bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Gene therapy by electroporation for the treatment of chronic renal failure in companion animals
Authors: Brown Patricia A , Bodles-Brakhop Angela M , Pope Melissa A , Draghia-Akli Ruxandra 
Published: January 2009

Abstract

Background
Growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) plasmid-based therapy for the treatment of chronic renal failure and its complications was examined. Companion dogs (13.1 ± 0.8 years, 29.4 ± 5.01 kg) and cats (13.2 ± 0.9 years, 8.5 ± 0.37 kg) received a single 0.4 mg or 0.1 mg species-specific plasmid injection, respectively, intramuscularly followed by electroporation, and analyzed up to 75 days post-treatment; controls underwent electroporation without plasmid administration.

Results
Plasmid-treated animals showed an increase in body weight (dogs 22.5% and cats 3.2%) compared to control animals, and displayed improved quality of life parameters including significant increases in appetite, activity, mentation and exercise tolerance levels. Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I, the downstream effector of GHRH) levels were increased in the plasmid treated animals. Hematological parameters were also significantly improved. Protein metabolism changes were observed suggesting a shift from a catabolic to an anabolic state in the treated animals. Blood urea nitrogen and creatinine did not show any significant changes suggesting maintenance of kidney function whereas the control animal's renal function deteriorated. Treated animals survived longer than control animals with 70% of dogs and 80% of cats surviving until study day 75. Only 17% and 40% of the control dogs and cats, respectively, survived to day 75.

Conclusion
Improved quality of life, survival and general well-being indicate that further investigation is warranted, and show the potential of a plasmid-based therapy by electroporation in preventing and managing complications of renal insufficiency.
Improved glycaemic control by switching from insulin NPH to insulin glargine: a retrospective observational study
Authors: Sharplin Peter , Gordon Jason , Peters John R , Tetlow Anthony P , Longman Andrea J , McEwan Philip 
Published: January 2009

Abstract

Background
Insulin glargine (glargine) and insulin NPH (NPH) are two basal insulin treatments. This study investigated the effect on glycaemic control of switching from a NPH-based regimen to a glargine-based regimen in 701 patients with type 1 (n= 304) or type 2 (n= 397) diabetes, using unselected primary care data.

Methods
Data for this retrospective observational study were extracted from a UK primary care database (The Health Improvement Network). Patients were required to have at least 12 months of data before and after switching from NPH to glargine. The principal analysis was the change in HbA1c after 12 months treatment with glargine; secondary analyses included change in weight and total daily insulin dose. Inconsistent reporting of hypoglycemic episodes precludes reliable reporting of this outcome. Multivariate analyses were used to adjust for baseline characteristics and confounding variables.

Results
After adjustment, both diabetic cohorts showed statistically significant reductions in mean HbA1c 12 months after the switch, by 0.38% (p < 0.001) in type 1 patients and 0.31% (p < 0.001) in type 2 patients. Improvement in HbA1c was positively correlated with baseline HbA1c; patients with baseline HbA1c ≥ 8% had reductions of 0.57% (p < 0.001) and 0.47% (p < 0.001), respectively. There was no significant change in weight or total daily insulin dose while on glargine. The majority of patients received a basal-bolus regimen prior to and after the switch (mean 79.3% before and 77.2% after switch in type 1 patients, and 80.4% and 76.8%, respectively in type 2 patients, p > 0.05).

Conclusion
In routine clinical practice, switching from NPH to glargine provides the opportunity for improving glycaemic control in diabetes patients inadequately controlled by NPH.
Characterisation of immune responses and protective efficacy in mice after immunisation with Rift Valley Fever virus cDNA constructs
Authors: Lagerqvist Nina , Näslund Jonas , Lundkvist Åke , Bouloy Michèle , Ahlm Clas , Bucht Göran 
Published: January 2009

Abstract

Background
Affecting both livestock and humans, Rift Valley Fever is considered as one of the most important viral zoonoses in Africa. However, no licensed vaccines or effective treatments are yet available for human use. Naked DNA vaccines are an interesting approach since the virus is highly infectious and existing attenuated Rift Valley Fever virus vaccine strains display adverse effects in animal trials. In this study, gene-gun immunisations with cDNA encoding structural proteins of the Rift Valley Fever virus were evaluated in mice. The induced immune responses were analysed for the ability to protect mice against virus challenge.

