bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Thrombolytic therapy for acute ischaemic stroke: successful implementation in an Australian tertiary hospital
Authors: Bray J. E. , Coughlan K. , Bladin C. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractBackground: The use of tissue‐type plasminogen activator (t‐PA) in ischaemic stroke outside of experienced stroke centres remains controversial. The aim of this study was to present the initial experience with t‐PA in patients with ischaemic stroke at an institution with no prior experience in i.v. stroke thrombolysis and to compare results to published reports.Methods: Prospective audit of 888 patients with consecutive stroke and transient ischaemic attack admitted to a 426‐bed tertiary referral hospital from March 2003 to October 2005. Main outcome measures were treatment rate, exclusion criteria, protocol violations, intracerebral haemorrhage, disability (modified Rankin scale) and mortality at 3 months.Results: Over the study period, 72 patients received t‐PA (11% of ischaemic strokes). The main reason for exclusion was presentation beyond 3 h of onset (44%); if all eligible patients had arrived within 3 h, treatment rate was estimated at 32.5%. Protocol violations occurred in 15 (21%) patients. There were seven (10%) asymptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage and one (1%) non‐fatal symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage. At 3 months, 37% had achieved excellent recovery (modified Rankin scale 0–1) and seven (10%) had died. The delivery and outcomes associated with the use of t‐PA were comparable to the results of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke trial and meta‐analysis of open‐labelled studies.Conclusion: With appropriate infrastructure and protocols, previously inexperienced tertiary referral centres can replicate the experience and outcome measures reported by clinical trials of t‐PA in patients with stroke.
Cancer diagnosis and treatment in the Northern Territory: assessing health service performance for indigenous Australians
Authors: Condon J. R. , Cunningham J. , Barnes T. , Armstrong B. K. , Selva‐Nayagam S. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractBackground: Indigenous Australians with cancer are diagnosed with more advanced disease and have lower survival than other Australians.Aim: To investigate reasons for these differences.Methods: Retrospective cohort study of 1197 indigenous and nonindigenous people in the Northern Territory diagnosed with cancers of the colon and rectum, lung, breast, cervix and non‐Hodgkin lymphoma between 1991 and 2000. Outcome measures were stage at diagnosis and relative risk of cancer death.Results: Indigenous people compared with nonindigenous people had higher relative odds of advanced stage of cancer at diagnosis (relative odds 1.9, 95% CI 1.3–2.7) for four cancers but lower relative odds for lung cancer (relative odds 0.3, 95% CI 0.2–0.5). None of the potentially contributing factors examined could explain this difference. Risk of cancer death (adjusted for cancer type and age and stage at diagnosis) was higher in indigenous than in nonindigenous people (relative risk 1.7, 95% CI 1.4–2.1). This difference, however, was confined to indigenous people with an indigenous first language (relative risk 2.9, 95% CI 2.2–3.8). Adjustment for cancer treatment variables further reduced but did not eliminate this higher risk of death.Conclusion: Although more advanced stage at diagnosis appeared to be a sufficient explanation for poorer cancer outcome in indigenous people whose first language was English, poorer treatment also contributed to, but was still not sufficient to explain, poorer outcome in those who had an indigenous first language. Other factors, possibly including communication difficulties, knowledge of and attitudes to cancer symptoms and treatment and social and cultural ‘distance’ from mainstream health services, may also be involved.
Scleroderma: it has been a long hard journey
Authors: Roberts‐Thomson P. J. , Walker J. G. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractProgress in the understanding of the aetiopathogenesis of scleroderma (systemic sclerosis) has been painfully slow and this has greatly impeded the application of specific disease modifying treatments. This article provides a brief historical overview of scleroderma (including the important Australian contribution of Dr Alfred Barnett and colleagues – see accompanying article in this issue on pages 513–18), highlights some recent pathogenic developments and summarises some exciting new therapies. Cautious optimism can now be offered to scleroderma sufferers.
