bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Phase I and Pharmacokinetic Study of Pemetrexed Administered Every 3 Weeks to Advanced Cancer Patients With Normal and Impaired Renal Function
Authors: Mita Alain C. , Sweeney Christopher J. , Baker Sharyn D. , Goetz Andrew , Hammond Lisa A. , Patnaik Amita , Tolcher Anthony W. , Villalona-Calero Miguel , Sandler Alan , Chaudhuri Tuhin , Molpus Kathleen , Latz Jane E. , Simms Lorinda , Chaudhary Ajai K. , Johnson Robert D. , Rowinsky Eric K. , Takimoto Chris H. 
Published: January 2006

Purpose This phase I study was conducted to determine the toxicities, pharmacokinetics, and recommended doses of pemetrexed in cancer patients with normal and impaired renal function. Patients and Methods Patients received a 10-minute infusion of 150 to 600 mg/m2 of pemetrexed every 3 weeks. Patients were stratified for independent dose escalation by measured glomerular filtration rate (GFR) into four cohorts ranging from ≥ 80 to less than 20 mL/min. Pemetrexed plasma and urine pharmacokinetics were evaluated for the first cycle. Patients enrolled after December 1999 were supplemented with oral folic acid and intramuscular vitamin B12. Results Forty-seven patients were treated with 167 cycles of pemetrexed. Hematologic dose-limiting toxicities occurred in vitamin-supplemented patients (two; 15%) and nonsupplemented patients (six; 18%), and included febrile neutropenia (four patients) and grade 4 thrombocytopenia (two patients). Nonhematologic toxicities included fatigue, diarrhea, and nausea, and did not correlate with renal function. Accrual was discontinued in patients with GFR less than 30 mL/min after one patient with a GFR of 19 mL/min died as a result of treatment-related toxicities. Pemetrexed plasma clearance positively correlated with GFR (r2 = 0.736), resulting in increased drug exposures in patients with impaired renal function. With vitamin supplementation, pemetrexed 600 mg/m2 was tolerated by patients with a GFR ≥ 80 mL/min, whereas patients with a GFR of 40 to 79 mL/min tolerated a dose of 500 mg/m2. Conclusion Pemetrexed was well tolerated at doses of 500 mg/m2 with vitamin supplementation in patients with GFR ≥ 40 mL/min. Additional studies are needed to define appropriate dosing for renally impaired patients receiving higher dose pemetrexed with vitamin supplementation.
Palifermin Reduces Patient-Reported Mouth and Throat Soreness and Improves Patient Functioning in the Hematopoietic Stem-Cell Transplantation Setting
Authors: Stiff Patrick J. , Emmanouilides Christos , Bensinger William I. , Gentile Teresa , Blazar Bruce , Shea Thomas C. , Lu John , Isitt John , Cesano Alessandra , Spielberger Ricardo 
Published: January 2006

Purpose To describe patient-reported outcomes of mouth and throat soreness (MTS) and related sequelae on daily activities from a phase III study of palifermin in the autologous hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) setting and to compare patient self-evaluations with clinicians' assessments of oral mucositis using objective scales. Patients and Methods Patients (n = 212) received palifermin (60 μg/kg/d) or placebo for 3 days before total-body irradiation (12 Gy), etoposide 60 mg/kg, and cyclophosphamide 100 mg/kg, and 3 days after HSCT. Patients completed a daily questionnaire (Oral Mucositis Daily Questionnaire [OMDQ]) evaluating MTS severity and its effects on daily functional activities. Patients' self-assessment data were compared with clinicians' assessments of oral mucositis using the objective scales. Results Palifermin reduced the incidence and duration of severe oral mucositis, as assessed by both clinicians and patients. Comparisons between patient and clinician assessments demonstrated that the average daily scores between mucositis grade and subjective (MTS) instruments were similar, although patients reported MTS onset, peak, and resolution earlier (1 to 3 days) than clinicians' assessments. Patients receiving palifermin reported statistically significant improvements (P < .001) in daily functioning activities (swallowing, drinking, eating, talking, sleeping) and required significantly less narcotic opioids (P < .001); improvement in the patient's overall physical and functional well-being was also reported. This was confirmed by the results of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Treatment questionnaire. Conclusion These results support the clinical benefit of palifermin in the HSCT setting, providing evidence that a patient's self-assessment instrument (OMDQ) may serve as an alternative tool to assess oral mucositis severity in clinical trials.
Oxidative stress during stressful heat exposure and recovery in the North Sea eelpoutZoarces viviparusL.
Authors: Heise Katja , Puntarulo Susana , Nikinmaa Mikko , Abele Doris , Pörtner Hans-O. 
Published: January 2006

