bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Acute digoxin loading reduces ABCA8A mRNA expression in the mouse liver
Authors: Wakaumi Michi , Ishibashi Kenichi , Ando Hitoshi , Kasanuki Hiroshi , Tsuruoka Shuichi 
Published: January 2006

Summary1. Human ABCA8, a new member of the ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporter family, transports certain lipophilic drugs, such as digoxin. To investigate the roles of this transporter, we cloned a mouse homologue of ABCA8, from a mouse heart cDNA library, named ABCA8a.2. The deduced mouse ABCA8a protein is 66% identical with that of human ABCA8 and possesses features common to the ABC superfamily. It was found that ABCA8a was mainly expressed in the liver and heart, similar to human ABCA8.3. We further evaluated the effect of acute digoxin (a substrate for ABCA8) intoxication on the mRNA expression of ABCA8 using northern blotting with a 3′ non‐coding region as a probe to avoid cross‐hybridization with other ABCA genes.4. Following acute digoxin infusion, the mRNA expression of ABCA8 was significantly reduced in the liver 12–24 h after injection (14.7% of vehicle treatment), but not in the heart and kidney.5. Real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis confirmed the reduction in ABCA8a mRNA. Similar reductions in ABCA5, ABCA7, ABCA8b and ABCA9 mRNA were also observed. A comparable amount of digitoxin did not affect ABCA8a mRNA expression in the liver.6. The results suggest that ABCA8 may play a role in digoxin metabolism in the liver.
Feitai, a Chinese herbal medicine, reduces transforming growth factor‐β1 and monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 expression in bleomycin‐induced lung fibrosis in mice
Authors: Shen Yun , Zhao Hao‐Long , Du Juan , Li Yu‐Ting , Tan Fang , Huang Cheng‐Gang , Pei Gang 
Published: January 2006

Summary1. Feitai, a Chinese medicine formulation, has been shown to protect against lung fibrosis induced by bleomycin (BLM). In the present study, we investigated the effect ofFeitaion transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β1 and monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 (MCP‐1), which play important roles in the pathogenesis of BLM‐induced lung fibrosis.2. The results demonstrated thatFeitaicould significantly attenuate BLM‐induced acute lung inflammation and subsequent lung fibrosis. Meanwhile, the expression of MCP‐1 and TGF‐β1mRNA in the lungs increased in the BLM‐treated group compared with the saline‐instilled control group andFeitaitreatment significantly decreased cytokine expression in BLM‐treated mice. In addition,Feitaidiminished the accumulation of MCP‐1‐ and TGF‐β1‐positive cells in lung tissues at the time of peak mRNA levels.3. In summary, the results of the present study indicate that treatment withFeitaiameliorates BLM‐induced lung fibrosis, at least in part via the inhibition of MCP‐1 and TGF‐β1expression.
‘Take the stairs instead of the escalator’: effect of environmental prompts on community stair use and implications for a national ‘Small Steps’ campaign
Authors: Dolan M. S. , Weiss L. A. , Lewis R. A. , Pietrobelli A. , Heo M. , Faith M. S. 
Published: January 2006

SummaryThe US government initiated a national health campaign targeting 100 ‘small step’ lifestyle changes to combat obesity. Small Step ♯67 advocates stair instead of escalator usage in public settings. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of motivational signs prompting stair use over escalator use on pedestrians’ stair usage in commuter settings. Eight studies, testing the effects of motivational prompts on stair vs. escalator usage in public settings, were reviewed. Participant and study attributes were descriptively coded. Effect size was calculated as the change in percent units of stair users during the intervention phases vs. the baseline phase. The average study included ∼45 000 observations that were recorded across an average of 15 weeks of intervention. The mean ± SD change in percent units of stair users was 2.8% ± 2.4% (P < 0.001), and effects were twice as large in females (4.8%) as in males (2.4%). The number of stairs/building, baseline stair use, and total intervention weeks predicted change in stair use, although the effects were clinically miniscule. In a hypothetical city intervention, we projected that a 2.8% increase in stair usage would result in a weight loss and/or weight gain prevention of 300 g/person/year among new stair users. In sum, point‐of‐decision motivational signs may help communities attain Small Step ♯67. However, the singular impact of this community intervention on correcting energy imbalance may be minimal, having slight impact itself on reducing the national obesity prevalence.
Low‐carbohydrate diets: nutritional and physiological aspects
Authors: Adam‐Perrot A. , Clifton P. , Brouns F. 
Published: January 2006

