bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 polymorphisms are associated with a chronic course of sarcoidosis
Authors: Pabst S , Baumgarten G , Stremmel A , Lennarz M , Knüfermann P , Gillissen A , Vetter H , Grohé C 
Published: January 2006

SummaryThe aetiology of sarcoidosis, an inflammatory granulomatous multi-system disorder, is unclear. It is thought to be the product of an unknown exogenous antigenic stimulus and an endogenous genetic susceptibility. Toll-like receptors (TLR) are signal molecules essential for the cellular response to bacterial cell wall components. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), for example, binds to TLR 4. Two different polymorphisms for the TLR4 gene (Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile) have been described recently. This leads to a change in the extracellular matrix function of TLR4 and to impaired LPS signal transduction. We genotyped a total of 141 Caucasian patients with sarcoidosis and 141 healthy unrelated controls for the Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile polymorphisms in the TLR4 gene. The mutations were identified with polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. Among sarcoidosis patients the prevalence for each Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile mutant allele was 15·6% (22/141). In the control group the prevalence was 5·67% (8/141) (P = 0·07). In the subgroup of patients with acute sarcoidosis there was no difference in the control group (P = 0·93), but there was a highly significant association between patients with a chronic course of sarcoidosis and TLR4 gene polymorphisms (P = 0·01).
Patterns of endemism in south‐eastern Pacific benthic polychaetes of the Chilean coast
Authors: Moreno Rodrigo A. , Hernández Cristián E. , Rivadeneira Marcelo M. , Vidal Marcela A. , Rozbaczylo Nicolás 
Published: January 2006

AbstractAim  In this study we evaluate patterns of endemism for benthic polychaete species along the southeastern Pacific coast of Chile. Our goals were (1) to describe latitudinal gradients of endemism and identify areas of high endemism, (2) to evaluate the effect of biogeographical limits on endemism patterns, and (3) to evaluate indirectly the role played by evolutionary dynamics on patterns of endemism.Location  South‐eastern Pacific coast of Chile, ranging from Arica (18° S) to Cape Horn (56° S).Methods  We used a list of 178 species of endemic, shallow benthic polychaetes to evaluate patterns of endemism. Parsimony analysis of endemicity (PAE) and the endemism index (EI) were used to evaluate hierarchical relationships of endemism between different latitudinal bands, and to identify areas with high degrees of endemism and differences in endemism. We evaluated the effect of biogeographical limits on endemic polychaete fauna by testing for the existence of geometric constraints (mid‐domain effect). The role of evolutionary dynamics on latitudinal patterns of endemism was evaluated with nestedness analysis (NA) using the temperature index.Results  The PAE analysis indicated two large, separate areas of endemism: (1) the northern area between 18° S and 38° S, and (2) the southern area between 39° S and 56° S. The endemism index showed a maximum value (32 species) around 39°–41° S. Species‐richness curves of each 3° band of latitude showed a clear mid‐domain effect (69%), but the two maximum points of species richness at mid‐latitudes (36° S to 38° S and 39° S to 41° S) did not correspond to the mid‐domain peak in species richness, presenting a greater number of species than expected by the mid‐domain effect. The nestedness analysis showed that the number of genera reaches a maximum of 70 at mid‐latitudes (36°–41° S), decreasing towards both the northern and southern areas. The spatial distribution of the entire data set of endemic species showed a nested pattern (T° = 24.5°, P < 0.0001).Main conclusions  Our results strongly support the existence of a latitudinal gradient of endemism for benthic polychaete species along the Chilean coast. The shape of this gradient is clearly non‐linear, with a marked peak of endemism occurring at mid‐latitudes (36°–41° S, endemism hotspot), which also corresponds to a peak in species richness. Furthermore, this hotspot is the midpoint separating two distinct areas of endemism to the north and south. We suggest that the observed pattern of endemism for benthic polychaete taxa of the Chilean coast can be explained by a combination of geometric constraints and historical mechanisms, such as the processes that affected the Chilean coast during the Neogene (e.g. ENSO, oxygen minimum zone, glaciations).
Evidence of enhanced bacterial invasion during Diplostomum spathaceum infection in European grayling, Thymallus thymallus (L.)
Authors: Pylkkö P , Suomalainen L‐R , Tiirola M , Valtonen E Tellervo 
Published: January 2006

