bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The prevalence and predictors of erectile dysfunction in men with newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Al‐Hunayan Adel , Al‐Mutar Manal , Kehinde Elijah O. , Thalib Lukman , Al‐Ghorory Mounir 
Published: October 2006

OBJECTIVETo determine the prevalence of and risk factors for erectile dysfunction (ED) in men newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM).PATIENTS AND METHODSAll consecutive samples of men newly diagnosed with type 2 DM attending the diabetes centre in the capital of Kuwait were included in the study. Face‐to‐face interviews with the men were conducted using the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF)‐5 questionnaire. A threshold IIEF‐5 score of <21 was used to identify men with ED. Pertinent clinical and laboratory characteristics were collected.RESULTSOf 323 men with newly diagnosed type 2 DM, 31% had ED; comparing potent men and men with ED, there were statistically significant differences for smoking, duration of smoking, hypertension, education level, body mass index and serum glycosylated haemoglobin level. Among these, age was the most important risk factor identified by multivariate logistic regression.CONCLUSIONAbout a third of men with newly diagnosed type 2 DM had ED; this was associated with many variables, but most notably with age at presentation.
The value of frozen‐section analysis of ureteric margins on surgical decision‐making in patients undergoing radical cystectomy for bladder cancer
Authors: Osman Yasser , El‐Tabey Nasr , Abdel‐Latif Mohamed , Mosbah Ahmed , Moustafa Noheir , Shaaban Atallah 
Published: October 2006

OBJECTIVETo prospectively investigate the value of routine frozen‐section analysis (FSA) of the ureteric margin for detecting distal ureteric malignancy in patients undergoing cystectomy for bladder transitional cell carcinoma (TCC).PATIENTS AND METHODSIn all, 100 consecutive patients had a radical cystectomy for TCC of the bladder; routine FS biopsies were obtained from the lower ureters of all. Definitive pathology with step‐sectioning of the lower ureters was reviewed, and the results of paraffin‐wax embedded sections and FSA were compared. The true incidence of distal ureteric malignancy was identified and correlated with different clinical and pathological variables.RESULTSThere were 193 ureteric specimens examined; 16 ureters (8.3%) in 14 patients showed evidence of malignancy by FSA. True distal ureteric malignancy was diagnosed in 29 ureteric specimens (15%) in 24 patients. The sensitivity and specificity of the FSA were 45% and 98%, respectively, while the positive and negative predictive values were 81% and 91%, respectively. There was no significant correlation between distal ureteric malignancy and: patient age, tumour site or morphology, clinical or pathological staging, ipsilateral hydronephrosis, suspicious intraoperative ureter, biopsy or tumour grade, associated carcinoma in situ or nodal involvement. Male gender and positive intraoperative FSA were the only predictors significantly associated with distal ureteric malignancy by univariate analysis (P = 0.01 and <0.01, respectively). Both predictors remained significant on multivariate analysis.CONCLUSIONA positive ureteric FSA during cystectomy has a high predictive value in the diagnosis of distal ureteric malignancy, and is justified as an independent predictor in male patients with bladder TCC.
The clinical features of anterior prostate cancers
Authors: Koppie Theresa M. , Bianco Fernando J. , Kuroiwa Kentaro , Reuter Victor E. , Guillonneau Bertrand , Eastham James A. , Scardino Peter T. 
Published: October 2006

