bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
In rats, oral oleoyl-DHEA is rapidly hydrolysed and converted to DHEA-sulphate
Authors: Serrano Marta , Grasa Maria del Mar , Fernández-López José Antonio , Alemany Marià 
Published: March 2007

Abstract

Background
Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) released by adrenal glands may be converted to androgens and estrogens mainly in the gonadal, adipose, mammary, hepatic and nervous tissue. DHEA is also a key neurosteroid and has antiglucocorticoid activity. DHEA has been used for the treatment of a number of diseases, including obesity; its pharmacological effects depend on large oral doses, which effect rapidly wanes in part because of its short half-life in plasma. Since steroid hormone esters circulate for longer periods, we have studied here whether the administration of DHEA oleoyl ester may extend its pharmacologic availability by keeping high circulating levels.

Results
Tritium-labelled oleoyl-DHEA was given to Wistar male and female rats by gastric tube. The kinetics of appearance of the label in plasma was unrelated to sex; the pattern being largely coincident with the levels of DHEA-sulfate only in females, and after 2 h undistinguishable from the results obtained using labelled DHEA gavages; in the short term, practically no lipophilic DHEA label was found in plasma. After 24 h only a small fraction of the label remained in the rat organs, with a different sex-related distribution pattern coincident for oleoyl- and free- DHEA gavages. The rapid conversion of oleoyl-DHEA into circulating DHEA-sulfate was investigated using stomach, liver and intestine homogenates; which hydrolysed oleoyl-DHEA optimally near pH 8. Duodenum and ileum contained the highest esterase activities. Pure hog pancreas cholesterol-esterase broke down oleoyl-DHEA at rates similar to those of oleoyl-cholesterol. The intestinal and liver esterases were differently activated by taurocholate and showed different pH-activity patterns than cholesterol esterase, suggesting that oleoyl-DHEA can be hydrolysed by a number of esterases in the lumen (e.g. cholesterol-esterase), in the intestinal wall and the liver.

Conclusion
The esterase activities found may condition the pharmacological availability (and depot effect) of orally administered steroid hormone fatty acid esters such as oleoyl-DHEA. The oral administration of oleoyl-DHEA in order to extend DHEA plasma availability has not been proved effective, since the ester is rapidly hydrolysed, probably in the intestine itself, and mainly converted to DHEA-sulfate at least in females.
Effects of residence and race on burden of travel for care: cross sectional analysis of the 2001 US National Household Travel Survey
Authors: Probst Janice C , Laditka Sarah B , Wang Jong-Yi , Johnson Andrew O 
Published: March 2007

Abstract
Background
Travel burden is a key element in conceptualizing geographic access to health care. Prior research has shown that both rural and minority populations bear disproportionate travel burdens. However, many studies are limited to specific types of patient or specific locales. The purpose of our study was to quantify geographic and race-based differences in distance traveled and time spent in travel for medical/dental care using representative national data.

Methods
Data were drawn from 2001 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS), a nationally representative, cross-sectional household survey conducted by the US Department of Transportation. Participants recorded all travel on a designated day; the overall response rate was 41%. Analyses were restricted to households reporting at least one trip for medical and/or dental care; 3,914 trips made by 2,432 households. Dependent variables in the analysis were road miles traveled, minutes spent traveling, and high travel burden, defined as more than 30 miles or 30 minutes per trip. Independent variables of interest were rural residence and race. Characteristics of the individual, the trip, and the community were controlled in multivariate analyses.

Results
The average trip for care in the US in 2001 entailed 10.2 road miles (16.4 kilometers) and 22.0 minutes of travel. Rural residents traveled further than urban residents in unadjusted analysis (17.5 versus 8.3 miles; 28.2 versus 13.4 km). Rural trips took 31.4% longer than urban trips (27.2 versus 20.7 minutes). Distance traveled did not vary by race. African Americans spent more time in travel than whites (29.1 versus 20.6 minutes); other minorities did not differ. In adjusted analyses, rural residence (odds ratio, OR, 2.67, 95% confidence interval, CI 1.39 5.1.5) was associated with a trip of 30 road miles or more; rural residence (OR, 1.80, CI 1.09 2.99) and African American race/ethnicity (OR 3.04. 95% CI 2.0 4.62) were associated with a trip lasting 30 minutes or longer.