SUMMARYThe interplay between antioxidants, heat shock proteins and hypoxic signaling is supposed to be important for passive survival of critical temperature stress, e.g. during unfavorable conditions in hot summers. We investigated the effect of mild (18°C), critical (22°C) and severe(26°C) experimental heat stress, assumed to induce different degrees of functional hypoxia, as well as the effect of recovery following heat stress on these parameters in liver samples of the common eelpout Zoarces viviparus.Upon heat exposure to critical and higher temperatures we found an increase in oxidative damage markers such as TBARS (thiobarbituric reactive substances)and a more oxidized cellular redox potential, combined with reduced activities of the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase at 26°C. Together, these point to higher oxidative stress levels during hyperthermia. In a recovery-time series, heat-induced hypoxia and subsequent reoxygenation upon return of the fishes to 12°C led to increased protein oxidation and chemiluminescence rates within the first 12 h of recovery, therein resembling ischemia/reperfusion injury in mammals.HSP70 levels were found to be only slightly elevated after recovery from sub-lethal heat stress, indicating minor importance of the heat shock response in this species. The DNA binding activity of the hypoxia-inducible transcription factor (HIF-1) was elevated only during mild heat exposure(18°C), but appeared impaired at more severe heat stress. We suppose that the more oxidized redox state during extreme heat may interfere with the hypoxic signaling response.
Dynamics of geckos running vertically
Authors: Autumn K. , Hsieh S. T. , Dudek D. M. , Chen J. , Chitaphan C. , Full R. J. 
Published: January 2006

SUMMARYGeckos with adhesive toe pads rapidly climb even smooth vertical surfaces. We challenged geckos (Hemidactylus garnotii) to climb up a smooth vertical track that contained a force platform. Geckos climbed vertically at up to 77 cm s-1 with a stride frequency of 15 Hz using a trotting gait. During each step, whole body fore–aft, lateral and normal forces all decreased to zero when the animal attached or detached its toe pads. Peak fore–aft force was twice body weight at mid-step. Geckos climbed at a constant average velocity without generating decelerating forces on their center of mass in the direction of motion. Although mass-specific mechanical power to climb was ten times the value expected for level running, the total mechanical energy of climbing was only 5–11% greater than the potential energy change. Fore- and hindlegs both pulled toward the midline, possibly loading the attachment mechanisms. Attachment and detachment of feet occupied 13% and 37% of stance time, respectively. As climbing speed increased, the absolute time required to attach and detach did not decrease, suggesting that the period of fore–aft force production might be constrained. During ascent, the forelegs pulled toward, while hindlegs pushed away from the vertical surface, generating a net pitching moment toward the surface to counterbalance pitch-back away from the surface. Differential leg function appears essential for effective vertical as well as horizontal locomotion.
Neural responses of goldfish lateral line afferents to vortex motions
Authors: Chagnaud Boris Phillippe , Bleckmann Horst , Engelmann Jacob 
Published: January 2006

SUMMARY
The lateral line system of fish is sensitive to weak water motions. We recorded from posterior lateral line nerve afferents while stimulating goldfish, Carassius auratus, with unidirectional water flow and with a vortex ring. Posterior lateral line afferents of goldfish were either flow sensitive or flow insensitive. Both types of afferents responded to a vortex ring that passed the fish laterally with one to three reproducible patterns of neural activity, followed by activity patterns that were less reproducible. Using particle image velocimetry, we visualized and quantified the water motions in the vertical plane next to the surface of the fish while recording from lateral line afferents. Early response components correlated with the direction of water motions that occurred at the position of the neuromast recorded from. By contrast, neural activity that occurred after the vortex had passed the fish barely predicted the direction of water motions. These results are in agreement with the known directional sensitivity of hair cells and indicate that fish might be able to extract sensory information from complex stimuli like vortices by comparing the activity of a whole array of neuromasts. The stimulus used in this study is novel to lateral line research and resembles some of the hydrodynamic stimuli that fish might encounter in their natural environments. We expect that by combining naturalistic hydrodynamic stimuli and central nervous recordings, we will learn if and how hydrodynamic feature detection is accomplished by the lateral line system.
Parvalbumin correlates with relaxation rate in the swimming muscle of sheepshead and kingfish
Authors: Wilwert Jennifer L. , Madhoun Nisreen M. , Coughlin David J. 
Published: January 2006

