bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Natural history of immunoglobulin A nephropathy and predictive factors of prognosis: A long‐term follow up of 204 cases in China
Authors: LV JICHENG , ZHANG HONG , ZHOU YANG , LI GUANGTAO , ZOU WANZHONG , WANG HAIYAN 
Published: March 2008

SUMMARY:Aim:  Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) is the most common primary glomerulonephritis worldwide. However, its natural history and risk factors are not well understood. Our aim was to identify the clinical and pathological factors that could predict disease prognosis in Chinese patients.Methods:  We studied 204 biopsy‐diagnosed IgAN patients, who were followed for an average of 6.1 years (range, 4–15 years). Chronic kidney disease (CKD) classified according to the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative practice guidelines. Renal pathological lesions were graded single‐blindedly according to the Haas classification. The glomerular filtration rate was estimated by the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equation for Chinese subjects.Results:  Patients with CKD were classified as stage 1 (38.10%), stage 2 (35.40%), stage 3 (13.30%), stage 4 (9.90%) and stage 5 (3.30%). During the follow up, 31 patients had progressed to end‐stage renal disease. The renal survival rate following biopsy was 85.1% at the fifth year, and 77.1% at the 10th year. Univariate analysis indicated that patients who were male, had hypertension, proteinuria of more than 1 g/day, renal impairment (estimated glomerular filtration rate, <60 mL/min.1.73 m2), and a high histological grading were associated with poor prognosis. Multivariate analysis indicated that the relative risk of renal failure for patients was 3.9 (P = 0.000) for patients with renal impairment, 2.8 (P = 0.019) for patients with hypertension, and 2.0 (P = 0.003) for patients with high histological grading.Conclusion:  We described the natural history of IgAN through follow ups of a relatively large cohort of patients. Most patients were biopsied at an early stage; however, the long‐term prognosis was still poor. Patients with renal impairment, hypertension and advanced histological involvement had the highest risk for disease progression.
Can daclizumab reduce acute rejection and improve long‐term renal function in tacrolimus‐based primary renal transplant recipients?
Authors: CHEUNG CHI YUEN , LIU YAN LUN , WONG KIM MING , CHAN HOI WONG , CHAN YIU HAN , WONG HO SING , CHAK WAI LEUNG , CHOI KOON SHING , CHAU KA FOON , SHEK CHI CHUNG , LI CHUN SANG 
Published: March 2008

SUMMARY:  Aims:  To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a tacrolimus‐based immunosuppressive regimen with and without induction therapy using daclizumab in first cadaveric renal transplant recipients.Methods:  Since January 2001, we studied the effect of daclizumab in a non‐randomized and prospective study of 36 sequential first cadaveric renal transplant recipients. They were compared with a historical control group of 21 sequential first cadaveric renal transplant recipients without induction therapy. All patients received tacrolimus, azathioprine and corticosteroids as concomitant immunosuppressive therapy. Daclizumab was given at 1 mg/kg infusion 2 h before transplantation and then every 14 days for four more doses. Outcomes measured included incidence of acute rejection, patient survival, graft survival, annualized change in creatinine clearance (CrCl), cardiovascular risk profile, infection and malignancy.Results:  Fewer biopsy proven acute rejections were observed in the induction treatment group: 11.1% (4/36) versus 19% (4/21) but the rejection free survival was similar (P = 0.37). The patient survival and graft survival were comparable. The renal function was similar in both groups. There were also no significant difference in infection, malignancy and cardiovascular risk profile in both groups.Conclusion:  Adding daclizumab to a tacrolimus‐based therapy is safe but cannot further improve clinical efficacy.
Safety and efficacy of using a surgivac pump for the drainage of chronic indwelling pleural catheters in malignant pleural effusions
Authors: AL‐HALFAWY Ahmed , LIGHT Richard 
Published: March 2008

