bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Unresolved issues in the management of ulcers of the foot in diabetes
Authors: Jeffcoate W. J. , Lipsky B. A. , Berendt A. R. , Cavanagh P. R. , Bus S. A. , Peters E. J. G. , Van Houtum W. H. , Valk G. D. , Bakker K. ,   on behalf of the three systematic review working parties of the International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot
Published: August 2008

AbstractManagement of diabetic foot ulcers presents a major clinical challenge. The response to treatment is often poor and the outcome disappointing, while the costs are high for both healthcare providers and the patient. In such circumstances, it is essential that management should be based on firm evidence and follow consensus. In the case of the diabetic foot, however, clinical practice can vary widely. It is for these reasons that the International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot has published guidelines for adoption worldwide. The Group has now also completed a series of non‐systematic and systematic reviews on the subjects of soft tissue infection, osteomyelitis, offloading and other interventions designed to promote ulcer healing. The current article collates the results of this work in order to demonstrate the extent and quality of the evidence which is available in these areas. In general, the available scientific evidence is thin, leaving many issues unresolved. Although the complex nature of diabetic foot disease presents particular difficulties in the design of robust clinical trials, and the absence of published evidence to support the use of an intervention does not always mean that the intervention is ineffective, there is a clear need for more research in the area. Evidence from sound clinical studies is urgently needed to guide consensus and to underpin clinical practice. It is only in this way that patients suffering with these frequently neglected complications of diabetes can be offered the best hope for a favourable outcome, at the least cost.
Quality of life in children with Type 1 diabetes: a comparison of general and diabetes‐specific measures and support for a unitary diabetes quality‐of‐life construct
Authors: Nansel T. R. , Weisberg‐Benchell J. , Wysocki T. , Laffel L. , Anderson B. ,   for the Steering Committee of the Family Management of Diabetes Study
Published: August 2008

AbstractAims  To assess the factor structure of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) Diabetes Module and to compare the PedsQL general and diabetes‐specific quality of life (QOL) measures regarding psychometric properties and relations to relevant outcomes.Methods  The instruments were completed by 447 children age 9 to 15.5 years with Type 1 diabetes > 1 year from four US paediatric diabetes clinics; parents completed the parallel parent‐proxy measures. Principal components factor analysis was used to examine the factor structure of the PedsQL diabetes module. Analyses of the generic and diabetes QOL measures included psychometric properties, parent–child correlations and correlations with depression, adherence and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c).Results  The factor structure of the PedsQL diabetes module did not support the original five subscales. Both one‐ and two‐factor models were supported; however, parallel parent and child subscales did not emerge. While the generic and diabetes‐specific measures of QOL were moderately to highly correlated with each other, the constructs were differentially associated with relevant diabetes outcomes. Generic QOL was more highly associated with depression than diabetes QOL. Conversely, diabetes QOL was more highly associated with adherence and HbA1c, although this was seen to a greater extent for parent‐proxy report than for child report.Conclusions  Factor analysis of the PedsQL diabetes module supports the use of a total diabetes QOL score. Findings regarding the associations of the generic and diabetes modules with diabetes outcomes underscore the unique contribution provided by both generic and diabetes QOL.
Serum Th1 (CXCL10) and Th2 (CCL2) chemokine levels in children with newly diagnosed Type 1 diabetes: a longitudinal study
Authors: Antonelli A. , Fallahi P. , Ferrari S. M. , Pupilli C. , D’Annunzio G. , Lorini R. , Vanelli M. , Ferrannini E. 
Published: August 2008

