bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Adolescents with asthma: predictors of quality of life
Authors: Burkhart Patricia V. , Svavarsdottir Erla Kolbrun , Rayens Mary Kay , Oakley Marsha G. , Orlygsdottir Brynja 
Published: February 2009

AbstractTitle.  Adolescents with asthma: predictors of quality of life. Aim.  This paper is a report of a study to determine the demographic, personal, interpersonal and illness factors associated with asthma quality of life (QOL), as self‐reported by adolescents from the United States of America (USA) and Iceland.Background.  Asthma affects 12% of children in the USA and an estimated 9% in Iceland. Limited research has addressed asthma QOL for adolescents.Methods.  This cross‐sectional exploratory study included adolescents with asthma (n = 15 from the USA; n = 15 from Iceland), aged 13–17 years, primarily recruited from paediatric practices in central Kentucky, USA and Reykjavik, Iceland. Data were collected in 2006. Adolescents in the USA (47% male) had a mean age of 14·1 years (sd = 1·5); Icelandic adolescents (73% male) had a mean age of 15·1 years (sd = 1·4). Participants completed questionnaires measuring sociodemographic and asthma characteristics, degree of limitations due to asthma, self‐rated health, depressive symptoms and asthma QOL. Multiple regression was used to determine predictors of asthma QOL.Results.  Gender was statistically significantly associated with QOL. The difference in QOL between adolescents in the USA and Iceland was not statistically significant. Statistically significant predictors of higher asthma QOL were a better rating of overall health (P < 0·01), not having had a severe asthma attack in the last 6 months (P < 0·01), and lower depressive symptoms (P < 0·05).Conclusion.  Interventions designed to decrease depression and prevent asthma exacerbations may improve QOL for adolescents with asthma.
Learning for holistic care: addressing practical wisdom (phronesis) and the spiritual sphere
Authors: Leathard Helen L. , Cook Michael J. 
Published: February 2009

AbstractTitle.  Learning for holistic care: addressing practical wisdom (phronesis) and the spiritual sphere. Aim.  This paper is a discussion of practical wisdom (phronesis) and spirituality in holistic caring and strategies to facilitate their application in nurse education.Background.  Phronesis, with its inherent spiritual qualities, is an established aspect of the persona of excellent clinical leaders. There is a strong case for recognizing the value of this characteristic in all nurses, and a strategy is required for engendering the development of phronesis during nurse education.Data sources.  Electronic searches of Google Scholar and CINAHL were conducted for English language publications in the period 1996–2008. Search terms included combinations of phronesis, spirituality, health, education, pharmacology, medicines and medication education, holistic care and spiritual care. Selection of items for inclusion was based on their pertinence to the arguments being developed and their value as leads to earlier material.Discussion.  The links between the attributes of effective clinical leaders and those required for holistic caring are explicated and related to phronesis, the acquisition of which involves spiritual development. An explanatory account of phronesis and its applicability to nursing leads to an explanation of how its spiritual aspects in particular might be incorporated into learning for holistic care. Reference to research in medicines‐related education illustrates how the principles can be applied in nurse education.Conclusion.  Nursing quality could be enhanced if adequate opportunities for acquiring phronesis through experiential learning were provided in nursing curricula. Phronesis and spiritual care could be incorporated into existing models of nursing care or new models devised to use these critical concepts.
A powerful regression‐based method for admixture mapping of isolation across the genome of hybrids
Authors: GOMPERT ZACHARIAH , BUERKLE C. ALEX 
Published: February 2009

