bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Clinical Review of Muscle-Specific Tyrosine Kinase-Antibody Positive Myasthenia Gravis
Authors: Wolfe Gil I , Trivedi Jaya R , Oh Shin J 
Published: July 2007

ABSTRACT

Antibodies to muscle-specific receptor tyrosine kinase (MuSK-Ab) are detected in approximately 40% of generalized acetylcholine receptor antibody (AChR-Ab)-negative myasthenia gravis (MG). Based on a growing number of clinical series, a MuSK-Ab-positive phenotype is emerging. Although these clinical patterns are not wholly distinct from either AChR-Ab-positive or seronegative (both AChR-Ab- and MuSK-Ab-negative) MG, they are still helpful in identifying these patients. Patients with MuSK-Ab-positive MG are predominantly female with more prominent cranial and bulbar involvement and more frequent crises than other populations of people with MG. Disease onset tends to be earlier, generally by the third or fourth decade. The yield of repetitive nerve stimulation with conventional limb muscles is lower in these patients, but at least three-fourths demonstrate decrements in facial-innervated muscles. Similarly, single-fiber electromyography of distal limb muscles tends to have a lower yield of abnormality in patients who are MuSK-Ab-positive than either AChR-Ab-positive or seronegative MG, whereas jitter is increased in nearly all patients who are MuSK-Ab-positive when proximal limb or cranial musculature is studied. Patients who are MuSK-Ab-positive are more likely to display poor tolerance of or a lack of improvement with anticholinesterase agents. Most are managed successfully with immunomodulatory therapies, although a higher proportion of patients with MuSK MG have a refractory course when compared to other generalized populations.
Plasma acylated ghrelin levels are higher in patients with chronic atrophic gastritis
Authors: Campana Davide , Nori Francesca , Pagotto Uberto , De Iasio Rosaria , Morselli‐Labate Antonio Maria , Pasquali Renato , Corinaldesi Roberto , Tomassetti Paola 
Published: July 2007

SummaryObjectives  Ghrelin is mainly produced by the endocrine cells of the gastric oxyntic mucosa. For this reason we decided to investigate the modification of the circulating levels not only of total but also of acylated ghrelin in a series of patients with chronic atrophic gastritis.Design  Twenty‐five patients with chronic atrophic gastritis and 25 healthy subjects were studied. In all 50 subjects gastrin and total and acylated ghrelin levels were evaluated. All patients underwent endoscopy with multiple biopsies, and the possibility of Helicobacter pylori infection was investigated.Results  Significantly higher acylated ghrelin levels (82·8 ± 61·3 vs. 35·1 ± 17·1 pmol/l), acylated/total ghrelin ratio (0·422 ± 0·202 vs. 0·152 ± 0·085) and gastrin levels (1071 ± 816 vs. 66 ± 22 ng/l) were observed in the 25 patients with chronic atrophy than in the healthy subjects. Otherwise, no significant relationships were found when total ghrelin was correlated with the presence of atrophy, or with gastrin levels. In the healthy subjects, but not in the patients, acylated and total ghrelin levels were significantly higher in female than in male patients.Conclusions  The increase in acylated ghrelin levels and in the acylated/total ghrelin ratio in patients with atrophy of the body and fundus can be explained by hypothesizing an increase in the acylating process in the presence of gastric atrophy. It suggests that there may be a compensatory increase in plasma active ghrelin concentration in response to gastric atrophy, a condition which causes a loss of ghrelin‐producing cells and an increase in gastric pH.
The Magic Flute cast: geological correlations with Mozart
Authors: Whittaker A. 
Published: July 2007

AbstractThe year 1991 marks the 200th anniversary of the death of Mozart. His last opera, The Magic Flute, was begun, completed and first performed in the year of his death, 1791. The creation of the opera was closely associated with prominent geologists of the time although the work itself is an alchemical drama, deriving more from Hermetic ‘science’ and magic than from the emerging ‘legitimate’ science of the day.
Stress evaluation in offshore regions of Norway
Authors: Spann Holger , Brudy Martin , Fuchs Karl 
Published: July 2007