AbstractFarmed grayling, Thymallus thymallus (L.), are susceptible to atypical Aeromonas salmonicida (aAS) infections. Interactions between bacteria and parasites were studied using grayling subjected to concomitant exposure to aAS bacteria and the digenean parasite Diplostomum spathaceum. Atypical AS was detected from fish by a combination of bacterial cultivation and polymerase chain reaction techniques. A detection level of 17 aAS cells per 100 mg intestine tissue sample was obtained. Concomitant bacterial exposure did not enhance the severity of grayling eye rupture and nuclear extrusion induced by D. spathaceum, but D. spathaceum invasion into grayling increased the proportion of fish carrying aAS in their heart tissue. However, the number of aAS cells detected in heart tissue was low. Atypical AS did not cause acute disease or mortality during 15 days post‐exposure. There was a higher prevalence of aAS in grayling heart samples than in intestinal samples, indicating that the intestine is not favoured by aAS. We suggest that heart tissue would be a good organ from which to isolate aAS when tracing latent carrier fish. We conclude that penetrating diplostomids can enhance bacterial infections in fish and that diplostomids can cause serious eye ruptures in grayling.
‘Taking off the suit’: engaging the community in primary health care decision‐making
Authors: Anderson Elizabeth , Shepherd Michael , Salisbury Chris 
Published: January 2006

AbstractObjective  To explore the process of public involvement in planning primary health care.Background  Recent policy in the UK promotes public involvement in planning health but there have been difficulties in engaging communities in the process. Surveys of health service organizations have found that there has been a failure to adapt to new approaches. It has become important to understand why this has occurred if policy initiatives to encourage involvement are to succeed.Design  Qualitative study. Data collected through individual interviews and focus groups.Setting  Two new primary healthcare developments in deprived areas in Bristol and Weston‐Super‐Mare.Participants  Thirty‐six professionals and 23 local residents in Bristol; six professionals and three local residents in Weston‐Super‐Mare.Results  Three themes were identified: process, partnership and power. The main findings were that exceptional people with a shared commitment to public involvement were necessary to motivate others and develop partnerships. Local people were drawn into the process and with increased confidence became powerful advocates for their community. Creative and varied methods to involve the public were important in achieving balance between professionals and lay people. However, conflicts over practical decisions arose from a lack of clarity over who had power to influence decisions.Conclusion  Most of the participants were enthusiastic about their experience of public involvement in planning primary health care. Features crucial to sustainable involvement included a commitment from leaders within statutory agencies, support over a long period to build the confidence of local people, willingness to use informal approaches that are in tune with local culture, and a recognition of the concerns of both service users and providers.
Cellulolytic activity and virulence of Ophiostoma ulmi and O. novo‐ulmi isolates
Authors: Przybył K. , Dahm H. , Ciesielska A. , Moliński K. 
Published: January 2006

SummaryThe cellulolytic activity (exoglucanase, endoglucanase and β‐glucosidase) of Ophiostoma ulmi (four isolates), O. novo‐ulmi (19 isolates) and ‘fast‐waxy’ (five isolates) was determined in growth media containing carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and cellulose powder. Differences in enzyme activities were observed among isolates, irrespective of the species and substrate used. Inoculation experiments on Ulmus minor with randomly selected isolates of O. ulmi (two isolates), O. novo‐ulmi (five isolates) and ‘fast‐waxy’ (two isolates) were also performed. Disease was assessed as the percentage of leaves showing yellowing and browning. Ophiostoma novo‐ulmi and ‘fast‐waxy’ isolates exhibited a great variability in their capacities to cause the disease. In the presence of CMC, a significant correlation between the activity of exoglucanase and β‐glucosidase in vitro and virulence was found.
Differential induction of adrenomedullin, interleukins and tumour necrosis factor‐αby lipopolysaccharide in rat tissues in vivo
Authors: Li Yuk‐Yin , Wong Louisa Yf , Cheung Bernard My , Hwang Isabel Ss , Tang Fai 
Published: January 2006