AbstractAims   Cell‐mediated immunity and pro‐inflammatory cytokines are implicated in the pathogenesis of Type 1 diabetes. The aim of this study was to investigate whether circulating chemokines involved in T‐helper 1 (CXCL10) and T‐helper 2 (CCL2) autoimmunity are increased in children with Type 1 diabetes at onset and follow‐up.Methods   Serum CXCL10 and CCL2 were measured in 96 children with newly diagnosed Type 1 diabetes, 59 age‐matched first‐degree relatives of diabetic children and 40 age‐matched non‐diabetic children with no family history of diabetes. In the diabetic children, an additional serum sample was obtained a median of 16 months after diagnosis.Results   Serum CXCL10 levels were significantly higher in Type 1 children than in relatives or control children (P < 0.001); 44.7% of patients had a serum CXCL10 level ≥ 2 standard deviation above the mean value of the control group vs. 3.4% of relatives (P < 0.0001). In contrast, serum CCL2 levels were similar in patients, relatives and control subjects. In the Type 1 diabetic patients at follow‐up, CXCL10 was significantly reduced vs. baseline (P = 0.01), while CCL2 did not change.Conclusions   In children with newly diagnosed Type 1 diabetes, raised serum CXCL10 and normal CCL2 concentrations signal a predominant T‐helper 1‐driven autoimmune process, which shifts toward T‐helper 2 immunity over the first 1–2 years from diagnosis.
The latitudinal gradient of beta diversity in relation to climate and topography for mammals in North America
Authors: Qian Hong , Badgley Catherine , Fox David L. 
Published: August 2008

ABSTRACTAim  Spatial turnover of species, or beta diversity, varies in relation to geographical distance and environmental conditions, as well as spatial scale. We evaluated the explanatory power of distance, climate and topography on beta diversity of mammalian faunas of North America in relation to latitude.Location  North America north of Mexico.Methods  The study area was divided into 313 equal‐area quadrats (241 × 241 km). Faunal data for all continental mammals were compiled for these quadrats, which were divided among five latitudinal zones. These zones were comparable in terms of latitudinal and longitudinal span, climatic gradients and elevational gradients. We used the natural logarithm of the Jaccard index (lnJ) to measure species turnover between pairs of quadrats within each latitudinal zone. The slope of lnJ in relation to distance was compared among latitudinal zones. We used partial regression to partition the variance in lnJ into the components uniquely explained by distance and by environmental differences, as well as jointly by distance and environmental differences.Results  Mammalian faunas of North America differ more from each other at lower latitudes than at higher latitudes. Regression models of lnJ in relation to distance, climatic difference and topographic difference for each zone demonstrated that these variables have high explanatory power that diminishes with latitude. Beta diversity is higher for zones with higher mean annual temperature, lower seasonality of temperature and greater topographic complexity. For each latitudinal zone, distance and environmental differences explain a greater proportion of the variance in lnJ than distance, climate or topography does separately.Main conclusions  The latitudinal gradient in beta diversity of North American mammals corresponds to a macroclimatic gradient of decreasing mean annual temperature and increasing seasonality of temperature from south to north. Most of the variance in spatial turnover is explained by distance and environmental differences jointly rather than distance, climate or topography separately. The high predictive power of geographical distance, climatic conditions and topography on spatial turnover could result from the direct effects of physical limiting factors or from ecological and evolutionary processes that are also influenced by the geographical template.
Stoma obstruction after laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding for morbid obesity: report of two cases and treatment options
Authors: Louri N. , Darwish B. , Alkhalifa K. 
Published: August 2008

SummaryLaparoscopic adjustable gastric band is one of the surgical options available for morbid obesity in the current century. Its popularity is gained by its proven efficacy with a reported low incidence of the intraoperative as well as the postoperative complications. Stomal obstruction post‐laparoscopic adjustable gastric band (LAGB) has been under reported in the English literature. We report this complication in two patients and discuss two different simple modalities of treatment. Post‐LAGB complications are numerous, dealing with their complications have a steeping curve. Educating the patients postoperatively in regard to food ingestion manner is a must and should prevent such complication.
METHODOLOGICAL INVENTION AS A CONSTRUCTIVE PROJECT: Exploring the Production of Ethical Knowledge through the Interaction of Discursive Logics
Authors: Bucar Elizabeth M. 
Published: August 2008

