bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Control of microcomedone formation throughout a maintenance treatment with adapalene gel, 0.1%
Authors: Thielitz A , Sidou F , Gollnick H 
Published: May 2007

AbstractBackground  Microcomedones representing the clinically non‐visible central precursor lesions of acne are induced by sebaceous hyperplasia as well as altered follicular growth and differentiation, and evolve into both comedones and inflammatory lesions. Thus, targeting microcomedone formation is essential in the prevention and therapeutic control of acne.Objective  The aim of this study was to assess the capacity of adapalene gel, 0.1%, to control the number of microcomedones after a combination treatment followed by a maintenance treatment.Methods  This was a single‐site exploratory study in subjects with a diagnosis of mild to moderate acne vulgaris and the presence of at least 250 microcomedones per cm2 at screening visit, counted via cyanoacrylate strips (CyASt). During the first 8 weeks, a combination of adapalene gel (0.1%) and benzoyl peroxide gel (2.5%) was applied. During the randomized, investigator‐blinded, and vehicle‐controlled 12‐week maintenance phase, adapalene once daily (QD), or adapalene alternately with its vehicle once daily every other day (QoD), or vehicle QD were applied to the face. CyASt sampling on the forehead was done at baseline, week 8, and week 20. Lesion counting allowing calculating a defined success rate was done at all visits.Results  A total of 54 subjects entered the combination phase, and 49 subjects were randomized into the maintenance phase: 16 in both the adapalene QD and the QoD group and 17 subjects receiving the vehicle. The microcomedone median count decreased for all groups until week 8 (end of combination phase) from 319 to 157. Microcomedone counts at the end of the maintenance phase (week 20) showed a significant percent difference (P = 0.04) between adapalene QoD (–53.5) and the vehicle (–42.1) and between adapalene QD (–50.6) and the vehicle (P = 0.037) compared with baseline.Conclusion  The application of adapalene gel, 0.1% monotherapy daily, or alternately every other day, significantly helps to control the microcomedone count during a 12‐week maintenance treatment after a previous combination therapy with benzoyl peroxide in patients with mild to moderate acne.
Pimecrolimus cream (1%) efficacy in perioral dermatitis – results of a randomized, double‐blind, vehicle‐controlled study in 40 patients
Authors: Oppel T , Pavicic T , Kamann S , Bräutigam M , Wollenberg A 
Published: May 2007

AbstractBackground  Perioral dermatitis (POD) is a common skin disease and difficult to treat. Pimecrolimus cream (1%) successfully controls atopic eczema.Objective  Our aim was to investigate its efficacy in POD.Study design  Single‐centre, randomized, double‐blind, vehicle‐controlled study including 40 POD patients with a 4‐week treatment and a 4‐week follow‐up. Efficacy was assessed by a novel Perioral Dermatitis Severity Index (PODSI) and Finlay's Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI).Setting  Outpatient clinics of a large dermatological hospital in Munich, Germany.Results  During treatment, the PODSI was significantly lower in the pimecrolimus group compared with vehicle (P = 0.005–0.02) whereas at follow‐up, no significant differences were observed. At week 2, the responder rates (≥ 50% PODSI improvement) were 50% with pimecrolimus cream (1%) and 25% with vehicle (P = 0.095). DLQI was improved in pimecrolimus group compared with vehicle.Conclusion  Results suggest that pimecrolimus cream (1%) effectively treats acute‐stage POD.
Natural history of extensive Mongolian spots in mucopolysaccharidosis type II (Hunter syndrome): a survey among 52 Japanese patients
Authors: Ochiai T , Suzuki Y , Kato T , Shichino H , Chin M , Mugishima H , Orii T 
Published: May 2007