Summary1. The aim of the present study was to determine the temporal changes in tissue adrenomedullin (AM) and cytokine contents and cytokine and preproAM mRNA levels in the kidney, liver, adrenal gland and spleen of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐treated rats.2. Rats were injected with LPS (10 mg/kg, i.p.). Radioimmunoassay and solution hybridization–RNase protection assays were used to follow the changes in AM and its mRNA levels, respectively; ELISA and reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction were used to follow the changes in cytokines and their mRNA levels, respectively.3. In the kidney, the preproAM mRNA levels were increased 1 and 3 h after LPS treatment, whereas AM levels were decreased at 3 h. Interleukin (IL)‐6 and IL‐1β levels were increased at 3 and 6 h, respectively.4. The preproAM mRNA levels were elevated in the liver 3 h after LPS injection. Concentrations of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α and IL‐1β were increased at l and 6 h, respectively.5. There were no changes in the levels of either preproAM mRNA or AM in the adrenal gland and the spleen. In the spleen, TNF‐α levels were elevated at 1 and 3 h after LPS injection and IL‐1β was elevated at 1 and 6 h after LPS injection, whereas in the adrenal gland IL‐1β was elevated at 6 h after injection.6. The mRNA levels of the three cytokines were elevated at all three time intervals examined in the kidney, liver, adrenal gland and spleen, with the exception that TNF‐α mRNA was not elevated in the adrenal gland at 6 h after LPS injection and IL‐1β mRNA was not elevated in the spleen at 3 and 6 h.7. The plasma concentrations of TNF‐α were increased at 1 and 3 h after LPS injection, whereas plasma concentration of IL‐1β and IL‐6 were elevated at 3 and 6 h for both.8. The present results suggest that the biosynthesis and secretion of AM may be differentially regulated in various tissues of rats injected with LPS and that AM may interact with cytokines during inflammation.
The prevention of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents: a review of interventions and programmes
Authors: Doak C. M. , Visscher T. L. S. , Renders C. M. , Seidell J. C. 
Published: January 2006

SummaryOverweight and obesity are serious, large‐scale, global, public health concerns requiring population‐based childhood overweight and obesity prevention. The overall objective of this review is to identify aspects of successful childhood overweight prevention programmes. This objective will be met by assessing existing interventions quantitatively as well as qualitatively, identifying efficacy, effectiveness and implementation, and evaluating potential adverse effects of previous studies. This review was limited to school‐based studies with a quantitative evaluation using anthropometric outcomes and that intervene on diet or activity‐related behaviours. Quantitative and qualitative approaches are used to identify factors related to successful interventions as well as adverse consequences. Sixty‐eight per cent of the interventions, or 17 of the 25, were ‘effective’ based on a statistically significant reduction in body mass index (BMI) or skin‐folds for the intervention group. Four interventions were effective by BMI as well as skin‐fold measures. Of these, two targeted reductions in television viewing. The remaining two studies targeted direct physical activity intervention through the physical education programme combined with nutrition education. Of the interventions reported here, one was effective in reducing childhood overweight but was also associated with an increase in underweight prevalence. Few other studies reported outcomes for underweight. The majority of overweight/obesity prevention programmes included in this review were effective. Physical education in schools and reducing television viewing are two examples of interventions that have been successful. Because few studies report on underweight prevalence, this review recommends giving more attention to preventing adverse outcomes by reporting the intervention impact on the frequency distribution for both BMI and adiposity measures.
A Bayesian Method of Sample Size Determination with Practical Applications
Authors: Sahu S. K. , Smith T. M. F. 
Published: January 2006

