bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Investigation and clinical application of a novel axial pattern flap for nasal and facial reconstruction in the dog
Authors: Yates G , Landon B , Edwards G 
Published: March 2007

Objective To describe the vascular supply to a facial skin flap based at the commissure of the lip in the dog and report on its use in four dogs.Study design Experimental and prospective clinical study.Animals Five canine cadavers and four client‐owned dogs.Methods  In the cadavers, the ventral aspect of the zygomatic arch, the ventral margin of the caudal mandible and the wing of the atlas were marked as anatomical boundaries of a skin flap that was elevated from the subcutaneous tissues to the level of the medial canthus of the eye. Methylene blue dye and barium sulphate solution were independently infused through a common carotid (three dogs) or facial artery (two dogs) catheter. Distribution of dye throughout the harvested skin was assessed subjectively. After contrast infusion the flap was excised and radiographed. The technique was used to reconstruct large facial or nasal defects in four dogs after tumour or skin lesion excision.Results Cadaver dissections and contrast studies clearly demonstrated three direct cutaneous arteries, the superior and inferior labial arteries and the angularis oris artery, arborising within the base of the flap. A separate direct cutaneous branch of the angularis oris artery was identified. An arterial plexus was identified within the distal flap, within which this artery communicates with the transverse facial artery and a cutaneous branch of the masseteric artery. Dye infusion caused discolouration of the elevated skin and vasculature within the flap. The flap survived in all clinical cases with marginal distal necrosis in one dog.Conclusions The complex facial flap described is perfused by three direct cutaneous arteries and functions reliably in clinical cases.
A Comparison of Dental Caries Levels in Two Communities with Different Oral Health Prevention Strategies Stratified in Different Social Classes
Authors: Sagheri Darius , McLoughlin Jacinta , Clarkson John J. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractObjectives: To compare dental caries levels of schoolchildren stratified in different social classes whose domestic water supply had been fluoridated since birth (Dublin) with those living in an area where fluoridated salt was available (Freiburg).Methods: A representative, random sample of twelve‐year‐old children was examined and dental caries was recorded using World Health Organization criteria.Results: A total of 699 twelve‐year‐old children were examined, 377 were children in Dublin and 322 in Freiburg. In Dublin the mean decayed, missing, and filled permanent teeth (DMFT) was 0.80 and in Freiburg it was 0.69. An examination of the distribution of the DMFT score revealed that its distribution is highly positively skewed. For this reason this study provides summary analyses based on medians and inter‐quartile range and nonparametric rank sum tests. In both cities caries levels of children in social class 1 (highest) were considerably lower when compared with the other social classes regardless of the fluoride intervention model used. The caries levels showed a reduced disparity between children in social class 2 (medium) and 3 (lowest) in Dublin compared with those in social class 2 and 3 in Freiburg.Conclusions: The evidence from this study confirmed that water fluoridation has reduced the gap in dental caries experience between medium and lower social classes in Dublin compared with the greater difference in caries experience between the equivalent social classes in Freiburg. The results from this study established the important role of salt fluoridation where water fluoridation is not feasible.
Hepatic vena cava disease: Etiologic relation to bacterial infection
Authors: Shrestha Santosh Man , Shrestha Shobhana 
Published: March 2007

Aim:  Hepatic vena cava disease is a primary obliterative disease of the hepatic portion of the inferior vena cava (IVC) that often causes liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Its geographic prevalence is inversely related to the standard of community hygiene. The disease is endemic in Nepal and is commonly associated with bacterial infection. The cause of the disease is not known. It was previously thought to be congenital. Thrombosis due to hypercoagulable condition is suggested as a possible cause of the disease. This study looks at the relation of the disease to bacterial infection.Methods:  Ultrasonography is sensitive and specific for the diagnosis of acute and chronic lesions of hepatic vena cava disease. Patients attending the Liver Clinic with pyrexia with and without bacteremia were examined by ultrasonography for acute “thrombophlebitic” lesion of the IVC, and five patients with bacterial infection with acute lesion in the hepatic portion of the IVC were followed.Results:  Sixty eight percent of the patients with bacteremia had ultrasonographic evidence of acute lesion in the hepatic portion of the IVC, compared to 18% patients without bacteremia. A follow‐up study of five patients showed transformation of the acute lesion into chronic obliterative lesion – stenosis or complete obstruction.Conclusion:  Bacterial infection is probably the cause of hepatic vena cava disease seen in developing countries.
Invariant and Noninvariant Natural Killer T Cells Exert Opposite Regulatory Functions on the Immune Response during Murine Schistosomiasis
Authors: Mallevaey Thierry , Fontaine Josette , Breuilh Laetitia , Paget Christophe , Castro-Keller Alexandre , Vendeville Catherine , Capron Monique , Leite-de-Moraes Maria , Trottein François , Faveeuw Christelle 
Published: March 2007