AbstractBackground  Recent reports have shown a correlation between extensive Mongolian spots and mucopolysaccharidosis type II (Hunter syndrome). However, a statistical survey of the incidence and natural history of extensive Mongolian spots among the patients with Hunter syndrome is lacking.Objectives  To determine the prevalence of extensive Mongolian spots, to determine the natural course of the spots according to age in Japanese patients with Hunter syndrome, and to compare them with the results obtained from the patients’ brothers who did not have Hunter syndrome.Patients/Methods  Fifty‐two males with Hunter syndrome aged 3 to 40 years were studied. Twenty‐five patients were examined in two clinics to determine the existence and characteristics of the spots. We interviewed their families about the spots in their neonates and the natural course of the spots according to their ages. The same survey was done among another 27 patients using a mailed questionnaire to their families. As control, we investigated 21 brothers of the patients by a mailed questionnaire to their families.Results  The extensive Mongolian spots are identified in almost all the infants with Hunter syndrome and disappear extremely later in their life. The lesions had a high incidence of deep‐blue hyperpigmentation. Regardless of age, the overall incidence was 78%. All of the brothers who did not have Hunter syndrome had common‐type Mongolian spots in neonates, which regressed during their childhood.Conclusion  Our results confirm a strong correlation between extensive Mongolian spots and Hunter syndrome for the Japanese population. The presence of extensive Mongolian blue spots should alert the physician to the possibility of Hunter syndrome.
The ‘EpiEnlist’ project: a dermo‐epidemiologic study on a representative sample of young Italian males. Prevalence of selected pigmentary lesions
Authors: Ingordo V , Gentile C , Iannazzone SS , Cusano F , Naldi L 
Published: May 2007

SummaryBackground  Few studies on the prevalence and incidence of many skin conditions in the general population are available because it is difficult to submit to dermatologic examination large samples of seemingly healthy population.Objective  The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of several skin conditions among a sample that is deemed to be representative of the general population of young men living in southern Italy.Patients/Methods  Potential conscripts resident in the coastal regions of southern Italy and called at the age of 18 to the Draft's Council Medical Unit in Taranto underwent a clinical and instrumental examination to evaluate their psycho‐physical fitness to compulsory service in Italian Navy. From January 1998 to April 2004 a dermo‐epidemiologic project named EpiEnlist (EPIdemiology in ENLISTed Men) project was carried out by the Department of Dermatology of the Italian Navy Hospital in Taranto under the auspices of the Italian Group for Epidemiological Research in Dermatology. All the subjects showing skin lesions evocative of neurofibromatosis (NF), congenital melanocytic nevus (CMN), Becker nevus (BN), and vitiligo were referred to the Department of Dermatology of the Italian Navy Hospital for confirming the diagnosis. The confirmed cases were recorded in a predefined patient's card, containing the main anamnestic, clinical, instrumental, and laboratory data.Results  Because the recording of the various conditions started and ended in different times, the total number of examined subjects varied. NF type 1 was diagnosed in 6 of 34 740 subjects [prevalence 1:5735 or 0.017%; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.0008–0.0037], CMN in 157 of 23 354 (prevalence 1:148 or 0.67%; 95% CI, 0.57–0.79). BN was observed in 70 of 27 954 young men (prevalence 1:399 or 0.25%; 95% CI, 0.15–0.35), and its mean age of appearance was 11.9 years (minimum 5–maximum 17). In 41 subjects (58.6%), the age of appearance was over 10 years. Vitiligo was recorded in 60 of 34 740 persons (prevalence 1:579 or 0.17%; 95% CI, 0.13–0.22). In 40 subjects with vitiligo, the blood test was done: in 40% of these circulating autoantibodies, mainly anti‐thyroid (25.6%) and anti‐smooth muscle (17.3%) autoantibodies were detected, but only in 5% of cases, a thyroid disease was diagnosed, and no other sign of autoimmune diseases was observed.Conclusions  The epidemiological data of the skin conditions considered in the present study can be considered roughly in agreement with those reported in the available surveys. Because they were obtained in a large sample of Italian young males from the general population, they can be useful for therapeutic and preventive interventions by the public health organizations.
Enhanced epithelial gap closure and increased angiogenesis in wounds of diabetic mice treated with adult murine bone marrow stromal progenitor cells
Authors: Javazon Elisabeth H. , Keswani Sundeep G. , Badillo Andrea T. , Crombleholme Timothy M. , Zoltick Philip W. , Radu Antoneta P. , Kozin Elliot D. , Beggs Kirstin , Malik Asim A. , Flake Alan W. 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTThe direct application of bone marrow (BM) can accelerate the healing of chronic wounds. We hypothesized that this effect is due to the presence of stromal progenitor cells (SPCs) found within whole BM preparations. To test this hypothesis, we isolated adult murine SPCs from whole BM and examined their ability to enhance impaired wound healing compared with ficoll separated BM cells in the diabetic (db/db) mouse model. SPCs significantly enhanced reepithelialization, granulation tissue formation, and neovascularization compared with control wounds treated with BM or PBS alone. Higher frequencies of donor SPC cells compared with donor BM cells were observed in treated wounds at 7 days. Transdifferentiation into GFP‐positive mature endothelial cells was not observed. These observations suggest that SPCs improve wound healing through indirect mechanisms which lead to enhanced vascularization rather than through direct participation and incorporation into tissue. We conclude that topical application of BM‐derived SPCs may represent an effective strategy for the treatment of chronic diabetic wounds.
Cbfa1/Runx2‐deficiency delays bone wound healing and locally delivered Cbfa1/Runx2 promotes bone repair in animal models
Authors: Tu Qisheng , Zhang Jin , James Laji , Dickson Julia , Tang Jean , Yang Pishan , Chen Jake 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTCore binding factor 1 (Cbfa1)/runt‐related transcription factor 2 (Runx2) has been identified as a “master gene” in osteoblastic differentiation. In this two‐part study, part I of the study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that bone regeneration is compromised in Cbfa1+/− mice. Compared with wild‐type mice, wound healing was dramatically delayed in Cbfa1+/− mice characterized by the presence of a small amount of bone near the base of the wounds. The bone defects were largely filled with fibrous connective tissues 3 weeks after surgery. Part II was performed to determine the effects of Cbfa1 in enhancing bone wound healing using a gene‐activated matrix (GAM) method. Cbfa1 cDNA was mixed with a biodegradable bovine type I collagen sponge and was inserted into the periodontal window wounds of mice. Control sponges were collagen matrix without Cbfa1 cDNA. Histological analysis and immunohistochemical staining demonstrated that compared with controls, there was increased new bone formation that almost filled the wound defects 14 days after surgery in the Cbfa1‐GAM group. The collagen sponge matrix did not seem to elicit significant foreign body reaction in either group. In conclusion, the reduced expression of Cbfa1 interferes with the process of bone wound healing, and local application of Cbfa1 cDNA incorporated into a collagen matrix promotes bone tissue regeneration.
Conduction Properties of the Inferior Vena Cava‐Tricuspid Annular Isthmus in Patients with Typical Atrial Flutter
Authors: KINDER CHARLES , KALL JOHN , KOPP DOUGLAS , RUBENSTEIN DONALD , BURKE MARTIN , WILBER DAVID 
Published: May 2007

