bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Fetal and placental malignancies: prenatal diagnosis and management
Authors: Sebire N. J. , Jauniaux E. 
Published: November 2008

AbstractFetal and placental malignancies are rare complications during pregnancy, but when they occur they may present significant challenges for the perinatology team. Owing to their rarity, there is limited information on many of these entities, with much data derived from individual case reports or small case series. Prenatal diagnosis of these entities is rare and inconsistent, usually in the form of isolated case reports. In the majority of fetal tumors, prenatal features are those of a mass lesion, with or without other non‐specific features of fetal compromise such as polyhydramnios, fetal hydrops or intrauterine death, the final diagnosis in most cases being based on postnatal pathological examination.Expectant management is almost always indicated antenatally, with serial ultrasound examinations performed to detect rapid enlargement, metastasis or secondary fetal complications, such as non‐immune hydrops, which may require intervention. Delivery should be planned in a specialist center in conjunction with pediatric surgeons and oncologists to allow appropriate neonatal management. Placental malignancy is most commonly in the form of gestatational trophoblastic disease, which requires assessment and management in specialist centers. Copyright © 2008 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Metacommunity‐level coexistence mechanisms in rocky intertidal sessile assemblages based on a new empirical synthesis
Authors: Noda Takashi 
Published: November 2008

AbstractAdvances in community ecology rely on connecting empirical work to theoretical frameworks. In a metacommunity, various coexistence mechanisms should operate on various spatial scales. This review attempts to provide a new empirical synthesis organizing various coexistence mechanisms operating in real metacommunities. This synthesis is based on (1) theoretical frameworks involving comparative predictions and assumptions of various coexistence hypotheses, and (2) empirical understanding of the context dependency of species interactions relating to environmental heterogeneity. By applying this synthesis to rocky intertidal sessile assemblages, which are model systems for studying competitive coexistence, I attempt to provide several integrative views of coexistence and future prospects for research in this system. Nine types of common coexistence mechanism, including five local coexistence mechanisms, two coexistence mechanisms in a homogeneous competitive environment, and two mechanisms in a heterogeneous competitive environment are found to operate in rocky intertidal sessile metacommunities, and their relative importance varies depending on species group, environment, and spatial scale.
Effects of phosphodiesterase‐5 inhibition by sildenafil in the pressure overloaded right heart
Authors: Andersen Asger , Nielsen Jan Møller , Peters Christian Daugaard , Schou Uffe Kjær , Sloth Erik , Nielsen‐Kudsk Jens Erik 
Published: November 2008

AbstractBackground:Sustained pressure overload of the right ventricle (RV) causes RV hypertrophy and failure. Cyclic‐GMP has previously been shown to modulate left ventricular hypertrophy.Aim:To evaluate the effects of sildenafil, a phosphodiesterase‐5 (PDE5) inhibitor elevating c‐GMP, on myocardial hypertrophy and function in rats with RV hypertrophy.Methods:Rats were pulmonary trunk banded (PTB) and randomized to receive sildenafil (SIL) or vehicle (VEC) for three (n = 14) and nine weeks (n = 18). In addition, rats with established RV hypertrophy were randomized to SIL or VEC (n = 17) three weeks after PTB. Right ventricular function was evaluated by echocardiography and RV hypertrophy by histology and RV weight.Results:Sildenafil failed to inhibit the development of RV hypertrophy when given for both 3 and 9 weeks. On the contrary, sildenafil increased RV hypertrophy after 3 weeks (RV/bodyweight: SIL 0.099±0.016 vs. VEC 0.081±0.011; p<0.05) and total heart weight after 9 weeks (SIL 1.05±0.10 vs. VEC 0.93±0.08g; p<0.05). Sildenafil also failed to reverse established RV hypertrophy, but significantly improved RV myocardial function as measured by Tricuspid Annular Plane Systolic Excursion (TAPSE: SIL 1.8±0.027 vs. VEC 1.39±0.037 mm; p<0.05).Conclusion:PDE5 inhibition by sildenafil failed to prevent or reverse RV hypertrophy in rats operated by pulmonary trunk banding. It actually increased RV hypertrophy and improved RV contractile function when given to rats with established RV hypertrophy.
Features of a twin‐arginine signal peptide required for recognition by a Tat proofreading chaperone
Authors: Buchanan Grant , Maillard Julien , Nabuurs Sander B. , Richardson David J. , Palmer Tracy , Sargent Frank 
Published: November 2008