ABSTRACTCD1d-restricted natural killer T (NKT) cells represent a heterogeneous population of innate memory immune cells expressing both NK and T-cell markers distributed into two major subsets, i.e., invariant NKT (iNKT) cells, which express exclusively an invariant T-cell receptor (TCR) α chain (Vα14Jα18 in mice), and non-iNKT cells, which express more diverse TCRs. NKT cells quickly produce Th1- and/or Th2-type cytokines following stimulation with glycolipid antigen (Ag) and, through this property, play potent immunoregulatory roles in autoimmune diseases, cancer, and infection. No study has addressed the role of NKT cells in metazoan parasite infections so far. We show that during murine schistosomiasis, the apparent frequency of both iNKT cells and non-iNKT cells decreased in the spleen as early as 3 weeks postinfection (p.i.) and that both populations expressed a greater amount of the activation marker CD69 at 6 weeks p.i., suggesting an activated phenotype. Two different NKT-cell-deficient mouse models, namely, TCR Jα18−/−(exclusively deficient in iNKT cells) and CD1d−/−(deficient in both iNKT and non-iNKT cells) mice, were used to explore the implication of these subsets in infection. We show that whereas both iNKT and non-iNKT cells do not have a major impact on the immune response during the early phase (1 and 4 weeks) of infection, they exert important, although opposite, effects on the immune response during the acute phase of the disease (7 and 12 weeks), after schistosome egg production. Indeed, iNKT cells contribute to Th1 cell differentiation whereas non-iNKT cells might be mostly implicated in Th2 cell differentiation in response to parasite Ag. Our findings suggest, for the first time, that helminths activate both iNKT and non-iNKT cells in vivo, enabling them to differentially influence the Th1/Th2 balance of the immune response.
NRAMP13′ Untranslated Region Polymorphisms Are Not Associated with Natural Resistance toBrucella abortusin Cattle
Authors: Paixão Tatiane A. , Poester Fernando P. , Carvalho Neta Alcina V. , Borges Álan M. , Lage Andrey P. , Santos Renato L. 
Published: March 2007

ABSTRACTTheNRAMP1gene encodes a divalent cation transporter, located in the phagolysosomal membrane of macrophages, that has been associated with resistance to intracellular pathogens. In cattle, natural resistance against brucellosis has been associated with polymorphisms at the 3′ untranslated region (3′UTR) of theNRAMP1gene, which are detectable by single-strand conformational analysis (SSCA). This study aimed to evaluate the association betweenNRAMP13′UTR polymorphisms and resistance against bovine brucellosis in experimental and natural infections. In experimentally infected pregnant cows, abortion occurred in 42.1% of cows with a resistant genotype (SSCAr;n= 19) and in 43.1% of those with a susceptible genotype (SSCAs;n= 23). Furthermore, no association between intensity of pathological changes and genotype was detected. In a farm with a very high prevalence of bovine brucellosis, the percentages of strains of the SSCArgenotype were 86 and 84% in serologically positive (n= 64) and negative (n= 36) cows, respectively. Therefore, no association was found between theNRAMP1-resistant allele and the resistant phenotype in either experimental or naturally occurring brucellosis. To further support these results, bacterial intracellular survival was assessed in bovine monocyte-derived macrophages from cattle with either the resistant or susceptible genotype. In agreement with our previous results, no difference was observed in the rates of intracellular survival ofB. abortuswithin macrophages from cattle with susceptible or resistant genotypes. Taken together, these results indicate that these polymorphisms at theNRAMP13′UTR do not affect resistance againstB. abortusin cattle and that they are therefore not suitable markers of natural resistance against bovine brucellosis.
Identification of In Vivo-Expressed Immunogenic Proteins by Serological Proteome Analysis of the
Bacillus anthracis
Secretome
Authors: Chitlaru Theodor , Gat Orit , Grosfeld Haim , Inbar Itzhak , Gozlan Yael , Shafferman Avigdor 
Published: March 2007