Conclusion
Rural residents and African Americans experience higher travel burdens than urban residents or whites when seeking medical/dental care.
A traditional Japanese-style salt field is a niche for haloarchaeal strains that can survive in 0.5% salt solution
Authors: Fukushima Tadamasa , Usami Ron , Kamekura Masahiro 
Published: March 2007

Abstract

Background
Most of the haloarchaeal strains have been isolated from hypersaline environments such as solar evaporation ponds, salt lakes, or salt deposits, and they, with some exceptions, lyse or lose viability in very low-salt concentrations. There are no salty environments suitable for the growth of haloarchaea in Japan. Although Natrialba asiatica and Haloarcula japonica were isolated many years ago, the question, "Are haloarchaea really thriving in natural environments of Japan?" has remained unanswered.

Results
Ten strains were isolated from a traditional Japanese-style salt field at Nie, Noto Peninsula, Japan by plating out the soil samples directly on agar plates containing 30% (w/v) salts and 0.5% yeast extract. They were most closely related to strains of three genera, Haladaptatus, Halococcus, and Halogeometricum. Survival rates in 3% and 0.5% SW (Salt Water, solutions containing salts in approximately the same proportions as found in seawater) solutions at 37°C differed considerably depending on the strains. Two strains belonging to Halogeometricum as well as the type strain Hgm. borinquense died and lysed immediately after suspension. Five strains that belonged to Halococcus and a strain that may be a member of Halogeometricum survived for 1–2 days in 0.5% SW solution. Two strains most closely related to Haladaptatus possessed extraordinary strong tolerance to low salt conditions. About 20 to 34% of the cells remained viable in 0.5% SW after 9 days incubation.

Conclusion
In this study we have demonstrated that haloarchaea are really thriving in the soil of Japanese-style salt field. The haloarchaeal cells, particularly the fragile strains are suggested to survive in the micropores of smaller size silt fraction, one of the components of soil. The inside of the silt particles is filled with concentrated salt solution and kept intact even upon suspension in rainwater. Possible origins of the haloarchaea isolated in this study are discussed.
Identification of high-risk subgroups in very elderly intensive care unit patients
Authors: de Rooij Sophia E , Abu-Hanna Ameen , Levi Marcel , de Jonge Evert 
Published: March 2007

Abstract
Introduction
Current prognostic models for intensive care unit (ICU) patients have not been specifically developed or validated in the very elderly. The aim of this study was to develop a prognostic model for ICU patients 80 years old or older to predict in-hospital mortality by means of data obtained within 24 hours after ICU admission. Aside from having good overall performance, the model was designed to reliably and specifically identify subgroups at very high risk of dying.

Methods
A total of 6,867 consecutive patients 80 years old or older from 21 Dutch ICUs were studied. Data necessary to calculate the Glasgow Coma Scale, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II, Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPS II), Mortality Probability Models II scores, and ICU and hospital survival were recorded. Data were randomly divided into a developmental (n = 4,587) and a validation (n = 2,289) set. By means of recursive partitioning analysis, a classification tree predicting in-hospital mortality was developed. This model was compared with the original SAPS II model and with the SAPS II model after recalibration for very elderly ICU patients in the Netherlands.

Results
Overall performance measured by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve and by the Brier score was similar for the classification tree, the original SAPS II model, and the recalibrated SAPS II model. The tree identified most patients with very high risk of mortality (9.2% of patients versus 8.9% for the original SAPS II and 5.9% for the recalibrated SAPS II had a risk of more than 80%). With a cut-point at a risk of 80%, the positive predictive values were 0.88 for the tree, 0.83 for the original SAPS II, and 0.87 for the recalibrated SAPS II.

