bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Robust method for detecting differential gene expression in twin studies
Authors: Begun Alexander 
Published: October 2006

AbstractMotivation: A steadily increasing number of experiments with microarrays stimulate the further development of the statistical methods of the analysis of gene expression data. One of the central problems in this area is detecting differential gene expression under two or more conditions. Unfortunately, up to now it has not been studied how the correlations between related individuals, such as twins influence the estimates of differential gene expression.Results: In this paper, we discuss this problem and propose a new method that is robust with respect to correlations of gene expression data for twins.Contact: a.begun@ikmb.uni-kiel.de
Effect of gemtuzumab ozogamicin on acute myeloid leukaemia blast cells in vitro, as a single agent and combined with other cytotoxic agents
Authors: Morris K. L. , Adams J. A. , Liu Yin J. A. 
Published: October 2006

SummaryThe effect of gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO) alone, or combined with low‐dose cytarabine or etoposide, on the proliferation of acute myeloid leukaemia blast cells in vitro was investigated. GO alone induced a dose‐dependent inhibition of proliferation although an increase in apoptosis was only seen in a minority of patients. A correlation was found between PgP function and GO sensitivity but not between CD33 or PgP expression and GO. Combinations of GO with varying concentrations of cytarabine or etoposide were additive in inhibiting proliferation, reducing cell viability and increasing apoptosis.
Knowing a medical doctor is associated with reduced mortality among sick children consulting a paediatric ward in Guinea‐Bissau, West Africa
Authors: Sodemann M. , Biai S. , Jakobsen M. S. , Aaby P. 
Published: October 2006

SummaryBackground  To examine equity in access to public health services in Guinea‐Bissau.Methods  The study was conducted in 2000–2001 at the emergency clinic of the only paediatric ward in Bissau. Mothers of all children from the study area were interviewed about previous care seeking and relations with anybody working in the health sector. All management actions in the emergency clinic were registered. In‐hospital and subsequent community mortality was ascertained through community surveillance. The measured outcome was mortality risk within 30 days of first consultation.Results  We followed 1572 children with a first consultation. Of these, 8.2% died within 30 days. Acquaintance with a physician reduced 30‐day mortality risk by 48% (95% CI: 18–66). The effect was strongest among post‐neonatal children (54%; 95% CI: 18–74). Mortality within 30 days of consultation was also independently predicted by consultation after 7 pm, nurse team on duty, day of week and young mother. In a multivariate model, socioeconomic status and school education were not associated with 30‐day mortality when acquaintance with a medical doctor was taken into account.Conclusion  Favouritism may be a significant factor for quality of care and child mortality in developing countries. Interventions to improve hospital and health worker performance should be given high priority.
The effectiveness of intermittent isotretinoin treatment in mild or moderate acne
Authors: Kaymak Y , İlter N 
Published: October 2006

AbstractBackground  Isotretinoin is the only drug that affects almost all factors in acne pathogenesis. Recently, its use for the treatment of chronic mild or moderate acne unresponsive to long‐term antibiotic therapy, and with a tendency to cause scarring and leading to negative psychological effects, has became popular. The aim of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of intermittent isotretinoin treatment in mild or moderate acne.Methods  Sixty patients with mild or moderate acne localized to the face were enrolled in the study. The treatment regimen consisted of isotretinoin, 0.5–0.75 mg/kg per day, applied for 1 week every 4 weeks for a total period of 6 months, according to the degree of acne and number of inflammatory lesions.Results  Forty‐one (68.3%) of the 60 patients completed the 6‐month therapy. At the end of the treatment complete improvement was observed in 34 patients (82.9%) out of 41. All adverse effects were mild and discontinuation of the treatment was not necessary.Conclusion  Intermittent isotretinoin treatment was found to be a safe and effective choice for patients with mild or moderate acne.
Time Course of Attention for Alcohol Cues in Abstinent Alcoholic Patients: The Role of Initial Orienting
Authors: Noël Xavier , Colmant M. , Van Der Linden Marial , Bechara Antoine , Bullens Quentin , Hanak Catherine , Verbanck Paul 
Published: October 2006