Conduction Properties of the Annular Isthmus. Introduction: A functional region of slow conduction located in the inferior right atrium has been postulated to be critical to the induction and maintenance of typical human atrial flutter. We reexamined the potential role of functional conduction delay in the annular isthmus between the tricuspid valve and the inferior vena cava; it is within this region that such delays have been postulated to occur, and where interruption of conduction by radiofrequency energy application has been shown to eliminate typical flutter. Methods and Results: Thirty patients with type I atrial flutter (30 counterclockwise, 14 clockwise) were studied. Counterclockwise and clockwise isthmus activation times adjacent and parallel to the tricuspid valve were measured during three conditions: (1) atrial pacing in sinus rhythm, (2) atrial flutter, and (3) entrainment of atrial flutter. During pacing in sinus rhythm at progressively shorter cycle lengths, both counterclockwise and clockwise isthmus activation times remained unchanged; decremental conduction prior to flutter induction or loss of capture was not observed. Counterclockwise isthmus activation time did not significantly differ during flutter (68 ± 23 msec), inferolateral tricuspid annulus pacing (71 ± 23 msec), or entrainment of flutter (72 ± 23 msec). Similarly, clockwise isthmus activation times did not significantly differ between flutter (65 ± 22 msec), proximal coronary sinus pacing (73 ± 21 msec), or entrainment of flutter (64 ± 15 msec). Conclusion: Decremental conduction is not characteristic of activation through the isthmus when activation is assessed parallel and adjacent to the tricuspid annulus. Functional slowing or conduction delay does not develop in this region during typical atrial flutter.
Membrane Refractoriness and Excitation Induced in Cardiac Fibers by Monophasic and Biphasic Shocks
Authors: TRAYANOVA NATALIA , BRAY MARK‐ANTHONY 
Published: May 2007