SummaryRecently, diets low in carbohydrate content have become a matter of international attention because of the WHO recommendations to reduce the overall consumption of sugars and rapidly digestible starches. One of the common metabolic changes assumed to take place when a person follows a low‐carbohydrate diet is ketosis. Low‐carbohydrate intakes result in a reduction of the circulating insulin level, which promotes high level of circulating fatty acids, used for oxidation and production of ketone bodies. It is assumed that when carbohydrate availability is reduced in short term to a significant amount, the body will be stimulated to maximize fat oxidation for energy needs. The currently available scientific literature shows that low‐carbohydrate diets acutely induce a number of favourable effects, such as a rapid weight loss, decrease of fasting glucose and insulin levels, reduction of circulating triglyceride levels and improvement of blood pressure. On the other hand some less desirable immediate effects such as enhanced lean body mass loss, increased urinary calcium loss, increased plasma homocysteine levels, increased low‐density lipoprotein‐cholesterol have been reported. The long‐term effect of the combination of these changes is at present not known. The role of prolonged elevated fat consumption along with low‐carbohydrate diets should be addressed. However, these undesirable effects may be counteracted with consumption of a low‐carbohydrate, high‐protein, low‐fat diet, because this type of diet has been shown to induce favourable effects on feelings of satiety and hunger, help preserve lean body mass, effectively reduce fat mass and beneficially impact on insulin sensitivity and on blood lipid status while supplying sufficient calcium for bone mass maintenance. The latter findings support the need to do more research on this type of hypocaloric low‐carbohydrate diet.
A Comparison of Multiple Imputation and Doubly Robust Estimation for Analyses with Missing Data
Authors: Carpenter James R. , Kenward Michael G. , Vansteelandt Stijn 
Published: January 2006

SummaryMultiple imputation is now a well-established technique for analysing data sets where some units have incomplete observations. Provided that the imputation model is correct, the resulting estimates are consistent. An alternative, weighting by the inverse probability of observing complete data on a unit, is conceptually simple and involves fewer modelling assumptions, but it is known to be both inefficient (relative to a fully parametric approach) and sensitive to the choice of weighting model. Over the last decade, there has been a considerable body of theoretical work to improve the performance of inverse probability weighting, leading to the development of ‘doubly robust’ or ‘doubly protected’ estimators. We present an intuitive review of these developments and contrast these estimators with multiple imputation from both a theoretical and a practical viewpoint.
Five new microsatellite loci for Oliver flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) from an expressed sequence tag (EST) library and cross‐species amplification
Authors: LIU Y. G. , ZHENG M. G. , LIU L. X. , LIN H. , WANG D. F. , LI B. F. , SUN X. Q. 
Published: January 2006

AbstractFive microsatellite loci have been isolated and characterized from a cDNA library of Oliver flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus. All loci were found to be polymorphic and had between four and 10 alleles. Observed and expected heterozygosities varied from 0.70 to 0.90 and from 0.52 to 0.80, respectively. Five additional fish species assessed for cross‐species amplification revealed between zero and three positive amplifications and between zero and two polymorphic loci per species.
Identification and characterization of nuclear microsatellite loci in Abies alba Mill.
Authors: CREMER E. , LIEPELT S. , SEBASTIANI F. , BUONAMICI A. , MICHALCZYK I. M. , ZIEGENHAGEN B. , VENDRAMIN G. G. 
Published: January 2006

AbstractEleven polymorphic nuclear microsatellite markers for Abies alba Mill. were developed from an enriched genomic library. An average of 5.2 alleles per locus and a mean expected heterozygosity of 0.532 were found in a sample of 24 Abies alba individuals from different populations within Europe. These loci can be used in studies of genetic diversity for parentage analysis and for estimation of gene flow in silver fir populations. Moreover, successful amplifications were obtained for eight other Mediterranean Abies species, suggesting that these loci may be useful for similar applications in other fir species.
Characterization of transferrin‐linked microsatellites in brown trout (Salmo trutta) and Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)
Authors: ANTUNES AGOSTINHO , GHARBI KARIM , ALEXANDRINO PAULO , GUYOMARD RENÉ 
Published: January 2006