Background and objective:  This descriptive study assessed whether a reusable commercially available surgivac pump was a safe and affordable method for draining chronic malignant pleural effusions with an indwelling pleural catheter.Methods:  Patients who were managed as outpatients using this technique were recruited over a 5‐year period in Cairo, Egypt. The indwelling pleural catheters were inserted under local anaesthesia in a bronchoscopy suite. Patients were instructed by a trained nurse on how to drain the catheter using the surgivac pump.Results:  Fifty‐five patients were included in the study. Successful pleurodesis was achieved in 42 (76.3%) over a mean period of drainage of 19.1 days (range 12–59 days). In all patients, the surgivac pump was successful in draining their pleural fluid and there were no complications related to the device itself.Conclusion:  The use of a surgivac pump to drain malignant effusions via a chronic indwelling pleural catheter is safe and results in a pleurodesis comparable to the more commonly used negative pressure containers (vacuum bottles).
Acetylcholine‐induced seizure‐like activity and modified cholinergic gene expression in chronically epileptic rats
Authors: Zimmerman Gabriel , Njunting Marleisje , Ivens Sebastian , Tolner Elsa , Behrens Christoph J. , Gross Miriam , Soreq Hermona , Heinemann Uwe , Friedman Alon 
Published: March 2008

AbstractThe entorhinal cortex (EC) plays an important role in temporal lobe epilepsy. Under normal conditions, the enriched cholinergic innervation of the EC modulates local synchronized oscillatory activity; however, its role in epilepsy is unknown. Enhanced neuronal activation has been shown to induce transcriptional changes of key cholinergic genes and thus alter cholinergic responses. To examine cholinergic modulations in epileptic tissue we studied molecular and electrophysiological cholinergic responses in the EC of chronically epileptic rats following exposure to pilocarpine or kainic acid. We confirmed that while the total activity of the acetylcholine (ACh)‐hydrolysing enzyme, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) was not altered, epileptic rats showed alternative splicing of AChE pre‐mRNA transcripts, accompanied by a shift from membrane‐bound AChE tetramers to soluble monomers. This was associated with increased sensitivity to ACh application: thus, in control rats, ACh (10–100 µm) induced slow (< 1Hz), periodic events confined to the EC; however, in epileptic rats, ACh evoked seconds‐long seizure‐like events with initial appearance in the EC, and frequent propagation to neighbouring cortical regions. ACh‐induced seizure‐like events could be completely blocked by the non‐specific muscarinic antagonist, atropine, and were partially blocked by the muscarinic‐1 receptor antagonist, pirenzepine; but were not affected by the non‐specific nicotinic antagonist, mecamylamine. Epileptic rats presented reduced transcript levels of muscarinic receptors with no evidence of mRNA editing or altered mRNA levels for nicotinic ACh receptors. Our findings suggest that altered cholinergic modulation may initiate seizure events in the epileptic temporal cortex.
Ileostomy revision using noncutting linear stapler
Authors: Skærlund M.‐L. , Jacobsen L. , Tøttrup A. 
Published: March 2008

AbstractObjective  The study aimed to evaluate the outcome of ileostomy revision for retraction and prolapse using noncutting linear stapler.Method  Forty five patients undergoing a total of 94 stapled revisions between 1.1.1995 and 31.12.2005 were identified by the unique code for stomal revision. Medical records for all patients were examined.Results  Thirty‐five (77.8%) of the 45 patients were women. In 43 (95.6%), the indication was stomal retraction. Median follow‐up was 28 months (2–122). One or more stapling procedures resulted in a normal stoma at follow‐up in 18 (41.9%) of 43 patients treated for stomal retraction. When other types of repair were included, a normal stoma was achieved in 30 (69.8%) of 43 patients. Patients with a low BMI had the lowest success rate (44%), but none of the possible factors analysed for influence on success had a statistically significant impact. Two patients were treated for prolapse, and both needed other types of revision.Conclusions  Stapled ileostomy revision is easy to perform and has a low morbidity. Less than half the patients achieve a satisfactory long‐term result after one or more stapling procedures. Many patients still benefit from other types of revision when stapling has failed.
Penile and Scrotal Paget’s disease: 130 Chinese patients with long‐term follow‐up
Authors: Wang Zhong , Lu Mujun , Dong Guo‐Qin , Jiang Yue‐Qing , Lin Mei‐Sui , Cai Zhi‐Kang , Ying Jun , Ren Xiaomin , Liu Benchun 
Published: March 2008