Authors from New York present their experience with exclusively anteriorly located prostate cancers and compare them to those located only in the posterior part of the prostate. In this very large series, they found that the former group had lower Gleason grades and lower rates of extraprostatic extension.In a paper from Cleveland, USA, the authors evaluate the rates of local and systemic progression, recurrence‐free survival and overall survival for patients with bladder carcinoma after limited pelvic lymph node dissection. In keeping with other reports where extended pelvic lymph node dissection was used, these authors reported decreased rates of survival with the limited dissection.OBJECTIVETo identify the clinical characteristics of anterior prostate cancers (APCs) and to compare these with posterior prostate cancers (PPCs).PATIENTS AND METHODSWe reviewed 1290 consecutive open and laparoscopic radical prostatectomies (RPs) at the authors’ institution from January 2000 to March 2004. Prostates were processed using a whole‐mount technique. Each surgical specimen was reviewed by one pathologist, and tumour areas were marked, measured and mapped. Positive surgical margins (PSMs) were defined as the presence of cancer cells at the inked surface of the specimen. Specimens were then categorized by the location of their dominant tumour, i.e. pure anterior, anterior > posterior, posterior > anterior, or pure posterior. We compared the clinical and pathological characteristics of 259 patients in the pure‐anterior group with the 594 in the pure‐posterior group.RESULTSBefore RP, APCs had a significantly lower biopsy Gleason score (78% vs 68% with Gleason 4–6), fewer mean biopsy cores positive (2.0 vs 2.6), a smaller median percentage of positive cores (17% vs 26%), lower clinical stage (T1 in 79% vs 62%), and higher progression‐free probability estimated by preoperative nomogram (86% vs 84%) than PPCs. Patients with APCs also had more previous negative biopsy sessions. The pathological analysis of RP specimens showed that those with APCs had higher tumour volume (1.6 vs 0.83 mL) and had a higher PSM rate (12% vs 7%) than those with PPCs, despite specimens with PPCs having higher rates of extraprostatic extension (10% vs 19%).CONCLUSIONSAPCs have lower Gleason grade and lower rates of extraprostatic extension, yet patients with anterior tumours have higher overall tumour volumes and higher PSM rates. Because current tools for detecting and staging prostate cancer can underestimate the extent of anterior prostate disease, improved methods are needed for localizing and characterizing anterior cancers.
Information Systems Project Continuation in Escalation Situations: A Real Options Model
Authors: Tiwana Amrit , Keil Mark , Fichman Robert G. 
Published: October 2006

ABSTRACTSoftware project escalation has been shown to be a widespread phenomenon. With few exceptions, prior research has portrayed escalation as an irrational decision‐making process whereby additional resources are plowed into a failing project. In this article, we examine the possibility that in some cases managers escalate their commitment not because they are acting irrationally, but rather as a rational response to real options that may be embedded in a project. A project embeds real options when managers have the opportunity but not the obligation to adjust the future direction of the project in response to external or internal events. Examples include deferring the project, switching the project to serve a different purpose, changing the scale of the project, implementing it in incremental stages, abandoning the project, or using the project as a platform for future growth opportunities. Although real options can represent a substantial portion of a project's value, they rarely enter into a project's formal justification process in the traditional quantitative discounted cash‐flow‐based project valuation techniques. Using experimental data collected from managers in 123 firms, we demonstrate that managers recognize and value the presence of real options. We also assess the relative importance that managers ascribe to each type of real option, showing that growth options are more highly valued than operational options. Finally, we demonstrate that the influence of the options on project continuation decisions is largely mediated by the perceived value that they add. Implications for both theory and practice are discussed.
Optimal Incentive Contracts for Loss‐Averse Managers: Stock Options versus Restricted Stock Grants
Authors: Dodonova Anna , Khoroshilov Yuri 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis paper provides an explanation for the widespread use of stock option grants in executive compensation. It shows that the optimal incentive contract for loss‐averse managers must contain a substantial portion of stock options even when it should consist exclusively of stock grants for “classical” risk‐averse managers. The paper also provides an explanation for the drastic increase in the risk‐adjusted level of CEO compensations over the past two decades and argues that more option‐based compensation should be used in firms with higher cash flow volatility and in industries with a higher degree of heterogeneity among firms.
The Risk‐Return Relation in International Stock Markets
Authors: Guo Hui 
Published: October 2006

AbstractWe investigate the risk‐return relation in international stock markets using realized variance constructed from MSCI (Morgan Stanley Capital International) daily stock price indices. In contrast with the capital asset pricing model, realized variance by itself provides negligible information about future excess stock market returns; however, we uncover a positive and significant risk‐return tradeoff in many countries after controlling for the (U.S.) consumption‐wealth ratio. U.S. realized variance is also significantly related to future international stock market returns; more importantly, it always subsumes the information content of its local counterparts. Our results indicate that stock market variance is an important determinant of the equity premium.
E‐cadherin and β‐catenin expression patterns in malignant melanoma assessed by image analysis
Authors: Pećina‐Šlaus Nives , Žigmund Martina , Kušec Vesna , Martić Tamara Nikuševa , Čačić Mirjana , Šlaus Mario 
Published: October 2006

