bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Abnormal respiratory‐related evoked potentials in untreated awake patients with severe obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome
Authors: Donzel‐Raynaud Christine , Redolfi Stefania , Arnulf Isabelle , Similowski Thomas , Straus Christian 
Published: September 2008

SummaryAim:  Obstructive sleep apnoeas generate an intense afferent traffic leading to arousal and apnoea termination. Yet a decrease in the sensitivity of the afferents has been described in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea, and could be a determinant of disease severity. How mechanical changes within the respiratory system are processed in the brain can be studied through the analysis of airway occlusion‐related respiratory‐related evoked potentials. Respiratory‐related evoked potentials have been found altered during sleep in mild and moderate obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome, with contradictory results during wake. We hypothesized that respiratory‐related evoked potentials’ alterations during wake, if indeed a feature of the obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome, should be present in untreated severe patients.Methods:  Ten untreated patients with severe obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome and eight matched controls were studied. Respiratory‐related evoked potentials were recorded in Cz‐C3 and Cz‐C4, and described in terms of the amplitudes and latencies of their components P1, N1, P2 and N2.Results:  Components amplitudes were similar in both groups. There was no significant difference in P1 latencies. This was also the case for N1 in Cz‐C3. In contrast, N1 latencies in Cz‐C4 were significantly longer in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome [median 98 ms (interquartile range 16·00) versus 79·5 ms (5·98), P = 0·015]. P2 and N2 were also significantly delayed, on both sides.Conclusions:  The cortical processing of airway occlusion‐related afferents seems abnormal in untreated patients with severe obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome. This could be either a severity marker and/or an aggravating factor.
Carbamazepine‐induced drug‐induced hypersensitivity syndrome in a 14‐year‐old Japanese boy
Authors: Suzuki Yuka , Fukuda Mitsumasa , Tohyama Mikiko , Ishikawa Manami , Yasukawa Masaki , Ishii Eiichi 
Published: September 2008

SummaryDrug‐induced hypersensitivity syndrome (DIHS) is a life‐threatening idiosyncratic drug reaction, and an early accurate diagnosis is essential for its treatment. We describe a 14‐year‐old boy with localization‐related epilepsy, who developed severe adverse cutaneous and systemic reactions after 3 weeks of carbamazepine administration. During the course of the clinical symptoms, reactivation of human herpesvirus 6 (HHV‐6) was proven by detection of the HHV‐6 genome in serum and elevation of HHV‐6 immunoglobulin G (IgG). He fulfilled the newly established criteria for DIHS. Among eight identified medications that can precipitate DIHS, four are antiepileptic drugs. Establishing a treatment strategy for DIHS is warranted to improve its outcome. Therefore, it is important to raise awareness of DIHS among epileptologists.
18F‐FCWAY and 18F‐FDG PET in MRI‐negative temporal lobe epilepsy
Authors: Liew Clarissa J. , Lim Young‐Min , Bonwetsch Robert , Shamim Sadat , Sato Susumu , Reeves‐Tyer Patricia , Herscovitch Peter , Dustin Irene , Bagic Anto , Giovacchini Giampiero , Theodore William H. 
Published: September 2008