Conclusion
Prognostic models with good overall performance may also reliably identify subgroups of very elderly ICU patients who have a very high risk of dying before hospital discharge. The classification tree has the advantage of identifying the separate factors contributing to bad outcome and of using few variables. Up to 9.5% of patients were found to have a risk to die of more than 85%.
Hawkeye: an interactive visual analytics tool for genome assemblies
Authors: Schatz Michael C , Phillippy Adam M , Shneiderman Ben , Salzberg Steven L 
Published: March 2007

AbstractGenome sequencing remains an inexact science, and genome sequences can contain significant errors if they are not carefully examined. Hawkeye is our new visual analytics tool for genome assemblies, designed to aid in identifying and correcting assembly errors. Users can analyze all levels of an assembly along with summary statistics and assembly metrics, and are guided by a ranking component towards likely mis-assemblies. Hawkeye is freely available and released as part of the open source AMOS project http://amos.sourceforge.net/hawkeye.
Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy in Multiple Organ Sites
Authors: Timmerman Robert D. , Kavanagh Brian D. , Cho L. Chinsoo , Papiez Lech , Xing Lei 
Published: March 2007

Introduction Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) uses advanced technology to deliver a potent ablative dose to deep-seated tumors in the lung, liver, spine, pancreas, kidney, and prostate. Methods SBRT involves constructing very compact high-dose volumes in and about the tumor. Tumor position must be accurately assessed throughout treatment, especially for tumors that move with respiration. Sophisticated image guidance and related treatment delivery technologies have developed to account for such motion and efficiently deliver high daily dose. All this serves to allow the delivery of ablative dose fractionation to the target capable of both disrupting tumor mitosis and cellular function. Results Prospective phase I dose-escalation trials have been carried out to reach potent tumoricidal dose levels capable of eradicating tumors with high likelihood. These studies indicate a clear dose-response relationship for tumor control with escalating dose of SBRT. Prospective phase II studies have been reported from several continents consistently showing very high levels of local tumor control. Although late toxicity requires further careful assessment, acute and subacute toxicities are generally acceptable. Patterns of toxicity, both clinical and radiographic, are distinct from those observed with conventionally fractionated radiotherapy as a result of the unique biologic response to ablative fractionation. Conclusion Prospective trials using SBRT have confirmed the efficacy of treatment in a variety of patient populations. Although mechanisms of ablative-dose injury remain elusive, ongoing prospective trials offer the hope of finding the ideal application for SBRT in the treatment arsenal.
On the Probability of Dizygotic Twins Being Concordant for Two Alleles at Multiple Polymorphic Loci
Authors: Nyholt Dale R. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractAccurate determination of same-sex twin zygosity is important for medical, scientific and personal reasons. Determination may be based upon questionnaire data, blood group, enzyme isoforms and fetal membrane examination, but assignment of zygosity must ultimately be confirmed by genotypic data. Here methods are reviewed for calculating average probabilities of correctly concluding a twin pair is monozygotic, given they share the same genotypes across all loci for commonly utilized multiplex short tandem repeat (STR) kits. Numerous tools enabling convenient and accurate zygosity probability calculation may be accessed via the ZygProb homepage at http://genepi.qimr.edu.au/general/daleN/ZygProb/
How Long Do the Consequences of Parental Preference Last: A Study of Twins From Pregnancy to Young Adulthood
Authors: Trias L. Tuulikki , Ebeling Hanna E. , Penninkilampi-Kerola Varpu , Kunelius Anne M. , Tirkkonen Tiina T. , Moilanen Irma K. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractWe analyzed depressive and psychosomatic symptoms in relation to parental preference in 419 twins at the age of 22 to 30 years. Depressiveness was elicited with Children's Depression Inventory and reported as a total score and three subscales (low self-confidence, anhedonia and sadness) based on factor analysis as reported in a previous epidemiological study conducted in Finland. Items assessing nervous complaints and somatic symptoms were adapted from Finnish studies of juvenile health habits. Twins reported the preference in two directions: experienced parental preference towards either twin, and twin's own preference towards either parent. About half of the twins were from pairs where both twins experienced having been equally close to both parents, while about 30% were from ‘equal and mother's’ pair, where one twin evaluated having been preferred by the mother and the co-twin evaluated having been equally close to both parents. According to the twins' own preference, about one third of the twin pairs were ‘both equal’, one third ‘both mother's’ and one third ‘equal and mother's’. Those male twins who were equally close to both parents (experienced parental preference) had least total depressiveness, while females in the intermediate situation had the highest self-confidence and least anhedonia and nervousness. According to twins' own preference, twins who felt equally close to both parents had the least depressiveness and anhedonia. The intermediate position seems to be the best alternative, as these twins had the least symptoms.