AbstractThe transferrin (TF) gene has recently received increased interest in fish given its fitness relevance as a resistance gene against pathogenic bacteria. In this study, we characterized five TF‐linked microsatellites in brown trout (Salmo trutta) and Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Interestingly, each marker amplified duplicated loci and linkage analysis revealed that the TF gene has most likely experienced a tandem duplication during salmonid evolution. In addition, the amplification of all five markers across a wide range of salmonid species suggests that they may be of general interest for the genetic analysis of the TF gene(s) in this teleost family.
Isolation and characterization of polymorphic microsatellite loci from Wilsonia backhousei (Convolvulaceae)
Authors: SOMMERVILLE KAREN , ROSSETTO MAURIZIO , PULKOWNIK ALEX 
Published: January 2006

Abstract Wilsonia backhousei is a clonal saltmarsh plant restricted to the southern latitudes of Australasia and threatened in New South Wales. We have identified eight informative microsatellite loci in the species from (AG)n‐ and (AC)n‐enriched libraries. In 48 samples from two populations we detected an average of five alleles per locus (range 2–8, average HE = 0.45), of which 72% were unique to one population or the other. Six of the eight loci were also amplifiable in Wilsonia rotundifolia under the same reaction conditions. The markers will be excellent tools for use in the management and conservation of both species.
Optimality of Jackson's permutations with respect to limited machine availability
Authors: Braun Oliver , Leshchenko Natalja M. , Sotskov Yuri N. 
Published: January 2006

AbstractThis article deals with the scheduling problem of minimizing the makespan in a two‐machine job‐shop with given w intervals of machine non‐availability. It is known that this problem is binary (unary) NP‐hard if there is at least one non‐availability interval (if the number of non‐availability intervals may be arbitrarily large), and all the jobs have the same machine route. We find sufficient conditions when Jackson's pair of permutations remains optimal for the two‐machine job‐shop problem with w1 non‐availability intervals. Extensive computational studies show the effectiveness (in the number of problems solved) and efficiency (in computational time) of these conditions for the randomly generated instances with up to 10,000 jobs and w5000 non‐availability intervals.
Dermatitis under Soccer Shin Guards: Allergy or Contact Irritant Reaction?
Authors: Weston William L. , Morelli Joseph G. 
Published: January 2006

Abstract:  We report a retrospective analysis of eight children aged 9 to 16 years who were evaluated for a persistent or recurrent dermatitis that appeared under soccer shin guards. To examine the possibility of contact allergy, all had 51 standard epicutaneous (patch) tests applied and three or four additional tests comprised of pieces of the shin guard components. Tests were read at 48 and 120 hours and all were negative in each subject. Irritant contact dermatitis, not allergy, was the cause of dermatitis in these subjects. It was postulated that sweating and friction contributed to the irritancy.
Successful Treatment of Laryngeal Stenosis in Laryngo‐Onycho‐Cutaneous Syndrome with Topical Mitomycin C
Authors: Phillips P. Seamus , Amonoo‐Kuofi Kwame , Hore Ian D. B. , Atherton David J. , Albert David M. 
Published: January 2006

Abstract:  Laryngo‐onycho‐cutaneous syndrome is a very rare entity found in Punjabi families. It affects the skin, nails, and larynx. Laryngeal involvement may cause lethal airway obstruction, and has in the past proved very difficult to treat. Mitomycin C is an antibiotic that acts as an alkylating agent, inhibiting DNA synthesis. It reduces fibroblast proliferation, and has previously been used to treat choanal atresia and laryngeal stenosis. We report an 18‐year‐old man with complete transglottic laryngeal stenosis secondary to laryngo‐onycho‐cutaneous syndrome. An airway was established by dissection with a bougie and sickle knife, and was initially maintained by the upper limb of a Montgomery T‐tube. Laryngeal granulation tissue present on removal of the T‐tube was treated with topical mitomycin C (2 mg/mL) applied for 4 minutes on two occasions with an interval of 1 month. A year later, the airway remained patent, with no granulation tissue.
The Effects of 6 Months of Increased Water Intake on Blood Sodium, Glomerular Filtration Rate, Blood Pressure, and Quality of Life in Elderly (Aged 55–75) Men
Authors: Spigt Mark G. , Knottnerus J. A. , Westerterp Klaas R. , Olde Rikkert Marcel G. M. , van Schayck C. P. 
Published: January 2006

