bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
British HIV Association (BHIVA) national cohort outcomes audit of patients commencing antiretrovirals from naïve
Authors: Street E , Curtis H , Sabin CA , Monteiro EF , Johnson MA ,   on behalf of the British HIV Association (BHIVA) and BHIVA Audit and Standards Subcommittee.
Published: March 2009

ObjectivesThe aim of this work was to audit the extent to which routine HIV care in the UK conforms with British HIV Association (BHIVA) guidelines and specifically the proportion of patients starting highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) who achieve the outcome of virological suppression below 50 HIV‐1 RNA copies/mL within 6 months.MethodsA prospective cohort review of adults with HIV infection who started antiretroviral therapy (ART) for the first time between April and September 2006 was carried out using structured questionnaire forms.ResultsA total of 1170 adults from 122 clinical sites participated in the review. Of these patients, 699 (59.7%) started ART at CD4 counts <200 cells/μL and 193 (16.5%) had not been tested for HIV drug resistance. Excluding patients with valid reasons for stopping short‐term ART, 795 (73.5%) of 1081 patients had an undetectable viral load (VL) at follow‐up. Detectable VL was strongly associated with pretreatment CD4 count below 50 cells/μL and pretreatment VL above 100 000 copies/mL, and was not associated with clinic location or case load. About a quarter of patients did not have a VL measurement during the first 6 weeks after starting ART.ConclusionsThe majority of patients who initiated ART at sites participating in this UK national audit were managed within the BHIVA guidelines and achieved virological suppression below 50 copies/mL around 6 months after commencing treatment. Poor VL outcomes were associated with very low CD4 cell count and/or high VL at baseline but not with clinic case load or location. There is an urgent need to diagnose patients at an earlier stage of their HIV disease.
Impact of prior pneumococcal vaccination on clinical outcomes in HIV‐infected adult patients hospitalized with invasive pneumococcal disease
Authors: Imaz A , Falcó V , Peñaranda M , Jordano Q , Martínez X , Nadal C , Curran A , Planes AM , Dalmau D , Ribera E , Riera M , Ruiz de Gopegui E , Pahissa A 
Published: March 2009

BackgroundRecent studies in hospitalized patients with community‐acquired pneumonia have found a lower risk of bacteraemia and better clinical outcomes in patients who had previously received the 23‐valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV) in comparison with unvaccinated individuals. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of prior PPV on clinical outcomes in HIV‐infected adult patients hospitalized with invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD).MethodsThis was an observational study of all consecutive HIV‐infected adults hospitalized with IPD from January 1996 to October 2007 in three hospitals in Spain. Baseline characteristics and clinical outcome‐related variables were compared according to prior PPV vaccination status.ResultsA total of 162 episodes of IPD were studied. In 23 of these (14.2%), patients had previously received PPV. In both vaccinated and unvaccinated patients, most of the causal serotypes were included in the 23‐valent PPV (76.9% and 84.1%, respectively). Overall, 25 patients (15.4%) died during hospitalization, 21 patients (13%) required admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) and 34 patients (21%) reached the composite outcome of death and/or admission to the ICU. None of the 23 patients who had previously received PPV died or required ICU admission, in comparison with 25 (18%; P=0.026) and 21 (15.1%; P=0.046), respectively, of the unvaccinated patients. The length of hospital stay for vaccinated patients was significantly shorter (8.48 vs. 13.27 days; P=0.011).ConclusionsAlthough 23‐valent PPV failed to prevent IPD in some HIV‐infected patients, vaccination produced beneficial effects on clinical outcomes by decreasing illness severity and mortality related to IPD.
Skin bleaching: highlighting the misuse of cutaneous depigmenting agents
Authors: Dadzie OE , Petit A 
Published: March 2009