Background:  We investigated the expression of E‐cadherin and β‐catenin in melanoma. Both proteins are components of adherens junctions but also play signalling roles in the wnt signal transduction pathway.Materials and methods:  Seventy malignant melanomas were analysed by immunohistochemistry and evaluated by image analysis as staining density, i.e. light permeability (LP).Results:  Comparison of mean values of relative LP for E‐cadherin and β‐catenin in tumor tissue shows that levels of E‐cadherin protein are significantly lower (259.67–116.23; t = 22.7; p = 0.000). The comparison of mean values of the relative LP of E‐cadherin in melanoma to the LP in the adjacent normal skin also shows that the expression of E‐cadherin in tumor is significantly lower (256.06–169.87; t = 11.55, p = 0.000). β‐catenin was observed in the cytoplasm in 30.6% of patients, in 24.2% in the cell membrane, in 21% in both the cytoplasm and membrane, in 1.6% in the membrane and nucleus and in 4.8% in the cytoplasm and nucleus, whereas in 17.7% of patients β‐catenin could not be observed. Patients with Clark 4 and 5 had significantly less β‐catenin than patients with Clark 2 and 3 (χ2 = 12.854; p = 0.005).Conclusions:  Changes in E‐cadherin and β‐catenin levels have important roles in melanoma and could be used as molecular markers of disease progression.
No evidence of hepatitis C virus infection in Serbian patients with oral leukoplakia
Authors: Bokor‐Bratic M. 
Published: October 2006

Background:  A review of the literature reveals controversy regarding the relationship between hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and oral leukoplakia (OL). The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of HCV antibodies in patients with OL and control subjects resident in Serbia.Methods:  In this cross‐sectional study 73 consecutive patients with histologically proven OL and 90 control subjects, whose age and gender were matched, were examined for the presence of serological evidence of chronic hepatic disease, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and anti‐HCV seropositivity.Results:  None of the patients with OL or control subjects had antibodies to HCV or HBsAg. All patients with OL and control subjects had normal liver function.Conclusion:  The present data indicate that patients with OL resident in Serbia do not have evidence of HCV or HBV infection.
AN ANALYSIS OF MACRO‐ECONOMIC CONVERGENCE IN SADC1
Authors: Rossouw Jannie 
Published: October 2006

AbstractOne of the goals of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) is macro‐economic convergence leading to monetary unification and a single central bank. This goal is aligned with the goal of the African Union to build a monetary union for the entire continent in stages, starting with each of the subregions, of which SADC forms one important region. Despite views to the contrary, the current degree of compliance with the Maastricht criteria for convergence and membership of the European Union, shows that the challenges facing a SADC monetary union would not be insurmountable if the convergence criteria are viewed as permanent goals, rather than preconditions.
SOUTH AFRICA'S EXPORT PERFORMANCE: DETERMINANTS OF EXPORT SUPPLY
Authors: Edwards Lawrence , Alves Phil 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis paper presents both a comparative analysis of South Africa's export structure and performance and an econometric investigation of the determinants of export volumes. The paper finds that the improved growth and diversification of South African manufactured exports during the 1990s lag those of East Asia and a few other resource‐based economies. This performance in part reflects relatively low world growth in resource‐based products, but factors that affect the profitability of export supply, such as the real effective exchange rate, infrastructure costs, tariff rates and skilled labour, are also shown to be important. Export demand and the ability to compete in the export market on the basis of price are not found to be a major constraint to export growth.
Role of the
Fusarium fujikuroi
TOR Kinase in Nitrogen Regulation and Secondary Metabolism
Authors: Teichert Sabine , Wottawa Marieke , Schönig Birgit , Tudzynski Bettina 
Published: October 2006

