bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of Iron Supplementation on Haemoglobin Response in Children: Systematic Review of Randomised Controlled Trials
Authors: Gera Tarun , Sachdev HPS , Nestel Penelope , Sachdev Sudeep Singh 
Published: March 2007

ABSTRACTObjective:To evaluate the effect of iron supplementation on haemoglobin (Hb) in children through a systematic review of randomised controlled trials.Materials and Methods:Electronic databases, personal files, hand search of reviews, bibliographies of books, and abstracts and proceedings of international conferences were reviewed. Randomised controlled trials evaluating change in Hb levels with interventions that included oral or parenteral iron supplementation or iron‐fortified formula milk or cereals were analysed.Results:A total of 55 trials (56 cohorts) provided relevant information. Publication bias was evident (P < 0.001). The pooled estimate (random‐effects model) for change in Hb with iron supplementation (weighted mean difference) was 0.74 g/dL (95% CI, 0.61–0.87; P < 0.001; P < 0.001 for heterogeneity). Lower baseline Hb level, oral medicinal iron supplementation, and malarial nonhyperendemic region were significant predictors of greater Hb response and heterogeneity. Projections suggested that, on average, between 37.9% and 62.3% of baseline anaemia (Hb <11 g/dL) was responsive to iron supplementation among children under 6 years of age; the corresponding range for malarial hyperendemic regions was 5.8% to 31.8%.Conclusions:This systematic review indicates that iron supplementation increases Hb levels in children significantly but modestly. The increase is greater in subjects who are anaemic at the start of the trial and lower in malarial hyperendemic areas and in those consuming iron‐fortified food. The projected reductions in prevalence of anaemia with iron supplementation alone highlight the need for additional area‐specific interventions, particularly in malaria‐prone regions.
Fecal Calprotectin in Very Low Birth Weight Infants
Authors: Josefsson Stina , Bunn Susan K , Domellöf Magnus 
Published: March 2007

ABSTRACTObjectives:To measure concentrations of fecal calprotectin (f‐calprotectin) in infants with very low birth weight (VLBW; <1500 g) longitudinally and to describe changes in f‐calprotectin in infants who develop severe abdominal disease.Patients and Methods:The study included 59 VLBW infants. Seven patients (disease group) developed severe abdominal disease defined as necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) or a condition leading to laparotomy. The remainder (n = 52) were considered reference infants and had a mean (±SD) gestational age of 27.2 ± 2.6 weeks and a birth weight of 939 ± 273 g. F‐calprotectin was analyzed in meconium and weekly during postnatal weeks 1 to 8. In disease cases, more frequent samples were analyzed around the time of abdominal disease diagnosis.Results:In reference infants the median (range) f‐calprotectin level in meconium was 332 (12–9386) μg/g and correlated negatively to Apgar score. F‐calprotectin in postmeconium samples was 253 (9–1867) μg/g and correlated positively to delivery by cesarean section, postnatal age, and volume of enteral feeds, and negatively to treatment with antibiotics and corticosteroids. In reference infants no postmeconium sample had f‐calprotectin levels >2000 μg/g. In disease cases f‐calprotectin was increased to >2000 μg/g in 3 cases of NEC and 1 case of covered perforation with microscopic bowel inflammation. In 1 case of NEC without microscopic bowel inflammation and 2 cases of focal intestinal perforation, f‐calprotectin levels never exceeded 2000 μg/g.Conclusions:F‐calprotectin concentrations in VLBW infants are similar to previously reported levels in healthy term and moderately preterm infants. An f‐calprotectin level >2000 μg/g is a useful but not an early marker of NEC and other severe intestinal inflammatory conditions in VLBW infants.
Failure to Respond to Hepatitis B Vaccine in Children With Celiac Disease
Authors: Park Seung‐Dae , Markowitz James , Pettei Michael , Weinstein Toba , Sison Cristina P , Swiss Steven R , Levine Jeremiah 
Published: March 2007