Objective:Addicted people are characterized by enhanced attention for drug cues leading to drug use. However, there is little research on the component processes of attention in individuals with alcoholism. Here, we examine 2 distinct components of attention in abstinent alcohol‐dependent individuals and social drinkers of alcohol, that is to say, the initial orienting to alcohol‐related cues, and the maintenance of attention to them.Method:The present study used an “alcohol” version of the visual probe detection task with alcohol‐related or neutral pictures being presented briefly (i.e., 50 ms), to assess initial orienting, or longer (i.e., 500 and 1,250 ms), to assess the maintenance of attention.Results:Only alcoholic patients were faster in detecting a probe displayed immediately after pictures related to alcohol presented for 50 ms than in detecting the same probe replacing non–alcohol‐related pictures. However, when pictures were presented for 500 ms, only social alcohol drinkers were faster in detecting the probe replacing alcohol scenes. At a stimulus of 1,250 ms duration, no group showed attentional bias toward alcohol cues. In addition, the severity of alcoholism measured by the total number of prior detoxification treatments was positively correlated with the attentional bias (or “attraction”) for alcohol pictures presented for 50 ms.Conclusions:These results show that, subsequent to initial visual orienting to alcohol‐related cues, abstinent patients' attention was disengaged from these stimuli, thus suggesting a visual approach‐disengagement attentional pattern. The influence of these findings on relapse was discussed.
Increases in Plasma Carotenoid Concentrations in Response to a Major Dietary Change in the Women's Healthy Eating and Living Study
Authors: Pierce John P. , Natarajan Loki , Sun Shelly , Al-Delaimy Wael , Flatt Shirley W. , Kealey Sheila , Rock Cheryl L. , Thomson Cynthia A. , Newman Vicky A. , Ritenbaugh Cheryl , Gold Ellen B. , Caan Bette J. ,   for the Women's Healthy Eating and Living Study Group
Published: October 2006

Abstract
Background: Cohort studies suggest that higher circulating carotenoid concentrations through food sources may reduce breast cancer events. Other intervention studies have not achieved the level of change in circulating carotenoids required to properly test this hypothesis.
Methods: In a randomized trial of 2,922 breast cancer survivors, we examined blood and self-reported diet at baseline and 1 year. Intensive telephone counseling encouraged a plant-based diet in the intervention group. Diet was measured via 24-hour recalls, and a panel of plasma carotenoid concentrations was assessed at both time points.
Results: The study intervention was associated with a 51% increase in total carotenoid concentration, from 2.272 ± 1.294 to 3.440 ± 2.320 μmol/L, achieved mainly by marked increases in targeted carotenoids: α-carotene, β-carotene, and lutein. For each of these targeted carotenoids, the proportion of the intervention sample remaining below the cutpoint for the lowest baseline quartile decreased by one third to one half. After 1 year of study, half of the intervention group was in the highest baseline quartile. No change in distribution was observed in comparison group. Intervention participants achieved this change by both dietary pattern and vegetable juice consumption. Participants who chose to change dietary pattern without consuming significant quantities of vegetable juice achieved 75% of the level of change observed in other intervention participants.
Conclusions: Innovative telephone counseling intervention and dietary targets in the Women's Healthy Eating and Living study were associated with the level of change in circulating carotenoid concentration necessary to test the diet and breast cancer hypothesis suggested by cohort studies. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2006;15(10):1886–92)
The Case for a Genetic Predisposition to Serrated Neoplasia in the Colorectum: Hypothesis and Review of the Literature
Authors: Young Joanne , Jass Jeremy R. 
Published: October 2006

Abstract
In recent years, an alternative pathway of colorectal cancer development has been described in which serrated polyps replace the traditional adenoma as the precursor lesion. Importantly, serrated polyps and a subset of colorectal cancer show largely nonoverlapping mutation profiles to those found in adenomas and the majority of colorectal cancer. These genetic alterations include activating mutation of the BRAF proto-oncogene and widespread gene promoter hypermethylation (CpG island methylator phenotype or CIMP). Up to 15% of colorectal cancer is likely to develop on the basis of a strong genetic predisposition. The two most well-characterized syndromes, familial adenomatous polyposis and hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (Lynch syndrome), both develop via the adenoma-carcinoma pathway and together account for approximately one third of familial colorectal cancer. We have recently described 11 families in which there is evidence that the genetic predisposition to autosomal dominant colorectal cancer is linked to the serrated pathway. This condition, serrated pathway syndrome, and the related condition, hyperplastic polyposis, the presentation of which suggests a recessive mode of inheritance, represent two syndromes in which BRAF mutation and methylation co-occur within serrated precursor lesions. Further, CIMP is observed in the normal colonic mucosa of individuals with hyperplastic polyposis consistent with a field defect in epigenetic regulation. The spectrum of serrated neoplasia may also implicate the apparently sporadic and later onset subset of colorectal cancer with high levels of microsatellite instability. The tendency for these lesions to be multiple, associated with smoking, and to show frequent BRAF mutation and CIMP points to a defect that may result from interactions between the environment and a weakly penetrant genetic alteration. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2006;15(10):1778–84)
A Phase I-II Preoperative Biomarker Trial of Fenretinide in Ascitic Ovarian Cancer
Authors: Colombo Nicoletta , Formelli Franca , Cantù Maria Grazia , Parma Gabriella , Gasco Milena , Argusti Alessandra , Santinelli Alfredo , Montironi Rodolfo , Cavadini Elena , Baglietto Laura , Guerrieri-Gonzaga Aliana , Viale Giuseppe , Decensi Andrea 
Published: October 2006