AbstractA review has been undertaken of all available information on crustal stresses in Norwegian continental shelf and North Sea. The data have principally come from the results of borehole breakouts, supplemented by focal mechanisms. A simple model of a soft linear inclusion was developed to explain the rapid changes in stress orientation in the Central Graben area. This example indicates that the stress field is affected locally by the geological or structural environment.
Enhancement of hazelnut extract for IgE testing by recombinant allergen spiking
Authors: Andersson K. , Ballmer‐Weber B. K. , Cistero‐Bahima A. , Östling J. , Lauer I. , Vieths S. , Lidholm J. 
Published: July 2007

Background:  Hazelnuts are a common cause of food allergic reactions. Most hazelnut allergic individuals in central and northern Europe are sensitized to Cor a 1, a member of the PR‐10 protein family, while the lipid transfer protein Cor a 8 acts as a major allergen in the south of Europe. Other allergens, including profilin and seed storage proteins, may be important in subgroups of patients. Reliable detection of specific IgE in the clinical diagnosis of food allergy requires allergen reagents with a sufficient representation of all relevant allergen components. Some reported observations suggest that natural hazelnut extract may not be fully adequate in this respect.Methods:  The capacity of immobilized natural hazelnut extract to bind Cor a 1‐, Cor a 2‐ and Cor a 8‐specific IgE and IgG antibodies was investigated by serum adsorption and extract dilution experiments and by the use of allergen specific rabbit antisera. All measurements were performed with the ImmunoCAP assay platform.Results:  The experimental results revealed an incomplete capacity of immobilized hazelnut extract to capture IgE antibodies directed to the major allergen Cor a 1. Spiking of hazelnut extract with recombinant Cor a 1.04 prior to solid phase coupling gave rise to significantly enhanced IgE antibody binding from Cor a 1 reactive sera. The spiking did not negatively affect the measurement of IgE to extract components other than Cor a 1.Conclusion:  A hazelnut allergen reagent with enhanced IgE detection capacity can be generated by supplementing the natural food extract with recombinant Cor a 1.04.
Detecting depression in the aged: Is there concordance between screening tools and the perceptions of nursing home staff and residents? A pilot study in a rural aged care facility
Authors: Johnston Luke , Reid Alexander , Wilson Jessica , Levesque Janelle , Driver Brian 
Published: July 2007

AbstractObjective:  Recognition of depression in the elderly is exacerbated in rural and remote regions by a lack of mental health specialists. In nursing homes, screening tools have been advocated to circumvent the variable reliability of both nursing staff and residents in recognising depression. Debate concerning the utility of screening tools abounds. Previous research has neglected concordance between screening tools, nursing staff and residents in recognising depression. The present study aimed to determine if there was a significant difference in the proportion of depressed residents identified by recognition sources, and assessed the level of chance corrected agreement between sources. Participants:  One hundred and two residents of aged care facilities in Wagga Wagga, Australia, mean age of 85.19 ± 7.09 years.Setting:  Residents were interviewed within their residential aged care facility. Design:  Cross‐sectional, between‐subjects design. Main outcome measures:  Residents, nursing staff, Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS‐12R) and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. Results:  Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and nursing staff professional opinion were not significantly different; however, both measures were significantly different to the resident measures (GDS‐12R and resident opinion). Kappa statistic analysis of outcome measures revealed, at best, no more than a moderate level of chance corrected agreement between said sources. Conclusion:  It is tentatively argued that the different sources might correspond to qualitatively different ‘depression’ constructs, and that health professionals who are concerned with depression in the elderly be aware of the disparity between, and subsequently consider, a variety of recognition sources.
Safety and efficacy of the M2A patency capsule for diagnosis of critical intestinal patency: Results of a prospective clinical trial
Authors: Banerjee Rupa , Bhargav Prem , Reddy Praveen , Gupta Rajesh , Lakhtakia Sandeep , Tandan Manu , Rao Venkat G , Reddy Nageshwar D 
Published: July 2007