ABSTRACTObjectives:To determine whether children with celiac disease (CD) fail to show a response to hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine more frequently than children without CD.Patients and Methods:This was a prospective study that compared the response to HBV, tetanus, rubella, and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccines between children with CD and age‐ and sex‐matched control subjects.Results:The study population included 26 patients with CD and 18 age‐ and sex‐matched controls. All had received the full complement of childhood vaccinations. A significantly higher proportion of subjects in the CD group (14 of 26) failed to respond to HBV vaccine compared with controls (2 of 18; 53.9% vs 11.1%; P < 0.05). Patients with CD were 8.33 times more likely to test negative for hepatitis B surface antigen than control subjects (95% CI, 1.5–46.5). By contrast, all of the subjects in both groups tested positive for rubella antibodies; only 1 subject in the CD group tested negative for tetanus antibody versus none in the control group (3.9% vs 0%; P = 1.0). The percentage of subjects who tested negative for Hib antibodies was similar in the 2 groups (CD, 33.3%; control, 44.4%; P = 0.53).Conclusions:More than 50% of children with CD do not show a response to standard vaccination regimens for HBV. Given the large number of children with CD throughout the world, this observation suggests that there is a large HBV‐susceptible population despite widespread vaccination. Current immunization strategies may need to be reassessed to protect this population and achieve the goal of universal protection.
The role of wood anatomy in phylogeny reconstruction of Ericales
Authors: Lens Frederic , Schönenberger Jürg , Baas Pieter , Jansen Steven , Smets Erik 
Published: March 2007

AbstractThe systematic significance of wood anatomical characters within Ericales is evaluated using separate and combined parsimony analyses including 23 wood characters and 3945 informative molecular characters. Analyses of wood features alone result in poorly resolved and conflicting topologies. However, when pedomorphic character states are coded as inapplicable, the combined bootstrap topology results in an increase of resolution and support at most deeper nodes compared with the molecular analyses. This suggests that phylogenetic information from the limited number of morphological characters is not completely swamped by an overwhelming amount of molecular data. Based on the morphology of vessels and fibers, and the distribution of axial parenchyma, two major wood types can be distinguished within Ericales: (i) a “primitive” type, nearly identical to the wood structure in the more basal outgroup Cornales, which is likely to have persisted in one major clade, and (ii) a “derived” type that must have evolved in at least two separate evolutionary lines. The occurrence of the first type is strongly correlated with shrubs to small trees growing in cold temperate or tropical montane regions, while the second type is common in tall trees of tropical lowlands. This favors the inclusion of ecologically adaptive features in phylogeny reconstruction.© The Willi Hennig Society 2006.
A randomised controlled trial of the electric heating pad vs forced‐air warming for preventing hypothermia during laparotomy
Authors: Leung K. K. , Lai A. , Wu A. 
Published: March 2007

SummaryA randomised controlled trial was conducted to compare the efficacy of upper body forced‐air warming (Bair Hugger™, Augustine Medical model 500/OR, Prairie, MN) with that of an electric heating pad (Operatherm 202, KanMed, Bromma, Sweden) for maintenance of intra‐operative body temperature in 60 patients undergoing laparotomy under general anaesthesia. The nasopharyngeal temperature was recorded throughout the operative period. The mean (SD) final temperatures were 36.2 (0.4) °C with forced‐air warming and 35.5 (1.0) °C with electric heating pad (p < 0.01). Upper body forced‐air warming is more effective than the heating pad for maintenance of body temperature during laparotomy.
Single and multiple ascending dose studies of a novel tissue‐selective oestrogen receptor modulator, CHF 4227, in healthy postmenopausal women
Authors: Civelli Maurizio , Preti Alessandro Piero Monici , Cenacchi Valentina , Rondelli Ivano , Guastalla Daniele , Tarral Antoine , Dostert Philippe , Guillevic Yann , Homery Marie‐Claude 
Published: March 2007