Comparison of Australian and international guidelines for grading severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Authors: Kyoong A. , Mol S. , Guy P. , Finlay P. , Strauss B. J. , Holmes P. , Bardin P. G. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractAim: To compare grading of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) using Australian guidelines Confirm diagnosis, Optimize function, Prevent deterioration, Develop a self‐management plan and manage eXacerbations (COPD‐X) versus Global initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) guidelines and to assess whether this is associated with differences in other health domains affected by COPD.Methods: Adult outpatients (n = 61) with COPD were studied using lung function measurements, six‐minute walk test and body composition assessments. Subjects also completed self‐rated dyspnoea scores and health‐related quality‐of‐life scales. For each patient, COPD severity was graded using both COPD‐X and GOLD guidelines, and results were collectively analysed. If significant discrepancies were observed, comparisons of other health domains were carried out.Results: After grading severity using COPD‐X and GOLD guidelines, significant discrepancies were noted. Of nine subjects with no disease (normal) based on COPD‐X, seven were judged to be ‘mild’ according to GOLD. Similarly, 11 of 12 patients with mild disease (COPD‐X) had ‘moderate’ disease judged by GOLD, and 9 of 23 with moderate severity (COPD‐X) had ‘severe’ COPD using GOLD. Finally, 6 of 17 patients with COPD‐X‐rated severe disease had ‘very severe’ disease using the GOLD criteria. Among patients with COPD‐X severe disease, those with GOLD discordant (very severe) severity had a poorer quality of life compared with those with GOLD concordant (severe) severity (P = 0.006). Similarly, there was also a trend towards lower six‐minute walk test distance and greater subjective dyspnoea in GOLD very severe patients compared with GOLD severe patients.Conclusion: Significant discrepancies in grading of severity exist between Australian and international COPD guidelines. Current Australian guidelines for severity grading may not fully reflect the effect COPD has on other key domains of health.
AUTHOR, CONTRIBUTOR OR JUST A SIGNER? A QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF AUTHORSHIP TRENDS IN THE FIELD OF BIOETHICS
Authors: BORRY PASCAL , SCHOTSMANS PAUL , DIERICKX KRIS 
Published: July 2006

ABSTRACTPublications are primarily a means of communicating scientific information to colleagues, but they are much more than that. Publications in peer reviewed journals are proof of academic competence, are used as a crucial component in evaluation criteria for academic promotion and fundraising and increase the prestige of research centres and universities. The urgent need for publications has also led to abuses in authorship. In the past the single‐author article was the rule, but over the past decades, the average number of authors on scientific manuscripts has drastically increased. In the field of bioethics, however, no research has been undertaken to study whether the percentage of single‐author articles is decreasing, the proportion of multi‐author articles is increasing or the average number of authors per article is increasing. The objective of this research is to analyze these trends in authorship for the period 1990–2003 in peer reviewed journals in the field of bioethics. In the nine peer reviewed journals from the field of bioethics we studied, we observed a significant increase of the multi‐author article and of the average number of authors. This is mainly due to the increase in the number of publications with an empirical design. This growing trend is a challenge for the editors of journals in the field of bioethics to enhance awareness about the value and definition of authorship.
Perl and Python codes to estimate Hardy–Weinberg‐ and linkage‐disequilibrium‐related parameters
Authors: SAMBATTI JULIANNO B. M. , SICKLER BRAD 
Published: July 2006

AbstractWe have developed two pieces of Perl and Python codes to calculate the natural log of lambda, a quantity that expresses deviations from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium, and R, a weighted correlation coefficient between alleles of locus pairs as a quantity that expresses linkage disequilibrium. These quantities can be used in an estimation approach as tools to facilitate the characterization and the comparison of populations.
Limited cross‐species microsatellite amplification and the isolation and characterization of new microsatellite markers for the greater stick‐nest rat (Leporillus conditor)
Authors: BARCLAY S. D. , COSTELLO B. , SHERWIN W. B. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe greater stick‐nest rat (Leporillus conditor) is a conilurid rodent whose recent history provides an opportunity to examine genetic changes in reintroduced populations. We trialled 63 known microsatellite primers from Rattus rattus and Mus musculus in L. conditor. Three primer pairs produced polymorphic loci (number of alleles = 2–3, mean, HE = 0.42). Subsequently, we isolated and characterized 12 novel polymorphic microsatellites (mean number of alleles = 5–16, mean HE = 0.76) from L. conditor from genomic libraries for use in population genetic studies.