Results
Immunisation with cDNA encoding the nucleocapsid protein induced strong humoral and lymphocyte proliferative immune responses, and virus neutralising antibodies were acquired after vaccination with cDNA encoding the glycoproteins. Even though complete protection was not achieved by genetic immunisation, four out of eight, and five out of eight mice vaccinated with cDNA encoding the nucleocapsid protein or the glycoproteins, respectively, displayed no clinical signs of infection after challenge. In contrast, all fourteen control animals displayed clinical manifestations of Rift Valley Fever after challenge.

Conclusion
The appearance of Rift Valley Fever associated clinical signs were significantly decreased among the DNA vaccinated mice and further adjustment of this strategy may result in full protection against Rift Valley Fever.
Cough in adult cystic fibrosis: diagnosis and response to fundoplication
Authors: Fathi Hosnieh , Moon Tanya , Donaldson Jo , Jackson Warren , Sedman Peter , Morice Alyn H 
Published: January 2009

Abstract

Background
Gastroesophageal reflux is one of the most common causes of chronic cough in the general population. Reflux occurs frequently in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). We undertook laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication in adult CF patients with a clinical diagnosis of reflux cough who had failed conventional medical therapies.

Objective
We determined the response to the surgical route in the treatment of intractable reflux cough in CF.

Method
Patients with refractory cough were assessed by 24 h pH monitoring and oesophageal manometry. Pre-and post-operation cough, lung function and exacerbation frequency were compared. Cough was assessed by the Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ), lung function by spirometry and exacerbation frequency was defined by comparing the postoperative epoch with a similar preoperatively.

Results
Significant abnormalities of oesophageal function were seen in all patients studied. 6 patients (2 females), with the mean age of 34.5 years consented to surgery. Their mean number of reflux episodes was 144.4, mean DeMeester score was 39.2, and mean lower oesophageal sphincter pressure 12.4 mmHg. There was a small change in the FEV1 from 1.03 L to 1.17 (P = 0.04), and FVC improved from 2.62 to 2.87 (P = 0.05). Fundoplication lead to a marked fall in cough with the total LCQ score increasing from 11.9 to 18.3 (P = 0.01). Exacerbation events were reduced by 50% post operatively.

Conclusion
Whilst there is an obvious attention to respiratory causes of cough in CF, reflux is also a common cause. Fundoplication is highly effective in the control of reflux cough in CF. Significant reduction in exacerbation frequency may indicate that reflux with possible aspiration is a major unrecognised contributor to airway disease.
Carotid artery injury from an airgun pellet: a case report and review of the literature
Authors: Abad Syed , McHenry Ian DS , Carter Lachlan M , Mitchell David A 
Published: January 2009

Abstract
Historically airguns were powerful weapons. Modern models, though less lethal, are still capable of inflicting serious or life threatening injuries. Current United Kingdom legislation fails to take into the account the capacity for airguns to maim and kill. We believe that airguns should be governed by the same law that applies to firearms. We present a case of a potentially fatal airgun injury to the neck. The airgun pellet caused a defect in the anterior wall of the external carotid artery, which required rapid access and surgical repair. We discuss the mechanism of airgun injury and review the literature in terms of investigation and management.
Information theoretical quantification of cooperativity in signalling complexes
Authors: Lenaerts Tom , Ferkinghoff-Borg Jesper , Schymkowitz Joost , Rousseau Frederic 
Published: January 2009

Abstract

Background
Intra-cellular information exchange, propelled by cascades of interacting signalling proteins, is essential for the proper functioning and survival of cells. Now that the interactome of several organisms is being mapped and several structural mechanisms of cooperativity at the molecular level in proteins have been elucidated, the formalization of this fundamental quantity, i.e. information, in these very diverse biological contexts becomes feasible.