SUMMARYParvalbumin is a muscle protein that aids in relaxation from contraction. Parvalbumin binds myoplasmic Ca2+ during contractions, reducing calcium concentration and enhancing relaxation. Different isoforms of parvalbumin have varying affinities for calcium, and relaxation rates in skeletal muscle may be affected by variations in the isoforms of parvalbumin expressed. This study examines the effect of expression levels of parvalbumin isoforms on relaxation rate in the sheepshead, Archosargus probatocephalus (Pisces, F. Sparidae). We measured relaxation rate of each of the three fiber types, white (fast-twitch), red (slow-twitch) and pink(intermediate), from three longitudinal body positions. Sheepshead show a significant longitudinal shift in relaxation rate in red muscle, with anterior muscle displaying faster rates of relaxation than posterior, but this pattern was not significant in the pink and white muscle. We hypothesized that patterns of parvalbumin expression determine relaxation rate along the length of the fish. The prediction is that total parvalbumin content and the relative expression of parvalbumin isoforms will differ between the anterior and posterior red muscle, but little longitudinal variation will be observed in parvalbumin expression in white and pink muscle. We successfully employed protein electrophoresis (SDS–PAGE) with western blots to identify two parvalbumin isoforms in each muscle fiber type. SDS–PAGE and densitometry were used to determine the relative expression levels of the two parvalbumin isoforms and total parvalbumin expression. Red muscle displays a significant shift, from anterior to posterior, in the relative expression of the two isoforms, both in their relative contribution and in total parvalbumin content, but white and pink muscle did not. The red muscle of southern kingfish, Menticirrhus americanus (Pisces, F. Scianidae) showed a pattern similar to the red muscle of sheepshead.
Vasotab, a vasoactive peptide from horse flyHybomitra bimaculata(Diptera, Tabanidae) salivary glands
Authors: Takáč Peter , Nunn Miles A. , Mészáros János , Pecháňová Olga , Vrbjar Norbert , Vlasáková Petra , Kozánek Milan , Kazimírová Mária , Hart George , Nuttall Patricia A. , Labuda Milan 
Published: January 2006

SUMMARYHorse flies feed from superficial haematomas and probably rely heavily on the pharmacological properties of their saliva to find blood. Here we describe the first evidence of vasodilators in horse fly Hybomitra bimaculata(Diptera, Tabanidae) salivary gland extract and clone and express one of the active peptides (termed vasotab). Physiological tests using crude salivary gland extracts and reverse-phase HPLC fractions demonstrated positive inotropism in isolated rat hearts, vasodilatation of coronary and peripheral vessels, and Na, K-ATPase inhibition. One of the vasoactive fractions was analysed by N-terminal Edman degradation and a 47-amino-acid sequence obtained. A full-length cDNA encoding the peptide was cloned from a phage library using degenerate primer PCR and the peptide expressed in insect cells. A 20-amino-acid signal sequence precedes the mature 56-amino-acid vasotab peptide, which is a member of the Kazal-type protease inhibitor family. The peptide has a unique 7-amino-acid insertion between the third and fourth cysteine residues. The recombinant peptide prolonged the action potential and caused positive inotropism of isolated rat heart myocytes, and may be an ion channel modulator.
In situhybridisation of a large repertoire of muscle-specific transcripts in fish larvae: the new superficial slow-twitch fibres exhibit characteristics of fast-twitch differentiation
Authors: Chauvigné F. , Ralliere C. , Cauty C. , Rescan P. Y. 
Published: January 2006

