bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Trade negotiations make strange bedfellows
Authors: DIEGO-FERNÁNDEZ MATEO 
Published: April 2008

AbstractSince its creation, the GATT/WTO has experienced a vast number of changes, from being a small agreement with 23 contracting parties to becoming an international organization with 151 Members; from negotiations on a limited number of tariff reductions and general rules to embracing wider and more sensitive areas, such as agriculture, services, intellectual property and environment; and from a main-trading-powers' leadership to a wider participation and more balanced reflection of interests from both developed and developing countries alike. This article attempts to demonstrate the pragmatism of coalitions, as well as both the costs and benefits of creating or joining them in the current framework of negotiations in the Doha Round.
Defining Process Design Space for Biotech Products: Case Study of Pichia pastoris Fermentation
Authors: Harms Jean , Wang Xiangyang , Kim Tina , Yang Xiaoming , Rathore Anurag S. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractThe concept of “design space” has been proposed in the ICH Q8 guideline and is gaining momentum in its application in the biotech industry. It has been defined as “the multidimensional combination and interaction of input variables (e.g., material attributes) and process parameters that have been demonstrated to provide assurance of quality.” This paper presents a stepwise approach for defining process design space for a biologic product. A case study, involving P. pastoris fermentation, is presented to facilitate this. First, risk analysis via Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) is performed to identify parameters for process characterization. Second, small‐scale models are created and qualified prior to their use in these experimental studies. Third, studies are designed using Design of Experiments (DOE) in order for the data to be amenable for use in defining the process design space. Fourth, the studies are executed and the results analyzed for decisions on the criticality of the parameters as well as on establishing process design space. For the application under consideration, it is shown that the fermentation unit operation is very robust with a wide design space and no critical operating parameters. The approach presented here is not specific to the illustrated case study. It can be extended to other biotech unit operations and processes that can be scaled down and characterized at small scale.
Development of Hydrogel‐Based Keratoprostheses: A Materials Perspective
Authors: Myung David , Duhamel Pierre‐Emile , Cochran Jennifer R. , Noolandi Jaan , Ta Christopher N. , Frank Curtis W. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractResearch and development of artificial corneas (keratoprostheses) in recent years have evolved from the use of rigid hydrophobic materials such as plastics and rubbers to hydrophilic, water‐swollen hydrogels engineered to support not only peripheral tissue integration but also glucose diffusion and surface epithelialization. The advent of the AlphaCor core‐and‐skirt hydrogel keratoprosthesis has paved the way for a host of new approaches based on hydrogels and other soft materials that encompass a variety of materials preparation strategies, from synthetic homopolymers and copolymers to collagen‐based bio‐copolymers and, finally, interpenetrating polymer networks. Each approach represents a unique strategy toward the same goal: to develop a new hydrogel that mimics the important properties of natural donor corneas. We provide a critical review of these approaches from a materials perspective and discuss recent experimental results. While formidable technical hurdles still need to be overcome, the rapid progress that has been made by investigators with these approaches is indicative that a synthetic donor cornea capable of surface epithelialization is now closer to becoming a clinical reality.
Resistin Gene Expression in Human Adipocytes Is Not Related to Insulin Resistance
Authors: Janke Jürgen , Engeli Stefan , Gorzelniak Kerstin , Luft Friedrich C. , Sharma Arya M. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractObjectives: Obesity is an important risk factor for the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Recently, a newly described circulating hormone resistin, which is expressed primarily in adipocytes, has been shown to antagonize insulin action in mice. Resistin, therefore, has been suggested to play a role in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance.Research Methods and Procedures: We studied the expression of the resistin gene in primary cultured human adipocytes and preadipocytes. We also examined resistin gene expression in subcutaneous abdominal adipocytes in women (n = 24) over a wide range of body weight and insulin sensitivity.Results: Whereas resistin gene expression was barely detectable in mature adipocytes, it was highly expressed in preadipocytes. Adipogenic differentiation of preadipocytes was associated with a time‐dependent down‐regulation of resistin gene expression. There was no relationship between body weight, insulin sensitivity, or other metabolic parameters and adipocyte resistin gene expression in the clinical study.Discussion: Together these findings do not support an important role of adipose‐tissue resistin gene expression in human insulin resistance.