Abstract
Purpose: To evaluate study feasibility, toxicity, drug concentrations, and activity of escalating doses of the synthetic retinoid fenretinide [N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)retinamide (4-HPR)] in ovarian cancer by measuring serum CA125 and cytomorphometric biomarkers in cancer cells collected from ascitic fluid before and after treatment.
Methods: Twenty-two naive patients with ascitic ovarian cancer were treated with escalating doses of 4-HPR at 0, 400, 600, and 800 mg/d for 1 to 4 weeks before surgery. Changes in the proportion of proliferating cells expressed by Ki67 and computer-assisted cytomorphometric variables (nuclear area, DNA index, and chromatin texture) were determined in ascitic cells. Drug levels were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography.
Results: Doses up to 800 mg/d were well tolerated, and no adverse reactions occurred. There was no effect of 4-HPR on changes in serum CA125, Ki67 expression, which were assessed in 75% of subjects, and cytomorphometric variables, which were assessed in 80% of subjects. Plasma retinol levels were significantly lower in affected women than healthy donors. 4-HPR plasma concentrations increased slightly with increasing doses and attained a 1.4 μmol/L concentration with 800 mg/d. Drug levels in malignant ascitic cells and tumor tissue were higher than in plasma but were 50 and 5 times lower, respectively, than in carcinoma cells treated in vitro with 1 μmol/L 4-HPR.
Conclusions: Cell biomarkers can be measured in ascitic cells to assess drug activity. Under our experimental conditions, 4-HPR did not show activity in advanced ovarian cancer cells. However, clinical evidence supports further investigation of fenretinide for ovarian cancer prevention. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2006;15(10):1914–9)
Globalization, Migration, and the Challenges of Development in Africa
Authors: Akokpari John 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe paper argues that, while globalization is a catalyst for international migration, its impact on Africa's development remains polemical. Generally, discussions on the impact of international migration on African development feature two contrasting views. One view, which is gradually gaining currency, points to tangible benefits from migration in the form of migrant remittance, which recent World Bank reports identify as the second largest form of capital flow to Africa after foreign direct investments (FDI). This view thus sees the impact of international migration on African development as positive. This paper, however, takes a different view and argues that the adverse effects of international migration on Africa, in the form of brain drain—the emigration of Africa's trained professionals—far outweighs the perceived advantages associated with migrant remittances. Consequently, on the aggregate, Africa's development suffers under the weight of international migration. The paper thus suggests the formulation of workable policies by the AU to manage the brain drain. Such policy measures should include a conscious attempt to address the root causes of the so-called "push factors" which instigate the emigration of Africa's brains in the first instance.
Current Status of Surge Research
Authors: Phillips Sally 
Published: October 2006

The dramatic escalation of bioterrorism and public health emergencies in the United States in recent years unfortunately has coincided with an equally dramatic decline in the institutions and services we rely on for emergency preparedness. Hospitals in nearly every metropolitan area in the country have closed; those that remain open have reduced the number of available beds. “Just in time” supplies and health professional shortages have further compromised the nation's overall surge capacity. Emergency departments routinely operate at capacity. These circumstances make evidence‐based research on emergency preparedness and surge capacity both more urgently needed and more complex. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and other government and private agencies have been rapidly widening the field of knowledge in this area in recent months and years. This report focuses primarily on the work of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
The neurodevelopmental abilities of very-low-birthweight children in Trinidad, West Indies
Authors: Ali Zulaika , Ramcharan Jasmine 
Published: October 2006

Neurodevelopmental abilities of 33 very-low-birthweight (VLBW) Trinidadian children and randomly selected matched pairs of classmates who were of normal birth weight were tested in 1998 at ages 68-88 months, using the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities. The 1 min Apgar score was significantly lower in the VLBW children, 6.5 (SD 1.0) versus 7.7 (SD 1.27), P-0.001. Mean scores on the McCarthy Scales for study and control children were: ( Table cannot be represented.) These differences may reflect a delay in the neurodevelopment of these children. However, the effect of child-rearing practices and the inappropriateness of the test for the population cannot be ruled out.
Infection rate in closed fractures after internal fixations in a municipal hospital in Ghana
Authors: Saris C G J , Bastianen C A , Mvan Swieten E C A , Wegdam H H J 
Published: October 2006

This prospective study conducted in the Holy Family Municipal Hospital in Techiman, Ghana aimed to determine the incidence of wound infection following internal fixation of closed fractures in a municipal hospital in a developing country. Between May 2000 and February 2005, 194 patients were treated for closed fractures, implanting a total of 215 internal fixations. Patients were reviewed 10, 30 and 120 days after operation. In 141 (73%) patients, a follow-up of four months was achieved. Of all patients, six developed an infection, two deep and four superficial. The cumulative incidence of wound infection after internal fixation was 3.3%. This study demonstrates that the incidence of wound infection following internal fixation is comparable with hospitals in a temperate climate in industrialized countries. We therefore conclude that specific tropical risk factors play a minimal role in the development of wound infection.
Fournier gangrene
Authors: Vaz Igor 
Published: October 2006