Cardiac Fiber Responses to Defibrillation Shocks. Introduction: This modeling study examines the effect of low‐intensity monophasic and biphasic waveforms on the response of a refractory cardiac fiber to the defibrillation shock. Methods and Results: Two cardiac fiber representations are considered in this study: a continuous fiber and a discrete fiber that incorporates gap junctions. Each fiber is undergoing a propagating action potential. Shocks of various strengths and coupling intervals are delivered extracellularly at fiber ends during the relative refractory period. In a continuous fiber, monophasic shock strengths of three times the diastolic threshold either elicit no response or, for coupling intervals above 380 msec, reinitiate propagation. In contrast, biphasic shocks of same strength are capable of terminating the existing wavefronts by either invoking a non‐propagating response (coupling intervals 370 to 382 msec) that prolongs the refractory period or inducing wavefront collision (coupling intervals above 400 msec). The fiber response is similar for other shock strengths and when cellular discontinuity is accounted for. Thus, for a refractory fiber, biphasic shocks have only a small “vulnerable” window of coupling intervals over which propagation is reinitiated. Conclusion: At short coupling intervals, a significant extension of refractoriness is generated at regions where the biphasic shock induced hyperpolarization followed by depolarization. At large coupling intervals, the enhanced efficacy of biphasic shocks is associated with their ability to induce wavefront collision, thus decreasing the probability of reinitiating fibrillation. Overall, the defibrillation shock affects the tissue through the induced large‐scale hyperpolarization and depolarization, and not through the small‐scale transmembrane potential oscillations at cell ends.
Predictors of Maternal Responsiveness
Authors: Drake Emily E. , Humenick Sharron S. , Amankwaa Linda , Younger Janet , Roux Gayle 
Published: May 2007

Purpose

: To explore maternal responsiveness in the first 2 to 4 months after delivery and to evaluate potential predictors of maternal responsiveness, including infant feeding, maternal characteristics, and demographic factors such as age, socioeconomic status, and educational level.
Design and Methods

: A cross‐sectional survey design was used to assess the variables of maternal responsiveness, feeding patterns, and maternal characteristics in a convenience sample of 177 mothers in the first 2 to 4 months after delivery. The 60‐item self‐report instrument included scales to measure maternal responsiveness, self‐esteem, and satisfaction with life as well as infant feeding questions and sociodemographic items. An online data‐collection strategy was used, resulting in participants from 41 U.S. states.
Findings

: Multiple regression analysis showed that satisfaction with life, self‐esteem, and number of children, but not breastfeeding, explained a significant portion of the variance in self‐reported maternal responsiveness scores. In this analysis, sociodemographic variables such as age, education, income, and work status showed little or no relationship to maternal responsiveness scores.
Conclusions

: This study provides additional information about patterns of maternal behavior in the transition to motherhood and some of the variables that influence that transition. Satisfaction with life was a new predictor of maternal responsiveness. However, with only 15% of the variance explained by the predictors in this study, a large portion of the variance in maternal responsiveness remains unexplained. Further research in this area is needed.
Delirium in Older Patients in Surgical Intensive Care Units
Authors: Balas Michele C. , Deutschman Clifford S. , Sullivan‐Marx Eileen M. , Strumpf Neville E. , Alston Robert P. , Richmond Therese S. 
Published: May 2007

Purpose: To examine the frequency and course of delirium in older adults admitted to a surgical intensive care unit (SICU).
Design and Methods: Prospective, observational cohort study of 114 English‐speaking participants and their surrogates, aged 65 and older, admitted to an SICU, and managed by a surgical critical care service. Chart reviews and surrogate interviews were conducted within 24 hours of SICU admission to collect information regarding evidence of dementia using the short form of the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly. Participants were also screened for delirium daily throughout their hospitalization with either the Confusion Assessment Method‐ICU (CAM‐ICU) while in the SICU or the CAM while on medical/surgical units.
Results: In this population of older adults, 18.4% had evidence of dementia on admission to the SICU. Few older adults (2.6%) were admitted to the hospital with evidence of preexisting delirium, but 28.3% developed delirium in the SICU and 22.7% during the post‐SICU period. A total of 52 of 114 (45.6%) participants were delirious sometime during their hospital stay or 24 hours before hospital admission. Episodes of deep sedation and nonarousal were uncommon, occurring in only 9.7% of the sample.
Conclusions: Older adults admitted to SICUs were at high risk for developing delirium during hospitalization. Further research is needed to elucidate the risk factors for, and outcomes of, delirium in this uniquely vulnerable population.
A Psychometric Toolbox for Testing Validity and Reliability
Authors: DeVon Holli A. , Block Michelle E. , Moyle‐Wright Patricia , Ernst Diane M. , Hayden Susan J. , Lazzara Deborah J. , Savoy Suzanne M. , Kostas‐Polston Elizabeth 
Published: May 2007