SummaryThe problem motivating the paper is the determination of sample size in clinical trials under normal likelihoods and at the substantive testing stage of a financial audit where normality is not an appropriate assumption. A combination of analytical and simulation-based techniques within the Bayesian framework is proposed. The framework accommodates two different prior distributions: one is the general purpose fitting prior distribution that is used in Bayesian analysis and the other is the expert subjective prior distribution, the sampling prior which is believed to generate the parameter values which in turn generate the data. We obtain many theoretical results and one key result is that typical non-informative prior distributions lead to very small sample sizes. In contrast, a very informative prior distribution may either lead to a very small or a very large sample size depending on the location of the centre of the prior distribution and the hypothesized value of the parameter. The methods that are developed are quite general and can be applied to other sample size determination problems. Some numerical illustrations which bring out many other aspects of the optimum sample size are given.
Isolation and characterization of microsatellite markers in red‐flanked bushrobin, Tarsiger cyanurus (Aves: Turdidae)
Authors: SATIO D. S. , MORIMOTO G. , FUKUNAGA A. , UEDA K. 
Published: January 2006

AbstractMicrosatellite markers were isolated from red‐flanked bushrobin, Tarsiger cyanurus, for parentage analysis. From an enriched genomic library using the fast isolation by AFLP of sequences containing repeats (FIASCO) method, six polymorphic loci were obtained. Seven to 21 alleles were identified in an analysis of 19 red‐flanked bushrobin, with observed heterozygosity ranging from 0.842 to 1.00. All loci showed Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium and linkage equilibrium. Total exclusion probability using six loci was 0.998 for neither parent known, and 0.999 for one parent known. We also tested the utility of these loci on four species of Turdidae. Although one of the loci failed to amplify in any species, the other primers successfully amplified in at least two of the species we tested.
Using the theory of constraints thinking processes to complement system dynamics' causal loop diagrams in developing fundamental solutions
Authors: Mabin Victoria J. , Davies John , Cox James F. 
Published: January 2006

AbstractStandard OR/MS methods mainly focus on ‘hard’ aspects of problems represented by quantitative or mathematical formulations. Organisational settings typically pose challenges in the use of such methods, in that they may be inadequate to capture the ‘softer’ issues surrounding human behaviours, organisational practices and policies. Over the last 20 years, a number of ‘soft OR’ tools, methods and methodologies have emerged as a means of addressing such challenges, and in this paper, we selectively examine how such methodologies can complement hard and other soft methods. In particular, we examine the potential contribution of the theory of constraints (TOC) and system dynamics (SD) to multi‐methodological intervention. We begin by discussing their philosophical underpinnings in relation to other OR/MS methods, and by exploring how such an understanding can provide a theoretical basis for mixing methodologies and for their complementary use. Then, using a case suitable for classroom discussion, the paper provides insights into how the systemic qualities of selected TOC methods and tools may be harnessed in multi‐methodological intervention by identifying the communality and complementarity of TOC and other hard and soft OR/MS approaches to problem solving, in particular, the causal loop diagramming method of SD.
Power Spectral Analysis of Heart Rate Variability in HIV‐Infected and AIDS Patients
Authors: CORREIA DALMO , RODRIGUES DE RESENDE LUIZ ANTONIO PERTILLI , MOLINA RODRIGO JULIANO , FERREIRA BRUNO DORIGUETTO COUTO , COLOMBARI FERNANDO , BARBOSA CARLOS JOSÉ DORNAS G. , DA SILVA VALDO JOSÉ DIAS , PRATA ALUÍZIO 
Published: January 2006