OBJECTIVESTo report a retrospective series of 130 Chinese patients with penoscrotal extramammary Paget’s diseases (EMPD), with a long‐term follow‐up, and thus improve the diagnosis and therapy of this disease.PATIENTS AND METHODSThe history, clinical presentation, pathology, treatment, and prognosis of 130 patients were analysed. All cases were confirmed by skin biopsy, and then the patients had local wide resection to remove the involved skin and subcutaneous tissue. The large defective wound was reconstructed using a split‐thickness skin graft or local flap.RESULTSForty‐five patients were evaluated by frozen‐section biopsy of the margins during surgery, five of whom had positive margins and then had an extended resection immediately. Most of these patients had local skin or adjacent scrotal flaps to cover their skin defects. Of the 130 patients, 81 had a mean (range) follow‐up of 3.2 (0.5–10) years after surgery. Five of nine patients with positive margins and three (4%) of 72 with negative margins had tumour recurrence. Five patients died from metastatic disease.CONCLUSIONSPenoscrotal EMPD needs be differentiated from other chronic dermatitis. A 3 cm surgical margin should be sufficient and frozen‐section pathological examinations are necessary for some complicated conditions. Skin grafts or local flaps are good for large skin defects.
Impact of language on development of auditory‐visual speech perception
Authors: Sekiyama Kaoru , Burnham Denis 
Published: March 2008

Abstract The McGurk effect paradigm was used to examine the developmental onset of inter‐language differences between Japanese and English in auditory‐visual speech perception. Participants were asked to identify syllables in audiovisual (with congruent or discrepant auditory and visual components), audio‐only, and video‐only presentations at various signal‐to‐noise levels. In Experiment 1 with two groups of adults, native speakers of Japanese and native speakers of English, the results on both percent visually influenced responses and reaction time supported previous reports of a weaker visual influence for Japanese participants. In Experiment 2, an additional three age groups (6, 8, and 11 years) in each language group were tested. The results showed that the degree of visual influence was low and equivalent for Japanese and English language 6‐year‐olds, and increased over age for English language participants, especially between 6 and 8 years, but remained the same for Japanese participants. This may be related to the fact that English language adults and older children processed visual speech information relatively faster than auditory information whereas no such inter‐modal differences were found in the Japanese participants’ reaction times.
Sources of Industrial Growth in Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe: Some Estimates
Authors: Shaaeldin Elfatih 
Published: March 2008

Résumé: Resume: Pour etudier les sources de croissance industrielle au Kenya, en Tanzanie, en Zambie et au Zimbabwe, nous avons utilise dans cet ouvrage la methode de la formation de production appliquee a la croissance, le taux de croissance du facteur de la productivite globale (T.F.P.G.) sont calculees sur une periode allant de 1964 a 1983 pour ces pays. Pour le Zimbabwe le taux de croissance du T.F.P.G. est positif mais n'a aucune signification. Donc, pour tous ces pays une croissance de facteur des moyens de production influe en grande partie sur la croissance industrielle. En comparant des etudes faites sur les pays developpes avec celles faites sur les pays en developpement nous constatons que la contribution de l'augmentation des facteurs de production est relativement negligeable, mais celle du T.F.P.G. est significative. Puis, dans ce document nous considererons les causes approximatives de la performance nulle du T.F.P.G. dans ces pays etudies. Puis nous analyserons les variations de la capa‐cite d'exploitation, des tailles du marche, des politiques macro‐economiques, des structures du marche, du niveau de developpement des capacites techno‐logiques.Abstract: This paper utilizes a growth accounting production function approach to analyze the sources of industrial growth in Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Rates of Total Factor Productivity Growth (TFPG) are calculated for these countries during periods in between 1964 and 1983. The estimates indicate negative growth rates of TFP in Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia. For Zimbabwe the growth rate of TFP is found to be positive but insignificant. Hence, for all of these countries increase in factor inputs mostly accounts for manufacturing growth. By comparison studies for developed countries and some developing countries showed a relatively unimportant contribution from increased inputs and a significant contribution from TFPG. The paper, then considers some of the proximate causes of the poor performance in TFPG in the countries—studied. The roles of changes of capacity utilization, market size, macro‐economic policies, market structures, level of development of technological capability are analyzed.
Stratégies de développement et ouverture sur l'extérieur
Authors: Guillaumont Patrick 
Published: March 2008