SummaryBackground:  Positron emission tomography (PET) with 18F‐fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) shows widespread hypometabolism even in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) patients with mesial temporal foci. 18F‐trans‐4‐fluoro‐N‐2‐[4‐(2‐methoxyphenyl) piperazin‐1‐yl]ethyl‐N‐(2‐pyridyl)cyclohexane carboxamide (18F‐FCWAY) PET may show more specific 5‐HT1A‐receptor binding reduction in seizure initiation than in propagation regions. 18FCWAY PET might be valuable for detecting epileptic foci, and distinguishing mesial from lateral temporal foci in MRI‐negative patients with TLE.Methods:  We performed 18F‐FCWAY‐PET and 18F‐FDG‐PET in 12 MRI‐negative TLE patients who had had either surgery or subdural electrode recording, and 15 healthy volunteers. After partial volume correction for brain atrophy, free fraction‐corrected volume of distribution (V/f1) measurement and asymmetry indices (AIs) were computed. We compared 18F‐FCWAY‐PET and 18F‐FDG‐PET results with scalp video electroencephalography (EEG), invasive EEG, and surgical outcome.Results:  Mean 18F‐FCWAY V/f1, compared with normal controls, was decreased significantly in fusiform gyrus, hippocampus, and parahippocampus ipsilateral to epileptic foci, and AIs were significantly greater in hippocampus, parahippocampus, fusiform gyrus, amygdala, and inferior temporal regions. Eleven patients had clearly lateralized epileptogenic zones. Nine had congruent, and two nonlateralized, 18F‐FCWAY PET. One patient with bitemporal seizure onset had nonlateralized 18F‐FCWAY‐PET. 18F‐FDG‐PET showed congruent hypometabolism in 7 of 11 EEG‐lateralized patients, bilateral hypometabolic regions in one, contralateral hypometabolism in one, as well as lateralized hypometabolism in the patient with bitemporal subdural seizure onset. Patients with mesial temporal foci tended to have lower superior and midtemporal 18F‐FCWAY V/f1 binding AI than those with lateral or diffuse foci.Conclusion:  18F‐FCWAY‐PET can detect reduced binding in patients with normal MRI, and may be more accurate than 18F‐FDG‐PET.
Changes in midline thalamic recruiting responses in the prefrontal cortex of the rat during the development of chronic limbic seizures
Authors: Sloan David M. , Bertram III Edward H. 
Published: September 2008

SummaryPurpose:  Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) is a common form of epilepsy that affects the limbic system and is associated with decreases in memory and cognitive performance. The medial prefrontal cortex (PC) in rats, which has a role in memory, is associated with and linked anatomically to the limbic system, but it is unknown if and how MTLE affects the PC.Methods:  We evoked responses in vivo in the PC by electrical stimulation of the mediodorsal (MD) and reuniens (RE) nuclei of the thalamus at several time points following status epilepticus, before and after onset of spontaneous seizures. Kindled animals were used as additional controls for the effect of seizures that were independent of epilepsy.Results:  Epileptic animals had decreased response amplitudes and significantly reduced recruiting compared to controls, whereas kindled animals showed an increase in both measures. These changes were not associated with neuronal loss in the PC, although there was significant loss in both the MD and RE in the epileptic animals.Conclusions:  There is a significant reduction in the thalamically induced evoked responses in the PCs of epileptic animals. This finding suggests that physiologic dysfunction in MTLE extends beyond primary limbic circuits into areas without overt neuronal injury.
CELL WALL CARBOHYDRATE EPITOPES IN THE GREEN ALGA OEDOGONIUM BHARUCHAE F. MINOR (OEDOGONIALES, CHLOROPHYTA)1
Authors: Estevez José M. , Leonardi Patricia I. , Alberghina Josefina S. 
Published: September 2008

Cell wall changes in vegetative and suffultory cells (SCs) and in oogonial structures from Oedogonium bharuchae N. D. Kamat f. minor Vélez were characterized using monoclonal antibodies against several carbohydrate epitopes. Vegetative cells and SCs develop only a primary cell wall (PCW), whereas mature oogonial cells secrete a second wall, the oogonium cell wall (OCW). Based on histochemical and immunolabeling results, (1→4)‐β‐glucans in the form of crystalline cellulose together with a variable degree of Me‐esterified homogalacturonans (HGs) and hydroxyproline‐rich glycoprotein (HRGP) epitopes were detected in the PCW. The OCW showed arabinosides of the extensin type and low levels of arabinogalactan‐protein (AGP) glycans but lacked cellulose, at least in its crystalline form. Surprisingly, strong colabeling in the cytoplasm of mature oogonia cells with three different antibodies (LM‐5, LM‐6, and CCRC‐M2) was found, suggesting the presence of rhamnogalacturonan I (RG‐I)–like structures. Our results are discussed relating the possible functions of these cell wall epitopes with polysaccharides and O‐glycoproteins during oogonium differentiation. This study represents the first attempt to characterize these two types of cell walls in O. bharuchae, comparing their similarities and differences with those from other green algae and land plants. This work represents a contribution to the understanding of how cell walls have evolved from simple few‐celled to complex multicelled organisms.
UNDERSTANDING NITROGEN LIMITATION IN AUREOCOCCUS ANOPHAGEFFERENS (PELAGOPHYCEAE) THROUGH cDNA AND qRT‐PCR ANALYSIS1
Authors: Berg Gry Mine , Shrager Jeff , Glöckner Gernot , Arrigo Kevin R. , Grossman Arthur R. 
Published: September 2008