Health‐Related Quality of Life Varies among Obese Subgroups
Authors: Kolotkin Ronette L. , Crosby Ross D. , Williams G. Rhys 
Published: April 2008

AbstractObjective: To compare the health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) of overweight/obese individuals from different subgroups that vary in treatment‐seeking status and treatment intensity.Research Methods and Procedures: Participants were from five distinct groups, representing a continuum of treatment intensity: overweight/obese community volunteers who were not enrolled in weight‐loss treatment, clinical trial participants, outpatient weight‐loss program/studies participants, participants in a day treatment program for obesity, and gastric bypass patients. The sample was large (n = 3353), geographically diverse (subjects were from 13 different states in the U.S.), and demographically diverse (age range, 18 to 90 years; at least 14% African Americans; 32.6% men). An obesity‐specific instrument, the Impact of Weight on Quality of Life‐Lite questionnaire, was used to assess health‐related quality of life (HRQOL).Results: Results indicated that obesity‐specific HRQOL was significantly more impaired in the treatment‐seeking groups than in the nontreatment‐seeking group across comparable gender and body mass index (BMI) categories. Within the treatment groups, HRQOL varied by treatment intensity. Gastric bypass patients had the most impairment, followed by day treatment patients, followed by participants in outpatient weight‐loss programs/studies, followed by participants in clinical trials. Obesity‐specific HRQOL was more impaired for those with higher BMIs, whites, and women in certain treatment groups.Discussion: There are differences in HRQOL across subgroups of overweight/obese individuals that vary by treatment‐seeking status, treatment modality, gender, race, and BMI.
Influence of Excess Fat on Cardiac Morphology and Function: Study in Uncomplicated Obesity
Authors: Iacobellis Gianluca , Ribaudo Maria Cristina , Leto Gaetano , Zappaterreno Alessandra , Vecci Elio , Di Mario Umberto , Leonetti Frida 
Published: April 2008

AbstractObjective: To evaluate whether or not “uncomplicated” obesity (without associated comorbidities) is really associated with cardiac abnormalities.Research Methods and Procedures: We evaluated cardiac parameters in obese subjects with long‐term obesity, normal glucose tolerance, normal blood pressure, and regular plasma lipids. We selected 75 obese patients [body mass index (BMI) >30 kg/m2], who included 58 women and 17 men (mean age, 33.7 ± 11.9 years; BMI, 37.8 ± 5.5 kg/m2) with a ≥10‐year history of excess fat, and 60 age‐matched normal‐weight controls, who included 47 women and 13 men (mean age, 32.7 ± 10.4 years; BMI, 23.1 ± 1.4 kg/m2). Each subject underwent an oral glucose tolerance test to exclude impaired glucose tolerance or diabetes mellitus, bioelectrical impedance analysis to calculate fat mass and fat‐free mass, and echocardiography.Results: Obese patients presented diastolic function impairment, hyperkinetic systole, and greater aortic root and left atrium compared with normal subjects. No statistically significant differences between obese subjects and normal subjects were found in indexed left ventricular mass (LVM/body surface area, LVM/height2.7, and LVM/fat‐free masskg), and no changes in left ventricular geometry were observed. No statistically significant differences in cardiac parameters between extreme (BMI > 40 kg/m2) and mild obesity (BMI < 35 kg/m2) were observed.Discussion: In conclusion, our data showed that obesity, in the absence of glucose intolerance, hypertension, and dyslipidemia, seems to be associated only with an impairment of diastolic function and hyperkinetic systole, and not with left ventricular hypertrophy.
