bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Surgical debridement of mineral pitch and nonviable penile tissue using water‐jet power: a preliminary report
Authors: Chammas Mario F. , Gurunluoglu Raffi , Carlsen Soren N. , Molina Wilson , Moore Ernest E. , Kim Fernando 
Published: January 2009

OBJECTIVETo report our experience of debriding genital wounds embedded with mineral pitch (MP) from asphalt, using a water jet‐powered surgical tool, the Versajet Hydrosurgery System (VHS, Smith and Nephew, Key Largo, FL) before reconstruction.PATIENTS AND METHODSWe used the VHS for penile debridement in two patients. The first was 42‐year‐old Hispanic man involved in a truck‐bike accident, who was dragged ≈60 m after the collision. He presented with 25% body‐surface abrasion impregnated with MP. The scrotal soft tissue had been lost and both testicles were exposed and ruptured, with no viable tissue. Moreover, the distal two‐thirds of the penile urethra and the ventral glans were completely damaged and his penis entirely degloved. Several procedures were required for surgical debridement and reconstruction, including the skin grafting to 25% of his body surface. All surgical debridement was done with the VHS. A modified Thiersch‐Duplay urethroplasty was used over a 16 F Foley catheter to reconstruct the missing urethra. The second patient was a 32‐year‐old man with no previous medical history, who presented with Fournier’s gangrene after a penile abrasion following unprotected sexual intercourse. He required several surgical debridements. The VHS was applied to an 8 × 10 cm area, followed by a free‐radial graft to the inferior epigastric.RESULTSThe clinical follow‐up was 9 and 6 months, respectively; both patients had satisfactory granulation tissue and proper wound healing. Neither of the patients had infection after surgical debridement with the VHS, even when used in the case of Fournier’s gangrene.CONCLUSIONThe VHS appears to be effective for genital soft‐tissue surgical debridement even when the tissue is impregnated with MP or infected, without causing any spread of infection. Larger series and a longer follow‐up are needed to validate the effectiveness of the VHS in managing complex genital wounds.
Circulating mitochondrial DNA in the serum of patients with testicular germ cell cancer as a novel noninvasive diagnostic biomarker
Authors: Ellinger Jörg , Albers Peter , Müller Stefan C. , Von Ruecker Alexander , Bastian Patrick J. 
Published: January 2009

OBJECTIVETo analyse the diagnostic and prognostic value of cell‐free mitochondrial (mt)DNA in patients with testicular cancer, as increased levels of cell‐free circulating mtDNA have been reported in patients with cancer.PATIENTS, SUBJECTS AND METHODSIn all, 74 patients with testicular cancer (seminoma in 39, nonseminoma in 35) and 35 healthy individuals were included in the study. Circulating DNA was isolated from 1 mL of serum. A quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction was used to analyse the levels of a 79‐bp (mtDNA‐79) and 220 bp (mtDNA‐220) fragment of the mitochondrial specific 16S‐RNA. The mtDNA integrity was expressed as the ratio of mtDNA‐220 to mtDNA‐79.RESULTSmtDNA‐79 and mtDNA‐220 levels were significantly (P < 0.001) greater in patients with testicular cancer than in healthy individuals. The mtDNA integrity was similar in patients and healthy controls (P = 0.435). Receiver operator characteristic curve analysis showed that cell‐free mtDNA (mtDNA‐79) levels distinguished, with a sensitivity of 59.5% and a specificity of 94.3%, between patients and healthy individuals (area under curve, 0.787). Also, mtDNA‐79 levels could be used to distinguish between patients (31) with conventional markers (α‐fetoprotein, human chorionic gonadotrophin, placental alkaline phosphatase and lactate dehydrogenase) within normal ranges and healthy individuals, with a sensitivity of 64.5% and specificity of 91.4% (area under curve 0.797). Cell‐free mtDNA levels were not correlated with any clinicopathological variable (pT stage, lymph node invasion, vascular invasion, clinical stage, International Germ Cell Cancer Collaborative Group classification, tumour markers; all P > 0.05).CONCLUSIONCell‐free mtDNA levels are greater in patients with testicular cancer and might provide valuable information for managing patients with testicular anomalies, especially those with normal levels of established tumour markers.
Adhesion molecules α, β and γ‐catenin as prognostic factors of tumour progression in upper urinary tract urothelial tumours: the role of AKT‐P/GSK‐3β/β‐catenin pathway
Authors: Izquierdo Laura , Truan David , Petit Anna , Gutiérrez Rafael , Mallofré Carme , Alcaraz Antonio 
Published: January 2009