What is already known about this subject • CHF 4227 is a selective oestrogen receptor modulator (SERM) that compares favourably in efficacy and potency with raloxifene in preventing bone loss and lowering serum cholesterol concentrations in OVX rats.• The compound prevented the development of DMBA‐induced mammary carcinoma in rats.• In preclinical studies, CHF 4227 differs from oestrogens and from others SERMs, such as levormeloxifene, in its lack of oestrogenic effects on uterine tissue. What this study adds • CHF 4227 is a well‐tolerated SERM for postmenopausal women dosed once daily for 28 days. It appears to effect beneficially bone tissue and serum lipids without inducing oestrogenic actions on the endometrium, negative effects on fibrinolytic system, and without worsening menopausal symptoms, in particular hot flushes.• CHF 4227 is a promising agent for the treatment of several conditions in postmenopausal women.AimsWe evaluated the tolerability, adverse events profile, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of CHF 4227, a new selective oestrogen receptor modulator (SERM), in healthy postmenopausal women.MethodsTwo phase I studies were conducted according to a double‐bind, placebo‐controlled design. Subjects were randomized to receive six single (5–400 mg) or five multiple oral doses of CHF 4227 for 28 days (5–100 mg).ResultsNo vaginal bleeding and no changes in either endometrial thickness or the placenta protein 14 marker were found after 4 weeks of treatment. The compound did not induce negative effects on the fibrinolytic system. After 28 days of treatment, CHF 4227 decreased both total and LDL cholesterol concentrations (maximum decreases from baseline of 17.4% (95% CI 7.0, 27.7) and 27.6% (95% CI 9.0, 46.3), respectively). Decreases in both serum and urinary type‐I C‐terminal collagen telopeptide were also observed producing maximum changes of 40.6% (95% CI 29.5, 51.7), and 41.7% (95% CI 20.3, 56.8), respectively. CHF4227 (5 and 10 mg) induced near maximal oestrogen‐like effects on bone markers and serum lipids without causing hot flushes. The pharmacokinetics of CHF 4227 were characterized by a slow absorption, a long elimination half‐life (31–42 h after single administration) and dose linearity with respect to Cmax and AUC up to 100 mg.ConclusionsCHF 4227 is a well‐tolerated SERM when administered once daily for 28 days. It is potentially active on bone resorption and serum lipids, without affecting the endometrium and without worsening hot flushes. CHF 4227 is a promising agent for the treatment of several conditions in postmenopausal women.
Brain natriuretic peptide detects cardiac abnormalities in mass screening
Authors: Takase H. , Toriyama T. , Sugiura T. , Takahashi A. , Sugiyama M. , Ohashi M. , Ueda R. , Dohi Y. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractBackground  Plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) is elevated in asymptomatic patients with various cardiac abnormalities. We tested the hypothesis that measuring BNP is useful for detecting asymptomatic patients with cardiac abnormalities who are not identified by conventional health check‐up programmes.Materials and methods  From 2001 to 2002, 6189 subjects (women 34·0%; mean age 56·6 years) underwent multiphasic health check‐ups in our hospital, of which 4818 without cardiac abnormalities as revealed by the health check‐up were enrolled in the present study. Their plasma concentrations of BNP were measured.Results  Plasma concentrations of BNP were higher than the normal reference upper limit of our hospital (21·3 pg mL−1) in 925 of the 4818 subjects. Echocardiography was performed in 471 subjects who were randomly selected from the 925 subjects with elevated BNP. Abnormal findings were detected in 174 subjects, comprising valvular heart disease in 83, systolic dysfunction in 10, diastolic dysfunction in 54, left ventricular hypertrophy in 41, left ventricular enlargement in 11, left atrial enlargement in 13 and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation in 3.Conclusions  Since BNP measurement identifies additional subjects with cardiac abnormalities, it is useful for detecting asymptomatic cardiac abnormalities among apparently healthy subjects, and is suitable for use in high‐quality mass screening.
Clinical outcome of low‐grade NHL patients with bone marrow involvement
Authors: Gronich N. , Radnay J. , Shapiro H. , Manor Y. , Lahav M. , Lishner M. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractBackground Bone marrow (BM) involvement in low‐grade non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) has a clear impact on patients’ survival. The standard practice is morphological examination of BM biopsy at diagnosis. The clinical significance of flow cytometry (FC) analysis of BM aspirates is largely unknown.Materials and methods The medical charts of 70 low‐grade NHL patients, who underwent BM biopsy and FC analysis between 1994 and 2004, were reviewed.Results Forty‐three patients (61·4%) were BM+ by morphology, while in those without morphological involvement by lymphoma FC was positive in 9 (BM–FC+, 12·9%) and negative in 18 (BM–FC–, 25·7%). The median treatment‐free period was shorter in the BM+ and BM–FC+ groups compared with the BM–FC– group (1 and 4 months vs. 31 months, respectively) (log‐rank test,P = 0·0195). The median survival time was not reached for the BM–FC– patients, whereas for BM+ and BM–FC+ patients it was 129 and 89 months, respectively, with no significant difference between them [the difference between the BM–FC– and the two other groups was statistically significant (log‐rank test,P = 0·029)].Conclusions The outcome of low grade NHL in patients who had BM involvement by FC alone or by morphology was similar. If confirmed, these findings suggest a modification in the workup and management of localized low grade NHL.
Pathogen resistance and immunocompetence covary with social status in house finches (Carpodacus mexicanus)
Authors: HAWLEY D. M. , JENNELLE C. S. , SYDENSTRICKER K. V. , DHONDT A. A. 
Published: March 2007