AbstractWe propose a novel method that uses natural admixture between divergent lineages (hybridization) to investigate the genetic architecture of reproductive isolation and adaptive introgression. Our method employs multinomial regression to estimate genomic clines and to quantify introgression for individual loci relative to the genomic background (clines in genotype frequency along a genomic admixture gradient). Loci with patterns of introgression that deviate significantly from null expectations based on the remainder of the genome are potentially subject to selection and thus of interest to understanding adaptation and the evolution of reproductive isolation. Using simulations, we show that different forms of selection modify these genomic clines in predictable ways and that our method has good power to detect moderate to strong selection for multiple forms of selection. Using individual‐based simulations, we demonstrate that our method generally has a low false positive rate, except when genetic drift is particularly pronounced (e.g. low population size, low migration rates from parental populations, and substantial time since initial admixture). Additional individual‐based simulations reveal that moderate selection against heterozygotes can be detected as much as 50 cmaway from the focal locus directly experiencing selection, but is not detected at unlinked loci. Finally, we apply our analytical method to previously published data sets from a mouse (Mus musculusandM. domesticus) and two sunflower (Helianthus petiolarisandH. annuus) hybrid zones. This method should be applicable to numerous species that are currently the focus of research in evolution and ecology and should help bring about new insights regarding the processes underlying the origin and maintenance of biological diversity.
Dynamic micro‐geographic and temporal genetic diversity in vertebrates: the case of lake‐spawning populations of brown trout (Salmo trutta)
Authors: HEGGENES JAN , RØED KNUT H. , JORDE PER ERIK , BRABRAND ÅGE 
Published: February 2009

AbstractConservation of species should be based on knowledge of effective population sizes and understanding of how breeding tactics and selection of recruitment habitats lead to genetic structuring. In the stream‐spawning and genetically diverse brown trout, spawning and rearing areas may be restricted source habitats. Spatio–temporal genetic variability patterns were studied in brown trout occupying three lakes characterized by restricted stream habitat but high recruitment levels. This suggested non‐typical lake‐spawning, potentially representing additional spatio–temporal genetic variation in continuous habitats. Three years of sampling documented presence of young‐of‐the‐year cohorts in littoral lake areas with groundwater inflow, confirming lake‐spawning trout in all three lakes. Nine microsatellite markers assayed across 901 young‐of‐the‐year individuals indicated overall substantial genetic differentiation in space and time. Nested gene diversity analyses revealed highly significant (≤P = 0.002) differentiation on all hierarchical levels, represented by regional lakes (FLT = 0.281), stream vs. lake habitat within regional lakes (FHL = 0.045), sample site within habitats (FSH = 0.010), and cohorts within sample sites (FCS = 0.016). Genetic structuring was, however, different among lakes. It was more pronounced in a natural lake, which exhibited temporally stable structuring both between two lake‐spawning populations and between lake‐ and stream spawners. Hence, it is demonstrated that lake‐spawning brown trout form genetically distinct populations and may significantly contribute to genetic diversity. In another lake, differentiation was substantial between stream‐ and lake‐spawning populations but not within habitat. In the third lake, there was less apparent spatial or temporal genetic structuring. Calculation of effective population sizes suggested small spawning populations in general, both within streams and lakes, and indicates that the presence of lake‐spawning populations tended to reduce genetic drift in the total (meta‐) population of the lake.
Using parentage analysis to examine gene flow and spatial genetic structure
Authors: KANE NOLAN C. , KING MATTHEW G. 
Published: February 2009

Numerous approaches have been developed to examine recent and historical gene flow between populations, but few studies have used empirical data sets to compare different approaches. Some methods are expected to perform better under particular scenarios, such as high or low gene flow, but this, too, has rarely been tested. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Saenz‐Agudelo et al. (2009) apply assignment tests and parentage analysis to microsatellite data from five geographically proximal (2–6 km) and one much more distant (1500 km) panda clownfish populations, showing that parentage analysis performed better in situations of high gene flow, while their assignment tests did better with low gene flow. This unusually complete data set is comprised of multiple exhaustively sampled populations, including nearly all adults and large numbers of juveniles, enabling the authors to ask questions that in many systems would be impossible to answer. Their results emphasize the importance of selecting the right analysis to use, based on the underlying model and how well its assumptions are met by the populations to be analysed.
Overall survival in erythrodermic cutaneous T‐cell lymphoma: an analysis of prognostic factors in a cohort of patients with erythrodermic cutaneous T‐cell lymphoma
Authors: Vidulich Kelley A. , Talpur Rakhshandra , Bassett Roland L. , Duvic Madeleine 
Published: February 2009