Results
We show here that Shannon's mutual information quantifies information in biological system and more specifically the cooperativity inherent to the assembly of macromolecular complexes. We show how protein complexes can be considered as particular instances of noisy communication channels. Further we show, using a portion of the p27 regulatory pathway, how classical equilibrium thermodynamic quantities such as binding affinities and chemical potentials can be used to quantify information exchange but also to determine engineering properties such as channel noise and channel capacity. As such, this information measure identifies and quantifies those protein concentrations that render the biochemical system most effective in switching between the active and inactive state of the intracellular process.

Conclusion
The proposed framework provides a new and original approach to analyse the effects of cooperativity in the assembly of macromolecular complexes. It shows the conditions, provided by the protein concentrations, for which a particular system acts most effectively, i.e. exchanges the most information. As such this framework opens the possibility of grasping biological qualities such as system sensitivity, robustness or plasticity directly in terms of their effect on information exchange. Although these parameters might also be derived using classical thermodynamic parameters, a recasting of biological signalling in terms of information exchange offers an alternative framework for visualising network cooperativity that might in some cases be more intuitive.
Spermatic cord metastasis presenting as strangulated inguinal hernia – first manifestation of a multifocal colon adenocarcinoma: a case report
Authors: Galanis Ioannis , Chatzimavroudis Grigoris , Katsougiannopoulos Alexandros , Galanis Nikiforos , Makris John , Atmatzidis Konstantinos 
Published: January 2009

Abstract
Spermatic cord is a rare metastatic site of colorectal cancer. We herein report a case of spermatic cord metastasis of a previous undiagnosed multifocal colon adenocarcinoma, which was clinically presented as a strangulated groin hernia.
Heat recovery steam generator performance and degradation in a 400 MW combined cycle
Authors: Cafaro S , Traverso A , Massardo A F 
Published: January 2009

This article presents a research project carried out by the Thermochemical Power Group of the University of Genoa and is concerned with the monitoring of a three pressure level heat recovery steam generator (HRSG). The work consists of the development of an original computer code using Matlab software that calculates the performance of heat exchangers, at different power plant operating conditions. This kind of software was developed with a twofold objective: to calculate the actual gas path inside the HRSG starting from the available measurements, thus obtaining the current effectiveness of all the heat exchangers in the HRSG, and to estimate the expected performance of each heat exchanger to be compared with the actual ones. Once the actual effectiveness and the expected effectiveness of the heat exchanger are defined, non-dimensional performance parameters suitable for degradation assessment can be defined. As a result of the sensitivity analysis, each performance parameter is coupled with an accuracy factor. The developed methodology has been successfully applied to historical logged data (3 years) of an existing large size (400 MW) combined cycle, showing good capabilities in estimating the degradation of the HRSG throughout plant life.
Impact of the cavitation model on the theoretical performance of heterogeneous slip/no-slip engineered contacts in hydrodynamic conditions
Authors: Bayada G , Meurisse M-H 
Published: January 2009

Today's industry faces intense pressure to reduce energy consumption and to extend components' lifetimes in order to reduce economic and environmental costs. During the last few years, it has been pointed out that fluid wall slip is likely to improve friction in low-loaded mechanisms; if the slip zone covers only a specific zone of the surface, improvement of both load and friction can be obtained. The physico-chemical heterogeneity of the surface acts as a geometrical discontinuity and induces pressure gradients analogous to those occurring in a Rayleigh step bearing. Such favourable behaviour can be inhibited if the location of the slip/no-slip areas causes cavitation. This article aims to show the importance of the choice of the cavitation model in the analysis of slip/no-slip hydrodynamic contacts. Current practice predicts the performance of cavitated devices by using the well-known Half-Sommerfeld or Swift—Stieber models. However, using a mass-flow conserving model such as the so-called Floberg—Elrod—Adams model can lead to qualitatively and quantitatively different conclusions. The simple case of a parallel slider bearing is of particular interest. If alternating slip/no-slip areas are introduced, then a non-zero load-carrying capacity can be obtained whose theoretical value dramatically depends on the cavitation model and even on the inlet flowrate of the lubricant.
Surface interactions and tribochemistry in boundary lubrication of hypereutectic aluminium—silicon alloys
Authors: Jiménez A E , Morina A , Neville A , Bermúdez M D 
Published: January 2009

