bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Hypoglossal — facial nerve anastomosis: A review of forty cases caused by facial nerve injuries in the posterior fossa
Authors: Gavron Joseph P. , Clemis Jack D. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractHypoglossal‐facial anastomosis has been our procedure of choice in the repair of the permanently injured facial nerve in the cerebellopontine cistern, when the nerve cannot be primarily repaired. Total failures are few and complications are rare. Most results are good to excellent, if assessment is based upon realistic expectations. These include: 1. normal facial symmetry in repose, 2. good midface voluntary motion, 3. no reflex or emotional facial movement, 4. some synkinesis and donor‐injected mass facial movement, and 5. surprisingly little functional loss from hypoglossal paralysis.Our experience indicates better results in younger patients and in those repairs completed shortly after injury. These findings correlate well with the experience gained in peripheral nerve repair in the extremities. There appears to be no absolute time period between injury and repair beyond which this anastomosis is definitely contraindicated.Finally, this procedure does not negate adjunctive plastic surgical procedures. Most of our patients have had tarsorrhaphy or physiologic protection of the eye, but few have had corrective cosmetic surgical procedures until the past few years. We have never used cervical sympathectomy to reduce the size of the palpebral fissure.Better surgical procedures to correct both extracranial and intratemporal facial nerve injuries have significantly reduced the indication for anatomosis procedures. Additionally, over the past two decades, the improved diagnostic and surgical techniques for posterior fossa tumors have considerably reduced the incidence of facial paralysis. As these trends continue, the number of patients requiring nerve anastomosis for facial paralysis will continue to decline and what was once the only surgical procedure to repair the paralyzed face will become a rare operation.
Welfare Receipt and Substance-Abuse Treatment Among Low-Income Mothers: The Impact of Welfare Reform
Authors: Pollack Harold A. , Reuter Peter 
Published: October 2006

Objectives. We explored changing relations between substance use, welfare receipt, and substance-abuse treatment among low-income mothers before and after welfare reform. Methods. We examined annual data from mothers aged 18 to 49 years in the 1990–2001 National Household Survey of Drug Abuse and the 2002 National Survey of Drug Use and Health. Logistic regression was used to examine determinants of treatment receipt. Results. Among low-income, substance-using mothers, the proportion receiving cash assistance declined from 54% in 1996 to 38% in 2001. The decline was much smaller (37% to 31%) among low-income mothers who did not use illicit substances. Low-income, substance-using mothers who received cash assistance were much more likely than other low-income, substance-using mothers to receive treatment services. Among 2002 National Survey of Drug Use and Health respondents deemed “in need” of substance-abuse treatment, welfare recipients were significantly more likely than nonrecipients to receive such services (adjusted odds ratio=2.31; P<.05). Controlling for other factors, welfare receipt was associated with higher prevalence of illicit drug use. Such use declined among both welfare recipients and other mothers between 1990 and 2001. Conclusions. Welfare is a major access point to identify and serve low-income mothers with substance-use disorders, but it reaches a smaller proportion of illicit drug users than it did prereform. Declining welfare receipt among low-income mothers with substance abuse disorders poses a new challenge in serving this population.
Dangerous Journey: Documenting the Experience of Tibetan Refugees
Authors: Dolma Sonam , Singh Sonal , Lohfeld Lynne , Orbinski James J. , Mills Edward J. 
Published: October 2006

Objectives. Since the 1950 invasion of Tibet by China, Tibetan refugees have attempted to flee into Nepal over the Himalayan mountains. We documented the experiences of a group of refugees making this journey. Methods. We conducted semistructured interviews with 50 recent refugees at the Tibetan Refugee Transit Centre in Kathmandu, Nepal. Results. Participants ranged in age from 8 to 56 years, and 21 were female. The average length of their journey from Tibet to Nepal was 34 days. During their journey, a majority of the refugees encountered authorities or became involved in altercations with Nepali Maoist groups. Most of these interactions resulted in extortion and threats of expulsion. Several Tibetans were tortured, beaten with weapons, threatened with being shot, and robbed. Three women were sexually assaulted at gunpoint. Conclusions. The refugees who took part in this study experienced physical and mental hardships and, often, human rights abuses on their journey to Nepal. International pressure is needed to prevent human rights violations and reduce potential long-term physical and mental health effects associated with this dangerous crossing.
Making Big Tobacco Give In: You Lose, They Win
Authors: Wander Nathaniel , Malone Ruth E 
Published: October 2006