AbstractBackground  The most common cutaneous T‐cell lymphomas (CTCLs) are mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome.Aim  To determine whether blood stage and other prognostic variables affect overall survival (OS) in CTCL.Methods  We studied retrospectively 1197 CTCL patients seen at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center since 1987.Results  We identified 124 (10.3%) patients with erythrodermic CTCL (E‐CTCL), 63% of whom had positive gene rearrangements in skin and 19 of whom had no evidence of hematologic involvement. The median age at diagnosis was 63 years (range, 26–90 years); the male to female ratio was 1.3 : 1. OS curves were estimated by the Kaplan–Meier method and compared using log‐rank tests. The median OS in all 124 E‐CTCL patients was 5.1 years (range, 0.4–18.6 years) regardless of the cause of death or blood involvement. Patients were stratified by the H0–H4 staging system with manual or flow cytometric determination of Sézary cell counts (Russell‐Jones R, Whittaker SJ. Sézary syndrome: diagnostic criteria and therapeutic options. Semin Cutan Med Surg 2000; 19: 100–108). The median OS was 7.6 years for H0–H2 (< 1000 Sézary cells/L) (n = 23), 5.4 years for H3 (≥ 1000 to ≤ 10,000 Sézary cells/L) (n = 79), and 2.4 years for H4 (≥ 10,000 Sézary cells/L) (n = 22) (P = 0.011). Treatment with systemic steroids, age, serum lactate dehydrogenase, and white blood cell count ≥ 20,000 µL were significant prognostic factors, but large cell transformation, T‐cell receptor gene rearrangement, tumor–node–metastasis stage, treatments, and CD4 : CD8 ratio were not. In multivariate analysis, advanced age and elevated lactate dehydrogenase were the strongest predictors of a poor prognosis.Conclusions  Serum LDH and age were the strongest predictive factors for OS in E‐CTCL.
The impact of acne vulgaris on the quality of life and psychologic status in patients from upper Egypt
Authors: Abdel‐Hafez Kamal , Mahran Ayman M. , Hofny Eman R. M. , Mohammed Khaled A. , Darweesh Alaa M. , Aal Ahmed A. 
Published: February 2009

AbstractBackground  Acne vulgaris is a common skin disease. Although neither life threatening nor physically debilitating, acne can severely affect social and psychologic functioning.Aim  To study the overall impact of acne vulgaris on the quality of life and psychologic functioning of patients in Egypt.Methods  One hundred and fifty patients with acne vulgaris and 50 healthy controls were evaluated. Acne patients were evaluated using the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), Culture Free Self‐Esteem Inventory – Adult Version (CFSEI‐AD), and Symptom Check List‐90 – Revised (SCL‐90‐R). The controls were evaluated using SCL‐90‐R and CFSEI‐AD.Results  The mean DLQI scores of male acne patients were found to be higher than those of female patients with regard to symptoms and feelings, daily activities, personal relationships, and treatment; however, the differences were significant for leisure (P = 0.005) and total score (P = 0.022) only. The CFSEI‐AD score of patients was significantly lower than that of controls (P = 0.001). Acne patients had significantly higher scores than controls in all items of the SCL‐90‐R. Significant positive correlations were found between the duration and severity of illness and DLQI and SCL‐90‐R scores. There was a significant negative correlation between the duration and severity of acne and CFSEI‐AD scores.Conclusion  Acne vulgaris has a significant effect on the quality of life. Our results highlight the importance of recognizing psychiatric comorbidity in acne patients.
Periorificial dermatitis in children: an update and description of a child with striking features
Authors: Kihiczak George G. , Cruz Manuel A. , Schwartz Robert A. 
Published: February 2009

AbstractBackground  Perioral dermatitis is a relatively important and often enigmatic type of eczema.Methods  We describe a child with this disorder and review our experience and the literature.Results  Clinical features of perioral dermatitis in our patient and in many others decribed elsewhere show a high prevalence of perinasal and periocular involvement alongside perioral findings.Conclusions  Perioral dermatitis is more suitably termed periorificial dermatitis.
Significance of serum interleukin‐8 levels in patients with Behcet's disease: high levels may indicate vascular involvement
Authors: Kartal Durmazlar Selda Pelin , Ulkar Gul Bahar , Eskioglu Fatma , Tatlican Semih , Mert Ali , Akgul Ahmet 
Published: February 2009