AbstractHydroquinone and other cutaneous depigmenting agents are widely used by dermatologists to treat pigmentary disorders. On 29 August 2006, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a monograph in the US Federal Register proposing to ban all hydroquinone products that have not been approved via a New Drug Application process. Reports in the scientific literature on the occurrence of exogenous ochronosis, in relation to the use of hydroquinone, was one of the concerns expressed by the FDA in relation to this agent. However, a review of the English‐language scientific literature reveals that most of the reported cases of hydroquinone‐induced exogenous ochronosis occurs in Africa, where the cultural practice of skin bleaching is highly prevalent. Skin bleaching is the practice of applying hydroquinone and/or other depigmenting agents to specific or widespread areas of the body, the primary function being to lighten normally dark skin. This practice typically occurs in men and women with Fitzpatrick skin phototypes IV to VI. It is a dangerous practice associated with a diverse range of side‐effects, including mercury poisoning. Thus, this current discussion within the dermatological community on the safety of hydroquinone provides a unique opportunity to raise awareness about skin bleaching.
Motor development from 4 to 8 months corrected age in infants born at or less than 29 weeks’ gestation
Authors: PIN TAMIS W , DARRER TANYA , ELDRIDGE BEV , GALEA MARY P 
Published: March 2009

Aim  Clinically, preterm infants show motor delay and atypical postures compared with their peers born at term. A longitudinal cohort study was designed to describe the motor development of very preterm infants from 4 to 18 months corrected age (CA). The study was also designed to investigate how the atypical postures observed in early infancy in the preterm infants might be related to their later motor development. Here we report the findings in early motor skills from 4 to 8 months CA.Method  Early motor skills were assessed in 62 preterm infants (32 males, 30 females, mean gestation 26.94wks, SD 1.11) and 53 term infants (32 males, 21 females, mean gestation 39.55wks, SD 1.17) using the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS).Results  The preterm infants demonstrated different motor behaviours from their term peers, with an uneven progression of motor skills in different positions from 4 to 8 months CA. At 8 months CA, 90%of the term infants were able to sit without arm support, but only 56%of the preterm infants could maintain sitting very briefly without arm support.Interpretation  This uneven progression may have been due to an imbalance between the active flexor and extensor strength and hence inadequate postural control in these positions. The AIMS has also been shown to be a valid assessment tool to demonstrate unique characteristics in movement quality in the preterm population.
Determinants of students’ attitudes towards peers with disabilities
Authors: VIGNES CELINE , GODEAU EMMANUELLE , SENTENAC MARIANE , COLEY NICOLA , NAVARRO FELIX , GRANDJEAN HELENE , ARNAUD CATHERINE 
Published: March 2009

Aim  To explore factors associated with students’ attitudes towards their peers with disabilities.Method  All 7th grade students (aged 12−13y) from 12 schools in the Toulouse area were invited to participate (n=1509). Attitudes were measured using the Chedoke‐McMaster Attitudes Towards Children with Handicaps (CATCH) questionnaire (affective, behavioural, cognitive, and total scores). Personal characteristics, including KIDSCREEN quality of life scores, were recorded. Data regarding information about disabilities received from parents and the media and acquaintance with people with disabilities constituted the ‘disability knowledge’ factors. The characteristics of the schools were obtained from the local education authority. Multivariate multilevel linear regression analyses were conducted to explore the associations between CATCH scores and these three groups of factors.Results  Responses from 1135 students (612 females, 523 males; mean age 12y 8mo SD 7mo; age range 10y 8mo–15y) were studied (75.2% of the students approached). Factors independently associated with more positive attitudes were being a female, having a good quality of life, being friends with a child with disabilities, or having received information about disabilities from parents and the media. Presence in the school of a special class for children with cognitive disabilities was independently associated with more negative attitudes.Interpretation  This cross‐sectional study identified different personal and environmental factors upon which interventions aimed at improving students’ attitudes towards their peers with disabilities could be based.
Raf kinase inhibitor protein inhibits cell proliferation but promotes cell migration in rat hepatic stellate cells
Authors: Ma Junji , Li Fangfang , Liu Li , Cui Donglai , Wu Xiaohui , Jiang Xiaoyu , Jiang Huiqing 
Published: March 2009