OBJECTIVESTo evaluate α, β and γ‐catenin expression in upper urinary tract urothelial tumours (UUTC) and determine their value as prognostic factors; to investigate the correlation between the catenin complex and the AKT pathway.PATIENTS AND METHODSWe retrospectively analysed 114 consecutive patients treated at our institution from 1990 to 2004; the mean follow‐up was 54 months. Tumour samples were available from 70 patients, and included in tissue microarrays for immunohistochemical analysis. The antibodies used were anti‐α, ‐β and γ‐catenin, and antiphospho‐AKT. The prognostic value of the expression of these molecules was analysed using tumour progression and cancer‐specific survival as end‐points.RESULTSOf the 114 patients, 27% developed tumour progression; the cancer‐specific and overall survival were 77% and 60.6%, respectively. Abnormal α, β and γ‐catenin expression was found in 44 (63%), 22 (31%) and 28 (41%) patients, respectively; the abnormal catenin expression patterns correlated with each other. Positive cytoplasm phospho‐AKT expression was found in 27 (39%) patients. Three of them were found to have cytoplasmic β‐catenin accumulation and none of them nuclear expression. β‐catenin expression was the only one that was an independent marker of tumour progression, with a hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) of 3.1(1.2–8.6), together with grade (7.1, 1.2–55.8) and stage (4.6, 2.1–10). In the cancer‐specific survival analysis, again β‐catenin was an independent prognostic factor (3.4, 1–11.5) together with stage (4.6, 2.2–9.8).CONCLUSIONSThe loss of the normal membrane β‐catenin expression constitutes an independent factor of tumour progression and cancer‐specific survival. Our data suggest that the AKT/GSK3β/β‐catenin signalling pathway is not activated in the UUTC carcinogenesis.
Differences in side‐effect duration and related bother levels between phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors
Authors: Taylor Joby , Baldo Omer B. , Storey Anne , Cartledge Jon , Eardley Ian 
Published: January 2009

OBJECTIVETo assess whether the longer half‐life of tadalafil is associated with longer lasting or more severe side‐effects than the other phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE‐5Is), as clinical trials have shown that the efficacy and safety of the three available are similar, but tadalafil has a half‐life four times longer than the other two drugs.PATIENTS AND METHODSTreatment‐naive men beginning PDE5‐I therapy were recruited from a specialist clinic. Data on the type and duration of drug‐associated side‐effects were collected prospectively. Levels of bother were assessed with a visual analogue scale (VAS). Differences in type, duration and bother of side‐effect were compared between drugs.RESULTSIn all, 409 men provided data; there were no differences between drugs in the proportion of men responding, or the overall prevalence of side‐effects. The mean duration of side‐effects with tadalafil was 14.9 h, compared to 3.9 and 7.7 h for sildenafil and vardenafil. Of men taking tadalafil, 30% had side‐effects lasting >12 h. There were no differences in mean VAS scores between the drugs. Individual side‐effects caused similar levels of bother, except for facial flushing, which was less bothersome.CONCLUSIONSMen taking tadalafil are at risk of prolonged side‐effects, although levels of bother associated with these side‐effects are not significantly greater than those seen with short‐acting PDE5‐Is.
Severe penile injuries: a problem of severity and reconstruction
Authors: Perovic Sava V. , Djinovic Rados P. , Bumbasirevic Marko Z. , Santucci Richard A. , Djordjevic Miroslav L. , Kourbatov Dmitry 
Published: January 2009

OBJECTIVESTo report our experience of treating severe penile injuries with different causes and treatments, as penile trauma presents a difficult physical and psychological problem, and the type and extent of injury varies from mild to severe, sometimes even with total amputation.PATIENTS AND METHODSWe analysed retrospectively 43 patients (mean age 28 years, range 5–52 years) with severe penile injuries referred to us from March 1999 to August 2007. The causes of penile injuries differed, including iatrogenic trauma (20), traffic accidents (11), burns (three), self‐amputation (two), ritual circumcision (two), penile fracture (two), gunshot trauma (two) and electrocution (one). The management required a wide variety of surgical techniques tailored to each patient depending on the type and extent of injury.RESULTSThe mean (range) follow‐up was 47 (10–108) months. The aesthetic and functional results, including satisfactory sexual intercourse were good in 35 patients. There were complications in seven patients; infection after implanting an inflatable penile prosthesis in one, protrusion of a semirigid prosthesis in one, urethral complications (one stenosis and two fistulae) in three and partial skin flap necrosis in two.CONCLUSIONSSevere penile injuries should be treated on an individual basis, applying different techniques. However, treatment can be effective and safe only in specialized centres.
A NOTE ON CHARACTERIZATIONS OF DISTRIBUTIONS BY REGRESSIONS OF NON‐ADJACENT GENERALIZED ORDER STATISTICS
Authors: Bieniek Mariusz 
Published: January 2009