Frequency of Twin Births in Developed Countries
Authors: Pison Gilles , D'Addato Agata V. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractTwinning rates in developed countries have recently registered an increase. At the end of the 1970s, the change in mother's age structure has partially contributed to the growth in the proportion of multiple births. In fact, the evolution of twinning rates is related to the calendar of maternity since, comparatively to younger mothers, older women more frequently have twins. Moreover, the growing frequency of multiple births also depends on fertility treatments, which are largely used in the developed countries. National data from the civil birth registration systems are taken into account in order to describe, in a comparative study, the main trends of twinning rates in the 20th century.
Stillbirth Rates in Singletons, Twins and Triplets in Sweden, 1869 to 2001
Authors: Fellman Johan , Eriksson Aldur W. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractThe temporal variation in the stillbirth rates (SBR), measured as the number of stillborn per 1000 total births, among singletons, twins and triplets was studied on Swedish birth data for the period 1869 to 2001 and comparisons with data from other populations were made. Among both single and multiple births there were marked, almost monotonously decreasing trends in the stillbirth rates. Among singletons the stillbirth rate decreased from 29.5 per 1000 in the period 1869 to 1878 to 3.4 in the period 1991 to 2001. Among twins the stillbirth rate decreased from 94 per 1000 in 1869 to 1878 to a minimum of 8.2 in 1991 to 2001 and among triplets from 166 per 1000 to a minimum of 19.8. The relative declining pattern in the SBRs was almost the same, being 88% among singletons, 91% among twins and 88% among triplets. In the 1980s and 1990s the definition of the stillbirth rate was changed in many countries, including Finland, but no changes in the definition of stillbirths have been made in Sweden. The effect of the artificial reproduction techniques, including in vitro fertilization, on the rates of multiple maternities is also discussed. It was noted especially that they had a more marked effect on the triplet than on the twinning rate.
Empirical Evaluation of the Genetic Similarity of Samples From Twin Registries in Australia and the Netherlands Using 359 STRP Markers
Authors: Sullivan Patrick F. , Montgomery Grant W. , Hottenga Jouke Jan , Wray Naomi R. , Boomsma Dorret I. , Martin Nicholas G. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractOne way to achieve the large sample sizes required for genetic studies of complex traits is to combine samples collected by different groups. It is not often clear, however, whether this practice is reasonable from a genetic perspective. To assess the comparability of samples from the Australian and the Netherlands twin studies, we estimated Fst (the proportion of total genetic variability attributable to genetic differences between cohorts) based on 359 short tandem repeat polymorphisms in 1068 individuals. Fst was estimated to be 0.30% between the Australian and the Netherlands cohorts, a smaller value than between many European groups. We conclude that it is reasonable to combine the Australian and the Netherlands samples for joint genetic analyses.
Response to Puts and Dawood's ‘The Evolution of Female Orgasm: Adaptation or Byproduct?’ — Been There
Authors: Lloyd Elisabeth A. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractDavid Puts and Khytam Dawood's recent critique of my book,The Case of the Female Orgasm: Bias in the Science of Evolution, attempts to make plausible an adaptive account of female orgasm based on a hypothesized mechanism of uterine upsuck and sperm competition. Yet the authors fail to respond to the criticisms of such accounts that I detailed previously in my book. They raise a further concern about my definition of adaptation — a red herring — and manufacture a conceptual error regarding heritability that they then attribute to me. Most seriously, they fail to address the glaring failure of sperm competition accounts to accord with evidence from sexology. Specifically, the distribution curve of orgasm-with-intercourse — according to Dawood et al.'s own data, as well as others' — is relatively flat across the various classes. This curve needs to be tested against a well-formed multistrategy adaptive hypothesis; it cannot be explained by the adaptive account defended by Puts and Dawood in their critique.
Australian Twin Registry: A Nationally Funded Resource for Medical and Scientific Research, Incorporating match and WATCH
Authors: Hopper John L. , Treloar Susan A. , de Klerk Nicholas H. , Morley Ruth 
Published: March 2007