AbstractBackground and Aim:  The presence of a critical intestinal stricture is a contraindication for conventional capsule endoscopy for the risk of impaction. Prior assessment of intestinal patency can substantially minimize this risk. The aim of the present study was to assess the safety and efficacy of the M2A patency capsule (PC) for verification of intestinal strictures.Methods:  The M2A PC consists of a biodegradable body surrounding a small radiofrequency identification (RFID) tag. This capsule was administered to patients with known or suspected intestinal strictures. Patency was verified if the capsule was excreted intact. The capsule disintegrated into small fragments and only the RFID tag was excreted if retained at the stricture beyond a stipulated time. The patency scanner was used to detect the RFID tag externally. The M2A video capsule (VC) was administered to patients who excreted the intact capsule.Results:  Twenty‐six patients with known or suspected intestinal strictures were administered the M2A PC. This included 16 (61%) patients with tuberculosis, eight (31%) with Crohn's disease, and one each of postoperative and malignant strictures. Eight capsules were excreted intact within 72 h and two at 109 and 110 h. Fifteen capsules disintegrated in the GI tract and one capsule was removed during surgery. No PC‐related complications were noted. Six of the eight patients who tested positive for patency were tested with the regular M2A VC with normal excretion.Conclusion:  The M2A PC is a reliable indicator of functional patency in suspected or even known cases of intestinal stricture. It could be used prior to conventional capsule endoscopy to predict and minimize the risk of impaction.
Variation in rates of postterm birth in Europe: reality or artefact?
Authors: Zeitlin J , Blondel B , Alexander S , Bréart G ,   PERISTAT Group
Published: July 2007

Objective  To compare rates of postterm birth in Europe.Design  Analysis of data from vital statistics, birth registers, and national birth samples collected for the PERISTAT project.Setting  Thirteen European countries.Population  All live births or representative samples of births for the year 2000 or most recent year available.Methods  Comparison of national and regional rates of postterm birth. Other indicators (birthweight, deliveries with a non‐spontaneous onset and mortality) were used to assess the validity of postterm rates.Main outcome measures  The proportion of births at 42 completed weeks of gestation or later.Results  Postterm rates varied greatly, from 0.4% (Austria, Belgium) to over 7% (Denmark, Sweden) of births. Higher postterm rates were associated with a greater proportion of babies with birthweight 4500 g or more. Fetal and early neonatal mortality rates were higher among postterm births than among births at 40 weeks. Countries with higher proportions of births with a nonspontaneous onset of labour had lower postterm birth rates. The shapes of the gestational‐age distributions at term varied. In some countries, there was a sharp cutoff in deliveries at 40 weeks, while elsewhere this occurred at 41 weeks.Conclusions  These results suggest that practices for managing pregnancies continuing beyond term differ in Europe and raise questions about the health and other impacts in countries with markedly high or low postterm rates. Some variability in these rates may also be due to methods for determining gestational age, which has broader implications for international comparisons of gestational age, including rates of postterm and preterm births and small‐for‐gestational‐age newborns.
Patients’ preferences in the evaluation of postmenopausal bleeding
Authors: Timmermans A , Opmeer BC , Veersema S , Mol BWJ 
Published: July 2007

Objective  To assess patients’ preferences for diagnostic management of postmenopausal bleeding (PMB).Design  A structured interview.Setting  A teaching hospital with office hysteroscopy facilities.Population  Thirty‐nine women with PMB and with a completed work‐up including an office hysteroscopy.Methods  A structured interview was taken from 39 women who had had an office hysteroscopy in the diagnostic work‐up for PMB. Women were informed about the probability of endometrial carcinoma versus benign disease and about advantages and disadvantages of different diagnostic strategies, i.e. expectant management after ultrasound or complete diagnostic work‐up, including invasive procedures.Main outcome measures  Women were informed about the probability of endometrial carcinoma versus benign disease and about advantages and disadvantages of different diagnostic strategies, i.e., expectant management after ultrasound or complete diagnostic work‐up including invasive procedures. Women were asked to make a trade‐off between different options.Results  Most women wanted to be 100% certain that carcinoma could be ruled out. Only 5% of the women were willing to accept more than 5% risk of false reassurance. If the risk of recurrent bleeding due to benign disease exceeded 25%, the majority of women would prefer immediate diagnosis and treatment of benign lesions.Conclusion  Women with PMB are prepared to undergo hysteroscopy to rule out any risk on cancer. This finding implicates that the measurement of endometrial thickness with transvaginal ultrasound as a first‐line test in the assessment of PMB should be reconsidered.
Five‐year follow up of a randomised controlled trial comparing NovaSure and ThermaChoice endometrial ablation
Authors: Kleijn JH , Engels R , Bourdrez P , Mol BWJ , Bongers MY 
Published: July 2007