Purpose: To review the concepts of reliability and validity, provide examples of how the concepts have been used in nursing research, provide guidance for improving the psychometric soundness of instruments, and report suggestions from editors of nursing journals for incorporating psychometric data into manuscripts.
Methods: CINAHL, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO databases were searched using key words: validity, reliability, and psychometrics. Nursing research articles were eligible for inclusion if they were published in the last 5 years, quantitative methods were used, and statistical evidence of psychometric properties were reported. Reports of strong psychometric properties of instruments were identified as well as those with little supporting evidence of psychometric soundness.
Findings: Reports frequently indicated content validity but sometimes the studies had fewer than five experts for review. Criterion validity was rarely reported and errors in the measurement of the criterion were identified. Construct validity remains underreported. Most reports indicated internal consistency reliability (α) but few reports included reliability testing for stability. When retest reliability was asserted, time intervals and correlations were frequently not included.
Conclusions: Planning for psychometric testing through design and reducing nonrandom error in measurement will add to the reliability and validity of instruments and increase the strength of study findings. Underreporting of validity might occur because of small sample size, poor design, or lack of resources. Lack of information on psychometric properties and misapplication of psychometric testing is common in the literature.
A Case of Fatal Intoxication from Metformin*
Authors: Gambaro Veniero , Dell’Acqua Lucia , Farè Fiorenza , Fidani Marco , Froldi Rino , Saligari Elisa 
Published: May 2007

Abstract:A case of fatal intoxication from metformin is presented. The decedent was an obese 58‐year‐old‐woman with type II diabetes, in whom severe lactic acidosis secondary to metformin accumulation was precipitated by acute renal failure. She had been on metformin 500 mg twice a day. Postmortem blood was deproteinated with acetonitrile, washed with dichloromethane, and the resulting supernatant injected into high‐performance liquid chromatography system. Separation was performed on a analytical 125 × 4 mm i.d. RP‐8 column. The wavelength was set at 235 nm. The mobile phase was acetonitrile (40%), sodium lauryl sulfate, and sodium dihydrogen phosphate adjusted to pH 5.1 (60%) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The concentration of metformin in postmortem blood was 77.3 μg/mL. The qualitative result was also confirmed by LC/APCI/MS/MS analysis.
Effect of Bat Exclusion on Patterns of Seed Rain in Tropical Rain Forest in French Guiana
Authors: Henry Mickaël , Jouard Sylvie 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTTo assess the impact of bats on seed dispersal in a tropical mature forest (Nouragues, French Guiana), we conducted a bat exclusion experiment and tested the hypotheses that an artificial reduction in the abundance of bats would result in: (1) a decrease in seed species diversity, at the community level; and (2) an increase in seed limitation (a failure of seeds to reach all suitable sites for germination) at the species level. Seed rain was sampled in two contiguous forest plots for a total of 120 d, using 49 seed traps (1 m2) arranged in 7 × 7 grids and spaced at 5‐m intervals. Using mist nets, bat activity was reduced in one forest plot for a total of 60 nights. Thirty‐nine plant species, or species groups, likely to be consumed and dispersed by bats, were collected within a total sample of 50,063 seeds. The overall seed rain was dominated by epiphytic Araceae and Cyclanthaceae (83.3%) and tree species within the genera Cecropia and Ficus (16.0%). Seeds from bat‐dispersed shrubs and treelets (Piper, Solanum, and Vismia) were relatively rare (0.7%). The bat exclusion resulted in a 30.5 percent reduction in seed species richness and increased seed limitation for most of the species sampled. Seed limitation was caused mainly by a reduced seed rain (seed source limitation) rather than a decrease in seed dispersal uniformity (seed dispersal limitation). Therefore, bat‐dispersed plants with low seed production are likely to be particularly affected by a decline in bat abundance, as a result of anthropogenic change.