MINT‐6796225, MINT‐6796279, MINT‐6796298, MINT‐6796315, MINT‐6796332, MINT‐6796350, MINT‐6796371, MINT‐6796391, MINT‐6796410, MINT‐6796429, MINT‐6796446, MINT‐6796460:

TorD (uniprotkb:P36662) physically interacts (MI:0218) with TorA (uniprotkb:P33225) by two‐hybrid (MI:0018)
MINT‐6796515, MINT‐6796563, MINT‐6796589, MINT‐6796624, MINT‐6796648, MINT‐6796666, MINT‐6796770, MINT‐6796750:

TorA (uniprotkb:P33225) binds (MI:0407) to TorD (uniprotkb:P36662) by isothermal titration calorimetry (MI:0065)
Can the rDNA methylation pattern be used as a marker for Alzheimer's disease?
Authors: Sperança Márcia Aparecida , Batista Lisandra Mesquita , da Silva Lourenço Ricardo , Tavares Wagner Malagó , Bertolucci Paulo Henrique Ferreira , de Oliveira Santos Rigolin Valdeci , Payão Spencer Luiz Marques , de Arruda Cardoso Smith Marília 
Published: November 2008

BackgroundDifferential methylation activity of the human rDNA in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients has been demonstrated by classic cytogenetic tools, indicating a decrease in rRNA gene expression. Methylation of CpGs is an important epigenetic mechanism involved in gene expression repression of tandem repeating genes during ageing. Thus, rDNA specific methylation pattern could be involved in AD and be used as a marker of the disease or of its progression.MethodsThe methylation pattern of three rDNA regions, including the promoter, 18S, and 28S, was investigated with the use of restriction endonucleases sensitive to methylation and Southern blotting from DNA extracted from total peripheral blood cells of 28 AD patients and 28 elderly and young controls.ResultsWe did not find a significant divergence in the methylation pattern of the studied regions and in the relative amount of rDNA methylated copies among the individuals' groups.ConclusionsNo differential methylation pattern of rDNA genes was observed in total peripheral blood cells in aged and AD subjects by the methodology used.
Comparing test‐specific distress of susceptibility versus deterministic genetic testing for Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Cassidy Michael R. , Roberts J. Scott , Bird Thomas D. , Steinbart Ellen J. , Cupples L. Adrienne , Chen Clara A. , Linnenbringer Erin , Green Robert C. 
Published: November 2008

