bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Genetic variation among cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) cultivars for mote frequency
Authors: BOLEK Y. 
Published: July 2006

Motes are cotton (Gossypium spp.) ovules that fail to ripen into mature seeds. These aborted ovules represent a loss in yield and can cause imperfections in yarn and cloth quality. The present study was conducted to determine whether 10 widely grown cotton cultivars differ in some boll characters that are undesirable for the textile industry. The bolls at the first positions of fruiting branches formed at 1st (bottom), 6th (middle) and 11th (top) nodes of the main stem were compared in 10 varieties in 2 years for the number of motes and their weights, mote production frequency, and long fibre mote frequency within a boll.Mote frequencies and mote weights were affected by varieties and years. Moreover, mote frequencies were higher at the bottom and middle plant positions compared with the top position.Fibre length for long fibre motes ranged from 18 to 21 mm. In both years, cultivars Deltaopal, Sayar 314 and Suregrow 125 had consistently lower mote and long fibre mote frequencies. Thus, these cultivars could be useful in breeding programmes to improve seed-set. Cotton breeders also need to consider long fibre motes in plant improvement studies.
Disrupting life events and the sleep-wake cycle in depression
Authors: HAYNES PATRICIA L. , McQUAID JOHN R. , ANCOLI-ISRAEL SONIA , MARTIN JENNIFER L. 
Published: July 2006

Background. Social rhythm disruption life events are significant predictors of mood relapse in bipolar patients. However, no research has examined the relationship between these events and their hypothesized mechanism of action: disrupted sleep-wake patterns. The goal of this study was to test whether participants with major depressive disorder have a greater disruption of daily sleep and motor activity following disrupting life events when compared to normal controls.Method. Over the course of 2 weeks, 39 normal controls and 39 individuals with major depressive disorder completed life events interviews and wore actigraphs to obtain estimates of sleep/wake activity.Results. Statistically significant interactions indicated that the presence of at least one disrupting life event in the previous 4 months correlated with elevations in the amount of time spent awake after sleep onset [β=0·45, ΔF(1,73)=4·80, p<0·05], and decreases in the percentage of time spent asleep [β=−0·53, ΔF(1,73)=6·57, p<0·05], in depressed individuals but not in normal controls.Conclusions. The results indicated that depressed individuals may be more susceptible to the effects of life events on sleep than normal controls. This is the first study to date to correlate life events with objective measures of sleep. However, prospective longitudinal research is necessary to clarify the temporal relationship among these variables.
Marker or mediator? The effects of adolescent substance use on young adult educational attainment
Authors: King Kevin M. , Meehan Barbara T. , Trim Ryan S. , Chassin Laurie 
Published: July 2006

ABSTRACTAims  We tested the effects of adolescent substance use on college attendance and completion by young adulthood in the context of the behavioral and familial risk factors that influence substance use.Design, setting and participants  Longitudinal data were collected from a community sample of children of alcoholics (248) and matched controls (206) at three adolescent assessments (µage = 13–15) and a long‐term follow‐up in young adulthood (µage = 25).Measurements  College attendance and degree completion by age 25 were self‐reported in young adulthood. During adolescence, self‐reports of alcohol and drug use were assessed with log‐transformed quantity/frequency measures; substance use risk factors [e.g. parental monitoring, externalizing and internalizing symptoms and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual version III (DSM‐III) diagnosis of parental alcoholism] were assessed by both self‐ and parent‐report, and adolescent reading achievement was assessed using a standardized assessment of reading achievement (Wide Range Achievement Test).Findings  Using growth curve modeling, we found that mean levels and growth in adolescent substance use mark, or identify, those adolescents who are at risk for reduced odds of attending and completing college. Moreover, adolescent substance use was not merely a marker of risk, in that growth in drug use (but not alcohol use) significantly mediated the effects of parental alcoholism and early externalizing behavior on later college completion, partially explaining the effects of these risk factors on college completion.Conclusions  The current study provides evidence for both the marker and the mediator hypotheses, and identifies multiple pathways to higher educational attainment. The findings point to the importance of studying the effects of adolescent substance use in a broader developmental context of its correlated risk factors to specify more effectively the key pathways to later developmental outcomes.
Acute effects of cocaine in two models of inhibitory control: implications of non‐linear dose effects
Authors: Fillmore Mark T. , Rush Craig R. , Hays Lon 
Published: July 2006