Brown tides of the marine pelagophyte Aureococcus anophagefferens Hargraves et Sieburth have been investigated extensively for the past two decades. Its growth is fueled by a variety of nitrogen (N) compounds, with dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) being particularly important during blooms. Characterization of a cDNA library suggests that A. anophagefferens can assimilate eight different forms of N. Expression of genes related to the sensing, uptake, and assimilation of inorganic and organic N, as well as the catabolic process of autophagy, was assayed in cells grown on different N sources and in N‐limited cells. Growth on nitrate elicited an increase in the relative expression of nitrate and ammonium transporters, a nutrient stress‐induced transporter, and a sensory kinase. Growth on urea increased the relative expression of a urea and a formate/nitrite transporter, while growth on ammonium resulted in an increase in the relative expression of an ammonium transporter, a novel ATP‐binding cassette (ABC) transporter and a putative high‐affinity phosphate transporter. N limitation resulted in a 30‐ to 110‐fold increase in the relative expression of nitrate, ammonium, urea, amino acid/polyamine, and formate/nitrite transporters. A. anophagefferens demonstrated the highest relative accumulation of a transcript encoding a novel purine transporter, which was highly expressed across all N sources. This finding suggests that purines are an important source of N for the growth of this organism and could possibly contribute to the initiation and maintenance of blooms in the natural environment.
Consider a Spherical Man
Authors: Muñoz Ivan , Milà i Canals Llorenç , Clift Roland 
Published: September 2008

SummaryEmissions derived from human digestion of food and subsequent excretion are very relevant from a life cycle perspective, and yet they are often omitted from food life cycle assessment (LCA) studies. This article offers a simple model to allocate and include these emissions in LCAs of specific foodstuffs. The model requires basic food composition values and calculates the mass and energy balance for carbon, water, nutrients (mainly nitrogen [N] and phosphorus [P]), and other inorganic substances through different excretion paths: breathing, feces, and urine. In addition to direct excretion, the model also allocates some auxiliary materials and energy related to toilet use, such as flushing and washing and drying hands. Wastewater composition is also an output of the model, enabling water treatment to be modeled in LCA studies. The sensitivity of the model to food composition is illustrated with different food products, and the relative importance of excretion in a product's life cycle is shown with an example of broccoli. The results show that this model is sensitive to food composition and thus useful for assessing the environmental consequences of shifts in diet. From a life cycle perspective, the results show that postconsumption nutrient emissions may dominate the impacts on eutrophication potential, and they illustrate how the carbon cycle is closed with the human emissions after food preparation and consumption.
Introducing Templates for Sustainable Product Development
Authors: Ny Henrik , Hallstedt Sophie , Robèrt Karl‐Henrik , Broman Göran 
Published: September 2008

SummaryWe have previously developed a method for sustainable product development (MSPD) based on backcasting from basic sustainability principles. The MSPD informs investigations of product‐related social and ecological sustainability aspects throughout a concurrent engineering product development process. We here introduce “templates” for sustainable product development (TSPDs) as a complement. The idea is to help product development teams to arrive faster and more easily at an overview of the major sustainability challenges and opportunities of a product category in the early development phases. The idea is also to inform creative communication between top management, stakeholders, and product developers. We present this approach through an evaluation case study, in which the TSPDs were used for a sustainability assessment of televisions (TVs) at the Matsushita Electric Group. We study whether the TSPD approach has the ability to (1) help shift focus from gradual improvements of a selection of aspects in relation to past environmental performance of a product category to a focus on the remaining gap to a sustainable situation, (2) facilitate consensus among organizational levels about major sustainability challenges and potential solutions for a product category, and (3) facilitate continued dialogue with external sustainability experts, identifying improvements that are relevant for strategic sustainable development. Our findings indicate that the TSPD approach captures overall sustainability aspects of the life cycle of product categories and that it has the above abilities.
Mobilization of hemopoietic stem cells with high‐dose methotrexate plus granulocyte–colony‐stimulating factor in patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma
Authors: Kiefer Thomas , Krüger William H. , Montemurro Michael , Schüler Frank , Hirt Carsten , Pasold Rita , Niederwieser Dietger , Schwenke Matthias , Dölken Gottfried 
Published: September 2008