AbstractAim: Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) play an important role in the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. Raf kinase inhibitor protein (RKIP), an inhibitor of extracellular signal‐regulated kinases (ERK)/mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling pathway, has been proved to suppress tumor metastasis. Interestingly, RKIP promotes cell migration in Madin–Darby canine kidney epithelial cells. However, the effects of RKIP on HSC behaviours are unknown. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the role of RKIP in HSC proliferation, apoptosis and migration.Methods: Two types of cells, freshly isolated HSC and HSC‐T6 cell line, were used in this study. The amount of RKIP, the phosphorylation of RKIP, Raf and ERK (pRKIP, pRaf and pERK) were analysed in quiescent and activated HSCs by Western blots. HSC‐T6 cells were transfected with RKIP‐expressing plasmid or treated with locostatin, a RKIP inhibitor. HSC proliferation, apoptosis and migration were evaluated with 3‐(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase‐mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick‐end labelling (TUNEL) staining and Transwell cell migration assay respectively.Results: In activated HSCs, RKIP protein expression was downregulated whereas pRKIP, pRaf and pERK were upregulated. RKIP overexpression significantly mitigated the phosphorylation of RKIP, Raf and ERK. This in turn inhibited HSC proliferation. Locostatin not only inhibited RKIP protein expression but also, to some extent, reversed the RKIP‐inhibited phosphorylation of RKIP, Raf and ERK. RKIP augmented HSC migration and enhanced wound closure. Locostatin reversed the effects of RKIP.Conclusion: Raf kinase inhibitor protein inhibits ERK/MAPK signalling and this inhibition impedes HSC proliferation. RKIP promotes HSC migration and wound closure.
Comparison of a Stool Antigen Test and Serology for the Diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori Infection in Mass Survey
Authors: Shimoyama Tadashi , Oyama Takao , Matsuzaka Masashi , Danjo Kazuma , Nakaji Shigeyuki , Fukuda Shinsaku 
Published: March 2009

AbstractBackground: Serum antibody to Helicobacter pylori is tested in mass screening for gastric cancer along with the level of serum pepsinogens (PG) I and II. Recently, stool antigen tests have been developed as a new non‐invasive test. We examined H. pylori infection by both serology and stool antigen test in a mass survey and compared the results to estimate applicability of stool antigen test for mass survey.Methods: A total of 994 healthy adults who received mass survey in April 2005 were tested. There were 379 men and 615 women, and the mean age was 57.7 years old. Stool samples were used to measure a H. pylori‐specific antigen by enzyme immunoassay. Serum samples were tested for the prevalence of IgG antibody to H. pylori, and the level of PGs I and II was also measured to determine the presence of atrophic gastritis.Results: Infection of H. pylori was defined as positive 61.4% and 56.4% by serology and stool antigen test, respectively. The concordance of both tests was not affected by gender and age of the subjects but difference was seen in subjects with atrophic gastritis. In particular, positivity of stool antigen test (81.8%) was significantly lower than that of serology (88.7%, p < .05) in 303 subjects with severe atrophic gastritis.Conclusions: Stool antigen test, which detects present but not previous infection of H. pylori, would be applicable to diagnose H. pylori infection in mass survey. Usefulness of stool antigen tests for the screening of gastric cancer should be examined.
Retrospective study of teeth with a poor prognosis following non‐surgical periodontal treatment
Authors: Ekuni Daisuke , Yamamoto Tatsuo , Takeuchi Noriko 
Published: March 2009

AbstractAim: The aim of this retrospective study was to assess teeth with a poor prognosis and the proximal periodontium of adjacent teeth, and to identify the risk factors associated with the loss of teeth with a poor prognosis following non‐surgical periodontal treatment.Material and Methods: Teeth with a poor prognosis (n=113), teeth adjacent to those of poor prognosis (n=105) and non‐adjacent teeth (n=51) were evaluated in 25 non‐smoking patients who had received supportive periodontal treatment for 5–16 years following non‐surgical periodontal treatment at a university hospital.Results: Probing pocket depth (PPD), percentage of alveolar bone loss, presence of tooth mobility and bleeding on probing in all teeth improved significantly after treatment. Logistic regression analysis showed that loss of teeth with a poor prognosis depended on the initial deepest PPD, tooth mobility and multi‐rooted tooth.Conclusions: Teeth with a poor prognosis did not affect the proximal periodontium of the adjacent teeth, and progression of periodontal disease in these teeth and adjacent teeth can be prevented by non‐surgical periodontal treatment in non‐smokers. The risk factors for loss of teeth with a poor prognosis were the initial deepest PPD, tooth mobility and multi‐rooted tooth.
Change in periodontitis during pregnancy and the risk of pre‐term birth and low birthweight
Authors: Michalowicz Bryan S. , Hodges James S. , Novak Michael John , Buchanan William , DiAngelis Anthony J. , Papapanou Panos N. , Mitchell Dennis A. , Ferguson James E. , Lupo Virginia R. , Bofill James , Matseoane Stephen 
Published: March 2009