Role of Ghrelin Polymorphisms in Obesity Based on Three Different Studies
Authors: Ukkola Olavi , Ravussin Eric , Jacobson Peter , Pérusse Louis , Rankinen Tuomo , Tschöp Matthias , Heiman Mark L. , Leon Arthur S. , Rao D.C. , Skinner James S. , Wilmore Jack H. , Sjöström Lars , Bouchard Claude 
Published: April 2008

AbstractObjective: Associations between preproghrelin DNA variants and obesity‐related phenotypes were studied in 3004 subjects from the Québec Family Study (QFS), the HERITAGE Family Study (HERITAGE), and the Swedish Obese Subjects (SOS) Study.Research Methods and Procedures: Body mass index (BMI), fat mass (FM) from underwater weighing, and abdominal fat from computerized tomography were measured. The ghrelin polymorphisms were identified by polymerase chain reaction.Results: Arg51Gln QFS subjects (n = 6) had lower ghrelin concentrations (p = 0.007) than Arg51Arg subjects (n = 14). White preproghrelin Met72Met subjects in HERITAGE had the lowest BMI (p = 0.020), and those in the QFS cohort had the lowest FM (p < 0.001). Met72 carrier status (Met72+) was associated with lower FM (p = 0.026) and higher insulin‐like growth factor‐1 levels (p = 0.019) among blacks. Met72Met QFS subjects had less visceral fat (p = 0.002) and a lower fasting respiratory quotient (p = 0.037). HERITAGE Met72+ white subjects also showed lower exercise respiratory quotient (p = 0.030) and higher maximal oxygen uptake (p = 0.023). Furthermore, the prevalence of Met72+ was higher (19.2%; p < 0.05) in SOS subjects whose BMI was ≤25 kg/m2 than in those with BMI >25 kg/m2 (14.8%). SOS Met72+ obese women had a lower (11.4%; p = 0.032) prevalence of hypertension than noncarriers (23.9%).Discussion: Arg51Gln mutation was associated with lower plasma ghrelin levels but not with obesity. The preproghrelin Met72 carrier status seems to be protective against fat accumulation and associated metabolic comorbidities.
Assessing the Validity of Body Mass Index Standards in Early Postmenopausal Women
Authors: Blew Robert M. , Sardinha Luis B. , Milliken Laura A. , Teixeira Pedro J. , Going Scott B. , Ferreira Dawna L. , Harris Margaret M. , Houtkooper Linda B. , Lohman Timothy G. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractObjective: To examine the relationship between percentage of total body fat (%Fat) and body mass index (BMI) in early postmenopausal women and to evaluate the validity of the BMI standards for obesity established by the NIH.Research Methods and Procedures: Three hundred seventeen healthy, sedentary, postmenopausal women (ages, 40 to 66 years; BMI, 18 to 35 kg/m2; 3 to 10 years postmenopausal) participated in the study. Height, weight, BMI, and %Fat, as assessed by DXA, were measured. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was performed to evaluate the ability of BMI to discriminate obesity from non‐obesity using 38%Fat as the criterion value.Results: A moderately high relationship was observed between BMI and %Fat (r = 0.81; y = 1.41x + 2.65) with a SE of estimate of 3.9%. Eighty‐one percent of other studies examined fell within 1 SE of estimate as derived from our study. Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that BMI is a good diagnostic test for obesity. The cutoff for BMI corresponding to the criterion value of 38%Fat that maximized the sum of the sensitivity and specificity was 24.9 kg/m2. The true‐positive (sensitivity) and false‐positive (1 − specificity) rates were 84.4% and 14.6%, respectively. The area under the curve estimate for BMI was 0.914.Discussion: There is a strong association between %Fat and BMI in postmenopausal women. Current NIH BMI‐based classifications for obesity may be misleading based on currently proposed %Fat standards. BMI >25 kg/m2 rather than BMI >30 kg/m2 may be superior for diagnosing obesity in postmenopausal women.
Cross‐Sectional and Longitudinal Associations between Body Mass Index and Marriage‐Related Factors
Authors: Jeffery Robert W. , Rick Allison M. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractObjective: To assess the relationship between marriage and obesity.Research Methods and Procedures: Cross‐sectional and longitudinal associations were examined between participant body mass index (BMI), spouse BMI, and participant diet and exercise habits.Results: Spouse and participant BMI and BMI changes over 2 years were significantly associated. Participant BMI was associated with higher consumption of calorie‐dense foods and lower frequency of physical activity. Participants’ eating and exercise habits were only weakly related to spouse BMI. BMI did not predict the likelihood of marriage or divorce. However, marriage was associated with a significant 2‐year weight gain and divorce with a significant 2‐year weight loss.Discussion: The results suggest that spouse similarity in BMI is at least partly due to shared environment. The observed effects of marriage and divorce on weight may be due to the influence of marriage on inducements to eat (e.g., shared meals) or on motivation for weight control.