The tribofilms formed on a hypereutectic Al—Si alloy after sliding against AISI 52100 steel pins in a reciprocating pin-on-plate tribometer with polyalpha olefin (PAO) base oil containing zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP) and molybdenum dithiocarbamate (MoDTC) additives have been studied. Surface-sensitive analytical techniques (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Raman spectroscopy, and nanoindentation) have been used for tribofilm chemical and mechanical characterization. The thickness of the tribofilms has been evaluated using depth profiling and focus ion beam (FIB) milling. This is the only reported work to analyse this kind of tribofilm on Al—Si alloys in this detail. From the analysis obtained from miniSIMS, differences in the composition of the top layer of the tribofilms formed from ZDDP and ZDDP+MoDTC lubricants have been observed. When using only ZDDP, this top layer is rich in Zn and Fe; with the addition of MoDTC the top layer contains phosphates, probably from the decomposition of the ZDDP, and MoS2. The effect of adding MoDTC can also be observed in the overall tribofilm thickness and coverage of the samples.
Development of a new methodology capable of characterizing the contribution of a controlled venting system to impact attenuation in chamber structures for head protection
Authors: Lamb L. , Post A. , Hoshizaki T. B. 
Published: January 2009

Abstract
Currently, ice hockey helmet technologies are based mainly around foam energy absorbers. There is a need in the head protection industry for improved designs, capable of protecting the brain under a wide range of impact conditions. Air chambers are new, thin-walled collapsible energy absorber structures which have the potential to replace or to be used in conjunction with current helmet technology. The chambers consist of several engineering parameters, each of which needs to be examined to understand its mechanical response under impacts. This study was designed to investigate a new methodology capable of investigating the air venting system. This research thereby analyzed the role the chamber’s controlled air release device plays in managing impact energy. The results demonstrated that, as the air chamber approaches the critical failure region, the air released though the controlled vent can prevent larger peak forces. This research identified that an engineered thin-walled collapsible chamber does use air as a mechanism to absorb impacting force.
Twenty-First-Century American Ghosts: The After-Death Communication—Therapy and Revelation from beyond the Grave
Authors: Kwilecki Susan 
Published: January 2009

AbstractThis paper examines a recent arrival on the American pop cultural scene, a type of ghost encounter called After-Death Communications (ADCs). Delivered in dreams, visions, voices, odors, coincidences, etc., these cheerful greetings from deceased loved ones help bereaved survivors cope with their loss. Since the Enlightenment, spirits of the dead have become increasingly irrelevant to collective life. The new phantoms, however, are assigned roles in the family, health, and faith. How has this occurred? Strands of a complicated process are delineated, including medical origins in the bereavement hallucination, a designated symptom of grief. Cultural dynamics behind the current ADC phenomenon are contrasted with national trends that shaped the nineteenth-century spiritualist enthusiasm for ghosts. The literature, published since the 1990s, is reviewed in which the ADC has been formalized as a source of bereavement therapy and revelation. A tally of the peculiar features and functions of this twenty-first-century ghost experience links it to two American industries, psychotherapy and spiritual seeking.
The Remaking of the Catholic Working Class: Detroit, 1919–1945
Authors: Pehl Matthew 
Published: January 2009