AbstractAim: Determine whether periodontitis progression during pregnancy is associated with adverse birth outcomes.Methods: We used clinical data and birth outcomes from the Obstetrics and Periodontal Therapy Study, in which randomly selected women received periodontal treatment before 21 weeks of gestation (N=413) or after delivery (410). Birth outcomes were available for 812 women and follow‐up periodontal data for 722, including 75 whose pregnancies ended <37 weeks. Periodontitis progression was defined as 3 mm loss of clinical attachment. Birth outcomes were compared between non‐progressing and progressing groups using the log rank and t tests, separately in all women and in untreated controls.Results: The distribution of gestational age at the end of pregnancy (p>0.1) and mean birthweight (3295 versus 3184 g, p=0.11) did not differ significantly between women with and without disease progression. Gestational age and birthweight were not associated with change from baseline in percentage of tooth sites with bleeding on probing or between those who did versus did not progress according to a published definition of disease progression (p>0.05).Conclusions: In these women with periodontitis and within this study's limitations, disease progression was not associated with an increased risk for delivering a pre‐term or a low birthweight infant.
Cytometric Analysis of Cytotoxicity of Polyphenols and Related Phenolics to Rat Thymocytes: Potent Cytotoxicity of Resveratrol to Normal Cells
Authors: Fujimoto Aya , Sakanashi Yoko , Matsui Hiroko , Oyama Toshihisa , Nishimura Yumiko , Masuda Toshiya , Oyama Yasuo 
Published: March 2009

Abstract:  The chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic actions of polyphenols and related phenolics have received considerable attention since these compounds induce apoptosis in several types of cancer cells in vitro. A plausible criterion for the use of such compounds is that they should not exert any toxic effect on normal cells. However, information about the toxicity of polyphenols and related phenolics to normal cells is limited. In this study, the effects of polyphenols and related phenolics on rat thymocytes were examined by flow cytometric analysis with appropriate fluorescent probes. The compounds examined in this study were caffeic acid, rosmarinic acid, chlorogenic acid, (+)‐catechin, 6‐gingerol, sesamol, resveratrol, and eugenol. Of these, resveratrol was the most cytotoxic on rat thymocytes incubated for 24 hrs with 100 µM of this compound. Resveratrol at a concentration of 10 µM or more (up to 100 µM) led to a significant dose‐dependent increase in the population of dead cells, shrunken living cells, annexin V‐positive cells and cells with hypodiploidal DNA. In the presence of benzyloxycarbonyl‐Val‐Ala‐Asp (OMe) fluoromethylketone (Z‐VAD‐FMK), a pan‐inhibitor of caspases, the resveratrol‐induced increase in the population of cells with hypodiploidal DNA was partially inhibited. Overall, it is suggested that resveratrol at a concentration of 10 µM or more induces apoptosis in normal cells as well as cancer cells (previously reported elsewhere). Thus, at concentrations that are suitable for chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic actions, resveratrol may exert a cytotoxic effect on normal cells.
Morphologic features of the cerebellum of the Atlantic stingray, and their possible evolutionary significance
Authors: PUZDROWSKI Richard L. , GRUBER Stephen 
Published: March 2009