SummaryWe investigate the problem of characterizations of distributions by regressions of generalized order statistics (GOSs) based on a continuous distribution function F. We show that F is uniquely determined if the regressions of a GOS given two other consecutive GOSs are known.
Sources of Comparative Advantages in Brazil
Authors: Muriel Beatriz , Terra Cristina 
Published: January 2009

AbstractBased on the Heckscher‐Ohlin‐Vanek model, the authors investigate relative factor abundance in Brazil, as revealed by its international trade. They study two different time periods: one characterized by high trade barriers (1980–85) and the trade liberalization period (1990–95). Two alternative methodologies are used: the estimation of factor intensity regressions on net exports and the direct computation of factor content in net exports. In the factor intensity regression, the authors incorporate technological changes that might have occurred over time, and these turn out to be significant. Both methods yield the same results: the Brazilian international trade reveals relative abundance in capital, land, and unskilled labor, and scarcity in skilled labor, with qualitatively equivalent results for the two time periods studied.
Health care services utilization stratified by virological and immunological markers of HIV: evidence from a universal health care setting
Authors: Druyts EF , Yip B , Lima VD , Burke TA , Lesovski D , Fernandes KA , McInnes CW , Rustad CA , Montaner JSG , Hogg RS 
Published: January 2009

ObjectiveThe aim of the study was to determine rates of utilization of in‐patient, out‐patient and laboratory services stratified by virological and immunological markers of HIV disease among patients on antiretroviral treatment in British Columbia, Canada.MethodsWe estimated resource utilization for in‐patient visits, out‐patient visits, and laboratory tests among patients initiating antiretroviral treatment between 1 April 1994 and 31 December 2000, with follow‐up to 31 March 2001. Resource use was stratified by CD4 cell count and plasma HIV viral load (pVL) at the time of utilization and rates per 100 patient‐years were calculated for each health care resource.ResultsA total of 2718 patients were included in our analyses. The overall rates of in‐patient visits, out‐patient visits, and laboratory tests were 902, 3001 and 840 per 100 patient‐years, respectively. Utilization was higher for patients with low CD4 cell counts and high pVLs when compared with patients with high CD4 cell counts and low pVLs.ConclusionsPatients with low CD4 cell counts and high pVLs had the highest use of health care services. Regular follow‐up with health care providers in an out‐patient setting, allowing for proper monitoring and maintenance of HIV care, is important in minimizing unnecessary and potentially costly in‐patient care.
Reduction in circulating markers of endothelial dysfunction in HIV‐infected patients during antiretroviral therapy
Authors: Kristoffersen US , Kofoed K , Kronborg G , Giger AK , Kjaer A , Lebech AM 
Published: January 2009

ObjectivesAntiretroviral therapy (ART) in HIV‐infected patients is associated with increased cardiovascular risk. Circulating markers of endothelial dysfunction may be used to study early atherogenesis. The aim of our study was to investigate changes in such markers during initiation of ART.MethodsIn 115 HIV‐positive treatment‐naïve patients, plasma lipids, E‐selectin, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (sICAM‐1), soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (sVCAM‐1), tissue‐type plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (tPAI‐1) and high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein (hsCRP) were measured before and after 2 and 14 months of ART. A control group of 30 healthy subjects was included. Values are mean±standard error of the mean.ResultsPrior to treatment, HIV‐infected patients had elevated levels of sICAM‐1 (296±24 vs. 144±12 ng/mL), tPAI‐1 (18 473±1399 vs. 5490±576 pg/mL) and hsCRP (28 060±5530 vs. 6665±2063 ng/mL) compared with controls (P<0.001). In contrast, sVCAM‐1 and E‐selectin did not differ between the groups. Initiation of ART resulted in significantly lower levels of E‐selectin (15.1±0.8; P<0.01), sICAM‐1 (248±12 ng/mL; P<0.05), sVCAM‐1 (766±33 ng/mL; P<0.001) and hsCRP (14 708±2358 ng/mL; P<0.001) after 2 months, which remained reduced at 14 months. tPAI‐1 was not influenced by initiation of ART.ConclusionsMarkers of endothelial dysfunction were elevated in treatment‐naïve HIV‐infected patients and were related to HIV RNA viral load. Initiation of ART reduced the levels of the majority of these markers. The positive effect of ART initiation was dependent on the duration of HIV infection prior to treatment.
Concept, Image and Story in Systematic Theology
Authors: FIDDES PAUL S. 
Published: January 2009