Use of the Health and Activities Limitation Index as a Measure of Quality of Life in Obesity
Authors: Livingston Edward H. , Ko Clifford Y. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractObjective:Obesity reduces the quality of life (QOL); however, quantification of obesity's impact on QOL is cumbersome. Utility indices reduce QOL measurements to a single numerical value that can be used in the calculation of Quality‐Adjusted Life‐Years and the cost effectiveness for obesity treatment. The purpose of this investigation is to assess the sensitivity of the Health and Activities Limitation Index (HALex) utility index to obesity.Research Methods and Procedures:The answers to five questions regarding an individual's self‐perception of his or her health status and information about limitation in daily and work activities were collected from 32,440 adults in the 1998 National Health Information Survey. Answers to the questions were scored and converted to a utility index score ranging from 0 (near‐death state) to 1 (perfect health) with no limitations. Average values for indices corresponding to differing body mass indices were obtained and significance determined by ANOVA.Results:The utility index for normal weight males and females was 0.86 ± 0.19 and fell to 0.68 ± 0.27 for superobese males and 0.60 ± 0.28 in superobese females. Utility indices fell linearly with increasing body mass index and were lower for respondents having obesity‐related comorbid conditions known to reduce the quality of life.Discussion:There is a statistically significant decrease in the QOL with increasing obesity, slightly worse for women compared with men. The Health and Activities Limitation Index can quantitate the effect obesity and its complications have on quality of life.
Assessment of Childhood Obesity: National Reference Data or International Approach?
Authors: Reilly John J. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractAssessing body mass index in children requires cutoffs that are different from those for adults. The aim of this review is to summarize the evidence base, rationale, and practical issues that should inform decisions about the use of national and international reference data for assessing obesity in children. In many countries, decisions are being made without consideration of the existing evidence, and with limited understanding of the practical problems or potential harm that may arise.
Visceral Adipose Tissue in Women: Longitudinal Study of the Effects of Fat Gain, Time, and Race
Authors: Lara‐Castro Cristina , Weinsier Roland L. , Hunter Gary R. , Desmond Renée 
Published: April 2008

AbstractObjective: To determine the effects of fat gain, time, and race on the accumulation of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) in a group of normal‐weight premenopausal women.Research Methods and Procedures: Sixty‐five women participated in the study (32 African American and 33 white). The mean age of subjects was 34 ± 6 years (range, 22 to 47 years). Eligible subjects were women who had body mass indices <25 kg/m2 at baseline and who had completed evaluations at baseline and at follow‐up year 1, without intervention. A subset of subjects was reevaluated annually for up to 4 years. Body composition was assessed by DXA, and VAT was determined from a single computed tomography scan. A linear mixed model was used to examine changes in VAT over time, with total body fat as a covariateResults: Total fat mass was not significantly different between races at baseline and increased significantly in both groups over time (p < 0.001). Time‐related increases in total body fat were greater in African‐American women (p < 0.01). VAT was significantly higher in white women at baseline (p < 0.01) and increased significantly over time in both races (p < 0.01), but remained higher in white women (p < 0.001). Increases in VAT, relative to total body fat, were greater than the increases in total body fat over time, independent of age and race (p < 0.001).Discussion: Gaining total body‐fat mass results in a higher increase in VAT, relative to total body fat, regardless of race and age, although African‐American women maintain a lower VAT levels across time.
