for the putative 1999 cohort and between 6000 (tank A) and 13 000 (tank B) for the putative 2000 cohort.
This pioneering method for large‐scale cultivation of juvenile M. margaritifera is intermediate between the release of infected fish into rivers and the intensive cultivation systems developed in continental Europe and the USA for other species of unionid. This is the first time that large numbers of M. margaritifera have been cultured and represents a significant breakthrough in the conservation of this globally endangered Red Data List species. The method is straightforward and is most cost‐effective when undertaken alongside established hatchery processes.
Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Acupuncture in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee or hip: A randomized, controlled trial with an additional nonrandomized arm
Authors: Witt Claudia M. , Jena Susanne , Brinkhaus Benno , Liecker Bodo , Wegscheider Karl , Willich Stefan N. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractObjectiveTo investigate the effectiveness of acupuncture in addition to routine care, compared with routine care alone, in the treatment of patients with chronic pain due to osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee or hip.MethodsIn a randomized, controlled trial, patients with chronic pain due to OA of the knee or hip were randomly allocated to undergo up to 15 sessions of acupuncture in a 3‐month period or to a control group receiving no acupuncture. Another group of patients who did not consent to randomization underwent acupuncture treatment. All patients were allowed to receive usual medical care in addition to the study treatment. Clinical OA severity (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index [WOMAC]) and health‐related quality of life (Short Form 36) were assessed at baseline and after 3 months and 6 months.ResultsOf 3,633 patients (mean ± SD age 61.8 ± 10.8 years; 61% female), 357 were randomized to the acupuncture group and 355 to the control group, and 2,921 were included in the nonrandomized acupuncture group. At 3 months, the WOMAC had improved by a mean ± SEM of 17.6 ± 1.0 in the acupuncture group and 0.9 ± 1.0 in the control group (3‐month scores 30.5 ± 1.0 and 47.3 ± 1.0, respectively [difference in improvement 16.7 ± 1.4; P < 0.001]). Similarly, quality of life improvements were more pronounced in the acupuncture group versus the control group (P < 0.001). Treatment success was maintained through 6 months. The changes in outcome in nonrandomized patients were comparable with those in randomized patients who received acupuncture.ConclusionThese results indicate that acupuncture plus routine care is associated with marked clinical improvement in patients with chronic OA–associated pain of the knee or hip.
First Principles and Experimental 1H NMR Signatures of Solvated Ions: The Case of HCl(aq)
Authors: Murakhtina Tatiana , Heuft Jasper , Meijer Evert Jan , Sebastiani Daniel 
Published: October 2006

AbstractA combined experimental and ab initio study is presented of the 1H NMR chemical shift distribution of aqueous hydrogen chloride solution as a function of acid concentration, based on Car–Parrinello molecular dynamics simulations and fully periodic NMR chemical‐shift calculations. The agreement of computed and experimental spectra is very good. From first‐principles calculations, we can show that the individual contributions of Eigen and Zundel ions, regular water molecules, and the chlorine solvation shell to the NMR line are very distinct and almost independent of the acid concentration. From the computed instantaneous NMR distributions, it is further possible to characterize the average variation in hydrogen‐bond strength of the different complexes.
Rational model and justification model in ‘outcome bias’
Authors: Tostain Manuel , Lebreuilly Joëlle 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe authors of this study suggest that the harm‐punishment link (‘outcome bias’) can be explained by the activation of different judgment processes depending on the outcome severity of an offense: (1) a rational model for mild outcomes in which punishment is necessarily linked to responsibility of the perpetrator; (2) a justification model for severe outcomes in which punishment and responsibility are linked only when assessment order allows the latter to rationalize the former. Participants (126 university students) considered an unintentional road accident with mild or severe outcomes and made judgments of responsibility, punishment, and perceived seriousness of the offense. The results support the authors' hypothesis. In the discussion, the authors suggest different motives of punishment (preventive or compensative justice) which explain why responsibility and punishment are not necessarily linked. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The scapuloacromial angle: A 3D analysis of acromial slope and its relationship with shoulder impingement
Authors: Moses Daniel A. , Chang Eric Y. , Schweitzer Mark E. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractPurposeTo quantify acromial slope (the scapuloacromial [SA] angle).Materials and MethodsWe used shoulder MR studies in 64 subjects who were stratified surgically into impingement (with and without tear) and nonimpingement (shoulder instability) groups. We measure, in three dimensions, the angle between unit normal vectors to planes of best fit to the undersurface of the acromion and the medial surface of the blade of the scapula. We examine the projection of this SA angle onto the transverse, coronal, and sagittal planes to gauge some measure of rotation, lateral tilt, and anterior tilt with respect to the patient. Orientation of the acromion and scapular blade in relation to the MR scanner and therefore to the patient was also calculated.ResultsWe found no significant differences between these two groups when examining age and side of pathology. A statistically significant difference was seen between males and females.ConclusionOur study does not support the idea that a flatter acromial slope causes impingement and is an etiological basis for rotator cuff tears. We believe that acromial slope, regardless of imaging plane, is not useful in classifying patients who present with shoulder pain and should not be considered as a source of pathologic changes. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.