Objectives. To better understand how the tobacco industry responds to tobacco control activists, we explored Philip Morris’s response to demands that consumers in developing countries be informed about smoking risks, and analyzed the implications of negotiating with a tobacco company. Methods. We reviewed internal tobacco industry documents and related materials, constructed a case history of how Philip Morris responded to a shareholder campaign to require health warnings on cigarettes sold worldwide, and analyzed interactions between (1) socially responsible investment activists, (2) Philip Morris management, (3) institutional investors, and (4) industry competitors. Results. After resisting for 11 years, Philip Morris unilaterally reversed direction, and proposed its own labeling initiative. While activists celebrated, Philip Morris’s president detailed privately how the company would yield little and benefit disproportionately. Activists portrayed the tobacco industry as preying on the poor and uneducated and used delegitimization to drive a wedge between the industry and its financial and political allies. When Philip Morris “gave in” to their demands, it exchanged negative publicity for positive public relations and political credibility. Conclusions. Tobacco companies can appear to accommodate public health demands while securing strategic advantages. Negotiating with the tobacco industry can enhance its legitimacy and facilitate its ability to market deadly cigarettes without corresponding benefits to public health.
Effectiveness of Intensive Case Management for Substance-Dependent Women Receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
Authors: Morgenstern Jon , Blanchard Kimberly A. , McCrady Barbara S. , McVeigh Katharine H. , Morgan Thomas J. , Pandina Robert J. 
Published: October 2006

Objective. We tested the effectiveness of a long-term coordinated care strategy—intensive case management (ICM)—compared with usual care (UC) among a group of substance-dependent women receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Methods. Substance-dependent women on TANF (N=302) were recruited from welfare offices. They were assessed and randomly assigned to ICM or UC; follow-up was at 3, 9, and 15 months. UC consisted of a health assessment at the welfare office and a referral to substance abuse treatment and TANF services. ICM clients received ICM services in addition to UC services. Results. ICM clients had significantly higher levels of substance abuse treatment initiation, engagement, and retention compared with UC clients. In some cases, ICM treatment attendance rates were double those of UC rates. Additionally, almost twice as many ICM clients were abstinent at the 15 month follow-up compared with UC clients (P<.0025). Conclusions. ICM is a promising intervention for managing the chronic nature of substance dependence among women receiving TANF. Future research should refine long-term care strategies—such as ICM—that address the chronic nature of substance dependence among low-income populations.
Ethical Conflicts in Public Health Research and Practice
Authors: Aiello Allison E. , King Nicholas B. , Foxman B. 
Published: October 2006

Since the 1960s, scientists and pharmaceutical representatives have called for the advancement and development of new antimicrobial drugs to combat infectious diseases. In January 2005, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN), MD, introduced a biopreparedness bill that included provisions for patent extensions and tax incentives to stimulate industry research on new antimicrobials. Although government stimulus for private development of new antimicrobials is important, it does not resolve long-standing conflicts of interest between private entities and society. Rising rates of antimicrobial resistance have only exacerbated these conflicts. We used methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus as a case study for reviewing these problems, and we have suggested alternative approaches that may halt the vicious cycle of resistance and obsolescence generated by the current model of antimicrobial production.
“It’s Like Tuskegee in Reverse”: A Case Study of Ethical Tensions in Institutional Review Board Review of Community-Based Participatory Research
Authors: Malone Ruth E. , Yerger Valerie B. , McGruder Carol , Froelicher Erika 
Published: October 2006