ABSTRACT

In
Fusarium fujikuroi
, the biosynthesis of gibberellins (GAs) and bikaverin is under control of AreA-mediated nitrogen metabolite repression. Thus far, the signaling components acting upstream of AreA and regulating its nuclear translocation are unknown. In
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
, the target of rapamycin (TOR) proteins, Tor1p and Tor2p, are key players of nutrient-mediated signal transduction to control cell growth. In filamentous fungi, probably only one TOR kinase-encoding gene exists. However, nothing is known about its function. Therefore, we investigated the role of TOR in the GA-producing fungus
F. fujikuroi
in order to determine whether TOR plays a role in nitrogen regulation, especially in the regulation of GA and bikaverin biosynthesis. We cloned and characterized the
F. fujikuroi tor
gene. However, we were not able to create knockout mutants, suggesting that TOR is essential for viability. Inhibition of TOR by rapamycin affected the expression of AreA-controlled secondary metabolite genes for GA and bikaverin biosynthesis, as well as genes involved in transcriptional and translational regulation, ribosome biogenesis, and autophagy. Deletion of
fpr1
encoding the FKBP12-homologue confirmed that the effects of rapamycin are due to the specific inhibition of TOR. Interestingly, the expression of most of the TOR target genes has been previously shown to be also affected in the glutamine synthetase mutant, although in the opposite way. We demonstrate here for the first time in a filamentous fungus that the TOR kinase is involved in nitrogen regulation of secondary metabolism and that rapamycin affects also the expression of genes involved in translation control, ribosome biogenesis, carbon metabolism, and autophagy.
Modulation of
Leishmania
ABC Protein Gene Expression through Life Stages and among Drug-Resistant Parasites
Authors: Leprohon Philippe , Légaré Danielle , Girard Isabelle , Papadopoulou Barbara , Ouellette Marc 
Published: October 2006

ABSTRACT

The ATP-binding cassette (ABC) protein superfamily is one of the largest evolutionarily conserved families and is found in all kingdoms of life. The recent completion of the
Leishmania
genome sequence allowed us to analyze and classify its encoded ABC proteins. The complete sequence predicts a data set of 42 open reading frames (ORFs) coding for proteins belonging to the ABC superfamily, with representative members of every major subfamily (from ABCA to ABCH) commonly found in eukaryotes. Comparative analysis showed that the same ABC data set is found between
Leishmania major
and
Leishmania infantum
and that some orthologues are found in the genome of the related parasites
Trypanosoma brucei
and
Trypanosoma cruzi
. Customized DNA microarrays were made to assess ABC gene expression profiling throughout the two main
Leishmania
life stages. Two ABC genes (
ABCA3
and
ABCG3
) are preferentially expressed in the amastigote stage, whereas one ABC gene (
ABCF3
) is more abundantly expressed in promastigotes. Microarray-based expression profiling experiments also revealed that three ABC genes (
ABCA3
,
ABCC3
, and
ABCH1
) are overexpressed in two independent antimony-resistant strains compared to the parental sensitive strain. All microarray results were confirmed by real-time reverse transcription-PCR assays. The present study provides a thorough phylogenic classification of the
Leishmania
ABC proteins and sets the basis for further functional studies on this important class of proteins.
Molecular Studies Reveal Frequent Misidentification of
Aspergillus fumigatus
by Morphotyping
Authors: Balajee S. Arunmozhi , Nickle David , Varga Janos , Marr Kieren A. 
Published: October 2006

ABSTRACT

Aspergillus fumigatus
has been understood to be the most common cause of invasive aspergillosis (IA) in all epidemiological surveys. However, recent studies have uncovered a large degree of genetic heterogeneity between isolates morphologically identified as
A. fumigatus
, leading to the description of a new species,
Aspergillus lentulus
. Here, we examined the genetic diversity of clinical isolates identified as
A. fumigatus
using restriction enzyme polymorphism analysis and sequence-based identification. Analysis of 50 clinical isolates from geographically diverse locations recorded the presence of at least three distinct species:
A. lentulus
,
Aspergillus udagawae
, and
A. fumigatus
. In vitro,
A. lentulus
isolates demonstrated decreased susceptibility to antifungal drugs currently used for IA, including amphotericin B, voriconazole, and caspofungin;
A. udagawae
isolates demonstrated decreased in vitro susceptibility to amphotericin B. Results of the present study demonstrate that current phenotypic methods to identify fungi do not differentiate between genetically distinct species in the
A. fumigatus
group. Differential antifungal susceptibilities of these species may account for some of the reported poor outcomes of therapy in clinical studies.
Description of Aphelenchoides xylocopae n. sp. (Nematoda: Aphelenchoididae), the first observed association between nematodes and carpenter bees
Authors: Kanzaki Natsumi 
Published: October 2006