ABSTRACTAims  This study examined dose–response effects of oral cocaine on the inhibitory control of behavior in adult cocaine users using two different behavioral models of inhibitory control.Design  Adults (n = 12) with a history of cocaine use performed the stop‐signal and cue‐dependent go–no‐go task to measure inhibitory control of behavior in response to a range of oral cocaine HCl doses (0, 100, 200 and 300 mg).Findings  Although both tasks showed cocaine‐induced facilitation of inhibitory control, dose–response functions differed depending on the measures. The stop‐signal measure revealed a quadratic dose–response function and the cued go–no‐go measure showed a more orderly, linear improvement as a function of dose.Conclusions  The evidence suggests a two‐phasic dose–response in which facilitating effects of stimulant drugs on inhibitory control might be limited to a range of intermediate doses, above which improvement is no longer evident and impairing effects could possibly emerge.
Prenatal marijuana exposure contributes to the prediction of marijuana use at age 14
Authors: Day Nancy L. , Goldschmidt Lidush , Thomas Carrie A. 
Published: July 2006

ABSTRACTAim  To evaluate the effects of prenatal marijuana exposure (PME) on the age of onset and frequency of marijuana use while controlling for identified confounds of early marijuana use among 14‐year‐olds.Design  In this longitudinal cohort study, women were recruited in their fourth prenatal month. Women and children were followed throughout pregnancy and at multiple time‐points into adolescence.Setting and participants  Recruitment was from a hospital‐based prenatal clinic. The women ranged in age from 18 to 42, half were African American and half Caucasian, and most were of lower socio‐economic status. The women were generally light to moderate substance users during pregnancy and subsequently. At 14 years, 580 of the 763 offspring–mother pairs (76%) were assessed. A total of 563 pairs (74%) was included in this analysis.Measurements  Socio‐demographic, environmental, psychological, behavioral, biological and developmental factors were assessed. Outcomes were age of onset and frequency of marijuana use at age 14.Findings  PME predicted age of onset and frequency of marijuana use among the 14‐year‐old offspring. This finding was significant after controlling for other variables including the child’s current alcohol and tobacco use, pubertal stage, sexual activity, delinquency, peer drug use, family history of drug abuse and characteristics of the home environment including parental depression, current drug use and strictness/supervision.Conclusions  Prenatal exposure to marijuana, in addition to other factors, is a significant predictor of marijuana use at age 14.
How many drinks does it take you to feel drunk? Trends and predictors for subjective drunkenness
Authors: Kerr William C. , Greenfield Thomas K. , Midanik Lorraine T. 
Published: July 2006

ABSTRACTAims To describe and model the sources of the variation and trends in the meaning of subjective drunkenness.Design Trend analyses of three cross‐sectional surveys.Setting US general population.Participants Those who report being drunk in the past year among those in the 1979, 1995 and 2000 National Alcohol Surveys.Measurements Number of drinks reported to feel drunk (dependent variable), past‐year alcohol consumption measures, beverage preference, state drunk driving blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit and demographics.Findings The mean reported number of drinks to feel drunk declined significantly between each survey and was significantly lower for women. Considerable variation was also found within surveys and was explained partially by available variables. Volume of alcohol and heavy drinking occasions were associated positively with the number of drinks to feel drunk. Higher educational attainment was associated negatively as was being a wine drinker, of older age, of African American ethnicity and of becoming drunk more frequently than once per month. Living in a state with aper seBAC limit of 0.08% was associated negatively in models for men.Conclusions A substantial shift downward in the meaning of drunkenness occurred in the US between 1979 and 2000. This may be explained partly by the increase in educational attainment, the ageing of the population, the decline in per capita alcohol consumption and changes in alcohol policy towards lower BAC limits for drunk driving along with greater penalties, enforcement and awareness.
Ethyl glucuronide in hair: is it a reliable marker of chronic high levels of alcohol consumption?
Authors: Politi Lucia , Morini Luca , Leone Fabio , Polettini Aldo 
Published: July 2006