AbstractThis article enquires about the place of ‘aesthetic theology’ within the conceptual enterprise of systematic theology. If narrative theology is to be of any help in answering the question, it will have to include an appeal to extra‐biblical images and stories in its method, and will also need to relate metaphor to some kind of analogy and metaphysics (carefully defined). Working from a theological basis in doctrines of revelation and canon, poems and novels outside the Bible may thus be seen to contribute to systematic theology in at least three ways: in deciding between concepts, in enabling connections to be made between concepts, and in developing the Christian story for the present age. Finally, the concept of God as ‘relational being’ is explored as an example of aesthetic forms of theological discourse, connecting everyday religious speech to systematic theology with an ‘analogy of relations’.
What is Systematic Theology?
Authors: WILLIAMS A.N. 
Published: January 2009

AbstractThis article examines the nature of systematic theology, arguing that systematicity is an intrinsic quality of all Christian theology, one stemming from the relationality of its subject matter, the Trinity and other things as they are related to the Trinity. The relationality of the divinely‐created order reflects the ratio that is, on the Christian account, God ipse. Systematic theology is simply theology that reflects this ratio and the relations obtaining among creatures, and between creatures and their divine source, as well as the relationality of that source, the Persons of the Trinity.
A population‐based study of genotypic and phenotypic variability in children with spinal muscular atrophy
Authors: Arkblad Eva , Tulinius Már , Kroksmark Anna‐Karin , Henricsson Mirja , Darin Niklas 
Published: January 2009

AbstractAims: To describe the occurrence of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in childhood; to evaluate if any of the genes in the SMA region on chromosome 5q13 correlates with disease severity; to make genotype–phenotype correlations; to evaluate the variability of different disease alleles in carriers and the sensitivity of multiplex ligation‐dependent probe amplification (MLPA) for detecting carriers.Methods: In a population‐based study from Western Sweden MLPA was used to determine the copy‐numbers of several genes in the SMA region (SMN1, SMN2, BIRC1, GTF2H2 and SERF1A) in SMA‐patients and their parents.Results: We estimated the incidence of SMN1‐related SMA in childhood at 1 in 11 800 live births and confirmed the relationship between the number of SMN2 copies and the severity of disease. No other direct relationships were found. All but one of the analysed parents were confirmed as carriers by MLPA analysis. A total of at least 30 different disease alleles were identified and no specific disease allele represented more than 15% of the total.Conclusion: The childhood incidence of SMA in the Swedish population is around 1 in 12 000 live births and it is unlikely that there is any founder effect involved in SMA in western Sweden.
Antigenotoxic, Antioxidant and Lymphocyte Induction Effects Produced by Pteropodine
Authors: Paniagua‐Pérez Rogelio , Madrigal‐Bujaidar Eduardo , Molina‐Jasso Dolores , Reyes‐Cadena Susana , Álvarez‐González Isela , Sánchez‐Chapul Laura , Pérez‐Gallaga Javier 
Published: January 2009

Abstract:  Pteropodine is a heterohimbine‐type oxindole alkaloid specifically isolated from ‘Cat's claw’ (Uncaria tomentosa), a plant that has shown cytostatic, anti‐inflammatory and antimutagenic properties and is used in traditional medicine to cure a number of diseases. In this report, we studied the ability of pteropodine to decrease the rate of sister‐chromatid exchanges and micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes in mice administered doxorubicin. We also determined its capacity to induce lymphocyte production in mice as well as its free radical scavenging potential by applying the DPPH assay. We found pteropodine (100–600 mg/kg) to significantly decrease the frequency of sister‐chromatid exchanges and micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes in mice administered with 10 mg/kg of doxorubicin. Furthermore, we determined that pteropodine partially corrected bone marrow cytotoxicity induced by doxorubicin, as it showed an improvement in the rate of polychromatic erythrocytes. Besides, 600 mg/kg of pteropodine increased 25.8% of the production of lymphocytes over the control value along a 96‐hr assay, and it exhibited a strong capacity to trap the DPPH‐free radical (98.26% with 250 µg/ml). Our results establish that pteropodine is an effective antimutagen in the model used, and suggest that pteropodine deserves further research in the area of cell protective potential and its mechanism of action.
Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha): a Novel Source of L‐asparaginase
Authors: Oza Vishal P. , Trivedi Shraddha D. , Parmar Pritesh P. , Subramanian R. B. 
Published: January 2009