BackgroundGenetic risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD) can be conferred by the susceptibility polymorphism apolipoprotein E (APOE), where the ε4 allele increases the risk of developing late‐onset AD but is not a definitive predictor of the disease, or by autosomal dominant mutations (eg, the presenilins), which almost inevitably result in early‐onset familial AD. The purpose of this study was to compare the psychological impact of using these two different types of genetic information to disclose genetic risk for AD to family members of affected patients.MethodsData were compared from two separate protocols. The Risk Evaluation and Education for Alzheimer's Disease (REVEAL) Study is a randomized, multi‐site clinical trial that evaluated the impact of susceptibility testing for AD with APOE in 101 adult children of AD patients. A separate study, conducted at the University of Washington, assessed the impact of deterministic genetic testing by disclosing presenilin‐1, presenilin‐2, or TAU genotype to 22 individuals at risk for familial AD or frontotemporal dementia. In both protocols, participants received genetic counseling and completed the impact of event scale (IES), a measure of test‐specific distress. Scores were analyzed at the time point closest to 1 year after disclosure at which IES data were available. The role of genetic test result (positive vs negative) and type of genetic testing (deterministic vs susceptibility) in predicting log‐transformed IES scores were assessed with linear regression, controlling for age, gender, and time from disclosure.ResultsSubjects from the REVEAL Study who learned that they were positive for the susceptibility gene APOE ε4+ experienced similar, low levels of test‐specific distress compared with those who received positive results of deterministic testing in the University of Washington study (P = .78). APOE ε4+ individuals in the susceptibility protocol experienced more test‐specific distress than those who tested ε4– in the same study (P = .04); however, among those receiving deterministic test disclosure, the subjects who received positive results did not experience significantly higher levels of distress when compared with those who received negative results (P = .88).ConclusionsThe findings of this preliminary study, with limited sample size, suggest that the test‐related distress experienced by those receiving positive results for a deterministic mutation is similar to the distress experienced by those receiving positive results from genetic susceptibility testing, and that the majority of participants receiving genotype disclosure do not experience clinically significant distress as indicated by IES scores 1 year after learning of their test results.
Unobtrusive assessment of activity patterns associated with mild cognitive impairment
Authors: Hayes Tamara L. , Abendroth Francena , Adami Andre , Pavel Misha , Zitzelberger Tracy A. , Kaye Jeffrey A. 
Published: November 2008

BackgroundTimely detection of early cognitive impairment is difficult. Measures taken in the clinic reflect a single snapshot of performance that might be confounded by the increased variability typical in aging and disease. We evaluated the use of continuous, long‐term, and unobtrusive in‐home monitoring to assess neurologic function in healthy and cognitively impaired elders.MethodsFourteen older adults 65 years and older living independently in the community were monitored in their homes by using an unobtrusive sensor system. Measures of walking speed and amount of activity in the home were obtained. Wavelet analysis was used to examine variance in activity at multiple time scales.ResultsMore than 108,000 person‐hours of continuous activity data were collected during periods as long as 418 days (mean, 315 ± 82 days). The coefficient of variation in the median walking speed was twice as high in the mild cognitive impairment (MCI) group (0.147 ± 0.074) as compared with the healthy group (0.079 ± 0.027; t11 = 2.266, P < .03). Furthermore, the 24‐hour wavelet variance was greater in the MCI group (MCI, 4.07 ± 0.14; healthy elderly, 3.79 ± 0.23; F = 7.58, P ≤ .008), indicating that the day‐to‐day pattern of activity of subjects in the MCI group was more variable than that of the cognitively healthy controls.ConclusionsThe results not only demonstrate the feasibility of these methods but also suggest clear potential advantages to this new methodology. This approach might provide an improved means of detecting the earliest transition to MCI compared with conventional episodic testing in a clinic environment.
LYMFASIM, a simulation model for predicting the impact of lymphatic filariasis control: quantification for African villages
Authors: STOLK WILMA A. , DE VLAS SAKE J. , BORSBOOM GERARD J. J. M. , HABBEMA J. DIK F. 
Published: November 2008

SUMMARYLYMFASIM is a simulation model for lymphatic filariasis transmission and control. We quantified its parameters to simulate Wuchereria bancrofti transmission by Anopheles mosquitoes in African villages, using a wide variety of reported data. The developed model captures the general epidemiological patterns, but also the differences between communities. It was calibrated to represent the relationship between mosquito biting rate and the prevalence of microfilariae (mf) in the human population, the age-pattern in mf prevalence, and the relation between mf prevalence and geometric mean mf intensity. Explorative simulations suggest that the impact of mass treatment depends strongly on the mosquito biting rate and on the assumed coverage, compliance and efficacy. Our sensitivity analysis showed that some biological parameters strongly influence the predicted equilibrium pre-treatment mf prevalence (e.g. the lifespan of adult worms and mf). Other parameters primarily affect the post-treatment trends (e.g. severity of density dependence in the mosquito uptake of infection from the human blood, between-person variability in exposure to mosquito bites). The longitudinal data, which are being collected for evaluation of ongoing elimination programmes, can help to further validate the model. The model can help to assess when ongoing elimination activities in African populations can be stopped and to design surveillance schemes. It can be a valuable tool for decision making in the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis.
A novel approach for failure modes and effects analysis based on polychromatic sets
Authors: Li Guo , Gao Jianmin , Chen Fumin 
Published: November 2008