Regional Subcutaneous‐Fat Loss Induced by Caloric Restriction in Obese Women
Authors: Wang Jack , Laferrère Blandine , Thornton John C. , Pierson Richard N. , Pi‐Sunyer F. Xavier 
Published: April 2008

AbstractObjective: With anthropometric models using skinfolds and circumferences, we studied changes in the percentage of subcutaneous fat in the total cross‐sectional area (SF%) at four body sites in obese women, before and after weight loss induced by 6 months of caloric restriction.Research Methods and Procedures: In 61 obese women [31 African Americans and 30 whites; ages, 24 to 68 years; body mass index (BMI), ≥28kg/m2], we measured SF% at the midpoint of the upper arm and thigh and the waistline and hipline, and we measured the percentage of total body fat by DXA before (Obs#1) and after (Obs#2) a 6‐month nonintervention control period and then after 6 months on a 1200 kcal/d diet (Obs#3).Results: The mean body weight and BMI increased (1.8 kg and 0.61 kg/m2; p = 0.0001), but there were no significant changes in any other body composition measurements from Obs#1 to Obs#2. The means of Obs#3 for weight and BMI decreased by 11%, and the percentage of total body fat decreased by 13% of Obs#2 mean values (p = 0.0001). The mean SF% at each site decreased 7.6% to 18.0% of the Obs#2 mean values (p < 0.001). The SF% decreases were greater at mid‐arm and mid‐thigh than in the cross‐sectional regions at the waistline and hipline (p = 0.05). There was no interaction between age or ethnicity (p > 0.2).Conclusions: In obese women, caloric restriction alone reduces anthropometrically measured subcutaneous fat proportionally more in peripheral than in central regions.
Impact of Weight‐Cycling History on Bone Density in Obese Women
Authors: Gallagher Kara I. , Jakicic John M. , Kiel Douglas P. , Page Marie L. , Ferguson Erica S. , Marcus Bess H. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractObjective: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of weight cycling (as defined by the frequency and magnitude of intentional weight loss) on bone mineral density and bone mineral content in obese sedentary women.Research Methods and Procedures: Bone mineral content and density measured by DXA, submaximal physical fitness assessment, nutrient intake, oral contraceptive use, and weight‐cycling history were assessed in 195 healthy, overweight sedentary women (age, 21 to 45 years; body mass index, 27 to 40 kg/m2) before beginning a behavioral weight‐loss intervention.Results: After controlling for body weight, multivitamin use, oral contraceptive/estrogen use, and calcium and magnesium intake, women who had a history of weight cycling did not have significantly lower total‐body bone mineral content or density or total femur bone mineral density. In addition, 99% of subjects were above or within one SD of age and gender normative data for total femur bone mineral density.Discussion: It does not seem that a history of weight cycling has an adverse affect on total femur and total‐body bone mineral density in overweight sedentary premenopausal women.
An Observational Study of Slimming Behavior in Denmark in 1992 and 1998
Authors: Bendixen Hanne , Madsen Jesper , Bay‐Hansen Dorthe , Boesen Ulrik , Ovesen Lars F. , Bartels Else Marie , Astrup Arne 
Published: April 2008

AbstractObjective: To elucidate how frequent weight‐loss attempts are made, the methods used to achieve weight loss, and the extent to which the outcome is positive.Research Methods and Procedures: Two independent interviews were conducted in 1992 and in 1998, each with 1200 randomly selected adult subjects. Each survey was designed to ensure an equal distribution of age, gender, and geographical regions in Denmark.Results: The proportion of subjects having attempted weight loss did not change from 1992 to 1998, although the prevalence of overweight and obesity increased from 1992 (overweight, 30%; obesity, 6%) to 1998 (overweight, 35%; obesity, 8%). Almost twice as many women (61%) than men (32%) had attempted weight loss (p < 0.0001). Slimming occurred more often in subjects <50 years (51%) than >50 years (39%) (p < 0.0001), although overweight and obesity were more frequent in the elderly. Over‐the‐counter diet pills or meal replacements were associated with a negative outcome of slimming treatment (p < 0.0001).Discussion: Approximately half of all adult Danes have attempted weight loss, particularly women and individuals <50 years. This finding is inconsistent with the fact that overweight and obesity are more prevalent in men and in individuals >50 years. Changes in habitual diet and increased physical activity are the most prevalent modes of slimming, whereas the use of over‐the‐counter diet pills or meal replacements has decreased from 1992 to 1998. This development may have a positive impact on future body‐ weight‐management strategies.