bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
MAOA promoter polymorphism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in indian children
Authors: Das Manali , Das Bhowmik Aneek , Sinha Swagata , Chattopadhyay Anindita , Chaudhuri Keya , Singh Manoranjan , Mukhopadhyay Kanchan 
Published: July 2006

AbstractAttention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a highly disabling, early onset childhood neurobehavioral disorder with a higher occurrence in boys as compared to girls. Pharmacological and molecular genetic studies have revealed the influence of dopaminergic and serotonergic systems in the etiology of the disorder. Monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) is a mitochondrial enzyme that regulates the dopaminergic signals in the pre‐synaptic region. Polymorphism in the promoter region of the MAOA gene, which comprises of 30 bp repeats with repeat number varying between 2.5, 3.5, 4.5, and 5.5, has been shown to be associated with various neurobehavioral disorders including ADHD. This is the first study on Indian ADHD cases to validate an association between transmission of MAOA promoter polymorphism and risk of ADHD. We have analyzed the MAOA promoter polymorphism in a group of ADHD probands, their parents and ethnically matched controls by UNPHASED. Our findings indicate significant difference in the frequency of 3.5 repeat allele (P = 0.02) between cases and controls and preferential transmission of the short allele (3.5 repeat) from mothers to male ADHD probands (P = 0.005). We conclude that the short 3.5 repeat allele of the MAOA‐u VNTR is probably associated with ADHD in our population and could be the reason for making boys prone to ADHD as compared to girls. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Synthesis and properties study of novel ferrocenyl isoxazole derivatives
Authors: Shang Yongjia , Fan Chenli , Li Maoguo , Zheng Caiyun 
Published: July 2006

AbstractA synthetic procedure based on the 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition reactions of nitrile oxides and ethynylferrocene derived from ferrocene has been developed to synthesize new ferrocenyl‐isoxazole derivatives. The stable solids were thoroughly characterized by 1H NMR, FT‐IR, and mass spectroscopy. The structure of (η5‐C5H5) Fe (η5‐C5H4) C3HNOC6H4CH3 was determined by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. The electrochemical behaviors of the synthesized ferrocenyl‐isoxazole derivatives were also studied. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Formation and structural characterization of a sterically protected silicic acid diester
Authors: Spirk Stefan , Nieger Martin , Rechberger Gerald N. , Pietschnig Rudolf 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe hydrolytic stability of the sterically protected dichlorosilane (Mes*O)2SiCl2 was investigated. The resulting products have been identified by electrospray mass spectrometry and, in the case of (Mes*O)2Si(OH)2, the crystal structure was obtained. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Structural and affective aspects of music from statistical audio signal analysis
Authors: Dubnov Shlomo , McAdams Stephen , Reynolds Roger 
Published: July 2006

AbstractUnderstanding and modeling human experience and emotional response when listening to music are important for better understanding of the stylistic choices in musical composition. In this work, we explore the relation of audio signal structure to human perceptual and emotional reactions. Memory, repetition, and anticipatory structure have been suggested as some of the major factors in music that might influence and possibly shape these responses. The audio analysis was conducted on two recordings of an extended contemporary musical composition by one of the authors. Signal properties were analyzed using statistical analyses of signal similarities over time and information theoretic measures of signal redundancy. They were then compared to Familiarity Rating and Emotional Force profiles, as recorded continually by listeners hearing the two versions of the piece in a live‐concert setting. The analysis shows strong evidence that signal properties and human reactions are related, suggesting applications of these techniques to music understanding and music information‐retrieval systems.
Evolution of the hemiascomycete yeasts: on life styles and the importance of inbreeding
Authors: Knop Michael 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe term ‘breeding system’ is used to describe the morphological and behavioural aspects of the sexual life cycle of a species. The yeast breeding system provides three alternatives that enable hapoids to return to the diploid state that is necessary for meiosis: mating of unrelated haploids (amphimixis), mating between spores from the same tetrad (intratetrad mating, automixis) and mother daughter mating upon mating type switching (haplo‐selfing). The frequency of specific mating events affects the level of heterozygosity present in individuals and the genetic diversity of populations. This review discuses the reproductive strategies of yeasts, in particular S. cerevisiae (Bakers' or budding yeast). Emphasis is put on intratetrad mating, its implication for diversity, and how the particular genome structure could have evolved to ensure the preservation of a high degree of heterozygosity in conjunction with frequent intratetrad matings. I also discuss how the ability of yeast to control the number of spores that are formed accounts for high intratetrad mating rates and for enhanced transmission of genomic variation. I extend the discussion to natural genetic variation and propose that a high level of plasticity is inherent in the yeast breeding system, which may allow variation of the breeding behaviour in accordance with the needs imposed by the environment. BioEssays 28: 696–708, 2006. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum: an emerging genomic model system for ecological, developmental and evolutionary studies
Authors: Brisson Jennifer A. , Stern David L. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractAphids display an abundance of adaptations that are not easily studied in existing model systems. Here we review the biology of a new genomic model system, the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum. We then discuss several phenomena that are particularly accessible to study in the pea aphid: the developmental genetic basis of polyphenisms, aphid–bacterial symbioses, the genetics of adaptation and mechanisms of virus transmission. The pea aphid can be maintained in the laboratory and natural populations can be studied in the field. These properties allow controlled experiments to be performed on problems of direct relevance to natural aphid populations. Combined with new genomic approaches, the pea aphid is poised to become an important model system for understanding the molecular and developmental basis of many ecologically and evolutionarily relevant problems. BioEssays 28: 747–755, 2006. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc
Rural Chinese children as consumers: consumption experience and information sourcing
Authors: Chan Kara , McNeal James U 
Published: July 2006