AbstractThis essay examines the response of Catholics—both the institutional church and blue-collar laity—to the turmoil of the late 1930s and the rise of the United Automobile Workers in Detroit. It critiques an influential line of scholarship that holds that the ethnic working class was effectively secularized by the rise of mass culture, the welfare state, and industrial unions. Instead, the essay argues that religion—like class, gender, or race/ethnicity—might fruitfully be analyzed as a “consciousness” and, as such, remains fluid, malleable, and protean in the face of historical change. During the Depression years, blue-collar Catholics (especially Catholic men) experienced a re-creation of their religious consciousness to conform to the new world of industrial unionism. While Detroit’s “labor priests” established the Archdiocesan Labor Institute (ALI) and hosted labor schools in parishes across the city, lay people, spurred by the movement for “Catholic Action,” founded the Association of Catholic Trade Unionists (ACTU) to strengthen working-class faith and “Christianize the UAW.” More important, the ALI and ACTU collectively provided a new religious template within which working-class Catholics might reconcile—even intertwine—their class, gender, and religious identities. While the changes of the 1930s did assimilate ethnic Catholics more fully into the secular sphere, this essay demonstrates that such a process did not result in a “decline” in religious significance for many Catholic workers; more precisely, it meant a “re-making” of religious consciousness.
“Representatives of All that is Noble”: The Rise of the Episcopal Establishment in Early-Twentieth-Century Philadelphia
Authors: Rzeznik Thomas F. 
Published: January 2009

AbstractThe United States has never had an established religion, but, by the early twentieth century, many Episcopalians had come to think of themselves as the nation's religious establishment. No other denomination, they believed, was as well-suited to provide moral leadership for the nation and unite its people in faith. This article argues that their commitment to a national civic mission provided Episcopalians with a sense of collective purpose that diverted attention from internal divisions and helped propel the church to a position of prominence within American religious life. It also reveals how many of the prime proponents and beneficiaries of the church's ascendancy were members of the social and financial elite. Committed to a patrician creed of social responsibility, these “representatives of all that is noble” gained status and moral authority through their public support of the church and its mission. To trace the contours of the Episcopal ascendancy, this article focuses on developments within the Diocese of Pennsylvania, one of the largest, wealthiest, and most influential within the church. Over the course of the early twentieth century, its members overcame their prevailing parochialism, strengthened their denominational identity, and brought their influence to bear on the nation's religious life. Their exercise of religious and cultural authority can be seen in their support of three ecclesiastical projects—the proposed diocesan cathedral, historic Christ Church, and the Washington Memorial Chapel at Valley Forge— that helped fashion the public image of the Episcopal Church as the nation's religious establishment.
Continuum of phenotypes and sympathoadrenal function in premature adrenarche
Authors: Utriainen Pauliina , Voutilainen Raimo , Jääskeläinen Jarmo 
Published: January 2009

ObjectivesPremature adrenarche (PA), the early rise in adrenal androgen (AA) production, can manifest with different clinical signs of androgen effect. Premature pubarche defined as appearance of pubic hair before the age of 8/9 years in girls/boys, is the most prominent clinical sign of PA and often erroneously described as a synonym of PA. Our aim was to determine the association of circulating AA concentrations with different prepubertal signs of androgen action (SAA). Secondly, we tested whether adrenomedullary function is altered in children with SAA, as it is in congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) also causing adrenal hyperandrogenism.Design and methodsWe examined 73 Finnish prepubertal children with any hyperandrogenic sign(s) having appeared before the age of 8/9 years (girls/boys) (35 with pubic and/or axillary hair=PAH; 38 without=nonPAH), and 98 age- and sex-matched controls. Circulating adrenal steroid and catecholamine concentrations were measured and correlated with clinical parameters.ResultsNone of the children with SAA had CAH or virilizing tumor. Serum dehydroepiandrosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, and androstenedione concentrations overlapped between the SAA and control children, and they were lower in the nonPAH than PAH group (P<0.01). SAA children had similar plasma epinephrine but higher norepinephrine (NE) concentrations than their controls (mean (95% confidence interval) 1.61 (1.44, 1.77) versus 1.39 (1.30, 1.49) nmol/l,P=0.03).ConclusionsPA forms a continuum with more pronounced increase in circulating androgens in children with PAH than in those without. Some children show SAA with fairly low androgen concentrations. The clinical significance of elevated NE concentrations associated with SAA needs to be confirmed in further studies.