AbstractThe Australian Twin Registry (ATR) has, since the late 1970s, enrolled more than 30,000 pairs of all zygosity types and ages willing to consider participation in approved research studies. Its core functions are the recruitment to, and maintenance of, an up-to-date database containing contact details and baseline information, and the management of fair and equitable access so as to enhance medical and scientific research. The ATR has facilitated more than 430 studies producing 525 peer-reviewed publications using a variety of designs including classic biometrical twin and twin family studies, co-twin control studies, intervention studies, longitudinal studies, and studies of issues relevant specifically to twins. The ATR is supported for 2004 to 2009 by an Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Enabling Grant, a new form of funding which recognizes the importance of long-term support for shared national resources. New initiatives include: integration with the Western Australian Twin Child Health (WATCH) cohort and the new Western Australian Twin Registry (WATR); foundation of a cohort of mothers and their twin children recruited from the time of diagnosis of the multiple gestation (match); a national Twins Festival run in collaboration with the Australian Multiple Birth Association (AMBA); promotion of the ATR at medical conferences; and fostering an active network of researchers from a range of disciplines and providing financial support for new researchers to attend international twin research workshops. Consistent with its mission statement, the long-term goal of the ATR is to make twin studies a standard component of medical and scientific research.
The Western Australian Twin Register: A Population-Based Register of Adult and Child Multiples
Authors: Lee Jessica D. Y. , Palmer Lyle J. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractThe Western Australian Twin Register (WATR) was established in 1997 to study the health of all child multiples born in Western Australia (WA). The Register has until recently consisted of all multiples born in WA between 1980 and 1997. Using unique record linkage capacities available through the WA data linkage system, we have subsequently been able to identify all multiple births born in WA since 1974. New affiliations with the Australian Twin Registry and the WA Institute for Medical Research are further enabled by the use of the WA Genetic Epidemiology Resource — a high-end bioinformatics infrastructure that allows efficient management of health datasets and facilitates collaborative research capabilities. In addition to this infrastructure, funding provided by these institutions has allowed the extension of the WATR to include a greater number of WA multiples, including those born between 1974 and 1979, and from 1998 onwards. These resources are in the process of being enabled for national and international access.
The East Flanders Prospective Twin Survey (EFPTS)
Authors: Derom Catherine A. , Vlietinck Robert F. , Thiery Evert W. , Leroy Fernand O. G. , Fryns Jean-Pierre , Derom Robert M. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractThe East Flanders Prospective Twin Survey (EFPTS) is a prospective, population-based registry of multiple births in the province of East Flanders, Belgium. EFPTS has several unique features: it is population based and prospective, with the possibility of long-term follow-up; the twins (and higher order multiple births) are ascertained at birth; basic perinatal data recorded; chorion type and zygosity established; and since 1969 placental biopsies have been taken and frozen at −20 °C for later determination of genetic markers. The EFPTS is the only large register that includes placental data and allows differentiation of 3 subtypes of monozygotic (MZ) twins based on the time of the initial zygotic division: the dichorionic–diamnionic pairs (early, before the 4th day after fertilization), the monochorionic–diamnionic pairs (intermediate, between the 4th and the 7th day post fertilization), and the monochorionic–monoamnionic pairs (late, after the 8-day post fertilization). This added a new dimension to didymology (the science of twins; didymos is the Greek word for twin): the timing of MZ twinning. Studies can be initiated taking into account primary biases, those originating in utero. Such studies could throw new light on the controversy over the validity of the classic twin method, the consequences of early embryological events (before and just after implantation of the embryo), the origin of congenital malformations, the sex proportion of multiples, the gene–environment interactions as far as intrauterine environment is concerned, to name but a few.