SUMMARYMuch of the present information on muscle differentiation in fish concerns the early embryonic stages. To learn more about the maturation and the diversification of the fish myotomal fibres in later stages of ontogeny, we investigated, by means of in situ hybridisation, the developmental expression of a large repertoire of muscle-specific genes in trout larvae from hatching to yolk resorption. At hatching, transcripts for fast and slow muscle protein isoforms, namely myosins, tropomyosins, troponins and myosin binding protein C were present in the deep fast and the superficial slow areas of the myotome, respectively. During myotome expansion that follows hatching, the expression of fast isoforms became progressively confined to the borders of the fast muscle mass, whereas, in contrast, slow muscle isoform transcripts were uniformly expressed in all the slow fibres. Transcripts for several enzymes involved in oxidative metabolism such as citrate synthase, cytochrome oxidase component IV and succinate dehydrogenase, were present throughout the whole myotome of hatching embryos but in later stages became concentrated in slow fibre as well as in lateral fast fibres. Surprisingly, the slow fibres that are added externally to the single superficial layer of the embryonic(original) slow muscle fibres expressed not only slow twitch muscle isoforms but also, transiently, a subset of fast twitch muscle isoforms including MyLC1, MyLC3, MyHC and myosin binding protein C. Taken together these observations show that the growth of the myotome of the fish larvae is associated with complex patterns of muscular gene expression and demonstrate the unexpected presence of fast muscle isoform-expressing fibres in the most superficial part of the slow muscle.
Methylene Blue for Management of Ifosfamide-Induced Encephalopathy
Authors: Patel Priti N 
Published: January 2006

Objective: To evaluate the use of methylene blue for the treatment of ifosfamide-induced encephalopathy. Data Sources: MEDLINE (1966–August 2005) and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (1971–August 2005) were searched, using the terms methylene blue, ifosfamide, encephalopathy, and neurotoxicity. Data Synthesis: Several case reports and one retrospective chart review described the use of methylene blue for ifosfamide-induced encephalopathy, but no controlled clinical trials were found. Methylene blue appeared to aid in the resolution of encephalopathic symptoms as rapidly as within 10 minutes of administration in some patients, but it had modest efficacy in most patients. Symptoms in patients who did not receive methylene blue resolved in the same time frame; this indicates that ifosfamide-induced encephalopathy may resolve without treatment. Conclusions: Available data from case reports indicate that methylene blue is an option in the treatment of ifosfamide-induced encephalopathy, especially in patients with severe symptoms of toxicity. However, the lack of controlled clinical trials and the possibility of spontaneous resolution of encephalopathy make the usefulness of methylene blue unclear.
Silence as Sound: Handel's Sublime Pauses
Authors: HARRIS ELLEN T. 
Published: January 2006

ABSTRACT
The notated absence of sound creates some of the most dramatic and compelling moments in Handel's mature music. Handel's practice can be traced to the word-based silences of the madrigal on one hand, and the rhetorical silences found in Corelli's trio sonatas on the other. By transferring Corelli's systematic use of silence to vocal music, Handel moved beyond word-painting to expressive text-setting. Some critics condemned these silences, which prove strikingly similar to the emotional pauses introduced later by Garrick into his theatrical roles, as incorrect. Others considered them sublime.
Savva Mamontov, Serge Diaghilev, and a Rocky Path to Modernism
Authors: HALDEY OLGA 
Published: January 2006

ABSTRACT
The Ballets Russes of Serge Diaghilev has frequently been hailed as an emblem of 20th-century modernism, its productions created by a “committee” of directors, composers, and designers viewed as a realization of an elusive dream of art synthesis. Present research based on diverse unpublished sources traces the beginning of the transition toward modernism on stage to the earlier activities of the Moscow Private Opera directed by Savva Mamontov. An artist and a millionaire, Mamontov succeeded in realizing his ideal of opera as a synthesized art form by instigating major reforms in acting, directing, and design, all later adopted by Diaghilev. However, parallels between their two enterprises have always been dismissed as coincidental. New evidence reveals the existence of a mentor-student relationship between Mamontov and Diaghilev based on shared aesthetic views that earned both men a derogatory label of “decadents.” Intrigued by Mamontov's philosophy and collaborative methodology employed in creating productions such as Gluck's Orfeo and Rimsky-Korsakov's Sadko, Diaghilev studied organizational principles of his enterprise and modeled the Ballets Russes after them, while himself assuming the role of an artistic director similar to Mamontov's. Thus, Savva Mamontov paved the way for the modernist vision of theater presented to the world by Diaghilev's Ballets Russes.
Debussy and La Sonate cyclique
Authors: WHEELDON MARIANNE 
Published: January 2006

