bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Development of a protocol for recognizing sulfidic sediments (potential acid sulfate soils) in freshwater wetlands
Authors: Baldwin Darren S. , Hall Karina C. , Rees Gavin N. , Richardson Adam J. 
Published: March 2007

Summary  The presence of sulfidic sediments (potential acid sulfate soils) is an emerging problem in the management of inland wetlands. Using data from 81 wetlands in the Murray‐Darling Basin, a simple protocol was developed to assess whether a wetland will contain sulfidic sediments at levels that could cause ecological damage. Risk factors include whether or not the wetland receives municipal waste or irrigation return water, elevated salinity in the overlying water (>1750 µS/cm) or sediment (400 µS/cm in a 1:5 soil : water extract) and high levels of sulfate in the water column (>10 mg/L). Neutral or basic sediment pH indicates that, even if the sediment does contain sulfidic sediments, there is a reduced likelihood of acidification if the sediments are oxidized.
Activation of hippocampal postsynaptic muscarinic receptors is involved in long‐term spatial memory formation
Authors: Herrera‐Morales Wendy , Mar Ivonne , Serrano Barbara , Bermúdez‐Rattoni Federico 
Published: March 2007

AbstractSpatial memory has been strongly associated with hippocampal function. There are several reports of the participation of this structure in acquisition and consolidation of spatial tasks. In this study, we evaluated the effects of selective and non‐selective muscarinic antagonists in the dorsal hippocampus of rats during acquisition and encoding of a spatial task. Rats were trained in a Morris water maze for 4 days with identical daily sessions, and tested for long‐term memory (LTM) 1 week after training. The animals were injected bilaterally in the dorsal hippocampus 20 min before the start of every day of training. The results showed that the non‐selective muscarinic antagonist, scopolamine, disrupted acquisition of water maze memory formation. Moreover, microinjections of a selective postsynaptic muscarinic antagonist, pirenzepine, disrupted LTM, whereas it did not affect acquisition. Conversely, a selective presynaptic muscarinic antagonist, AFDX‐116, did not disrupt either water maze acquisition or LTM formation. Combination of AFDX‐116 and pirenzepine had similar effects as scopolamine, partially blocking acquisition and impairing long‐term spatial memory. These results support the view that muscarinic receptors are involved in spatial learning and that postsynaptic muscarinic receptors in the dorsal hippocampus are particularly involved in long‐term spatial memory formation.
Cost‐effectiveness of human papillomavirus testing after treatment for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia
Authors: Coupé VMH , Berkhof J , Verheijen RHM , Meijer CJLM 
Published: March 2007

Objective  To compare current cytological follow up of women treated for high‐grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) with follow up by high‐risk human papillomavirus (HPV) testing together with cytology.Design  A cost‐effectiveness modelling study.Setting  Gynaecology clinics in the Netherlands.Population  Women treated for high‐grade CIN.Methods  A Markov model was developed to compare six follow‐up strategies with HPV testing with current cytological follow up at 6, 12, and 24 months. Model parameter estimation was based on three Dutch follow‐up studies and a Dutch population‐based screening cohort.Main outcome measures  The number of CIN2/3 cases missed after 5 years follow up, the number of diagnostic procedures, and costs involved.Results  Strategies with adjunct HPV testing were more effective than current follow up (reduction in missed CIN2/3 cases 32–77%, corresponding to a number needed to treat of 192–455) and less inconvenient (reduction in repeat smears 28–65%). A particularly attractive strategy was HPV testing alone at 6 months and both HPV and cytological testing at 24 months after treatment. This strategy yielded a high detection rate of post‐treatment CIN, did not lead to an increase in colposcopy rate, and was €49 per woman cheaper than the current strategy.Conclusions  Our model supports the use of high‐risk HPV testing for monitoring women treated for high‐grade CIN.
A prospective observational study of the safety and acceptability of vaginal hysterectomy performed in a 24‐hour day case surgery setting
Authors: Penketh R , Griffiths A , Chawathe S 
Published: March 2007