AbstractThe morphology of the cerebellar corpus in cartilaginous fishes varies from a smooth, relatively simple structure to a complex, multilobed structure. Atlantic stingrays possess a trilobed corpus that includes an anterior lobe, divided into rostral and caudal lobules, and a posterior lobe. The corpus in this stingray is assymetrical. This asymmetry was examined in the stingray population of Galveston Bay. In 49% of the animals the axis of the caudal lobule was right of the midline, in 27% it was across the midline, and in 24% it was to the left. This variation is not related to size, sex, or an asymmetry in the cranial volume, but might reflect a variation in the cerebellar developmental program. To gain insight into the factors that have driven cerebellar hypertrophy in cartilaginous fishes, the neural connections of the lobules of the cerebellum of the Atlantic stingray were examined using biotinylated dextrans. It was found that, for the most part, the stingray cerebellum receives inputs from the same diencephalic and brainstem nuclei as in cartilaginous fishes with a bilobed cerebellum. However, in stingrays there is greater segregation of inputs. The anterior lobe rostral lobule receives inputs from the accessory optic nuclei, the caudal lobule receives inputs from trigeminal and octavolateral nuclei, and the posterior lobe receives inputs from the spinal cord. The rostral lobule and posterior lobe also receive input from midbrain nuclei that do not appear to be present in cartilaginous fishes with a morphologically simple corpus. Therefore, it is proposed that the complex hypertrophy of the corpus in stingrays might result from a combination of functional specialization of the lobes, and the acquisition of new inputs.
Adaptive hearing in the vocal plainfin midshipman fish: getting in tune for the breeding season and implications for acoustic communication
Authors: SISNEROS Joseph A. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractThe plainfin midshipman fish (Porichthys notatusGirard, 1854) is a vocal species of batrachoidid fish that generates acoustic signals for intraspecific communication during social and reproductive activity and has become a good model for investigating the neural and endocrine mechanisms of vocal‐acoustic communication. Reproductively active female plainfin midshipman fish use their auditory sense to detect and locate “singing” males, which produce a multiharmonic advertisement call to attract females for spawning. The seasonal onset of male advertisement calling in the midshipman fish coincides with an increase in the range of frequency sensitivity of the female's inner ear saccule, the main organ of hearing, thus leading to enhanced encoding of the dominant frequency components of male advertisement calls. Non‐reproductive females treated with either testosterone or 17β‐estradiol exhibit a dramatic increase in the inner ear's frequency sensitivity that mimics the reproductive female's auditory phenotype and leads to an increased detection of the male's advertisement call. This novel form of auditory plasticity provides an adaptable mechanism that enhances coupling between sender and receiver in vocal communication. This review focuses on recent evidence for seasonal reproductive‐state and steroid‐dependent plasticity of auditory frequency sensitivity in the peripheral auditory system of the midshipman fish. The potential steroid‐dependent mechanism(s) that lead to this novel form of auditory and behavioral plasticity are also discussed.
Understanding the Russian Health Crisis: a Sociological Perspective
Authors: Cockerham William 
Published: March 2009

AbstractThis essay applies a sociological perspective to the health crisis in Russia by delving increasingly deeper into the layers of causes. The major characteristic of this crisis is the decline in life expectancy among men and the relative stagnation of longevity among women. The primary cause is increased cardiovascular disease and alcohol‐related poisoning and accidents. However, in order to determine the ultimate cause, it is necessary to examine secondary level factors to explain what is responsible for the rise in heart disease and alcohol‐based afflictions. Several secondary factors were considered, including infectious disease, poor medical care, environmental pollution, policy, and stress, but the strongest evidence supported negative health lifestyles. The next step is find what is causing a lifestyle harmful to male health in particular and while stress is likely important – the best tertiary level cause is the deeply embedded working‐class style of heavy drinking that is normative in Russia.
Microsatellite markers for mungbean developed from sequence database
Authors: SEEHALAK WORAPA , SOMTA PRAKIT , SOMMANAS WARUNEE , SRINIVES PEERASAK 
Published: March 2009

AbstractA novel set of microsatellite markers for mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek] was developed from the public sequence database. Seventy‐eight primers were designed and evaluated for polymorphism among 22 cultivated accessions. Eight polymorphic loci detected two to three alleles per locus with an average of 2.25. The observed heterozygosity varied from 0.00 to 0.18, while the expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.09 to 0.46. Among them, all eight loci showed significant departuring from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium, while four pairs of loci displayed significant pairwise linkage disequilibrium values. All eight loci except DMB‐SSR1 showed heterozygote deficiency.