Fournier gangrene is a necrotizing infection involving the soft tissues of the male genitalia. It was first described in 1764 by Baurienne and given its eponymous name after Jean-Alfred Fournier in 1883 presented a case of perineal gangrene in an otherwise healthy young man. While only 600 cases of Fournier gangrene have been reported in the world literature since 1996, it is a common and serious disease in Africa. In Maputo Central Hospital alone, between 12 and 16 cases are admitted every year and treated with a 20% mortality. The typical patient is an elderly male in his sixth or seventh decade with co-morbid diseases. While considered to affect males only, a similar condition may occasionally affect the female genitalia.
Postpartum care attendance at a rural district hospital in Zambia
Authors: Lagro Marieke , Liche Agnes , Mumba Theresa , Ntebeka Ruth , van Roosmalen Jos 
Published: October 2006

Postpartum care is an important tool in both preventive and promotive maternal health care. We studied the postpartum care attendance rate in 540 women who delivered at a district hospital in Zambia. Forty-two percent of the women attended postpartum care within six weeks of delivery. Women who did not come for postpartum care were older and had to travel more hours to the hospital than women who attended postpartum care. The low postpartum care attendance rate could be increased if health workers provided mother and child health care in an integrated way and were aware that recently delivered women also visit the hospital for reasons other than postpartum care. Health workers need to inform pregnant women about the benefits of postpartum care and make them feel welcome to attend this health service, also when women decide to deliver at home.
The Effect of tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy on neutrophil chemotaxis
Authors: Sennaroḡlu Levent , Önerci Metin , Hascelik GÜlsen 
Published: October 2006

AbstractAlthough tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy are common surgical procedures, the effects of these operations on the immune system have not been thoroughly determined. Our data on neutrophil chemotaxic functions in a group of 17 patients with chronic tonsillitis and adenoid hypertrophy show that chronic tonsillitis and adenoid hypertrophy impair neutrophil chemotaxic functions and that there is a subsequent normalization of these values following tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy.
Multidimensional Gas Chromatographic Determination of Paraffins, Olefins and Aromatics in Naphthas
Authors: Lo Coco Filippo , Gasparini Gianni , Lanuzza Francesco , Stani Gianluca , Adami Gianpiero 
Published: October 2006

AbstractIn order to cope with the increasing demand for gasoline and the need to reduce environmental impact for sustainable development, refineries have installed refining technology by introducing cracking, reforming, isomerization and alkylation. The standard EN 228: 2004 outlines the specification that gasoline, deriving from the blend of several fractions, must have for use in modern piston engines. Naphtha is one of the products from distilling crude oil that can be used as starting material in the reforming process whose derivatives, which are a fraction of gasoline, depend on the composition of the naphtha. Knowledge of the naphtha composition thus enables to provide the final composition of the products of reforming, the efficiency of the plant and also provides information about the crude oil used. In this paper some naphtha samples were analysed by multidimensional gas chromatography. This technique allows in a single analysis a good separation of the hydrocarbon types and within each hydrocarbon type a good carbon number separation.
Sediment Metal Contamination in a Creek Flowing from a Pristine to an Industrial Area of Trieste Province (Italy)
Authors: Adami Gianpiero , Capriglia Lorenzo , Barbieri Pierluigi , Cozzi Federico , Lo Coco Filippo , Acquavita Alessandro , Reisenhofer Edoardo 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe following metals: Al, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn were determined by inductively coupled plasma ‐ atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP‐AES) in fluvial sediments of Rosandra Creek, using two different, strong and mild sediment decomposition methods. The purpose was to obtain information about the contamination by metals and distribution paths of pollutants in the area crossed by Rosandra Creek: this little river is the unique epigeous watercourse in the Italian Karst and very few data can be found in literature. In this area, we can find a natural park, but also agricultural activities and an industrial district that was recently defined as “polluted site of national interest”. By comparing the results of the strong and mild extraction we have obtained the percentage of extraction and enrichment factors for each metal in the different sediments of the sites R2 and R3 exposed to pollution, while the site R1 was considered as a pristine one because situated in the natural park. The computed enrichment factors are generally not very high, but copper, lead and zinc have factors that require attention.The principal component analysis (PCA) shows that the typically anthropogenic metals (as Cr, Pb, Cu and Zn) constitute the first factor, while the lithogenic metals, as Fe and Ni, constitute the second one; moreover the score plots permit to classify and distinguish the 3 sites: site R3, possibly the more exposed to contamination, has high scores both for anthropogenic and lithogenic metals.