Objective  We have previously reported that NovaSure® was more effective than balloon ablation at 12 months follow up in the treatment of menorrhagia. In this paper, we report the 5‐year outcome of this study. The objective was to evaluate amenorrhoea rates, hysterectomy rate, and quality of life associated with the bipolar impedance‐controlled endometrial ablation technique (NovaSure) in comparison with balloon ablation technique (ThermaChoice®) at 5 years after administration.Design  Double‐blind randomised controlled trial, 2:1 randomisation NovaSure versus ThermaChoice.Setting  A teaching hospital with 500 beds in the Netherlands.Population  A total of 126 premenopausal women suffering from menorrhagia with a pictorial blood loss assessment count ≥150 without intracavitary abnormalities.Methods  Women were randomly allocated to bipolar radio‐frequency ablation and balloon ablation in a 2:1 ratio.Main outcome measures  The main outcome measures were amenorrhoea rate, hysterectomies, and health‐related quality of life (HRQol) as reported at 5 year follow up.Results  At 5 years of follow up, the total response rate was 96% in the bipolar group and 90% in the balloon group. Amenorrhoea was reported in the bipolar group by 48% of women and in the balloon arm by 32% (relative risk 1.6 [.93–2.6]). There were eight women in the bipolar group (9.8%) and five in the balloon group (12.9%) who had undergone a hysterectomy. Furthermore, there was a significant equal improvement of HRQoL over time in both groups.Conclusions  At 5 years follow up, bipolar thermal ablation was superior over balloon ablation in the treatment of menorrhagia.
Spousal Concordance in Health Behavior Change
Authors: Falba Tracy A. , Sindelar Jody L. 
Published: July 2007

Objective. This study examines the degree to which a married individual's health habits and use of preventive medical care are influenced by his or her spouse's behaviors.Study Design. Using longitudinal data on individuals and their spouses, we examine changes over time in the health habits of each person as a function of changes in his or her spouse's health habits. Specifically, we analyze changes in smoking, drinking, exercising, cholesterol screening, and obtaining a flu shot.Data Source. This study uses data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a nationally representative sample of individuals born between 1931 and 1941 and their spouses. Beginning in 1992, 12,652 persons (age‐eligible individuals as well as their spouses) from 7,702 households were surveyed about many aspects of their life, including health behaviors, use of preventive services, and disease diagnosis.Sample. The analytic sample includes 6,072 individuals who are married at the time of the initial HRS survey and who remain married and in the sample at the time of the 1996 and 2000 waves.Principal Findings. We consistently find that when one spouse improves his or her behavior, the other spouse is likely to do so as well. This is found across all the behaviors analyzed, and persists despite controlling for many other factors.Conclusions. Simultaneous changes occur in a number of health behaviors. This conclusion has prescriptive implications for developing interventions, treatments, and policies to improve health habits and for evaluating the impact of such measures.
The Desired ‘One’: Thinking the Woman in the Nation
Authors: Das Anirban , Sen Chaudhuri Ritu 
Published: July 2007

AbstractA review of the secondary literature on the way nationalist thought in colonial India conceived ‘woman’ shows three broad strands. One is the perspective of the history of art, which studies the genealogy of the iconic symbolisation of women. The remaining stands have similar objects of knowledge (the nationalist representation of women in terms of the debi) but differ in their foci of attention. The first is concerned with the (role of the) woman in nationalist thought and how ‘real’ women had responded to that construction. The other focuses on the processes of nation building in the colony to reach its gendered aspects. We finally make a case for a synthesis of these through a few instances.
Transmissi ons and Transformations: Global Peace Movements between the Hague Conferences and World War I
Authors: Chao Anne 
Published: July 2007