Summary

Social status has striking effects on individual physiology, but the extent to which it influences pathogen resistance has rarely been explored. Here we examine how social status within groups of wintering house finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) relates to immunocompetence and susceptibility to an infectious disease.
We assayed cellular and humoral components of the immune response, then quantified symptom severity in response to experimental infection with Mycoplasma gallisepticum, a naturally occurring bacterial pathogen that causes periodic epidemics in social aggregations of house finches across North America.
Socially dominant house finches mounted stronger immune responses to phytohaemagglutinin but weaker antibody titres to sheep red blood cells. Dominant males, but not females, showed significantly lower symptom severity and proportion of time symptomatic when inoculated with M. gallisepticum.
Individual condition was not associated with social status before or after infection, but infection with M. gallisepticum created disparities in resource access across social status. Infected dominant birds of both sexes fed for significantly more time intervals than infected subordinate birds following infection.
Changes in resource access may partly underlie observed relationships between social status and disease severity, but the detected sex‐specific interactions suggest a role for endocrine–immune relationships that warrant further study. Overall, our results indicate that social behaviour can influence both immunocompetence and resistance to an infectious disease of broad impact in the wild, highlighting the importance of considering the social context of individuals in studies of disease in natural populations.
The N‐terminal regions of eukaryotic acidic phosphoproteins P1 and P2 are crucial for heterodimerization and assembly into the ribosomal GTPase‐associated center
Authors: Naganuma Takao , Shiogama Kaori , Uchiumi Toshio 
Published: March 2007

Acidic phosphoproteins P1 and P2 form a heterodimer and play a crucial role in assembly of the GTPase‐associated center in eukaryotic ribosomes and in ribosomal interaction with translation factors. We investigated the structural elements within P1 and P2 essential for their dimerization and for ribosomal function. Truncation of the N‐terminal 10 amino acids in either P1 or P2 and swapping of the N‐terminal 10 amino acid sequences between these two proteins disrupted their dimerization, binding to P0 and P0 binding to rRNA. In contrast, truncation of the C‐terminal halves of P1 and P2 as well as swapping of these parts between them gave no significant effects. The protein dimers containing the C‐terminal truncation mutants or swapped variants were assembled with P0 onto Escherichia coli 50 S subunits deficient in the homologous protein L10 and L7/L12 and gave reduced ribosomal activity in terms of eukaryotic elongation factor dependent GTPase activity and polyphenylalanine synthesis. The results indicate that the N‐terminal 10 amino acid sequences of both P1 and P2 are crucial for P1–P2 heterodimerization and for their functional assembly with P0 into the GTPase‐associated center, whereas the C‐terminal halves of P1 and P2 are not essential for the assembly.
Review of specialist dietitian services in patients with inherited metabolic disease in the United Kingdom
Authors: Burton H. , Sanderson S. , Dixon M. , Hallam P. , White F. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractIntroductionDietary management forms the mainstay of treatment for many inherited metabolic diseases (IMDs) and specialist dietitians play a crucial role in the multi‐disciplinary core team for these patients. Professional concerns have been expressed that the current clinical workforce is inadequate for meeting current and future service demands. The aim of this work was to describe the provision of specialist dietetics to patients with IMD as part of a national needs assessment and review.Materials and methodsThe 24 main specialist providers and 27 specialist dietitians were surveyed by a questionnaire. A focus group of three specialist dietitians was also held to explore the roles of specialist dietitians in greater depth.ResultsResponses were received from all 24 specialist service providers and 63% of 27 specialist dietitians. The majority of service providers (92%) have specialist dietitians, but only eight services had more than one whole time equivalent (33%). Key roles were management of complex dietary regimens, prevention and management of metabolic crises, education, co‐ordination of care, clinical audit and research. Although highly qualified, there is currently no clear formal career structure or training pathway for dietitians in IMDs.ConclusionSpecialist dietitians have important clinical and leadership roles in managing IMD but specialist services are thinly spread. There is a need for access to formal education, training and support programmes. The clinical workforce needs expansion to provide more comprehensive and equitable services.
Visualization and quantification of vesicle trafficking on a three‐dimensional cytoskeleton network in living cells
Authors: RACINE VICTOR , SACHSE MARTIN , SALAMERO JEAN , FRAISIER VINCENT , TRUBUIL ALAIN , SIBARITA JEAN‐BAPTISTE 
Published: March 2007