AbstractBackground  Interleukin‐8 (IL‐8) has been shown previously to associate with different individual clinical manifestations and activity of Behcet's disease (BD), but its association with vascular involvement has not been established.Methods  Forty‐five untreated patients with BD and 29 healthy individuals were included in the study. The activity of patients was based on the existence of two or more symptoms and a statistically significantly high Behcet's Disease Activity Index (BDAI) at the time of the study. IL‐8, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C‐reactive protein (CRP) results were evaluated with respect to activity, vascular involvement, and other specific individual clinical manifestations of the disease.Results  IL‐8 levels were found to be significantly elevated in active BD compared with inactive BD (P = 0.006) and healthy controls (P = 0.000), with median values of 267 (53–2000), 137 (52–290), and 58 pg/mL (53–160 pg/mL), respectively. Unlike ESR and CRP, IL‐8 levels showed a high correlation with BDAI scores (r = 0.743, P = 0.00) and the number of active clinical manifestations (r = 0.646, P = 0.00). Serum levels of IL‐8 were increased in patients with oral ulcers, genital ulcers, eye lesions, and vascular lesions, with median values and significance levels of 254.5 (53–2000), P = 0.05; 254.5 (52–1400), P = 0.03; 254.5 (72–2000), P = 0.029; and 593 pg/mL (110–2000 pg/mL), P = 0.001, respectively. In addition, IL‐8 levels in the active patient group with vascular involvement were significantly higher than the levels in those without vascular involvement.Conclusion  Serum IL‐8 levels are increased in the active phase of BD. This marker may be useful in the early detection of vascular involvement.
In vivo characterization of the inflammatory infiltrate and apoptotic status in imiquimod‐treated basal cell carcinoma
Authors: De Giorgi Vincenzo , Salvini Camilla , Chiarugi Alessandra , Paglierani Milena , Maio Vincenza , Nicoletti Paola , Santucci Marco , Carli Paolo , Massi Daniela 
Published: February 2009

AbstractBackground  Imiquimod use in the treatment of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) has proven to be successful in a large percentage of cases, inducing tumor regression; however, the exact cellular mechanism has not been fully clarified.Aim  To measure the morphological changes in the tumor microenvironment and the markers of apoptosis in skin biopsies from patients with BCC before and after imiquimod treatment.Methods  In this open label study, skin biopsies obtained from 11 patients with BCC were evaluated before and after imiquimod treatment for: (i) morphological changes in the tumor microenvironment, with specific emphasis on the immunophenotype of inflammatory cells around the tumor; and (ii) markers of apoptosis, including expression of death receptors.Results  Imiquimod treatment induced a significant increase in the mononuclear inflammatory response. In the majority of cases, the cellular infiltrate was predominantly composed of CD3+/CD4+ T cells, suggesting that the effector response is mediated by CD3+/CD4+ lymphocytes, with a minor cytotoxic and natural killer (NK) component. An increase in the cytotoxic CD3+/CD8+ T‐cell population was also observed. Imiquimod treatment was associated with a marked increased in CD20+ B cells, and a less pronounced enhancement in cells of monocyte–macrophage origin (CD68+) surrounding, or within, the tumor. This finding indicates either that macrophages play a minor role in the imiquimod‐induced response, or the recruitment of these cells is related to time and dose. Imiquimod treatment decreased CD1A+ Langerhans cells in the epidermis and increased the number of CD1A+ dendritic cells within the tumor aggregates. Imiquimod reduced Bcl‐2 expression, but no difference was found in Bax, Fas/FasL, and p53 expression in BCC cells.Conclusions  Our results support the hypothesis that imiquimod activity in the treatment of BCC is partly a result of a pro‐inflammatory action mediated by CD3+/CD4+ lymphoid cells and of a pro‐apoptotic activity associated with decreased Bcl‐2 expression.
Using novel subcision technique for the treatment of primary essential cutis verticis gyrata
Authors: Hsu Ya‐Jing , Chang Ying‐Jui , Su Lin‐Hui , Hsu Yu‐Ling 
Published: February 2009