ABSTRACTAims  This study aims to investigate the relationship between ethanol daily intake (EDI) and the levels of ethyl glucuronide in hair.Design  Ethyl glucuronide concentration was determined in hair samples from different classes of ethanol drinkers and results were compared with the reported information about drinking habits.Setting  Pavia, Italy.Participants  Twenty‐two known alcoholics, 21 volunteers self‐reporting an EDI from 2 to 60 g, and seven teetotallers were involved in this study.Measurements  Ethyl glucuronide determination in hair samples was performed by liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry (limit of detection: 2 pg/mg, lower limit of quantification: 3 pg/mg).Findings  Current known alcoholics (n = 21) had ethyl glucuronide hair concentration in the range 4.0–434.7 pg/mg (average: 62.8, median 37.4 pg/mg); ethyl glucuronide was not detected in hair samples from teetotallers (n = 7); all volunteers reporting an EDI of at least 30 g (‘non‐moderate drinkers’ according to the US Department of Health and Human Services) tested positive for ethyl glucuronide (cut‐off: 4 pg/mg). All volunteers declaring an ethanol daily intake higher than 40 g (‘heavy drinkers’ according to the World Health Organization, Regional Committee for Europe) tested positive for this compound (cut‐off: 5 pg/mg). The application of a cut‐off of either 4 pg/mg or 5 pg/mg resulted in one false positive, coming from a volunteer asserting an ethanol daily intake of 30 g. No false negatives were found.Conclusions  The concentration of ethyl glucuronide in hair appears to correlate with EDI.
Alcohol consumption and out‐patient services utilization by abstainers and drinkers
Authors: Baumeister Sebastian E. , Schumann Anja , Nakazono Terry T. , Alte Dietrich , Friedrich Nele , John Ulrich , Völzke Henry 
Published: July 2006

ABSTRACTAims  Previous studies have found that abstainers utilize out‐patient health services more than alcohol consumers. The aim of this study was to investigate this relationship further by including several confounding variables and effect modifiers. It was hypothesized that abstainers utilize more health services because they have less social resources, practice more risky health behaviours, have poorer self‐reported health and suffer more from chronic diseases.Design and participants  Cross‐sectional health survey of a random sample of adults aged 20–64 in Pomerania, Germany. The response rate was 68.8%. Alcohol consumption was assessed using a quantity–frequency measure and categorized into past‐year abstainers, low‐risk, medium‐risk and high‐risk drinkers. Confounders and effect modifiers included socio‐demographic and health‐related variables.Findings  Abstainers had a 43% higher rate (rate ratio = 1.43, 95% CI = 1.24, 1.63) of physician visits compared to low‐risk drinkers, adjusting for age and gender. Medium‐risk and high‐risk drinkers did not differ from low‐risk drinkers in terms of out‐patient visits. Further regression adjustment for socio‐economic covariates, self‐reported health status and chronic diseases suggested that abstainers used more out‐patient services because they were more ill than drinkers. The effect of mental health status and the number of chronic diseases on out‐patient visits was greater for abstainers than drinkers.Conclusions  The relation between alcohol consumption and out‐patient services is explained partly by poorer health among the abstainers. Further research is needed to affirm these results, such as transferring this evidence to the utilization of in‐patient health services.
Review article: scoring systems for assessing prognosis in critically ill adult cirrhotics
Authors: CHOLONGITAS E. , SENZOLO M. , PATCH D. , SHAW S. , HUI C. , BURROUGHS A. K. 
Published: July 2006