ABSTRACT
In 1915, Debussy returned to the genre of chamber music for the first time since the String Quartet of 1893 and composed the only sonatas of his career. What draws these early and late chamber works together is that they are all cyclic in construction. While Debussy's quartet clearly bears the imprint of César Franck's cyclic procedures, his sonatas engage with this tradition more cautiously. Comparing the string quartet with the sonatas elucidates Debussy's uneasy rapprochement with a style he had formerly embraced. Debussy's underplaying of the cyclic tradition was motivated by what the cyclic sonata had come to represent in the intervening years, in particular its appropriation by Franck's student Vincent d'Indy. In his teachings and publications, d'Indy promulgated a nationalistic view of the cyclic sonata, one that declared Franck and the modern French school as the only comprehending heirs of Beethoven. Reluctant to participate in this particular heritage, Debussy diverted attention from the cyclic procedures used in the sonatas by explicitly emphasizing their stylistic affiliation with the French 18th century and by implicitly aligning himself with Franck rather than with d'Indy. In this way Debussy sought to carve out a place for his sonatas within a less contentious tradition.
“Nach dem Weltuntergang”: Adorno's Engagement with Postwar Music
Authors: ZAGORSKI MARCUS 
Published: January 2006

ABSTRACT
Adorno's engagement with postwar music is reflected in the complex history of his reception among composers, theorists, and critics of the time. His work was seen both as pointing the way forward and as hopelessly outmoded, and his ideas were often eagerly adopted only to be transformed into something very nearly their opposite. This tangled and contradictory reception stems in part from misreadings of his texts, but it also parallels his changing positions on the music and ideas of the period. Changes and constants in Adorno's thinking can be seen by comparing two of his central essays on postwar music: “Das Altern der Neuen Musik” and “Vers une musique informelle.” Key concepts in these essays (and his music philosophy in general) include material, time, subjectivity, and the ethics of new music. An analysis of these essays and concepts reveals that despite relevant changes, Adorno's narrow reading of an Austro-German compositional tradition is a constant that defines the standard for his engagement with postwar music.
Low-Dose Dexamethasone Facilitates Extubation Among Chronically Ventilator-Dependent Infants: A Multicenter, International, Randomized, Controlled Trial
Authors: Doyle Lex W. , Davis Peter G. , Morley Colin J. , McPhee Andy , Carlin John B. ,   and the DART Study Investigators
Published: January 2006

OBJECTIVE. Postnatal corticosteroid therapy is controversial. The aim of this study was to determine the short-term effects of low-dose dexamethasone treatment among chronically ventilator-dependent neonates.
METHODS. Very preterm (gestational age: &lt;28 weeks) or extremely low birth weight (birth weight: &lt;1000 g) infants who were ventilator dependent after the first 1 week of life were eligible and were assigned randomly to receive masked dexamethasone (0.89 mg/kg over 10 days) or saline placebo. Data on ventilator and oxygen requirements and deaths were recorded.
RESULTS. Seventy infants were recruited from 11 centers, at a median age of 23 days. More infants were extubated successfully by 10 days of treatment in the dexamethasone group (60%, 21 of 35 patients) than in the control group (12%, 4 of 34 patients) (odds ratio [OR]: 11.2; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.2–39.0). Ventilator and oxygen requirements improved substantially, and the duration of intubation was shorter. There was little evidence for a reduction in either the mortality rate (dexamethasone group: 11%; control group: 20%; OR: 0.52; 95% CI: 0.14–1.95) or the rate of oxygen dependence at 36 weeks (dexamethasone group: 85%; control group: 91%; OR: 0.58; 95% CI: 0.13–2.66). There were no obvious effects of low-dose dexamethasone on blood glucose concentrations, blood pressure, or other complications. No infant experienced intestinal perforation.
CONCLUSIONS. Low-dose dexamethasone treatment after the first 1 week of life clearly facilitates extubation and shortens the duration of intubation among ventilator-dependent, very preterm/extremely low birth weight infants, without any obvious short-term complications. Combined with recent evidence that infants at very high risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia may benefit in the long term, our study reopens debate regarding the role of low-dose, late postnatal, corticosteroid therapy.