Objective  To assess the safety and acceptability of vaginal hysterectomy with and without simultaneous oophorectomy in a 24‐hour day case surgery setting for women with nonprolapse indications for surgery.Design  Prospective observational study.Setting  A busy teaching hospital and tertiary referral centre for Obstetrics and Gynaecology.Population  Seventy‐one women from one consultant’s practice underwent a vaginal hysterectomy with a planned discharge within 24 hours after the procedure. All women had a body mass index less than 40 and a suitable home environment for routine day case surgery, other than that the women were from an unselected population.Method  Prospective observational study.Main outcome measures  The duration of the operation and mean blood loss were recorded. Any intraoperative complications were noted. In addition, the proportion of women discharged home within 24 hours of the operation was recorded together with any readmissions to hospital. Returns to theatres and any postoperative complications were also recorded. Postoperative pain scores were assessed 6 and 24 hours after procedure in selected women.Results  Seventy‐one vaginal hysterectomies were performed as 24‐hour day case procedures. The intraoperative complication rate was 1.4%. Sixty‐five women were discharged home within 24 hours (91.5%). The readmission rate within this group was 6.2%. The duration of the procedure, mean blood loss, return to theatre rate and incidence of febrile illness were comparable with rates recorded in inpatient studies.Conclusions  Vaginal hysterectomy performed as a 24‐hour day case procedure appears to be as safe as traditional inpatient management, with a high rate of early discharge and a low rate of readmission. This may have additional advantages for the woman and healthcare provider alike.
The synaptic vesicle proteome
Authors: Burré Jacqueline , Volknandt Walter 
Published: March 2007

AbstractSynaptic vesicles are key organelles in neurotransmission. Vesicle integral or membrane‐associated proteins mediate the various functions the organelle fulfills during its life cycle. These include organelle transport, interaction with the nerve terminal cytoskeleton, uptake and storage of low molecular weight constituents, and the regulated interaction with the pre‐synaptic plasma membrane during exo‐ and endocytosis. Within the past two decades, converging work from several laboratories resulted in the molecular and functional characterization of the proteinaceous inventory of the synaptic vesicle compartment. However, up until recently and due to technical difficulties, it was impossible to screen the entire organelle thoroughly. Recent advances in membrane protein identification and mass spectrometry (MS) have dramatically promoted this field. A comparison of different techniques for elucidating the proteinaceous composition of synaptic vesicles revealed numerous overlaps but also remarkable differences in the protein constituents of the synaptic vesicle compartment, indicating that several protein separation techniques in combination with differing MS approaches are required to identify and characterize the synaptic vesicle proteome. This review highlights the power of various gel separation techniques and MS analyses for the characterization of the proteome of highly purified synaptic vesicles. Furthermore, the newly detected protein assignments to synaptic vesicles, especially those proteins which are new to the inventory of the synaptic vesicle proteome, are critically discussed.
Primers for the amplification of nuclear introns in sea stars of the family Asteriidae
Authors: FOLTZ DAVID W. , NGUYEN ANHTHAO T. , NGUYEN IVY , KIGER JENNIFER R. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractWe describe polymerase chain reaction primers that consistently amplify three intron regions of approximately 2 kb in total length for two nuclear protein‐coding genes (ATP synthase beta subunit and elongation factor‐1 alpha subunit) in sea stars of the family Asteriidae. The introns are moderately polymorphic at the species level (average within‐species percentage of site differences = 0.42%, range 0–1.44%), are evolving at about 29% as fast as mitochondrial sequences in the same species and are alignable at the genus or family level, making them suitable for phylogenetic and population genetic analyses.
Special stains can distinguish hepatic necrosis with regenerative nodules from cirrhosis
Authors: Ferrell Linda D. , Greenberg Mathew S. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractBackground: Focal zones of hepatic necrosis alternating with nodular regeneration in severe, acute to subacute hepatitis can be difficult to differentiate histologically from established cirrhosis, and diagnostic errors can result in incorrect patient management. Thus, an easily applicable, well‐defined histologic method for differentiating these two lesions would be useful.Methods: We examined trichrome (TRI), reticulin (RETIC), Verhoeff's elastic (VE), and orcein (ORC) stains on 13 cases of hepatic necrosis with regenerative nodules and 10 cases of end‐stage cirrhosis to evaluate their utility for this problem.Results: Zones of recent necrosis in all severe hepatitis cases stained paler blue or pink, respectively, with TRI and VE than the established scar in cirrhosis or residual normal portal zones/central vein walls. With VE and ORC, elastic fibres were not seen in the necrotic zones of severe hepatitis, but were present in all cirrhotic livers. RETIC outlined the residual cell plate architecture in necrotic areas but had indistinct staining in fibrotic areas. The combination of the RETIC, TRI and ORC distinguished hepatic necrosis with regenerative nodules from nodules in the scar of established cirrhosis in 100% of the cases examined.Conclusion: We conclude that this trio of special stains can be helpful adjuncts for this diagnostic problem.
Necrotizing fasciitis resulting from Escherichia coli in a patient with chronic rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: SUGIMOTO Toshiro , NAKAZAWA Jun , YOMODA Makiko , HIRATA Kunio , SOUMURA Mariko , KAWASAKI Taku , UZU Takashi , NISHIO Yoshihiko , SUGIHARA Hiroyuki , EGUCHI Yutaka , KASHIWAGI Atsunori 
Published: March 2007