Microsatellites loci isolated in the freshwater fish Brycon hilarii
Authors: SANCHES ALEXANDRA , GALETTI PEDRO MANOEL 
Published: July 2006

AbstractWe describe seven microsatellite loci, including tetra‐, tri‐ and dinucleotides, isolated from Brycon hilarii, which is a migratory fish inhabiting the Paraguay River basin (Brazil) and is highly valued for its meat quality. Three to eight alleles per locus were detected and the expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.31 to 0.81. Positive results were obtained with cross‐amplification in five other species of Brycon. These microsatellites provide a potential tool for wild population and aquaculture studies of B. hilarii and other species of the genus.
An inexpensive, automation‐friendly protocol for recovering high‐quality DNA
Authors: IVANOVA NATALIA V. , DEWAARD JEREMY R. , HEBERT PAUL D. N. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractAlthough commercial kits are available for automated DNA extraction, ‘artisanal’ protocols are not. In this study, we present a silica‐based method that is sensitive, inexpensive and compliant with automation. The effectiveness of this protocol has now been tested on more than 5000 animal specimens with highly positive results.
dbEST‐derived microsatellite markers in celery (Apium graveolens L. var. dulce)
Authors: ACQUADRO A. , MAGURNO F. , PORTIS E. , LANTERI S. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractWe report on the development of 11 (from database expressed sequence tags) dbEST‐derived microsatellite markers in celery (Apium graveolens L. var. dulce). The sequences were obtained from DNA accessions available from GenBank and contained di‐, tri‐ and pentanucleotidic motifs. All the microsatellites were found in expressed sequence tags and they are expected to become useful tools for ecological, genetic and evolutionary studies, as well as for celery breeding. Polymorphism was explored in 16 celery commercial varieties, and marker transferability was tested on three accessions of celeriac (A. graveolens var. rapaceum). Primers and PCR conditions for microsatellite amplification are reported.
Hepcidin Is Down‐regulated in Alcoholic Liver Injury: Implications for the Pathogenesis of Alcoholic Liver Disease
Authors: Bridle Kim R. , Cheung Ting‐Kin , Murphy Therese L. , Walters Margaret M. , Anderson Gregory J. , Crawford Darrell H. G. , Fletcher Linda M. 
Published: July 2006

Background:Alcoholic liver disease is known to be associated with abnormal iron homeostasis, and iron metabolism itself is regulated by the liver‐derived peptide hepcidin. Both CCAAT enhancer binding protein alpha (C/EBPα) and interleukin 6 (IL‐6) have been shown to regulate hepcidin gene transcription.Aim:To investigate mechanisms underlying alcohol‐induced disturbances in iron homeostasis by measuring the expression of hepcidin and C/EBPαmRNA using in vivo and in vitro models of alcoholic liver injury.Methods:Male rats were pair‐fed an alcoholic liquid diet for 12 weeks. RT‐PCR was performed on liver tissue using specific primers for hepcidin and C/EBPα. The effect of alcohol on hepcidin and C/EBPαgene expression was also determined in isolated hepatocytes, HuH‐7 cells and HepG2 cells treated with 50 mM ethanol, 200 μM acetaldehyde, and/or 20 ng/ml IL‐6.Results:Hepcidin and C/EBPαmRNA expression were significantly decreased in alcohol‐fed rats compared with pair‐fed controls (6‐foldp<0.001 and 2.2‐foldp<0.0002 reduction, respectively) and hepatic lipid peroxidation was increased by 32.5% (p<0.05) in alcohol‐fed rats compared with controls. Hepcidin gene expression was not altered significantly in cells cultured in the presence of 50 mM ethanol. Following 24 hour stimulation by IL‐6, there was a 4‐fold increase in hepcidin expression in hepatocytes and a 9‐fold increase in HuH‐7 cells. Ethanol (50 mM) attenuated the IL‐6‐induced increase in hepcidin expression in HuH‐7 cells (9‐fold to a 4‐fold increase) but not in hepatocytes. Acetaldehyde had no effect on hepcidin gene expression in cells in culture.Conclusion:The down‐regulation of hepcidin and C/EBPαgene expression shown in vivo implies disturbed iron sensing contributing to the hepatosiderosis seen in alcoholic liver disease, possibly by mechanisms involving the IL‐6 signaling cascade.