Résurné: Cet article examine d'abord la notion de strategie de developpe‐ment: il en propose une definition et des criteres de mesure: la strategie dedeveloppement, mode de developpement choisi par le pays, autrement dit cequi ne resulte pas de I'environnement, est appreciee a travers divers indicateurs,dits de performance, de choix structurels et de choix instrumentaux. Les indi‐cateurs sont mesures en purgeant les donnees brutes de I'influence de l'envi‐ronnement.Abstract: This paper first considers the concept of development strategy, of which it offers a definition and measurement criteria. Development strategy is defined as the development pattern chosen by the country, that is to say the pattern which does not result from the environmental factors. It can be appreciated by several indicators of ‘performance’, ‘structural choices’ and ‘instrumental choices’, most of them measured by eliminating from gross variables the influence of the environment.This methodology is then applied to the study of the trade strategy. The ‘openness’ of ‘outward orientation’ is here defined and measured by the level of export‐GDP ratio which does not result from environment. Environmental variables acting on the export ratio, as estimated by a cross‐sectional analysis, are the per capita income level, the country size, and the mineral exports. This ‘revealed’ outward (or inward) orientation is compared between African and non African countries. Finally, the implications of an informal trade for the outward orientation index are discussed in the case of African countries.
Money, Inflation and Adjustment Policy in Africa: Some Further Evidence
Authors: London Anselm 
Published: March 2008

Abstract: In view of the explicit link between inflation and the rate of monetary expansion that is invariably incorporated into many macroeconomic adjustment programmes in Africa, this paper, using both cross‐section and time series econometric analysis, provides some new empirical evidence on the relationship between money and inflation in Africa. It is shown that although, broadly speaking, the simple monetarist inflation model appears to hold when tested in cross‐section equations covering several countries and averaged over several years, the same is generally not true for individual countries in time series analysis or in cross‐section studies covering shorter time periods. In fact, the result of the analysis strongly suggest that factors other than the rate of monetary expansion have played an important role in determining short‐run inflation trends in Africa. With respect to the implications of these findings for the conduct of current macroeconomic policy and in particular, given the apparently lesser role that ought to be assigned to monetary factors over the short run, the paper urges greater flexibility in deploying policy instruments towards inflation targets in individual African countries and cautions against the application of rules based on regional results in favour of those derived from country‐specific findings.Résumé:Compte tenu du lien explicite entre inflation et taux d'expansion monetaire, auquel il est invariablement fait reference dans de nombreux pro‐grammes d'ajustements macro‐economique en Afrique, cet article, s'appuyant sur une analyse economique de donnees transversales et chronologiques fournit de nouvelles preuves empiriques des relations qui existent entre la monnaie et l'inflation en Afrique. On montre que, de facon generale, mkme si le simple modele monetariste d'inflation parait ktre valide lorsqu'on effectue des tests sur des equations transversales couvrant plusieurs pays et qu'on calcule sa moyenne sur plusieurs annees, il n'en est pas de mCme, pour les pays consideres isolement, dans l'analyse de series chronologiques ou dans les etudes transver‐sales couvrant des periodes plus courtes. De fait, les resultats de l'analyse donnent fortement a penser que des facteurs autres que le taux d'expension monetaire ont joue un role important dansla determination des tendances inflationnistes a court terme en Afrique. En ce qui concerne les consequences deces conclusions pour la conduite de la politique macro‐economique actuelle et, en particulier, vu le role moins important, a ce qui semble, qu'il faudraitaccorder court terme aux facteurs monetaires, l'article preconise une plus grande souplesse dans le deploiement de la panoplie des instruments de poli‐tique economique pour atteindre les objectifs retenus pour le taux d'inflation dam les differents pays africains et met en garde contre l'application de regles fondees sur les resultats regionaux en faveur de celles elaborees a partir de conclusions propres aux pays.
Des cours internationaux des produits de base aux défis de développement de l'Afrique
Authors: Calabre S. 
Published: March 2008