ABSTRACTThis article reflects one scholar's attempt to locate herself within emerging ethical methodologies given a specific concern with cross‐cultural women's moral praxis. The field of comparative ethics's debt to past debates over methodology is considered through a typology of three waves of methodological invention. The article goes on to describe a specific research focus on U.S. Catholic and Iranian Shii women that initiated a search for a distinct method. This method of comparative ethics, which focuses on the production of ethical knowledge through the interaction of discursive logics of various moral agents, is described. The conclusion turns to how methodological invention can itself become a constructive project through the way it (1) locates the scholar in relation to her subject of study and (2) allows for isolation of tactics within specific moral discourses.
APPROACHING ISLAM: Comparative Ethics through Human Rights
Authors: Oh Irene 
Published: August 2008

ABSTRACTA dialogical approach to understanding Islamic ethics rejects objectivist methods in favor of a conversational model in which participants accept each other as rational moral agents. Hans‐Georg Gadamer asserts the importance of agreement upon a subject matter through conversation as a means to gaining insight into other persons and cultures, and Jürgen Habermas stresses the importance of fairness in dialogue. Using human rights as a subject matter for engaging in dialogue with Islamic scholars, Muslim perspectives on issues such as democracy, toleration, and freedom of conscience emerge. A capabilities approach to human rights, such as that developed by Martha Nussbaum, enables the coexistence of multiple religious ethical visions while insisting upon the need to protect and nurture essential human abilities.
HAUERWAS AND POLITICAL THEOLOGY: The Next Generation
Authors: Pinches Charles 
Published: August 2008

ABSTRACTIn this review essay, I consider the recent work of students of Stanley Hauerwas on matters related to political theology. Eight books (and scattered articles) are treated in two groups: one more theoretical, the other more practically oriented. Of special interest is whether and how Jeffrey Stout's concerns about Hauerwas's negative political “influence” apply. I suggest that while sometimes narratives of decline dominate overmuch, these works rightly and creatively seek to expand our political imagination beyond the narrowness of modern nation‐state politics and its attending capitalist assumptions. Moreover, in all cases, Hauerwas's students stress a kind of political embodiment of Christ in the practices of particular communities, beginning with the Christian Church, but including also medicine, economy, and family. Spread out, this embodiment combats a pervasive modern Gnosticism, trains us in patience and hope, and gives room for a more truthful description of Church and world.
Cats and seabirds: effects of feral Domestic Cat Felis silvestris catus eradication on the population of Sooty Terns Onychoprion fuscata on Ascension Island, South Atlantic
Authors: HUGHES B. JOHN , MARTIN GRAHAM R. , REYNOLDS S. JAMES 
Published: August 2008

The population of Sooty Terns Onychoprion fuscata breeding on Ascension Island in the Atlantic Ocean was monitored over 17 years (1990–2007). This period spanned the programme of feral Domestic Cat Felis silvestris catus eradication from the island, which commenced in 2001 with the last Cat recorded in 2004. We report on the abundance of Sooty Terns and Black Rats Rattus rattus before and after Cat eradication. The Sooty Tern breeding population in the 1990s averaged 368 000 and Cats were killing Terns at an average rate of 33 adults per night. Following Cat eradication, adult Terns are no longer predated. However, egg predation by both Rats and Common Mynas Acridotheres tristis has continued with Mynas destroying more eggs than Rats. Unexpectedly, we observed a change in Rat predatory behaviour. Following Cat eradication, Rats have become a major predator of Sooty Tern chicks. Despite this change, the Tern population has shown a season‐on‐season increase since Cat eradication, 48.8% in 2005, 8.2% in 2006 and 6.1% in 2007, and the breeding population increased to 420 000 birds in 2007. Incubation success improved from 66.0 to 84.4% during Cat eradication, before dropping down again to 67.9% after Cats were eradicated and Rat control measures were introduced. Index traplines were set for Rats and Rat numbers fluctuated widely immediately after Cats were eradicated but there were no significant differences that could be attributed to changes in Cat numbers. Ascension Island Sooty Terns breed every 9.6 months and juveniles defer breeding for seven seasons. Hence 2008 is the first year in which an increase in the breeding Sooty Tern population directly attributable to Cat eradication is likely to be detected. We conclude that long‐term monitoring is essential to guide conservation practice even in this relatively simple predator–prey system.
Detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa quorum sensing signals in an infected ischemic wound: An experimental study in rats
Authors: Nakagami Gojiro , Sanada Hiromi , Sugama Junko , Morohoshi Tomohiro , Ikeda Tsukasa , Ohta Yasunori 
Published: August 2008