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) addresses the social justice dimensions of health disparities by engaging marginalized communities, building capacity for action, and encouraging more egalitarian relationships between researchers and communities. CBPR may challenge institutionalized academic practices and the understandings that inform institutional review board deliberations and, indirectly, prioritize particular kinds of research. We present our attempt to study, as part of a CBPR partnership, cigarette sales practices in an inner-city community. We use critical and communitarian perspectives to examine the implications of the refusal of the university institutional review board (in this case, the University of California, San Francisco) to approve the study. CBPR requires expanding ethical discourse beyond the procedural, principle-based approaches common in biomedical research settings. The current ethics culture of academia may sometimes serve to protect institutional power at the expense of community empowerment.
Low‐gravity combustion synthesis: Theoretical analysis of experimental evidences
Authors: Locci A. M. , Licheri R. , Orrù R. , Cincotti A. , Cao G. , De Wilde J. , Lemoisson F. , Froyen L. , Beloki I. A. , Sytschev A. E. , Rogachev A. S. , Jarvis D. J. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe results obtained during a parabolic flight campaign sponsored by ESA on March 2002, and related to the combustion synthesis of TiB2 − xTiAl and TiB2 − xTiAl3 composites are reported. Besides classical SHS experiments performed using cylindrical pellets, combustion front quenching experiments using conical samples placed inside a copper block are also conducted. Similar experiments are carried out under terrestrial conditions, for the sake of comparison. As expected, under both low‐gravity and terrestrial conditions, it is found that combustion temperature and front propagation velocity decrease as the system exothermicity is reduced, that is, when the aluminide/diboride molar ratio is augmented. However, it is observed that reaction front propagates relatively slower under low‐gravity conditions. Consistently, the extinction of the combustion front occurs earlier when the reaction is performed under reduced gravity conditions. A theoretical analysis performed by means of appropriate dimensionless numbers is proposed to provide possible explanations of the main experimental evidences reported in the literature on this subject, including those shown in this work. Specifically, this analysis reveals that the relatively higher‐propagation velocity observed under terrestrial conditions may be due to the correspondingly lower‐sample porosity change, which in turn limits the thermal conductivity decreasing in the reaction zone. In addition, free convection phenomena taking place in the molten phase formed at the reaction zone are able to justify the difference in combustion wave velocity experimentally observed under terrestrial conditions between top and bottom ignition configurations. Moreover, it is found that finer microstructure typically observed under low‐gravity is likely a consequence of the reduced coalescence phenomena taking place in such conditions. © 2006 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2006
Core binding factor beta (CBFB) haploinsufficiency due to an interstitial deletion at 16q21q22 resulting in delayed cranial ossification, cleft palate, congenital heart anomalies, and feeding difficulties but favorable outcome
Authors: Khan Aneal , Hyde R. Katherine , Dutra Amalia , Mohide Patrick , Liu Paul 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe core binding factor beta gene (CBFB), essential to bone morphogenesis, is located at 16q22.1. Homozygous deficiency of CBFB leads to ossification defects in mice. CBFB forms a heterodimer with RUNX2 (CBFA1) during embryonic bone development. RUNX2 mutations lead to cleidocranial dysplasia in humans. We describe an infant boy with an interstitial deletion of 16q21q22, delayed skull ossification, cleft palate, and heart anomalies who had a difficult course in infancy but eventually improved and is healthy. He was found to have CBFB haploinsufficiency, but did not have mutations in RUNX2. We suggest that 16q21q22 deletion be considered when there are antenatal or postnatal findings of enlarged cranial sutures with or without cleft palate. The finding of CBFB haploinsufficiency in our case and the similarity of cranial ossification defects with a mouse model of CBFB deletion suggest a role for CBFB in cranial bone development in humans. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Impact of highly active antiretroviral therapy on outcome of cholecystectomy in patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection
Authors: Foschi D , Cellerino P , Corsi F , Casali A , Rizzi A , Righi I , Trabucchi E 
Published: October 2006