BACKGROUND: High‐dose therapy with autologous stem cell support after standard dose induction is a promising approach for therapy of primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL). High‐dose methotrexate (HD‐MTX) is a standard drug for induction of PCNSL; however, data about the capacity of HD‐MTX plus granulocyte–colony‐stimulating factor (G‐CSF) to mobilize hemopoietic progenitors are lacking.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: This investigation describes the data from stem cell mobilization and apheresis procedures after one or two cycles of HD‐MTX for induction of PCNSL within the East German Study Group for Haematology and Oncology 053 trial. Eligible patients proceeded to high‐dose busulfan/thiotepa after induction therapy and mobilization.RESULTS: Data were available from nine patients with a median age of 58 years. The maximal CD34+ cell count per µL of blood after the first course of HD‐MTX was 13.89 (median). Determination was repeated in six patients after the second course with a significantly higher median CD34+ cell count of 33.69 per µL. Five patients required two apheresis procedures and in four patients a single procedure was sufficient. The total yield of CD34+ cells per kg of body weight harvested by one or two leukapheresis procedures was 6.60 × 106 (median; range, 2.68 × 106‐15.80 × 106). The yield of CD34+ cells exceeded the commonly accepted lower threshold of 3 × 106 cells per kg of body weight in eight of nine cases. Even in the ninth, hemopoietic recovery after stem cell reinfusion was rapid and safe.CONCLUSION: HD‐MTX plus G‐CSF is a powerful combination for stem cell mobilization in patients with PCNSL and permits safe conduction of time‐condensed and dose‐intense protocols with high‐dose therapy followed by stem cell reinfusion after HD‐MTX induction.
Acute Results of Pulmonary Vein Isolation in Patients with Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation Using a Single Mesh Catheter
Authors: STEINWENDER CLEMENS , HÖNIG SIMON , LEISCH FRANZ , HOFMANN ROBERT 
Published: September 2008

Introduction:
Catheter‐based pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) is an established therapy to treat patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. We evaluated the efficacy of a simplified interventional procedure for PVI by using a single mesh catheter for mapping as well as ablation and with guidance of fluoroscopic imaging only.
Methods and Results:
Forty‐eight patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation were screened by cardiac computed tomography for their anatomical suitability to undergo PVI with the high‐density mesh ablator catheter as the only left atrial device. The procedure was performed in 26 patients (12 males, mean age 61 years) who met the criteria of four clearly separated pulmonary veins (PVs) with an ostial diameter of 15–25 mm. No three‐dimensional mapping systems or additional ablation devices were used.In all 26 patients, all four PVs could be accessed and mapped with the high‐density mesh ablator catheter. Electrical isolation was achieved in 99 of 102 (97%) of the pulmonary veins that revealed PV potentials. Mean total procedure time and fluoroscopy time were 187 ± 36 minutes and 34.6 ± 10.0 minutes, respectively.
Conclusion:
The single‐catheter approach using the high‐density mesh ablator catheter for mapping as well as ablation reveals a high acute success rate of PVI while, at the same time, reducing the complexity of the procedure, and the procedure time. Long‐term data on clinical success are needed to justify this simplified approach.
Full‐Color Direct Visualization of the Atrial Septum to Guide Transseptal Puncture
Authors: THIAGALINGAM ARAVINDA , D'AVILA ANDRE , FOLEY LORI , FOX MELODIE , ROTHE CHRIS , MILLER DAVID , MALCHANO ZACH , RUSKIN JEREMY N. , REDDY VIVEK Y. 
Published: September 2008

Introduction:
Transseptal puncture is required for many interventional procedures but has a serious complication rate of ∼1%—primarily related to misidentification of the fossa ovalis resulting in inadvertent puncture of other cardiac structures. We investigated the utility of a full color visualization catheter to correctly position and guide transseptal puncture of the fossa ovalis.
Methods and Results:
Transseptal puncture and left atrial cannulation were performed after visualization of the atrial septum and fossa ovalis with the visualization catheter (IRIS, Voyage Medical Inc.) on six swine. For each animal, the transseptal puncture was performed twice and the catheter was examined for clot after each puncture. The 12 transseptal punctures required 6.8 ± 3.6 minutes procedural time and 300 ± 94 mL of fluid administered per procedure (i.e., two punctures). IRIS visualization of the atrial septum correlated well with postmortem examination of the atrial septum. In the three animals in which a patent foramen ovale was present (as confirmed by pathological examination), it was also correctly identified by in vivo visualization using the IRIS catheter.
Conclusion:
The IRIS catheter allows direct in vivo visualization of the interatrial septum to guide transseptal puncture of previous punctures.
Safety Profiles and Lesion Size of Different Radiofrequency Ablation Technologies: A Comparison of Large Tip, Open and Closed Irrigation Catheters
Authors: EVERETT IV THOMAS H. , LEE KEN W. , WILSON EMILY E. , GUERRA JOSE M. , VAROSY PAUL D. , OLGIN JEFFREY E. 
Published: September 2008