AbstractThe meetings of the Hague Peace Conference and the Lake Mohonk Conference on International Arbitration at the turn of twentieth century stimulated renewed interest in organizations such as the American Peace Society, and inspired the formation of the Cosmopolitan Club on university campuses. Around 1910, the European Corda Fratres joined forces with the Association of Cosmopolitan Clubs. Hu Shi, president of the Cornell Cosmopolitan Club in 1913, became a convert to the cause of peace, and defended his pacifism in war‐stricken China throughout his life. In the same period, the Japan Peace Society worked closely with many American peace organizations. From Europe to America to Asia, most peace proponents advocated arbitration, conciliation, international laws, the establishment of an international court and an international congress. Their shared language of the discourse on pacifism demonstrates vividly an instance of the transmigration of ideas across spatial and cultural boundaries.
RESPONSE OF LAMINARIA SACCHARINA (PHAEOPHYTA) GROWTH AND PHOTOSYNTHESIS TO SIMULTANEOUS ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION AND NITROGEN LIMITATION1
Authors: Davison Ian R. , Jordan Terry L. , Fegley Jill C. , Grobe Carl W. 
Published: July 2007

The brown macroalga Laminaria saccharina (L.) J. V. Lamour. was grown in large outdoor tanks at 50% ambient solar radiation for 3–4 weeks in July and August of 2000, 2001, and 2002, in either ambient or nitrogen (N)–enriched seawater and in either ambient light [PAR + ultraviolet radiation (UVR)] or ambient light minus UVR. Growth, N‐content, photosynthetic pigments, and RUBISCO content increased in N‐enriched seawater, indicating N‐limitation. UVR inhibited growth, but this inhibition was ameliorated by N‐enrichment. The response of growth to UVR could not be explained by changes in respiration and photosynthesis. Gross light‐saturated photosynthesis (Pmax) remained unaffected by UVR but was significantly higher under N‐enrichment, as was dark respiration (Rd). UVR had no effect on pigments or N content. However, RUBISCO contents were low in the presence of UVR, reflecting the overall change in soluble cellular protein. Overall, our data indicate that the response to UVR in L. saccharina depends on other environmental factors, such as N, and these effects need to be considered when evaluating the response of macroalgae to increased UVR.
THERMAL ECOPHYSIOLOGY OF LAURENCIA PACIFICA AND LAURENCIA NIDIFICA (CERAMIALES, RHODOPHYTA) FROM TROPICAL AND WARM‐TEMPERATE REGIONS1
Authors: Padilla‐Gamiño Jacqueline L. , Carpenter Robert C. 
Published: July 2007

Laurencia is a globally distributed genus with about 80 species (order Ceramiales) that inhabit tropical, subtropical, and warm‐temperate regions of both sides of the Atlantic and Indo‐Pacific oceans. This study investigated how two species of Laurencia distributed in different thermal environments (California and Hawaii) varied in their photosynthetic responses to temperature. The thermal ecophysiology of both species was investigated at different temporal scales (short‐term responses and seasonal acclimatization) using oxygen evolution and pulse‐amplitude‐modulated (PAM) fluorometry. Our results indicated that seasonal acclimatization of both species of Laurencia influenced the short‐term photosynthetic response at both locations. Greater seasonal differences in the photosynthetic performance were observed for L. pacifica Kylin, which reflects the ability of this species to acclimatize to local environmental conditions characterized by short‐term fluctuations and a broader annual temperature range. Photosynthetic performance of L. nidifica J. Agardh was consistent with the less variable local environment (no short‐term fluctuations and a narrower temperature range). These results suggest that acclimatization to temperature variability in the environment can influence the degree of flexibility of physiological responses of species in this genus.
International Nongovernmental Organizations and Deforestation: Good, Bad, or Irrelevant?*
Authors: Shandra John M. 
Published: July 2007

Objective. This research adds to our understanding of environmental degradation by evaluating the “contested” role international nongovernmental organizations play in managing environmental problems.Methods. I use cross‐national data for a sample of up to 70 nations to examine the effect of international nongovernmental organizations on deforestation for the period of 1990 to 2000. The models also include relevant controls for gross national product, economic growth, population growth, democracy, government expenditures, domestic investment, forest stocks, exports, multinational corporations, and structural adjustment.Results. The main findings indicate that nations with higher levels of international nongovernmental organizations presence have lower levels of deforestation. I also examine the effects of international nongovernmental organizations at different levels of democracy by including an interaction term between international nongovernmental organizations and democracy. In doing so, I find that international nongovernmental organizations continue to reduce deforestation. However, they reduce deforestation more at higher rather than at lower levels of democracy.Conclusions. This research illustrates that international nongovernmental organizations reduce deforestation despite claims to the contrary. However, their effectiveness appears to be affected by the level of democracy in a nation.