SummaryBackgroundCirrhotic patients admitted to intensive care units (ICU) still have poor outcomes. Some current ICU prognostic models [Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE), Organ System Failure (OSF) and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA)] were used to stratify cirrhotics into risk categories, but few cirrhotics were included in the original model development. Liver‐specific scores [Child‐Turcotte‐Pugh (CTP) and model for end‐stage liver disease (MELD)] could be useful in this setting.AimTo evaluate whether ICU prognostic models perform better compared with liver‐disease specific ones in cirrhotics admitted to ICU.MethodsWe performed a structured literature review identifying clinical studies focusing on prognosis and risk factors for mortality in adult cirrhotics admitted to ICU.ResultsWe found 21 studies (five solely dealing with gastrointestinal bleeding) published during the last 20 years (54–420 patients in each). APACHE II and III, SOFA and OSF had better discrimination for correctly predicting death compared with the CTP score. The MELD score was evaluated only in one study and had good predictive accuracy [receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve: 0.81). Organ dysfunction models (OSF, SOFA) were superior compared with APACHE II and III (ROC curve: range 0.83–0.94 vs. 0.66–0.88 respectively). Cardiovascular, liver and renal system dysfunction were more frequently independently associated with mortality.ConclusionsGeneral‐ICU models had better performance in cirrhotic populations compared with CTP score; OSF and SOFA had the best predictive ability. Further prospective and validation studies are needed.
Transient elastography: a valid alternative to biopsy in patients with chronic liver disease
Authors: GÓMEZ‐DOMÍNGUEZ E. , MENDOZA J. , RUBIO S. , MORENO‐MONTEAGUDO J. A. , GARCÍA‐BUEY L. , MORENO‐OTERO R. 
Published: July 2006

SummaryBackgroundTransient elastography is a novel and non‐invasive technique for the evaluation of fibrosis in chronic liver disease. Few studies that exist value the efficacy of transient elastography, mainly in hepatitis C virus‐infected patients.AimTo evaluate the effectiveness, objectivity, reproducibility and safety of this technique.MethodsWe included 103 consecutive patients who underwent a liver biopsy in the last 48 months with a wide spectrum of chronic liver diseases. Median stiffness value (expressed as kilopascals – kPa) was kept as representative of the liver elastic modulus. All biopsy specimens were analysed by the same pathologist according to the METAVIR scoring system.ResultsMedian value of stiffness in patients with mild or moderate fibrosis (FI and FII), and severe fibrosis or cirrhosis (FIII and FIV) was of 7, 4 ± 5 and 16, 4 ± 10 kPa, respectively, with a significant difference between them (P < 0.05). The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves showed the optimal liver stiffness cut‐off values for each group.ConclusionsWe found a positive correlation between the liver stiffness found by transient elastography and fibrosis stage on biopsy in all patients, independently of the liver disease aetiology. Transient elastography is an easy, quick to perform and safe non‐invasive procedure, reliable for assessing liver fibrosis.
Review article: current and emerging therapies for functional dyspepsia
Authors: SAAD R. J. , CHEY W. D. 
Published: July 2006

SummaryFunctional dyspepsia represents a heterogeneous group of gastrointestinal disorders marked by the presence of upper abdominal pain or discomfort. Although its precise definition has evolved over the last several decades, this disorder remains shrouded in controversy. The symptoms of functional dyspepsia may overlap with those of other functional bowel disorders including irritable bowel syndrome and non‐erosive reflux disease.There may be coexistent psychological distress or disease complicating its presentation and response to therapy. Given the prevalence and chronicity of functional dyspepsia, it remains a great burden to society. Suspected physiological mechanisms underlying functional dyspepsia include altered motility, altered visceral sensation, inflammation, nervous system dysregulation and psychological distress. Yet the exact pathophysiological mechanisms that cause symptoms in an individual patient remain difficult to delineate. Numerous treatment modalities have been employed including dietary modifications, pharmacological agents directed at various targets within the gastrointestinal tract and central nervous system, psychological therapies and more recently, complementary and alternative treatments.Unfortunately, to date, all of these therapies have yielded only marginal results. A variety of emerging therapies are being developed for functional dyspepsia. Most of these therapies are intended to normalize pain perception and gastrointestinal motor and reflex function in this group of patients.
Interferon‐α therapy in HBeAg‐negative chronic hepatitis B: a long‐term prospective study from north‐western Greece
Authors: BALTAYIANNIS G. , KATSANOS K. , KARAYIANNIS P. , TSIANOS E. V. 
Published: July 2006