AbstractA middle‐aged woman with rheumatoid arthritis was admitted because of cellulitis on the leg. Twenty‐four hours after admission haemorrhagic blisters and bullae appeared on the lower extremity. Despite intensive therapy she died due to multiple organ failure at 50 h after admission. Post‐mortem examination revealed diffuse necrosis of fascia in her leg. Bacteriological study showed Escherichia coli in her blood cultures and fluid from a bulla, indicating that she had necrotizing fasciitis resulting from Escherichia coli. Necrotizing fasciitis is an uncommon but potentially fatal infection; thus, this disease should be considered in the differential diagnosis of any cutaneous manifestations in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
A survey of clinician and patient attitudes towards the use of progesterone for women at risk of preterm birth
Authors: DODD Jodie M. , ASHWOOD Pat , FLENADY Vicki , JENKINS‐MANNING Sue , CINCOTTA Rob , CROWTHER Caroline A. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractBackground and aims:  To assess the current use of vaginal progesterone in women at increased risk of preterm birth among practitioners within Australia and New Zealand, and the willingness of both clinicians and women to participate in a randomised controlled trial to further evaluate the role of progesterone in preterm birth.Methods:  A survey of fellows and members of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and women who had a spontaneous preterm birth at less than 34 weeks gestation, at the Women's and Children's Hospital was conducted.Results:  A total of 1430 surveys were distributed to members and fellows, of which 738 (52%) were returned. Of these, 490 were from currently practising obstetricians (34% of total college membership). Twelve of the 490 (2%) respondents indicated that they currently use progesterone in women with a previous spontaneous preterm birth at less than 34 weeks gestation. Of the respondents, 317 (65%) indicated a willingness to participate in a multicentred randomised controlled trial assessing the use of progesterone in women with a previous spontaneous preterm birth at less than 34 weeks gestation. A total of 207 eligible women identified from the hospital database were sent a questionnaire, with responses obtained from 119 women (57%). Overall, women were satisfied with their preterm birth experience. Fifty‐two women (44%) indicated a willingness to consider participation in a randomised trial of vaginal progesterone.Conclusions:  Progesterone is not widely used in Australia and New Zealand for women considered at increased risk of preterm birth. Conducting a randomised trial of vaginal progesterone is feasible.
Pregnancy and Medicine: Sine qua non or non sequitur?
Authors: WALTERS Barry N. J. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractPregnancy is intrinsically imperfect, with high rates of complications for mothers and babies. A minority of pregnancies is entirely uncomplicated. Medical disorders are frequent contributors to morbidity for mothers and babies, and have become the major source of maternal mortality. For these reasons, Medicine plays a central role in the care of pregnant women. Provision of resources to maternity services must recognise the changing demographics and clinical characteristics of pregnant women in Australia, and their increased medical risk status in recent years.
Calcium supplementation in pregnancy and its impact on blood pressure in children and women: Follow up of a randomised controlled trial
Authors: HILLER Janet E. , CROWTHER Caroline A. , MOORE Vivienne A. , WILLSON Kristyn , ROBINSON Jeffrey S. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractBackground:  Follow up of participants in trials of antenatal calcium supplementation has reported an impact on blood pressure among mothers and children.Aims:  To determine whether blood pressure at 4–7 years follow up would be lower for calcium‐supplemented mothers in the Australian Calcium Trial (ACT) and for their children.Methods:  This follow up targeted 414 of the original ACT participants with liveborn infants who lived in South Australia. Mothers and their children attended the Women's and Children's Hospital for anthropomorphic examination. Information on lifestyle factors was collected by questionnaire. Descriptive statistics examined differences between respondents and non‐respondents and multiple regression models examined associations with blood pressure.Results:  Blood pressure and body measurements were available on 45 and 43% of eligible women and children, respectively; questionnaire data were available on 50% of this cohort. At follow up, there were no differences between treatment groups in blood pressure in the women or their children. Both children of women who had high blood in pregnancy (pre‐eclampsia or pregnancy‐induced hypertension) and the women themselves had higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure at follow up. Among children, there was a trend towards an interaction with the treatment group with both systolic and diastolic blood pressure at follow up.Conclusion:  There is no evidence that the impact of calcium supplementation in reducing the risk of high blood pressure in pregnancy is sustained 4–7 years after the index pregnancy either in woman or in their children; however, calcium supplementation may lower blood pressure in children of pregnant women with hypertension.
High‐risk human papillomavirus DNA testing and high‐grade cervical intraepithelial lesions
Authors: YOU Ke , LIANG Xueai , QIN Fengjin , GUO Yanli , GENG Li 
Published: March 2007