AbstractBackgroundHighly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) reduces virus proliferation and significantly decreases the rate of septic and opportunistic complications in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Although surgery is performed routinely on patients receiving HAART, the effect of this treatment on surgical outcome has not been examined in detail.MethodsThis retrospective study reviewed 54 consecutive patients with HIV infection who underwent surgical cholecystectomy: 31 patients were on HAART, 13 on nucleoside analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) and ten were receiving no specific therapy. Characteristics of HIV-1 infection, laboratory investigations, characteristics of the gallbladder disease, type of operation, postoperative course, morbidity and mortality were recorded. Univariable analysis and unconditional logistic regression were performed to determine factors related to postoperative complications and death.ResultsThe three groups were similar in terms of HIV-1 infection characteristics. In univariable analysis HAART and laparoscopic cholecystectomy were associated with a significantly lower complication rate, whereas only HAART was shown to be protective by logistic regression analysis. A low HIV RNA load and a high CD4+ cell count were significant predictors of uncomplicated surgical outcomes.ConclusionHAART significantly reduces the risk of complications after cholecystectomy in patients with HIV infection or acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
Binding of regulatory protein omega from Streptococcus pyogenes plasmid pSM19035 to direct and inverted 7‐base pair repeats of operator DNA
Authors: Dostál Lubomír , Pratto Florencia , Alonso Juan C. , Welfle Heinz 
Published: October 2006