Abstract
This study examines how often rural children in Mainland China interact with different types of retail shops, how they learn about new products and services, and their attitudes toward different sources of product information. A survey of 1008 rural children aged from 5 to 13 years, in four Chinese provinces, was conducted in March 2003. Results indicated that rural Chinese children have limited access to various types of retail shops. Rural children perceived personal sources more useful as well as more credible than commercial sources in obtaining information about new products and services. Older children found parents and grandparents less useful and less credible than younger children for new production information. However, older children did not find peers more useful and credible than younger children.

Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Protective role of luteolin in 1,2‐dimethylhydrazine induced experimental colon carcinogenesis
Authors: Manju V. , Nalini N. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe aim of the present study was to unravel the chemopreventive effect of luteolin on bacterial enzymes such as β‐glucuronidase and mucinase in a colon carcinogenesis model induced by 1, 2–dimethyl hydrazine (DMH). Twenty mg/kg body weight of DMH were administered subcutaneously once a week for the first 15 weeks and then discontinued. Luteolin (0.1, 0.2, or 0.3 mg/kg body weight/everyday (p.o.) was administered in a dose dependent manner at the initiation and also at the post‐initiation stages of carcinogenesis to DMH treated rats. The animals were sacrificed at the end of 30 weeks. Colon cancer incidence and the activities of bacterial enzymes β‐glucuronidase (in the proximal colon, distal colon, intestines, liver and colon contents) and mucinase (colon and fecal contents) were significantly increased in DMH ‐treated rats compared to the control rats. On luteolin administration, colon cancer incidence, number of tumors per rat and the activities of β‐glucuronidase and mucinase, were significantly decreased both in the initiation and post‐initiation stages of colon carcinogenesis dependent on the three different doses given. The increase in β‐glucuronidase activity may augment the hydrolysis of glucuronide conjugates, liberating toxins, while the increase in the mucinase activity may enhance the hydrolysis of the protective mucins in the colon. Thus our results demonstrate for the first time that luteolin, a dietary flavonoid, exerts chemopreventive and anticarcinogenic effects against DMH induced colon cancer. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Distribution of neuropeptide FF‐like immunoreactivity in the brain of the lizard Gekko gecko and its relation to catecholaminergic structures
Authors: Smeets Wilhelmus J.A.J. , López Jesús M. , González Agustín 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe present study provides a detailed description of the distribution of neuropeptide FF (NPFF)‐like immunoreactivity in the brain of the lizard Gekko gecko. NPFF is found to be involved in nociception, cardiovascular regulation, and endocrine function. Because of its known relationship with catecholamines in mammals, double staining with tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) antibodies was used to corroborate this for reptiles. The present study revealed that NPFF‐like‐immunoreactive (NPFF‐ir) cells and fibers were widely distributed throughout the brain. Major NPFF‐ir cell groups were observed in the diagonal band nucleus of Broca, hypothalamus, and dorsal horn of the spinal cord. Additional cells were found in the anterior olfactory nucleus, lateral and dorsal cortices, dorsolateral septum, and diencephalic intergeniculate leaflet formation. Dense plexuses of NPFF‐ir fibers were identified in the diagonal band nucleus of Broca, septum, preoptic and hypothalamic areas, isthmic region, ventrolateral tegmentum, solitary tract nucleus, and dorsolateral funiculus of the spinal cord. Extensive fiber staining also occurred in the nucleus accumbens and the midbrain tectum. Although an intimate relationship between NPFF‐ir and TH‐ir structures was obvious at many places in the brain, colocalization of these two substances was not observed. In conclusion, the distribution of NPFF in the brain of Gekko shares more features with anamniotes in terms of number of cell groups, more elaborate networks of fibers, and lack of colocalization with catecholamines than with mammals, suggesting a decrease in the distribution of this peptide in the latter vertebrate group. J. Comp. Neurol. 498:31–45, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Methodology of clinical research: an overview
Authors: Floriani Irene , Torri Valter 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe goal of clinical research is to establish safety efficacy and effectiveness of treatments or intervention. In order to obtain it, different clinical studies are needed, with a quite definite hierarchy of research objectives, in order to gather all information needed for appraising the clinical role of the intervention being tested. Clinical trials are generally considered as the best tool for learning whether a new treatment is safe and effective in patients. They are conducted in all areas of medicine but represent only a small part of the research for developing a new treatment. In particular, even after providing evidence for the approval of treatment, further research is needed on the implementation of results of clinical research into clinical practice and health policy. This is the place of outcome research that investigates the impact of various influences, especially interventions, on final endpoints that matter to decision makers with special emphasis on the use of patient‐reported outcomes. This article reviews the methodological characteristics of each research phase, with particular emphasis on comparative trials and effectiveness studies. Drug Dev. Res. 67:183–187, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
An active role for patients in clinical research?
Authors: O'Connell Deirdre , Mosconi Paola 
Published: July 2006