AbstractObjective:  To explore the role of high‐risk human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing in the improvement of the recognition of cervical cancer and precancerous lesions in women with abnormal cervical cytology.Methods:  A total of 2152 women with abnormal cervical cytology were submitted to both HPV DNA testing and biopsy guided by colposcopy and the results were correlated.Results:  Positive rate of high‐risk HPV DNA in groups of atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC‐US), atypical squamous cells, cannot exclude high‐grade (ASC‐H), low‐grade squamous intraepithelial lesions and high‐grade squamous intraepithelial lesions was 53.7, 53.2, 84.6 and 93.0%, respectively. In each group, the detection rate of grade 2,3 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN 2,3) or cervical cancer in patients with positive HPV DNA was significantly higher than that with negative HPV DNA (P < 0.05). In ASC‐US group, the negative predictive value of high‐risk HPV DNA testing for detection of CIN 2,3 and cervical cancer was 99.8% and the sensitivity 98%.Conclusion:  HPV DNA testing is a useful indicator in the management of patients with ASC‐US and plays an important role in the evaluation of risk for CIN 2,3 and cervical cancer.
Possible therapeutic effect of clonazepam upon elderly depressive patients
Authors: INOUE Ken , TANII Hisashi , KAIYA Hisanobu , OKAZAKI Yuji 
Published: March 2007

AbstractThe patient, a 77‐year‐old man, was diagnosed with senile depression. He was also diagnosed with depression at other hospitals, and pharmacotherapy by antidepressants was carried out. He was given sulpiride, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, a serotonin‐norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, an atypical antidepressant, and tricyclic and tetracyclic antidepressants, but conventional pharmacotherapies using these antidepressant drugs did not alleviate his symptoms. The patient was then administered 0.5 mg/day of clonazepam at bed time. Following 2 weeks of administration, his symptoms were alleviated. The dosage of clonazepam was increased to 0.75 mg/day and remission was facilitated. Four weeks later, the patient displayed further alleviation of his depressive symptoms, so he has been continued on 0.75 mg/day of clonazepam. Essential drug selections for senile depression includes selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, serotonin‐norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, and atypical antidepressants, but when these are ineffective, tricyclic antidepressants or tetracyclic antidepressants are alternatively selected. When a patient’s symptoms are not alleviated by essential drug selection, as occurred in the current case, clonazepam is considered to be another therapeutic candidate. If they fail to alleviate symptoms, however, then early referral to a specialist is crucial. Enhancing primary‐care physicians’ understanding of senile depression and coordination with specialists is essential in the medical care of elderly patients with depression.
A silicone‐based controlled‐release device for accelerated proteolytic debridement of wounds
Authors: Bott Richard , Crissman James , Kollar Csilla , Saldajeno Mae , Ganshaw Grant , Thomas Xavier , Lane Thomas H. , Klykken Paal , Davidson Jeffrey M. , Nanney Lillian B. 
Published: March 2007