Acute Ethanol Treatment Modulates Toll‐like Receptor‐4 Association with Lipid Rafts
Authors: Dolganiuc Angela , Bakis Genadyi , Kodys Karen , Mandrekar Pranoti , Szabo Gyongyi 
Published: July 2006

Background: Alcohol, a substance that is most frequently abused, suppresses innate immune responses to microbial pathogens. The host senses pathogens via Toll‐like receptors (TLRs). Recent studies indicate that alcohol affects TLR signaling.Methods: Here, we hypothesized that acute alcohol treatment may interfere with early steps of membrane‐associated TLR2 and TLR4 signaling at the level of lipid rafts. Human monocytes and Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, transfected with human TLR2, TLR4, or CD14, were stimulated with peptidoglycan (PGN, TLR2 ligand) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS, TLR4 ligand) with or without alcohol (50 mM) and analyzed for cytokine production (enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay), nuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB) activation (electrophoretic mobility shift assay), membrane fluidity (fluorescent pyrene eximer formation), and partition of cellular membrane into cholesterol‐rich, detergent‐resistant domains (DRMs; Western blot).Results: We determined that both TLR2 and TLR4 were located outside the rafts; flotillin, a DRM marker, was resident in the rafts, while CD14 was equally distributed in and outside the rafts in a steady‐state condition. PGN forced TLR2 to migrate into DRMs. Engagement of TLR4 and CD14 with LPS induced their migration into the rafts. Alcohol prevented TLR4 partitioning; however, it did not affect TLR2 migration into the rafts. Furthermore, alcohol downregulated TLR4‐induced, but not TLR2‐induced, NF‐κB activation and cytokine production in monocytes. We found that alcohol increased membrane fluidity and depleted cellular cholesterol in CHO cells without affecting cell viability.Conclusions: These data demonstrate for the first time that alcohol disturbs TLR4 and CD14 association with lipid rafts. We propose that alcohol‐induced effects on lipid rafts may contribute to modulation of TLR4‐CD14–triggered early cellular responses.
Developmental Differences in the Sensitivity of Spontaneous and Miniature IPSCs to Ethanol
Authors: Li Qiang , Wilson Wilkie A. , Swartzwelder H. S. 
Published: July 2006

Background: Ethanol (EtOH) consumption by juveniles and adolescents is an important public health problem. Recent studies have indicated that adolescent animals are less sedated by EtOH than adult animals and experience less motor impairment. Thus, human adolescents may be able to consume more EtOH prior to sedation, putting them at greater risk for EtOH addiction and other negative consequences of EtOH use. However, the mechanisms underlying this developmental difference are unknown. One contributing factor may be gamma‐aminobutyric acid‐A (GABAA) receptor–mediated inhibition, which is known to produce sedation. We have shown that evoked, GABAA receptor–mediated inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) are less powerfully enhanced by EtOH in neurons from juvenile or adolescent animals than in those from adult animals; however, the mechanisms of this developmental difference in sensitivity are unknown.Methods: Using whole‐cell recording, we tested the response of spontaneous and miniature GABAA receptor‐mediated IPSCs (sIPSCs and mIPSCs) to EtOH in rat hippocampal slices from animals representing two distinct developmental stages: adolescent and adult.Results: We found significantly greater EtOH‐induced enhancement of the frequency of sIPSCs in cells from adult animals compared to those from adolescent animals. Although EtOH also increased the frequency of mIPSCs, this effect was not age dependent. EtOH did not significantly affect the kinetics of mIPSCs.Conclusions: We conclude that the sensitivity of GABAA receptor‐mediated inhibitory processes to EtOH increases with development from the adolescent period to adulthood, and that this is likely mediated by developmental changes in the effect of EtOH on interneuron excitation.
Prenatal Ethanol Exposure Increases Ethanol Reinforcement in Neonatal Rats
Authors: Nizhnikov Michael E. , Molina Juan Carlos , Varlinskaya Elena I. , Spear Norman E. 