AbstractIn the context of stricter control of clinical research, more informed patients, and a growing number of patient organizations, an active role for patients in clinical research has more than one meaning. Patient involvement in research as subjects is insufficient and can be improved by the information provided by patient groups and by better collaboration between the research community and patient groups. Knowledge about and understanding of clinical trials is central to greater participation. Involvement in the research process provides another role for patients and patient groups and a number of studies have examined such involvement. Patient advocacy groups are involved in training initiatives to enable effective patient involvement in the administration and conduct of clinical research. Various national and European research and regulatory organizations now work with patient representatives, often providing training for them. A third role for patient organizations lies in supporting the research community in lobbying for increased funding, especially for independent clinical research. The area of clinical research outside randomized clinical trials needs also to be carefully considered, in particular the Outcomes Research field. Drug Dev. Res. 67:188–192, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Patient‐reported outcomes and health‐related quality of life in effectiveness studies: pros and cons
Authors: Marquis Patrick , Arnould Benoit , Acquadro Catherine , Roberts W. Mark 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe importance of patient perspectives on disease impact and response to therapy is increasingly recognized. Patient‐reported outcomes (PROs), including health‐related quality of life (HRQL), provide information on the effectiveness of medical interventions that cannot be obtained using objective clinical measures. For drug development, PROs such as symptom questionnaires are accepted by the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) and US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the approval process. HRQL assessments can help to establish the niche for a new product to support marketing efforts. Utilities can also be derived from health outcomes measures for cost‐effectiveness analyses required by health plans for granting drug reimbursement. Because they more closely reflect routine clinical care, effectiveness studies are often a superior setting than traditional randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for conducting comprehensive PRO assessments to determine the real‐world impact of therapy on symptoms and other aspects of everyday life. Screening, quality of care, self‐reported adherence to treatment, and patient monitoring are important potential applications of PROs in effectiveness studies. However, well‐known limitations of effectiveness studies also apply to PROs; these sometimes include a lack of randomization, controls, and blinding. It may be difficult to obtain patient compliance and clinician assistance with PRO assessments in a real‐world setting. PRO data may be biased by nonrandom patient dropout, errors in timing of PRO assessments, and the environment in which questionnaires are administered. Additionally, the drug development schedule often requires outcomes results before effectiveness studies can be conducted. Addressing these difficulties during study design and the use of short and targeted questionnaires will improve the usefulness and feasibility of PRO measures in effectiveness studies. Drug Dev. Res. 67:193–201, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Case‐mix/risk adjustment of observational data: it all depends on the purpose of the data collection
Authors: Goldfield Norbert 
Published: July 2006