Background: In HIV‐infected patients the risks for cardiovascular disease are multifactorial. Autonomic dysfunction has been detected in the early phase of HIV infection as well as in AIDS patients with advanced cardiomyopathy.
Methods: Forty AIDS patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), 40 HIV+ naïve of HAART, and 40 control subjects were studied. Computerized analysis of heart rate variability was performed using an analog to digital converter. R‐R intervals were obtained from a standard ECG, recorded in DII lead in supine rest and after the cold‐face and tilt tests. The series of R‐R intervals were assessed in time and frequency domains using an autoregressive algorithm.
Results: There was no difference regarding to mean values of R‐R intervals and variance in baseline. The normalized power of the low‐frequency (LF) component and the low‐frequency/high‐frequency (HF) ratio (LF/HF) was significantly decreased in the HIV group. Responses of normalized HF and LF/HF ratio during the cold‐face test were significantly decreased in the HIV group, as compared to the control. During the tilt test, a higher augmentation of normalized LF and the LF/HF ratio was observed in the HIV group compared with the control. The AIDS group was similar to the control in baseline and after cold‐face and tilt tests.
Conclusion: The HIV group presented in baseline conditions, a shift of cardiac sympathovagal balance, an exacerbated response of the LF component during the tilt test, and an ineffective cardiac vagal response to the cold‐face test suggesting sympathetic and parasympathetic dysfunction. AIDS patients receiving HAART did not present these autonomic alterations.
Photoprotection in teenagers
Authors: El Sayed Fouad , Ammoury Alfred , Nakhle Fouad , Dhaybi Rola , Marguery Marie‐Claude 
Published: January 2006

Background: It is very common to apply a ‘template photoprotection’ without taking into consideration the background of a specific population. In Lebanon, so far, no preliminary survey has been conducted before launching an educational photoprotection campaign, revealing the need of the people according to their background.Materials and methods: In April 2004, a specific questionnaire was administered to 940 adolescents, aged from 14 to 18 years. The questionnaire comprised 18 multiple‐choice questions that established the approximate phototype of teenagers, awareness of ultraviolet (UV) hazard, presence of sufficient information regarding the risk of sun exposure (school, doctor, media) and the use of measures of photoprotection (clothes, sunscreens).Results: The incidence of sunburn in teenagers was high (85.42%) despite their awareness of the risks of unprotected sun exposure. The information regarding sun damage seems to be insufficiently delivered at school and by doctors. The main source of information was television. It was obvious that our adolescents underestimated the value of clothing to protect themselves. The use of clothing comes at the second place after sunscreens. However, the application of sunscreen seems to be inadequate.Conclusions: While solar protection has become part of routine beach behavior for adolescents, there is room for improvement with better application of sunscreen and more use of clothing, especially wearing hats, and seeking shade. However, it is difficult to appreciate the impact of publicity campaigns on the risks of sun exposure in reducing the incidence of melanoma.
Effect of hip protectors in residential aged care settings
Authors: Swerissen Hal , DenneKamp Martine 
Published: January 2006

Objective:  This study investigated the implementing of hip protectors for people considered at increased risk of fracturing their neck of femur (hip) in public sector residential aged and acute care facilities.Methods:  Twelve public sector residential aged care facilities in Victoria participated in this intervention. Data were collected before and after a 6 month intervention with pre‐ and postintervention questionnaires.Results:  Results show that wearing hip protectors reduces the risk of fracture to the neck of femur or pelvis in residential aged and acute care facilities.Discussion:  Hip protectors are a potentially cost‐effective intervention to reduce the incidence of fractures. Further research on the effectiveness of falls risk assessment tools is required.
Measuring mobility in frail older people: reliability and validity of the Physical Mobility Scale
Authors: Nitz Jennifer C , Hourigan Susan R , Brown Annette 
Published: January 2006

Objectives:  The study was designed to show the validity and reliability of scoring the Physical Mobility Scale (PMS). PMS was developed by physiotherapists working in residential aged care to specifically show resident functional mobility and to provide information regarding each resident's need for supervision or assistance from one or two staff members and equipment during position changes, transfers, mobilising and personal care. Methods:  Nineteen physiotherapists of varying backgrounds and experience scored the performances of nine residents of care facilities from video recordings. The performances were compared to scores on two ‘gold standard’ assessment tools. Four of the physiotherapists repeated the evaluations. Results:  The PMS showed excellent content validity and reliability. Conclusions:  The PMS provides graded performance of physical mobility, including level of dependency on staff and equipment. This is a major advantage over existing functional assessment tools. There is no need for specific training for physiotherapists to use the tool.