ABSTRACTA new device for rapid enzymatic debridement of cutaneous wounds has been developed using a controlled‐release, silicone‐based, dried emulsion. A dehydrated serine protease of the subtilisin family, previously untested for wound debridement, was incorporated into the emulsion. This device exhibited excellent storage stability. Moisture from the wound triggered an even, reproducible, and complete release of the enzyme within the first 8 hours. The device maintains a moist wound environment that allows the enzyme to achieve nearly complete digestion of the hardened eschar of full‐thickness burns in a porcine model after an exposure period of 24 hours. Debridement was faster than in untreated wounds or wounds treated with a currently available enzyme ointment. Following rapid enzymatic debridement, healing appeared to progress normally, with no histological evidence of damage to adjacent healthy tissue.
Keratinocyte conditioned medium abrogates the modulatory effects of IGF‐1 and TGF‐β1 on collagenase expression in dermal fibroblasts
Authors: Kilani Ruhangiz T. , Guilbert Larry , Lin Xiaoyue , Ghahary Aziz 
Published: March 2007

ABSTRACTOverexpression of wound healing‐promoting factors such as transforming growth factor‐1 (TGF‐β1) and insulin‐like growth factor‐1 (IGF‐1) during the healing process has been implicated in the development of dermal fibrosis in patients following thermal injury, surgical incision, and deep trauma. However, the mechanism through which the expression of these two fibrogenic factors is slowed down and/or abrogated in the late stages of the healing process is not known. Here, we hypothesize that keratinocyte‐releasable factors counteract the fibrogenic role of both IGF‐1 and TGF‐β1 in fibroblasts. To test this hypothesis, the levels of collagenase (MMP‐1), as an index for extracellular matrix degradation, in dermal fibroblasts in response to either keratinocyte‐conditioned medium (KCM) or our recently identified keratinocyte‐releasable stratifin in the presence and absence of either IGF‐1, TGF‐β1, or both were evaluated. The results of Northern analysis showed a significant increase in collagenase mRNA expression in cells treated with KCM in the presence of both IGF‐1 and TGF‐β1. The effect was, at least in part, due to keratinocyte‐derived stratifin that was present in KCM. This was ascertained as the levels of MMP‐1 mRNA were markedly reduced when cells were treated with stratifin‐immuno‐depleted KCM. The results of Western blot analysis showed an increase in the level of MMP‐1 protein in stratifin‐treated fibroblasts and this was consistent with the level of MMP‐1 mRNA expression detected by Northern analysis. However, in contrast to KCM, whose efficacy on MMP‐1 expression was modestly reduced by either IGF‐1 and TGF‐β1, or a combination of both, these factors abrogated the MMP‐1 stimulatory effect of stratifin in fibroblasts. In summary, the results of this study revealed that both stratifin and KCM stimulate the expression of MMP‐1‐in fibroblasts and this effect can be abrogated by either IGF‐1, TGF‐β1, or a combination of both.
Biological and Psychobehavioral Correlates of Credit Scores and Automobile Insurance Losses: Toward an Explication of Why Credit Scoring Works
Authors: Brockett Patrick L. , Golden Linda L. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractThe most important new development in the past two decades in the personal lines of insurance may well be the use of an individual's credit history as a classification and rating variable to predict losses. However, in spite of its obvious success as an underwriting tool, and the clear actuarial substantiation of a strong association between credit score and insured losses over multiple methods and multiple studies, the use of credit scoring is under attack because there is not an understanding of why there is an association. Through a detailed literature review concerning the biological, psychological, and behavioral attributes of risky automobile drivers and insured losses, and a similar review of the biological, psychological, and behavioral attributes of financial risk takers, we delineate that basic chemical and psychobehavioral characteristics (e.g., a sensation‐seeking personality type) are common to individuals exhibiting both higher insured automobile loss costs and poorer credit scores, and thus provide a connection which can be used to understand why credit scoring works. Credit scoring can give information distinct from standard actuarial variables concerning an individual's biopsychological makeup, which then yields useful underwriting information about how they will react in creating risk of insured automobile losses.