SummaryRecent progress in biology and microscopy has made it possible to acquire multidimensional data on rapid cellular activities. Unfortunately, the data analysis needed to describe the observed biological process still remains a major bottleneck. We here present a novel method of studying membrane trafficking by monitoring vesicular structures moving along a three‐dimensional cytoskeleton network. It allows the dynamics of such structures to be qualitatively and quantitatively investigated. Our tracking method uses kymogram analysis to extract the consistent part of the temporal information and to allow the meaningful representation of vesicle dynamics. A fully automatic extension of this method, together with a statistical tool for dynamic comparisons, allows the precise analysis and comparison of overall speed distributions and directions. It can handle typical complex situations, such as a dense set of vesicles moving at various velocities, fusing and dissociating with each other or with other cell compartments. The overall approach has been characterized and validated on synthetic data. We chose the Rab6A protein, a GTPase involved in the regulation of intracellular membrane trafficking, as a molecular model. The application of our method to GFP‐Rab6A stable cells acquired using fast four‐dimensional deconvolution video‐microscopy gives considerable cellular dynamic information unreachable using other techniques.
Reconstruction of the rose of directions from a digital microhologram of fibres
Authors: DENIS LOïC , FOURNEL THIERRY , FOURNIER CORINNE , JEULIN DOMINIQUE 
Published: March 2007

SummaryDigital holography makes it possible to acquire quickly the interference patterns of objects spread in a volume. The digital processing of the fringes is still too slow to achieve on line analysis of the holograms. We describe a new approach to obtain information on the direction of illuminated objects. The key idea is to avoid reconstruction of the volume followed by classical three‐dimensional image processing. The hologram is processed using a global analysis based on autocorrelation. A fundamental property of diffraction patterns leads to an estimate of the mean geometric covariogram of the objects projections. The rose of directions is connected with the mean geometric covariogram through an inverse problem. In the general case, only the two‐dimensional rose of the object projections can be reconstructed. The further assumption of unique‐size objects gives access with the knowledge of this size to the three‐dimensional direction information. An iterative scheme is suggested to reconstruct the three‐dimensional rose in this special case. Results are provided on holograms of paper fibres.
Photo‐physical properties of Ca2+‐indicator dyes suitable for two‐photon fluorescence‐lifetime recordings
Authors: WILMS CHRISTIAN D. , EILERS JENS 
Published: March 2007

SummaryWe analyzed the suitability of various Ca2+‐indicator dyes for quantitative two‐photon fluorescence‐lifetime imaging. Although fura‐2, fluo‐3, BTC and calcein did not show useful Ca2+‐dependent lifetime changes, calcium orange, calcium green‐1, oregon green‐2 and ‐5N, as well as magnesium green allowed to quantify the Ca2+‐free and Ca2+‐bound dye fractions by a double‐exponential lifetime analysis. For the latter dyes, we derived calibration formalisms that correct for lifetime distortions by dye impurities and Ca2+‐dependent extinction coefficients.