Safety Versus Lesion Size of Ablation Catheters. Introduction: Different technologies have been developed for radiofrequency ablation (RFA), which include increasing electrode (tip) size and cooling the tip through irrigation either internally (closed‐loop) with D5W or externally (open‐loop) with saline. Although these catheters are widely used clinically, the propensity for adverse events and the lesion profiles of each of these catheter technologies have not been directly compared under a wide range of controlled conditions.
Methods and Results: Freshly excised canine thigh muscle was placed in a chamber filled with circulating, heparinized blood heated to 37°C. Five different catheters were tested: 4 mm tip, 10 mm tip single thermistor, 10 mm tip multitemperature sensor, 4 mm closed‐loop irrigated cooled‐tip, and 4 mm open‐loop irrigated cooled tip at several different contact and power settings. The catheter and tissue interface was continuously monitored with intracardiac echocardiography (echo) (Acuson). During the RFA, any bubbling generated from the tip and/or popping seen on echo was noted, and after each RFA, the catheter and lesion were examined for the presence of thrombus. For all of the catheters, complications correlated to the electrode tip temperature and power setting. All of the catheters experienced complications at any lesion size except for the open‐irrigated catheter, which only had complications at the largest lesions. Overall, the cooled tip catheters experienced an at least sixfold greater odds of popping, bubbling, and impedance rises than the 4 mm, but the majority occurred at power levels greater than 20 W. The open‐irrigated catheters created eccentric lesions that extended away from the tissue‐catheter interface, in the direction of blood flow. In addition, it produced saline filled blisters at the lesion site in 16.7% of the burns. The 10 mm catheter had an at least twofold greater odds of thrombus, charring, and bubbling, but larger lesions than the 10 mm multitemperature sensor catheter.
Conclusions:
Catheter type, contact conditions, and power settings all play a role in lesion size and in the frequency of complications that occur during an RFA. Cooling the electrode tip, either internally or externally, does not prevent complications from occurring, especially at the higher power control settings. Adding more temperature sensors to the 10 mm seems to reduce the amount of complications that can occur. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 20, pp. 325‐335, March 2009)
Etats de la protection des travailleurs aux Etats‐Unis: le travail non réglementé dans la ville de New York
Authors: BERNHARDT Annette , McGRATH Siobhán , DeFILIPPIS James 
Published: September 2008

Résumé.Partant de données qu'ils ont collectées entre 2003 et 2006, les auteurs ob‐servent la prévalence des violations de la législation du travail dans la ville de New York. Ce «travail non réglementé» est généralisé dans toute une série d'activités oú les salaires sont bas. Cela s'explique par des facteurs économiques ainsi que par les politiques publiques. Pour les auteurs les solutions seraient de renforcer le contrôle de l'application de la loi et de réglementer les nouvelles formes de relations d'emploi résultant des changements dans l'organisation du travail et de la production.
Evaluer la qualité de I'emploi: les indicateurs de la Stratégie européenne pour I'emploi et au‐delà
Authors: DAVOINE Lucie , ERHEL Christine , GUERGOAT‐LARIVIERE Mathilde 
Published: September 2008

Résumé.Dans le cadre de la Stratégie européenne pour l'emploi, l'Union européenne a défini une série d'indicateurs de la qualité de l'emploi: les indicateurs de Laeken. Les auteurs commentent et expérimentent ces indicateurs. D'un point de vue théorique, elles montrent que le concept de qualité de l'emploi comprend plu‐sieurs dimensions dont certaines dépendent des institutions nationales, notamment les relations professionnelles et la protection sociale. Elles procèdent ensuite à une analyse comparative de cette qualité dans les 27 Etats membres, qui confirme l'exis‐tence de plusieurs modèles et signale que les indicateurs de Laeken doivent être complétés par d'autres statistiques.