Résumé: Les consequences souvent dramatiques de l'evolution recente des cours internationaux des produits de base d'exportation pour les pays africains conduisent a se demander quelle peut etre la place de ce secteur dans le developpement a venir de leurs economies. La premiere partie analyse les mecanismes de l'evolution des cours en distinguant les facteurs explicatifs de court, de moyen et de long terme. Elle examine en particulier le r61e et la portee des marches a terme. La seconde partie degage quelques perspectives generales concernant les fluctuations pluriannuelles cycliques des cours et la position de l'Afrique sur les marches internationaux des produits. Elle pose alors la question de la releve progressive eventuelle du secteur des produits de base comme secteur generateur du surplus macroeconomique exportable necessaire pour financer le developpement. En fait, une vue generale et plurisectorielle de la dynamique des economies montre que dans la plupart des cas, ce secteur va conserver une place essentielle, mais elle souligne aussi la necessite d'une profonde mutation de l'agriculture et d'un relevement des revenus ruraux.Abstract: The often dramatic consequences of the recent trend of international export commodity prices for the African countries raise the question as to what could be the role of this sector in the future development of their economies. The first part of this paper deals with the mechanisms of the trend of prices by differentiating short, medium and long‐term explanatory factors. The second part gives some general prospects concerning cyclical multi‐year fluctuations of prices and Africa's place on the world commodity market. It therefore considers the issue of the possible and gradual take‐over by the commodities sector as the generator of the exportable macro‐economic surplus required for development financing. In fact, a general and multi‐sectoral overview of the dynamics of economies shows that in most cases, this sector will play an essential role, but it also stresses the need for a profound change in agriculture and increasing farm incomes.
Dependence and Stability of the Demand for Money in a Small open Economy: The Case of Côte‐d'Ivoire
Authors: Djeto Assam , Pourgerami Abbas 
Published: March 2008

Abstract: This paper investigates the effects of foreign variables on the demand for money in Côte‐d'Ivoire during 1970. I‐1986. IV. In the model specification, we consider that Côte‐d'Ivoire is a member of the Franc zone. Within the zone, the CFA Franc is pegged to the French Franc, but outside the zone or with the generalized floating system, the CFA Franc espouses the form taken by the French Franc against other major currencies. The model satisfactorily explains behavioral relationships under these two regimes. Domestic determinants of the demand for real cash balances are the real GDP, the expected rate of inflation, the degree of credit restraint, and expectations of economic instability. International influences are captured by foreign interest and exchange rates. Stability and causality tests indicate that the money demand relation has been stable over time and is highly influenced by foreign interest rates.Résumé: Le présent document étudie les incidences des variables extérieures sur la demande de monnaie en Côte‐d'Ivoire de 1970. I à 1986.IV. Dans la spécification du modéle, nous considérons que la COcte‐d'Ivoire est membre de la Zone Franc, mais hors de la Zone ou avec le systéme flottant généralisé, le Franc CFA adopte les formes proses par le Franc Francais par rapport aux devise fortes. Le modéle explique de manié satisfaisante les rapprots aux devises fortes. Le modéle explique de manié satisfaisante les rapprots de comportement sous ces deux régimes. Les facteurs déterminants sur la demande de bilans de trésorerie réelle sont le PIB réel, le taus d'inflation prévisionnel, le degré de pénurie de crédit, les menaces d'instabilitééconomique. Les influences internationales sont représentées par les intéréts étrangers et les taux de change. Les tests de stabilité et der cause à effect indiquent que le rapport de la demande de monnaie a éaté stable au fil du temps et est fortement influencé par les taus d'intérét étrangers.