SummaryAimsTo determine the long‐term response to interferon‐α therapy in patients with hepatitis B e antigen‐negative chronic hepatitis B, and the factors independently associated with response and survival.MethodsSixty‐three patients with documented hepatitis B e antigen‐negative chronic hepatitis B treated with interferon‐α for a year were followed‐up for a period of 6 years.ResultsSustained biochemical and virological response was seen in 34.91% and 33.33% of patients at 6 and 12 months of follow‐up, respectively, and histological improvement in 54.5% of sustained responders compared with non‐responders (7.1%, P = 0.004, chi‐squared test), at 6 months of follow‐up. Multivariate analysis showed that patients with hepatitis B virus‐DNA levels at 6 months of treatment <10 000 copies/mL had a low probability of relapse, compared with those with levels >10 000 copies/mL (P = 0.032). Age (>65 years) and hepatitis B virus‐DNA level at 6 months of treatment (>10 000 copies/mL) were the independent factors for disease progression and survival (P = 0.041 and P = 0.044 respectively). At 6 years, a sustained response was still present in 19.04% of patients and 4.8% of them had developed anti‐HBs.ConclusionHepatitis B virus‐DNA monitoring by quantitative polymerase chain reaction at 6 months of treatment may allow for early prediction of response to interferon‐α, and may serve as an indicator of disease progression in the future.
Review article: evolutionary advances in the delivery of aminosalicylates for the treatment of ulcerative colitis
Authors: COHEN R. D. 
Published: July 2006

SummaryUlcerative colitis is a chronic and debilitating disease that involves inflammation of the colonic mucosa. Current therapies aim to reduce the symptom burden of ulcerative colitis and maintain disease quiescence. The standard first‐line treatment for mild‐to‐moderate ulcerative colitis is 5‐aminosalicylate therapy, which is available in oral and rectal (topical) formulations.While current 5‐aminosalicylate formulations are effective in the majority of patients, they are associated with a number of limitations including inconvenient dosing regimens and poor patient acceptability, which may lead to non‐compliance with prescribed therapy. A variety of improved delivery mechanisms have been developed in an effort to overcome these limitations. Micropellet formulations and high‐dose tablets appear to offer comparable efficacy and tolerability to conventional formulations, although any benefit in terms of long‐term patient compliance remains to be proven. Novel methods of delivery, such as those using a combination of hydrophilic and lipophilic matrices, designed to provide once‐daily dosing in a high‐strength tablet, may offer a significant improvement in the therapy of active and quiescent ulcerative colitis.This review examines the limitations of current 5‐aminosalicylate formulations and reports on the evolution of novel oral formulations designed to overcome these limitations, maximize patient compliance during both induction and maintenance of quiescence, and optimize overall clinical outcomes.
Clinical features of Japanese male patients with type 1 autoimmune hepatitis
Authors: MIYAKE Y. , IWASAKI Y. , SAKAGUCHI K. , SHIRATORI Y. 
Published: July 2006

SummaryBackgroundRecently, unusual patients with autoimmune hepatitis, such as male patients, have increased.AimTo assess clinical feature of Japanese males with type 1 autoimmune hepatitis compared with females.MethodsWe investigated consecutive 160 patients with type 1 autoimmune hepatitis, who consisted of 20 males and 140 females, with a median age of 55 (16–79) years.ResultsCompared with females, males had a lower frequency of definite diagnosis according to the revised scoring system proposed by the International Autoimmune Hepatitis Group (40% vs. 85%) and lower serum levels of immunoglobulin G [1932 (1085–3850) mg/dL vs. 2624 (1354–6562) mg/dL]. However, they were similar in age, form of clinical onset, symptomatic concurrent autoimmune disease, human leucocyte antigen DR status and frequency of cirrhosis at the time of diagnosis. The normalization of serum alanine aminotransferase levels within 6 months after the introduction of corticosteroid treatment was lower in males compared with females (73% vs. 93%).ConclusionsIn male patients, a diagnosis of autoimmune hepatitis should be made carefully. In Japanese patients with a dominant frequency of human leucocyte antigen DR4, gender may affect the response to corticosteroid treatment.