AbstractEach year finds dramatic new developments in the pharmacological treatment of diseases. With the availability of numerous interventions for most diseases, the impact of a medication on the course of a disease is critically dependent on the case mix of the patients under study. This article focuses on the different methods, in broad terms, available for case‐mix adjustment of populations of patients. After addressing definitional concerns, this report highlights the different types of case‐mix adjustments available for each type of health care encounter, ranging from ambulatory visits to population‐based measures to long‐term care. There is little or no crossover in the use of different case‐mix systems across different types of health care encounters. This article concludes with evolving trends in case mix and a case example in an effort to highlight the challenges and opportunities present in this ever‐changing field. Drug Dev. Res. 67:202‐207, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Propensity score for the analysis of observational data: an introduction and an illustrative example
Authors: Cavuto S. , Bravi F. , Grassi M.C. , Apolone G. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe principal aim of analysis of any sample of data is to draw causal inferences about the effects of different exposures, such as decisions, actions, medical treatments, or other interventions on relevant outcomes. Data may be the result of several kinds of study designs and approaches, either experimental or observational. In experimental, comparative intervention studies, randomization of patients guarantees that the groups are comparable before the exposure to the treatments and random assignment assures that the choice for a given treatment is not due to the decision by treating physicians and also allows a correct application of statistical tests. In observational studies when randomization is not used for practical or ethical reasons, treatments are decided by physicians (or by patients, or by both) in the context of the best clinical practice and, thus, groups are not comparable and differences in outcomes may reflect either effects caused by the treatment choices or differences in prognosis before treatment. When differences between groups are observed or expected, different kinds of adjustments are used to statistically adjust for the unbalance, using variables describing the condition of patients before treatment. Usually, potential predictive and/or prognostic variables are used together to adjust for confounding by constructing multivariable models. This approach is most of the time able to reduce the effect of confounders or effect modifiers on relevant outcomes, but it makes it difficult for investigators and for final users of the results to assess the adequacy of the approach, the role and impact of each class of variables, and, eventually, the clinical meaning of the results. In 1983, Rosenbaum and Rubin proposed a new method, named Propensity Score, to balance the variables related to the choice of the exposure (treatments) in order to reconstruct a situation similar to random assignment. Since then, there has been an explosion of examples of the use of this approach in the literature. This report introduces the method, uses an empirical example to illustrate its use, and eventually discusses the pros and cons of the method using the authors' experience and some hints extracted from recent commentaries. Drug Dev. Res. 67:208‐216, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Medication effectiveness studies in the United States Veterans Administration health care system: a model for large integrated delivery systems
Authors: Kazis Lewis E. , Nethercot Victoria A. , Ren Xinhua S. , Lee Austin , Selim Alfredo , Miller Donald R. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe Veterans Administration health care system (VA) is one of the largest integrated delivery systems in the United States. The VA provides a rich central data base repository that includes detailed medication data, historical information about patient morbidities, clinical data, and inpatient and outpatient utilization information from claims data and health status information derived directly from the patient. The Veterans Health Study (VHS), a large‐scale prospective study following patient's health outcomes for up to six years, derived and validated a number of patient questionnaires for wide‐scale use in the VA as part of its quality monitoring and research programs. Chief among these assessments are the Veterans Rand 36 item and 12 item health surveys (VR‐36 and VR‐12); other assessments include measures of illness and their associated severity, health‐related quality of life, and utilization of health care services. This report reviews the methodologies developed in the VHS and their subsequent applications in the VA system for conducting medication effectiveness studies based upon non‐randomized prospective quasi‐experimental designs that approximate real world clinical conditions. Study cohorts are described that link the patient questionnaire data with administrative, clinical, and pharmacy data to address questions about medication effectiveness. Statistical models include comprehensive risk adjustments in order to better understand the association between medications that are being compared and their associated patient outcomes. Applications of this approach are presented for medication studies in those diagnosed with hypertension, osteoarthritis, low back pain, depression, and schizophrenia. Future implications of this work are described for purposes of quality improvement. Drug Dev. Res. 67:217–226, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Artificial intelligence and outcome research
Authors: Grossi Enzo , Buscema Massimo 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe coupling of computer science and theoretical bases like non‐linear dynamics and chaos, quite new for medicine theory, allows the creation of “intelligent” agents (Artificial Adaptive Systems [AAS]) able to adapt themselves dynamically to problems of high complexity. ASS are able to reproduce the dynamical interaction of multiple factors simultaneously, allowing the study of complexity; they can also draw conclusions on an individual basis and not as average trends. These tools can offer specific advantages within the outcome research arena, helping to answer some open issues like enhancing the internal validity of observational studies, transferring evidence derived from clinical research to a single patient level, and performing “virtual” clinical trials as a guide for more efficient clinical development. A remarkable contribution to this individual approach comes from Fuzzy Logic, according to which there are no sharp limits between opposite things, like wealth and disease. This approach allows for partially escaping from the probability theory trap in situations where it is fundamental to express a judgement based on a single case and favour a novel humanism directed to the management of the patient as an individual subject. Some examples of original applications in the authors' experience are described. Drug Dev. Res. 67:227–244, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.