AbstractBackground  Primary essential cutis verticis gyrata (CVG) is characterized by folds and furrows of the scalp, resembling the convoluted appearance of the brain, and is not associated with other abnormalities. Most patients with CVG are treated with surgical methods, such as scalp reduction; however, surgery may not be suitable for patients in whom the area involved is large.Methods  A 37‐year‐old man with primary essential CVG was treated with a scalp subcision technique under local anesthesia.Results  A successful cosmetic improvement was obtained.Conclusions  The scalp subcision technique is a safe procedure and should be a treatment option for primary CVG.
Reducing allergenicity by altering allergen fold: a mosaic protein of Phl p 1 for allergy vaccination
Authors: Ball T. , Linhart B. , Sonneck K. , Blatt K. , Herrmann H. , Valent P. , Stoecklinger A. , Lupinek C. , Thalhamer J. , Fedorov A. A. , Almo S. C. , Valenta R. 
Published: February 2009

Background:  The major timothy grass pollen allergen, Phl p 1, resembles the allergenic epitopes of natural group I grass pollen allergens and is recognized by more than 95% of grass‐pollen‐allergic patients. Our objective was the construction, purification and immunologic characterization of a genetically modified derivative of the major timothy grass pollen allergen, Phl p 1 for immunotherapy of grass pollen allergy.Methods:  A mosaic protein was generated by PCR‐based re‐assembly and expression of four cDNAs coding for Phl p 1 fragments and compared to the Phl p 1 wild‐type by circular dichroism analysis, immunoglobulin E (IgE)‐binding capacity, basophil activation assays and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay competition assays. Immune responses to the derivative were studied in BALB/c mice.Results:  Grass‐pollen‐allergic patients exhibited greater than an 85% reduction in IgE reactivity to the mosaic as compared with the Phl p 1 allergen and basophil activation experiments confirmed the reduced allergenic activity of the mosaic. It also induced less Phl p 1‐specific IgE antibodies than Phl p 1 upon immunization of mice. However, immunization of mice and rabbits with the mosaic induced IgG antibodies that inhibited patients’ IgE‐binding to the wild‐type allergen and Phl p 1‐induced degranulation of basophils.Conclusion:  We have developed a strategy based on rational molecular reassembly to convert one of the clinically most relevant allergens into a hypoallergenic derivative for allergy vaccination.
Unawareness and undertreatment of asthma: follow‐up in a different geographic area in Denmark
Authors: Backer V. , Nolte H. , Pedersen L. , Dam N. , Harving H. 
Published: February 2009

Background:  Early detection and treatment of asthma is important to minimize morbidity and healthcare costs. The objective of this study was to investigate asthma awareness and management in a western society.Methods:  In a random sample of 10 400 subjects aged 14–44 years, 686 (6.6%) reported symptoms of asthma in a standardized screening questionnaire. All 686 were evaluated by respiratory specialists and diagnosed by history, symptoms, lung function tests, bronchial challenges and allergy testing. Of these 686 participants, 69 (10%) had asthma alone, 205 (30%) had rhinitis alone and 217 (32%) had both asthma and rhinitis; 195 (28%) had nonasthmatic respiratory reports.Results:  Awareness of asthma was found among 163 (57%) of the 286 asthmatics, and 204 (95%) had doctor‐diagnosed rhinitis as well. In a multivariate regression analysis, comorbidity with rhinitis (β = 0.489, P < 0.001), smoking (β = −0.116, P < 0.01), doctor‐diagnosed bronchitis (β = 0.086, P < 0.05), and earlier emergency visits at hospital (β = 0.147, P < 0.001) was significantly associated with awareness. A difference in awareness was found between those who had asthma and rhinitis (62.2%) and those who had asthma alone (40.6%) (P < 0.01). Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) were used by 27% of those with asthma, including 12% who used both ICS and long‐acting beta‐agonist.Conclusions:  More than half of the persons with asthma were aware of their disorder; and the awareness was more likely in those with comorbidity of rhinitis. In general, asthma management was inadequate.