AbstractpSM19035‐encoded dimeric regulator omega (ω2) belongs to the MetJ/Arc family of ribbon–helix–helix DNA binding proteins. ω2 binds to a set of unspaced 7‐base pair repeat units with sequence 5′‐A/TATCACA/T‐3′. Protein ω2 and its variant ω2ΔN18, lacking the first 18 N‐terminal amino acids, bind poorly to one heptad DNA, but the affinity to DNA markedly increases with two and more heptads organized in direct or inverted orientation. Raman difference spectra indicate that ω2 and ω2ΔN18 bind to operator DNA in the major groove and contact thymine, adenine and guanine residues. The mode of ω2 or ω2ΔN18 interaction with operator DNA is not affected by the orientation and number of heptads. The Raman data of ω2T29A, an ω2 variant with Ala instead of Thr at position 29 of the β‐sheet, show a sequence‐independent binding mode to DNA, which differs from the binding mode of wt ω2 protein to its cognate site. The Raman data strongly support the notion that the 18 N‐terminal amino acids are not required for ω2 activity, whereas Thr29 plays an essential role for operator DNA binding. The data suggest the formation of a hydrogen bond between Thr29 of wild‐type ω2 to one of the bases in the central 5′‐TCA‐3′/5′‐TGA‐3′ stretch of the 7‐bp binding site. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Changes in spectral features with varying mole fractions of anisaldehyde in binary mixtures
Authors: Anis Fathima A. , Umadevi M. , Ramakrishnan V. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractRaman and IR spectra of neat anisaldehyde (4‐methoxybenzaldehyde (4MeOBz)) and its binary mixtures (in polar and nonpolar solvents) with varying mole fraction of 4MeOBz were investigated. The concentration dependence of the wavenumber position and line width (full width at half maximum, FWHM) was analyzed to study the interaction of the solute vibrational modes with the microscopic solvent environment. The wavenumbers of Raman modes of 4MeOBz, namely, the carbonyl stretching, aldehydic δ (CH) and ring‐breathing modes, showed a linear variation in the peak position for varying concentrations of 4MeOBz in the different solvents. The dependence of Raman line width with concentration of 4MeOBz of these modes was also taken into account. The solute–solvent interaction is stronger in 2‐propanol and acetonitrile because of the formation of hydrogen bonds between them, whereas in benzene the interaction is too weak to affect the Raman modes. The modes, ν (CO) in 2‐propanol and aldehydic δ (CH) in acetonitrile, gave a Gaussian‐type line width variation, which was explained by the concentration fluctuation model, and the linear variation of the line widths was also interpreted by solute–solvent interactions. IR spectra were taken for these binary mixtures, which also give further support to these data. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A spectroscopic resolution of the structure of Zn(CN)2
Authors: Ravindran T. R. , Arora A. K. , Sairam T. N. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractTwo different cubic structures of the negative thermal expansion (NTE) material zinc cyanide have been reported in the literature: one, an ordered structure (space group P43m) in which the ZnC4 tetrahedra are linked to neighbouring ZnN4 tetrahedra with CN bonds and vice versa, and the other, a disordered structure (space group Pn43m) where N and C sites are indistinguishable. Here, we present group theoretical analyses to classify the phonons of different symmetries in the two structures and report Raman and infrared spectroscopic studies to resolve the ambiguity about the structure. On the basis of the number of Raman and IR modes expected and observed, we conclude that the compound exists in a disordered structure. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Literal‐paraconsistent and literal‐paracomplete matrices
Authors: Lewin Renato A. , Mikenberg Irene F. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractWe introduce a family of matrices that define logics in which paraconsistency and/or paracompleteness occurs only at the level of literals, that is, formulas that are propositional letters or their iterated negations. We give a sound and complete axiomatization for the logic defined by the class of all these matrices, we give conditions for the maximality of these logics and we study in detail several relevant examples. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Chemical modification of therapeutic drugs or drug vector systems to achieve targeted therapy: Looking for the grail
Authors: Juillerat‐Jeanneret L. , Schmitt F. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractMost therapeutic drugs distribute to the whole body, which results in general toxicity and poor acceptance of the treatments by patients. The targeted delivery of chemotherapeutics to defined cells, either stromal or cancer cells in cancer lesions, or defined inflammatory cells in immunological disorders, is one of the main challenges and a very active field of research in the development of treatment strategies to minimize side‐effects of drugs. Disease‐associated cells express molecules, including proteases, receptors, or adhesion molecules, that are different or differently expressed than their normal counterparts. Therefore one goal in the field of targeted therapies is to develop chemically derivatized drugs or drug vectors able to target defined cells via specific recognition mechanisms and also able to overcome biological barriers. This article will review the approaches which have been explored to achieve these goals and will discuss in more detail three examples (i) the use of nanostructures to take advantage of increased vascular permeability in some human diseases, (ii) the targeting of therapeutic drugs to an organ, the brain, protected against foreign molecules by the blood–brain barrier, and (iii) the use of the folate receptor to target either tumor cells or activated macrophages. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Med Res Rev, 27, No. 4, 574–590, 2007
Identification of new claudin family members by a novel PSI‐BLAST based approach with enhanced specificity
Authors: Wu Jun , Helftenbein Gerd , Koslowski Michael , Sahin Ugur , Tureci Özlem 
Published: October 2006

AbstractIn an attempt to develop a novel strategy for the identification of new members of protein families by in silico approaches, we have developed a semi‐automated procedure of consecutive PSI‐BLAST (Position‐Specific‐Iterated Basic Local Alignment Search Tool) searches incorporating identificiation as well as subsequent validation of putative candidates. For a proof of concept study we chose the search for novel members of the claudin family. The initial step was an iterated PSI‐BLAST search starting with the PMP22_Claudin domain of each known member of the claudin family against the human part of the RefSeq Database. Putative new claudin domains derived from the converged list were evaluated by a validating PSI‐BLAST in which each sequence was assessed for finding back the starting set of known claudin domains. The local PSI‐BLAST searches and validation were automated by a set of PERL scripts. With this strategy a total of three additional putative claudin domains in three different proteins were identified. One of them was subjected to further characterization and was shown to exhibit claudin‐like features in terms of protein structure and expression pattern. The strategy we present is an efficient and versatile tool to identify novel members of domain‐sharing protein families. Low rates of false positives achieved by inclusion of a validation step into the in silico procedure make this strategy particularly attractive to select candidates for subsequent labor‐intensive wet bench characterization. Proteins 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.