AbstractTraditional failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) methods lack sufficient semantics and structure to provide full traceability between the failure modes and the effects of the complex system. To overcome this limitation, this paper proposes a formal failure knowledge representation model combined with the structural decomposition of the complex system. The model defines the failure modes as the inherent properties of the physical entities at different hierarchical levels, and employs the individual color, unified color, and Boolean matrix of the polychromatic sets to represent the failure modes in terms of their interrelationships and their relations to the physical system. This method is a structure-based modeling technique that provides a simple, yet comprehensive framework to organize the failure modes and their causes and effects more systematically and completely. Using the iterative search process operated on the reasoning matrices, the end effects on the entire system can be achieved automatically, which allows for the consideration of both the single and multiple failures. An example is embedded in the description of the methodology for better understanding. Because of the powerful mathematical modeling capability of the polychromatic sets, the approach presented in this paper makes significant progress in FMEA formalization.
Novel approaches to discovery of antibacterial agents
Authors: Taylor Patricia L. , Wright Gerard D. 
Published: November 2008

AbstractAntimicrobial resistance is a rapidly increasing problem impacting the successful treatment of bacterial infectious disease. To combat resistance, the development of new treatment options is required. Recent advances in technology have aided in the discovery of novel antibacterial agents, specifically through genome mining for novel natural product biosynthetic gene clusters and improved small molecule high-throughput screening methods. Novel targets such as lipopolysaccharide and fatty acid biosyntheses have been identified by essential gene studies, representing a shift from traditional antibiotic targets. Finally, inhibiting non-essential genes with small molecules is being explored as a method for rescuing the activity of ‘old’ antibiotics, providing a novel synergistic approach to antimicrobial discovery.
The relationship between hope and pain in a sample of hospitalized oncology patients
Authors: Utne Inger , Miaskowski Christine , Bjordal Kristin , Paul Steven M. , Jakobsen Gunnhild , Rustøen Tone 
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACTObjective:The aims of this study were to describe hope in a sample of hospitalized oncology patients in pain and to determine if various demographic, clinical, and pain characteristics were related to hope. In addition, the individual item and total Herth Hope Index (HHI) scores for these oncology inpatients with pain were compared with those from the general Norwegian population.Method:Oncology inpatients in pain (n = 225) were recruited from the Norwegian Radium Hospital. The research instruments included the HHI, the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlations, and one-samplettests.Results:Total HHI scores in oncology inpatients with pain were comparable to a similar sample in Taiwan. The Norwegian oncology inpatients reported significantly higher total HHI scores than the general Norwegian population. The largest difference was on the item “I feel scared about my future.” No relationships were found between total HHI scores and any of the pain intensity scores. Significant relationships were found between total HHI scores and the more psychosocial interference items on BPI and sleep.Significance of results:The higher levels of hope in the oncology inpatients with pain compared with the general Norwegian population may reflect a “response shift” in the patients' evaluation of hope. Although the difference is relatively small, it may represent a clinically meaningful difference. The fact that significant relationships were found between HHI scores and the more psychosocial interference scores on BPI suggest that hope may be more related to psychosocial effects on pain than on its physical effects.
Colchicine mouth washings to improve oral mucositis in patients with hematological malignancies: A clinical trial
Authors: Garavito Andrés Ávila , Cardona Andrés Felipe , Reveiz Ludovic , Ospina Edgar , Yepes Andrés , Ospina Vannesa 
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACTObjective:Oral mucositis (OM) is a frequently encountered problem as a complication of cancer treatment. We investigated whether daily washings with colchicine solution improved mucositis in patients with hematological malignancies undergoing chemotherapy.Methods:This study was a one-arm, nonrandomized clinical trial that used a historical control group. Patients were included in the study from the first day of mucositis and followed up until discharge. Patients received 2 mg colchicine mouthwashes daily for 5 days or saline solution. OM was assessed once daily until symptom resolution, using the WHO grading scale of 0–4 and a visual analogue scale. We determined that at least 40 patients in the colchicine group would be needed to detect a 20% difference in the duration of OM between Groups A and B, with a 95% confidence level and a power of 80%.Results:82 patients were included in the final analysis, 40 in the colchicine group and 42 in the control group. Median duration of OM was significantly different among groups; 9days (range 1–17days) for the control group versus 6days (range 3–13days) for those exposed to colchicine mouthwash (p = .028). The median days of regression of mucosal lesions were significantly different (p = .047) among the control group (7 days [range 3–20]) compared to the colchicine group (4 days [range 2–14]).Significance of results:Although our findings suggest that colchicine mouthwash is helpful in reducing the severity and duration of chemotherapy-induced OM, randomized trials are needed to confirm these results.
Depression in women with metastatic breast cancer: A review of the literature
Authors: Caplette-Gingras Aude , Savard Josée 
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACTObjective:The aim of this article is to review the available literature on depression in women with metastatic breast cancer in terms of prevalence, potential risk factors, and consequences, as well as pharmacological and psychological interventions.Method:An extensive review of the literature was conducted.Results:The prevalence of depression appears to be especially elevated in patients with advanced cancer. Many demographic, medical, and psychosocial factors may increase the risk that women will develop depressive symptoms during the course of their illness. Despite the fact that depression appears to be associated with numerous negative consequences, this disorder remains underdiagnosed and undertreated. Both pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy have been found to treat effectively depressive symptoms in this population, but cognitive-behavioral therapy appears to be the most cost-effective approach.Significance of results:Areas for future research are suggested.
Protists are microbes too: a perspective
Authors: Caron David A , Worden Alexandra Z , Countway Peter D , Demir Elif , Heidelberg Karla B 
Published: November 2008