ABSTRACTQuorum sensing is a cell‐to‐cell communication that occurs via autoinducers, regulating a number of bacterial virulence factors including the opportunistic wound pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which uses the N‐(3‐oxododecanoyl)‐homoserine lactone as one of the two main autoinducers; however, little is known about its role in chronic wound infection. This study was designed to quantify this autoinducer from P. aeruginosa‐infected wounds with the aim of examining the possible use of autoinducers as an indicator of chronic wound infection. Pressure‐induced ischemic wounds were infected with P. aeruginosa (N=12) or uninfected as a control (N=12). The autoinducer was quantified by bioassay method employing Escherichia coli DH5α (pJN105L, pSC11) or Agrobacterium tumefaciens NTL4 (pZLR4) reporter, which expresses β‐galactosidase when exposed to P. aeruginosa quorum sensing signals. The average concentration of autoinducer was 0.33 pmol/g at day 3 and 0.49 pmol/g at day 7 in the infected wounds, as detected from tissue samples. A linear correlation between autoinducer concentration and bacterial counts was observed. No autoinducer was detected in tissue samples from the uninfected control group. Our findings indicate that the quantification of autoinducers is possible and quorum sensing system could play a role in in vivo wound infection models, and also suggest possible clinical implications of autoinducer signal quantification in diagnosis of chronic wound infection.
MDI 301, a nonirritating retinoid, improves abrasion wound healing in damaged/atrophic skin
Authors: Warner Roscoe L. , Bhagavathula Narasimharao , Nerusu Kamalakar , Hanosh Andrew , McClintock Shannon D. , Naik Madhav K. , Johnson Kent J. , Ginsburg Isaac , Varani James 
Published: August 2008

ABSTRACTMDI 301 is a picolinic acid‐substituted ester of 9‐cis retinoic acid. It has been shown in the past that MDI 301 increases epidermal thickness, decreases matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity, and increases procollagen synthesis in organ‐cultured human skin. Unlike all‐trans retinoic acid (RA), MDI 301 does not induce expression of proinflammatory cytokines or induce expression of leukocyte adhesion molecules in human skin. In the present study we examined topical MDI 301 treatment for ability to improve the structure and function of skin in three models of skin damage in rodents and for ability to improve abrasion wound healing in these models. MDI 301 was applied daily to the skin of rats treated with the potent corticosteroid, clobetasol propionate, to the skin of diabetic rats (8 weeks posttreatment with streptozotocin) and to the skin of aged (14–16‐month‐old) rats. In all three models, subsequently induced abrasion wounds healed more rapidly in the retinoid‐treated animals than in vehicle‐treated controls. Immediately after complete wound closure, tissue from the wound site (as well as from a control site) was put into organ culture and maintained for 3 days. At the end of the incubation period, culture fluids were assessed for soluble type I collagen and for MMPs‐2 and ‐9. In all three models, the level of type I collagen was increased and MMP levels were decreased by MDI 301. In all three models, skin irritation during the retinoid‐treatment phase was virtually nonexistent.
Controlled delivery of bFGF to recipient bed enhances the vascularization and viability of an ischemic skin flap
Authors: Fujihara Yuko , Koyama Hiroyuki , Ohba Makoto , Tabata Yasuhiko , Fujihara Hisako , Yonehara Yoshiyuki , Takato Tsuyoshi 
Published: August 2008