Published: July 2006

Background: Recent experimental findings indicate that newborn rats are quite susceptible to the reinforcing properties of ethanol (EtOH). The basis seems to be more pharmacological than gustatory, olfactory, or caloric as a single pairing of a surrogate nipple providing water with an intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of EtOH results in conditioned attachment to an empty surrogate nipple. The present study tested whether prenatal exposure to moderate EtOH during late gestation would alter the neonatal rat's susceptibility to this source of EtOH reinforcement and/or EtOH metabolism.Methods: Pregnant females were given 1 g/kg EtOH or water intragastrically on gestational days (GD) 17 to 20 or were untreated. Rat pups delivered by cesarean section on GD 21 were exposed 3 to 4 hours later to a surrogate nipple providing water, either immediately following or 10 minutes before an i.p. injection of 0.0 (saline), 0.25, 0.5, or 0.75 g/kg EtOH (12.6%, v/v). Ethanol reinforcement was indicated by a significant increase in time attached to an empty surrogate nipple compared with unpaired and saline controls. Testing was conducted 90 minutes after conditioning took place. Blood ethanol levels (BELs) were also taken from subjects injected with identical doses of i.p. EtOH at 5 or 95 minutes after injection.Results: Initial response to a surrogate nipple with water did not differ between groups. For neonates prenatally exposed to EtOH, significant reinforcement by all 3 doses of i.p. EtOH (0.25, 0.5, and 0.75) was found, whereas only the dose of 0.5 g/kg EtOH was reinforcing for neonates in the prenatal water condition and only 0.25 g/kg was reinforcing for pups from untreated dams. Blood ethanol levels after conditioning also differed as a function of prenatal treatment.Conclusions: These results suggest that prenatal EtOH exposure increases the range of EtOH doses capable of reinforcing effects. Intubations with water, however, eliminated the reinforcing strength of the lowest dose (0.25 g/kg) and shifted the dose–response curve to the right. This effect may be due to the stress of the intubation procedure. Ethanol metabolism was also affected by prenatal EtOH exposure. Pups derived from EtOH‐treated dams had slower elimination of EtOH from the blood than all other groups at both the 0.5 and 0.75 g/kg i.p. doses.
Follow‐up of 180 Alcoholic Patients for up to 7 Years After Outpatient Treatment: Impact of Alcohol Deterrents on Outcome
Authors: Krampe Henning , Stawicki Sabina , Wagner Thilo , Bartels Claudia , Aust Carlotta , Rüther Eckart , Poser Wolfgang , Ehrenreich Hannelore 
Published: July 2006

Objective: (1) To perform a 9‐year study of abstinence, lapse, and relapse in 180 chronic alcoholic patients, participants of the Outpatient Longterm Intensive Therapy for Alcoholics (OLITA); (2) To investigate the role of supervised alcohol deterrents (AD) in relapse prevention and as an adjunct for maintenance of long‐term abstinence.Method: This prospective open treatment study evaluates the long‐term course of drinking outcomes and AD use of 180 chronic alcoholics consecutively admitted from 1993 to 2002. Subsamples are compared for (1) sham‐AD versus verum‐AD (disulfiram/calcium carbimide), (2) coped lapses versus finally detrimental lapses versus malignant relapses, and (3) AD use for 13 to 20 versus >20 months.Results: In this 9‐year study, the cumulative probability of not having relapsed was 0.52, and that of not having consumed any alcohol was 0.26. Despite long‐term use, disulfiram/calcium carbimide was well tolerated. Patients on sham‐AD (due to contraindications to verum‐AD) showed higher cumulative abstinence probability than patients on verum (S=0.86 vs. S=0.49, p=0.03). Detrimental lapses and malignant relapses occurred earlier than successfully coped lapses (p<0.001); patients with detrimental lapse and with malignant relapse had fewer days of AD intake and less subsequent days without AD than patients with coped lapse (p<0.001). The cumulative abstinence probability was S=0.75 for patients with long‐term intake compared with S=0.50 for patients who stopped AD between months 13 and 20 (p<0.001).Conclusions: An abstinence rate of >50% in this 9‐year study strongly supports the concept of comprehensive, long‐term outpatient treatment of alcoholics. Supervised, guided intake of AD, also over extended periods, can be used as a predominantly psychologically acting ingredient of successful alcoholism therapy.