AbstractAphelenchoides xylocopae n. sp. is described and figured. The new species was isolated from the Japanese large carpenter bee, Xylocopa appendiculata circumvolans, and reared on a lawn of Botrytis cinerea. Specimens were collected from a 2-week-old culture on the fungus. The new species has a body length of 514-638 μm (males) and 532-674 μm (females). The cuticle is weakly annulated and there are three lines in the lateral field. The stylet is 10-11 μm long and has small basal swellings. Spicules are large (23-28 μm) and strongly arcuate. The male tail bears six (2 + 2 + 2) caudal papillae and is mucronate. The female tail is tapered to a pointed, amucronate or mucronate, terminus. The new species belongs to the Group 2 category of Aphelenchoides species. Cultured nematodes were used for sequencing the partial (ca 1 kbp) cytochrome oxidase subunit I of mitochondrial DNA and partial (ca 900 bp) small subunit ribosomal DNA for comparison with the sequences deposited at GenBank. The DNA sequences of A. xylocopae n. sp. were close to those of other Aphelenchoides and Bursaphelenchus species in the database, but the precise phylogenetic status of the new species could not be determined because of the limited sequences available for Aphelenchoides species.
Supramolecular Fibers and Microbelts from a Phthalhydrazide Derivative of Crown Ether with Alkyl Chains
Authors: Otsuki Joe , Okabe Yusuke , Eitaki Satoshi , Sei Yoshihisa , Yamaguchi Kentaro 
Published: October 2006

Abstract
Assemlbing behaviors of some crown ether derivatives with alkyl chains were investigated. It was found that a phthalhydrazide derivative was unique among them in that it assembles into fibers in solution, which transform into microbelts on the surface of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite.
Introduction of F3-Threonine to the Hexapeptide, DSLET: Investigation of the Effect of Fluorine Atoms toward Peptidic Conformations
Authors: Kitamoto Takamasa , Marubayashi Shunsuke , Yamazaki Takashi 
Published: October 2006

Abstract
Introduction of trifluoromethyl-containing threonine to the target hexapeptide, Tyr–d-Ser–Gly–Phe–Leu–Thr (DSLET), led to the apparent conformational alteration due to the electron-withdrawing effect of the CF3 group when compared with the original DSLET on the basis of their NOESY spectra.
Intestinal absorption of fluoride preparations
Authors: Deka Ramesh C. , Kacker Santosh K. , Shambaugh George E. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractGastric intestinal absorption of five different preparations of sodium fluoride was measured by means of ten hour urinary excretion. Best absorption was by nonenteric coated sodium fluoride. All three enteric coated preparations showed poorer absorption, with marked individual variations. Florical,r̀ the currently available preparation, showed better absorption than any enteric coated tablets and only slightly less than sodium fluoride alone. For active cochlear otospongiosis two capsules three times a day should be prescribed.
Oncocytoma of the maxillary sinus
Authors: Handler Steven D. , Ward Paul H. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractA case of oncocytoma of minor salivary gland origin of the left maxillary sinus is presented. No previous reports of oncocytoma confined entirely to the maxillary sinus were found in an extensive computerized search (Medline and Cancerline) of the world literature. The diagnosis and management of these histologically benign but locally aggressive tumors occurring in the head and neck are discussed.
First branchial cleft anomalies
Authors: Belenky Walter M. , Medina Jesus E. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractA series of nine cases of first branchial cleft anomalies treated at Children's Hospital of Michigan from 1970‐1978 is presented. A review of the literature and analysis of these cases reveals that the accepted criteria for classification of these anomalies are confusing and inadequate as they preclude the proper classification of a number of these cases. The embryogenesis of these anomalies is discussed with attention given to their relationship to the facial nerve. A proper classification is suggested.