Abstract Different parts of plant species belonging to Solanaceae and Fabaceae families were screened for L‐asparaginase enzyme (E.C.3.5.1.1.). Among 34 plant species screened for L‐asparaginase enzyme, Withania somnifera L. was identified as a potential source of the enzyme on the basis of high specific activity of the enzyme. The enzyme was purified and characterized from W. somnifera, a popular medicinal plant in South East Asia and Southern Europe. Purification was carried out by a combination of protein precipitation with ammonium sulfate as well as Sephadex‐gel filtration. The purified enzyme is a homodimer, with a molecular mass of 72 ± 0.5 kDa as estimated by sodium dodecyl sulfate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresisand size exclusion chromatography. The enzyme has a pH optimum of 8.5 and an optimum temperature of 37 °C. The Km value for the enzyme is 6.1 × 10−2 mmol/L. This is the first report for L‐asparaginase from W. somnifera, a traditionally used Indian medicinal plant.
Arabidopsis Profilin Isoforms, PRF1 and PRF2 Show Distinctive Binding Activities and Subcellular Distributions
Authors: Wang Feng , Jing Yanping , Wang Zhen , Mao Tonglin , Šamaj Jozef , Yuan Ming , Ren Haiyun 
Published: January 2009

Abstract Profilin is an actin‐binding protein that shows complex effects on the dynamics of the actin cytoskeleton. There are five profilin isoforms in Arabidopsis thaliana L. However, it is still an open question whether these isoforms are functionally different. In the present study, two profilin isoforms from Arabidopsis, PRF1 and PRF2 were fused with green fluorescent protein (GFP) tag and expressed in Escherichia coli and A. thaliana in order to compare their biochemical properties in vitro and their cellular distributions in vivo. Biochemical analysis revealed that fusion proteins of GFP‐PRF1 and GFP‐PRF2 can bind to poly‐L‐proline and G‐actin showing remarkable differences. GFP‐PRF1 has much higher affinities for both poly‐L‐proline and G‐actin compared with GFP‐PRF2. Observations of living cells in stable transgenic A. thaliana lines revealed that 35S::GFP‐PRF1 formed a filamentous network, while 35S::GFP‐PRF2 formed polygonal meshes. Results from the treatment with latrunculin A and a subsequent recovery experiment indicated that filamentous alignment of GFP‐PRF1 was likely associated with actin filaments. However, GFP‐PRF2 localized to polygonal meshes resembling the endoplasmic reticulum. Our results provide evidence that Arabidopsis profilin isoforms PRF1 and PRF2 have different biochemical affinities for poly‐L‐proline and G‐actin, and show distinctive localizations in living cells. These data suggest that PRF1 and PRF2 are functionally different isoforms.
Impact of community care in enabling older people with complex needs to remain at home
Authors: Ryan Assumpta Ann , McCann Siobhan , McKenna Hugh 
Published: January 2009

Aim.  This aim of the study was to explore the impact of community care in enabling older people with complex needs to remain at home.Background.  Changing demographic trends and successive government policies have led to an increase in the number of older people with complex needs residing in the community.Design.  A qualitative approach using semi‐structured interviews was used to collect data from older people (n = 17) and carers (n = 14).Method.  Social workers were asked to identify community dwelling older people (65+ years) with multiple needs requiring interventions from a range of health and social care practitioners.Results.  Community care enabled older people with complex needs who would otherwise have required residential or nursing home care to remain in their own homes. This was the expressed wish of both the older people and carers interviewed.Conclusions.  The provision of high‐quality community care for older people is a globally significant challenge and one that requires creative solutions, both at a local and strategic level.Relevance to clinical practice.  Nurses and other health and social care professionals need to understand the significance of ‘home’ for older people and take steps to ensure that additional and appropriate resources are targeted towards community care.