OBJECTIVES: To study whether there are any negative or positive effects of 6 months of increased fluid intake in reasonably healthy elderly men.DESIGN: Randomized trial.SETTING: Community‐based.PARTICIPANTS: One hundred forty‐one healthy participants aged 55 to 75.INTERVENTION: One group was given the advice to increase their daily fluid intake by 1.5 L of water; the other group was given placebo medication (8 mL inactive syrup per day).MEASUREMENTS: At 6 months blood sodium, glomerular filtration rate (GFR), blood pressure, and quality of life (QOL) were measured. The changes in water turnover were measured using deuterium.RESULTS: Most subjects did not manage to increase their fluid intake by 1.5 L. The average increase in the intervention group was approximately 1 L. Twenty‐four‐hour water turnover in the water group was 359 mL (95% confidence interval=171–548) higher than that of the control group at 6‐month follow‐up. Blood pressure, sodium level, GFR, and QOL did not change significantly in either group during the intervention period. In addition, the cases reporting a worsening on the effect measures were equally distributed over the two study groups.CONCLUSION: The advice to increase fluid intake by 1.5 L had no negative effects in reasonably healthy men aged 55 to 75.
Frequency of Spontaneous and Inducible Atrioventricular Nodal Reentry Tachycardia in Patients with Idiopathic Outflow Tract Ventricular Arrhythmias
Authors: TOPILSKI IAN , GLICK AHARON , VISKIN SAMI , BELHASSEN BERNARD 
Published: January 2006

Objectives: We sought to assess the frequency of spontaneous or inducible atrioventricular nodal reentry tachycardia (AVNRT) in patients referred for radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of idiopathic outflow tract ventricular arrhythmias.
Background: In patients with no obvious heart disease, AVNRT and outflow tract ventricular tachycardia (VT) are the most frequently encountered supraventricular and ventricular tachycardias, respectively. An increased coexistence of the two arrhythmias has been recently suggested.
Methods: In 68 consecutive patients referred for RFA of an idiopathic ventricular outflow tract arrhythmia, a stimulation protocol including repeated bursts of rapid atrial pacing, up to triple atrial extrastimuli during sinus rhythm and rapid ventricular pacing was performed before and after isoproterenol infusion following RFA of the ventricular arrhythmia. In patients with inducible AVNRT, RFA of the slow pathway was performed.
Results: Of the 68 study patients, 17 (25%) had either spontaneous AVNRT documented prior to RFA of the ventricular arrhythmia (n = 4) or inducible AVNRT at the time of RFA of the ventricular arrhythmia (n = 13). AVNRT was induced by atrial pacing in 15 (88%) of 17 patients: in 3 patients without isoproterenol and in 12 patients during isoproterenol infusion. Uncomplicated RFA of the slow pathway was successfully achieved in all patients with inducible AVNRT.
Conclusion: Spontaneous or inducible AVNRT is relatively common in patients with idiopathic outflow tract ventricular arrhythmias. Atrial stimulation, especially when performed after isoproterenol infusion plays a major role in AVNRT inducibility. Although we performed RFA of the slow pathway in patients with inducible AVNRT and no prior tachycardia documentation, the question whether this is mandatory remains unsettled.
Electrical Space‐Time Abnormalities of Ventricular Depolarization in Patients with Brugada Syndrome and Patients with Complete Right‐Bundle Branch Blocks Studied by Magnetocardiography
Authors: KANDORI AKIHIKO , MIYASHITA TSUYOSHI , OGATA KUNIOMI , SHIMIZU WATARU , YOKOKAWA MIKI , KAMAKURA SHIRO , MIYATAKE KUNIO , TSUKADA KEIJI , YAMADA SATSUKI , WATANABE SHIGEYUKI , YAMAGUCHI IWAO 
Published: January 2006

Background: Both ventricular depolarization abnormalities (QRS complex) and repolarization ones (ST/T) are still controversial in literature. The objective of this study was to clarify the space‐time variations that occur in patients carriers of Brugada syndrome using Magnetocardiography and also compare them with cases of complete right‐bundle branch block (CRBBB) and individuals without any dromotropic disorder (control group).
Methods and Results: Magnetocardiograms (MCGs) of Brugada syndrome patients (n = 16), CRBBB patients (n = 14), and members of a control group (n = 46) at rest were recorded. The MCGs were used to produce a whole‐heart electrical‐activation diagram (W‐HEAD), which can visualize the spatial time‐variant activation in the whole heart. In the W‐HEAD pattern, three activations were located in the left ventricle, and CRBBB patients had a wide peak with about 65‐ms delay on the right anterior side. While the Brugada syndrome pattern has a posteromedian left‐ventricle excitation, that is half the amplitude that occurs in CRBBB patients, the electrical conduction rate to the posterosuperior septum area was low.
Conclusions: The W‐HEAD data made it possible to visualize space‐time depolarization abnormalities. These findings suggest that the electrical conduction rate to the posterosuperior septum area in Brugada syndrome cases is low, and this low activation may be a feature of typical Brugada syndrome.
Effects of low‐power laser radiation on mice immunity
Authors: Novoselova E. G. , Glushkova O. V. , Cherenkov D. A. , Chudnovsky V. M. , Fesenko E. E. 
Published: January 2006