Abstract
Our understanding of the composition and activities of microbial communities from diverse habitats on our planet has improved enormously during the past decade, spurred on largely by advances in molecular biology. Much of this research has focused on the bacteria, and to a lesser extent on the archaea and viruses, because of the relative ease with which these assemblages can be analyzed and studied genetically. In contrast, single-celled, eukaryotic microbes (the protists) have received much less attention, to the point where one might question if they have somehow been demoted from the position of environmentally important taxa. In this paper, we draw attention to this situation and explore several possible (some admittedly lighthearted) explanations for why these remarkable and diverse microbes have remained largely overlooked in the present ‘era of the microbe’.
Deciphering the phylogenetic history of neuroserpin orthologs across metazoans by analysis of synteny and rare genomic characters
Authors: Kumar Abhishek , Ragg Hermann 
Published: November 2008

AbstractThe superfamily of serine proteinase inhibitors (serpins) is involved in wide arrays of fundamental biological processes such as blood coagulation, complement activation, fibrinolysis, angiogenesis, inflammation and tumor suppression. The average protein size of a serpin family member is 350-400 amino acids, but gene structure varies in terms of number and position of exons and introns. All known serpins can be grouped into 16 clades and 10 orphan sequences. Vertebrate serpins can be conveniently classified into six sub-groups, based on three independent biological features - genomic organization, diagnostic amino acid sites and rare indels.The objective of this study was to elucidate the phylogenetic kinships of serpins involved in surveying the secretory pathway routes against uncontrolled proteolytic activity. Though phylogenetic classification of vertebrate serpins into six groups based on gene organisation is well established, the evolutionary roots beyond the fish/tetrapod split are unresolved. This study illustrates that the analysis of microsynteny and other rare characters can provide insight into the intricate family history of metazoan serpins. Rare genomic characters/changes (RGC) are used to decipher that orthologs of neuroserpin, a prominent representative of vertebrate group 3 serpin genes, exist in early diverging deuterostomes and probably also in cnidarians, indicating that the origin of a mammalian serpin can be traced back far in the history of eumetazoans.