ABSTRACTTherapeutic angiogenesis is a promising approach to treat ischemic skin flaps. We delivered basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) to the recipient bed of a rat dorsal skin flap by a drug delivery system with acidic gelatin hydrogel microspheres (AGHMs), and assessed augmentation of neovascularization and flap viability. An axial skin flap was elevated on the back of male Sprague–Dawley rats, and bFGF solution or bFGF‐impregnated AGHMs were injected into the recipient bed. The dose of bFGF in the bFGF solution was set to 15 (Sol‐15 group), 50 (Sol‐50 group), or 150 μg (Sol‐150 group). Correspondingly, 2 mg AGHMs were impregnated with 15 (AGHM‐15 group), 50 (AGHM‐50 group), or 150 μg (AGHM‐150 group) bFGF. Other groups of animals received phosphate‐buffered saline (Sol‐Cont group) or phosphate‐buffered saline‐impregnated AGHMs (AGHM‐Cont group) as controls. Seven days later, analyses of the area of necrosis, microangiographic findings, and histological findings in the flap were carried out. The area of necrosis in the AGHM‐150 group was significantly smaller than that in the other groups. Microangiographic and histological analyses showed that neovascularization of the ischemic skin flap significantly increased in the AGHM‐150 group as compared with the Sol‐150 group and the AGHM‐Cont group. These findings suggest that continuous delivery of bFGF to the recipient bed by bFGF‐impregnated AGHMs enhances the viability of an ischemic skin flap.
Dermal fibroblasts from red Duroc and Yorkshire pigs exhibit intrinsic differences in the contraction of collagen gels
Authors: De Hemptinne Isabelle , Gallant‐Behm Corrie L. , Noack Cassandra L. , Parreno Justin , Hart David A. 
Published: August 2008

ABSTRACTPrevious studies have shown that the Yorkshire (Y) pig is a model for normal skin wound healing, while red Duroc (RD) pigs form hypercontracted scars similar to human hypertrophic scars. In order to determine potential intrinsic differences in fibroblast phenotypes, the ability of normal dorsal and ventral dermal fibroblasts from Y and RD pigs to contract collagen gels was assessed. Cells plated in gels were cultured in media supplemented with 2% or 10% FBS ± 1 or 10 ng/mL transfroming growth factor β1. The degree of contraction of the gels was quantified at defined time‐points postrelease. Final contraction levels were dependent on cell density and serum concentration for all cell types. The rates of contraction of RD dorsal fibroblasts were significantly greater than those for Y dorsal fibroblasts. Immunocytochemical analysis revealed the presence of α‐smooth muscle actin in contracted cells. Furthermore, mRNA levels for matrix metalloproteinase‐2 and decorin showed specific increases for the RD cells during contraction. These findings have revealed intrinsically different, location‐specific in vitro responses with normal dermal fibroblasts from the two breeds of pig, suggesting that the abnormal skin healing phenotype of RD pigs may be attributable in part to intrinsic genetic differences in fibroblasts between the breeds.
Exploring the species diversity of Trichoderma in Norwegian drinking water systems by DNA barcoding
Authors: HAGESKAL GUNHILD , VRÅLSTAD TRUDE , KNUTSEN ANN KRISTIN , SKAAR IDA 
Published: August 2008

AbstractA total of 123 Trichoderma strains were isolated from Norwegian surface‐sourced drinking water. The water samples included raw water, treated water, and water from private homes and hospital installations. Trichoderma species are difficult to differentiate morphologically, but recent molecular identification tools, including DNA barcoding, successfully distinguish between closely related species. The diversity of Trichoderma spp. was explored by DNA sequencing of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and translation elongation factor 1 alpha (TEF‐1α). Sequence identification was performed in the TrichOKEY version 2.0 barcode program and in the multilocus similarity search database TrichoBLAST, combined with traditional blast searches in the EMBL/GenBank. A total of 11 known Trichoderma/Hypocrea species were identified. In addition, one group of unidentified Trichoderma strains was found to represent a separate, strongly supported subclade within the Pachybasium‘A’/Hamatum clade, based on their TEF‐1α haplotypes. Trichoderma viride comprised 49% of the identified strains, and was represented by four and eight slightly different ITS and TEF‐1α haplotypes, respectively. Approximately 22% of the surface‐derived water samples were positive for T. viride, and the species was frequently isolated throughout the surface‐sourced drinking water distribution system. The results indicate that a broad range of Trichoderma species are present in Norwegian surface‐sourced drinking. Water treatment has minor effect in removing Trichoderma from raw water, and active growth in the water distribution system is likely to occur.