Background/purpose: Because of large interest in biological effects of laser radiation used in laser therapy, the effect of extremely low‐level red laser light intensity on the immune cell activity has been studied in the animal model with well‐characterized macrophage and T cell populations as responder cells producing cytokines, protective proteins, active oxygen, and nitric compounds. To study of the possible side effects of laser immunotherapy we monitored the productions of cytokines, nitric oxide (NO), and heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) in mice subjected to a periodic laser exposure for 1 month.Methods: Helium–neon laser radiation with the power of 0.2 mW/cm2 and wavelength of 632.8 nm was applied on two different mouse skin surfaces, i.e. a thymus projection area or a hind limb. Healthy NMRI male mice were irradiated repeatedly with laser light for 1 min with 48‐h intervals for 30 days. The animals were divided into three groups of 25 mice. The first and the second groups were exposed to laser light, on the thymus and hind limb area, respectively. The third, sham‐irradiated group served as a control. Early and prolonged effects of laser radiation on the levels of NO (by Griess assay), Hsp70 (by Western blot assay), tumor necrosis factors (TNF‐α and TNF‐β) (by cytotoxic assay using L929 cells as targets), and interleukin‐2 (IL‐2) (by ELISA assay) were determined.Results: The dynamics of immune responses to low‐power laser light intensity was shown to be dependent on two factors, i.e. the cumulative dose and the localization of the irradiated surface. Besides, various populations of cells demonstrated different sensitivity to laser radiation, with T cells being more responsive among examined populations of the cells. Low intensity laser light induced an immune cell activity when the exposure duration did not exceed 10 days, while a more prolonged period of treatment generated more severe changes in the immune system, up to immunosuppression. The treatment of the thymus zone resulted in more pronounced changes in the cytokine production as well as in NO and Hsp70 synthesis.Conclusion: Low‐power laser irradiation showed more effective immunomodulatory effects when applied on the thymus projection area. The rise in IL‐2 and Hsp70 production related to a short‐term effect of laser application may be reversed after repeating laser treatment. We suggest that for the support of immune system stability, the prolonged laser therapy should be accompanied by supplementary methods.
Spectroscopic assessment of dermal melanin using blue vitiligo as an in vivo model
Authors: Hamzavi Iltefat , Shiff Natalie , Martinka Magda , Huang Zhiwei , McLean David , Zeng Haishan , Lui Harvey 
Published: January 2006

Background: Spectroscopic methods have been used to analyze in vivo melanin in the past but the specific effect of melanin depth on autofluorescence and reflectance spectroscopy has not been determined. In patients with blue vitiligo, three distinctive clinicopathologic patterns are present: (1) normal skin with normal epidermal melanin pigmentation (2), skin of blue vitiligo with dermal melanin pigmentation, and (3) tissue of regular vitiligo with no melanin pigmentation. Blue vitiligo may thus serve as an in vivo model to assess dermal pigment using spectroscopic techniques.Objectives: To evaluate the reflectance and autofluorescence spectra of a patient with blue vitiligo in order to assess the effect of melanin pigmentation and its localization on the optical properties of the skin.Methods: The blue‐gray, normal and depigmented lesions of a patient with blue vitiligo were analyzed using reflectance and fluorescent spectroscopy. The condition was likely induced by a phototoxic reaction in a patient with pre‐existing vitiligo. These data were then correlated to the histologic and electron microscopic findings present in the various types of lesions.Results: Reflectance spectroscopy detected little difference in spectral shape between skin sites affected by blue vitiligo vs. vitiligo. Autofluorescence spectroscopy detected an apparent difference between the two types of lesions, with the blue–gray lesions (blue vitiligo) showing lower fluorescence intensity and spectral maximum position red‐shifted compared with regular vitiligo, whereas regular vitilgo showed more intense hemoglobin absorption than the blue vitiligo.Conclusions: Dermal melanin present in blue vitiligo can be well characterized by autofluorescence spectroscopy, while little difference in reflectance spectral shape exists between vitiligo and blue vitiligo. Thus, autofluorescence spectroscopy may better identify deeper structures in skin tissue, such as melanin, than reflectance spectroscopy