ABSTRACT

In a previous comparative proteomic study of
Bacillus anthracis
examining the influence of the virulence plasmids and of various growth conditions on the composition of the bacterial secretome, we identified 64 abundantly expressed proteins (T. Chitlaru, O. Gat, Y. Gozlan, N. Ariel, and A. Shafferman, J. Bacteriol.
188
:3551-3571, 2006). Using a battery of sera from
B. anthracis
-infected animals, in the present study we demonstrated that 49 of these proteins are immunogenic. Thirty-eight
B. anthracis
immunogens are documented in this study for the first time. The relative immunogenicities of the 49 secreted proteins appear to span a >10,000-fold range. The proteins eliciting the highest humoral response in the course of infection include, in addition to the well-established immunogens protective antigen (PA), Sap, and EA1, GroEL (BA0267), AhpC (BA0345), MntA (BA3189), HtrA (BA3660), 2,3-cyclic nucleotide diesterase (BA4346), collagen adhesin (BAS5205), an alanine amidase (BA0898), and an endopeptidase (BA1952), as well as three proteins having unknown functions (BA0796, BA0799, and BA0307). Of these 14 highly potent secreted immunogens, 11 are known to be associated with virulence and pathogenicity in
B. anthracis
or in other bacterial pathogens. Combining the results reported here with the results of a similar study of the membranal proteome of
B. anthracis
(T. Chitlaru, N. Ariel, A. Zvi, M. Lion, B. Velan, A. Shafferman, and E. Elhanany, Proteomics
4
:677-691, 2004) and the results obtained in a functional genomic search for immunogens (O. Gat, H. Grosfeld, N. Ariel, I. Inbar, G. Zaide, Y. Broder, A. Zvi, T. Chitlaru, Z. Altboum, D. Stein, S. Cohen, and A. Shafferman, Infect. Immun.
74
:3987-4001, 2006), we generated a list of 84 in vivo-expressed immunogens for future evaluation for vaccine development, diagnostics, and/or therapeutic intervention. In a preliminary study, the efficacies of eight immunogens following DNA immunization of guinea pigs were compared to the efficacy of a PA DNA vaccine. All eight immunogens induced specific high antibody titers comparable to the titers elicited by PA; however, unlike PA, none of them provided protection against a lethal challenge (50 50% lethal doses) of virulent
B. anthracis
strain Vollum spores.
Excimeric Emission andPhotochemical Behavior ofp‐Phenylenediacrylic Acid(p‐PDA) and its Diethyl‐Ester(p‐PDAEt)
Authors: Ebeid El-Zeiny M. , El-Daly Samy A. , Hasegawa Masaki 
Published: March 2007

p‐Phenylenediacrylic acid (p‐PDA) displays excimeric emission in concentrated solutions (concentration ca. 0.5 M) in dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO). The excimeric
emission maximum is red shifted by ca. 5200 cm–1 compared with molecular emission
maximum. The fluorescence quantum yields of p‐PDA has been measured in DMSO
(φf = 0.09, λex = 337 nm) and in cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC) cationic
micelles that show remarkable solubilization of p‐PDA.The solution photoreactivity of p‐PDA is wavelength dependent. In dilute DMSO
solutions, 365 nm and 310 nm light causes p‐PDA consumption giving a photoproduct
of maximum absorption at ca. 265 n,. A back photoreaction is induced by 254 nm light.
The photochemical quantum yields (φc) of the forward photochemical reaction have
been measured as a function of temperature and the activation energy was evaluated
as Ea = 9 kJ mol–1 suggesting a unimolecular photoisomerization process.Emission from crystalline p‐PDA has also been reported. The emission maximum is
red shifted from molecular emission maximum by ca. 3250 cm–1.The energy transfer in the system diethyl‐p‐phenylenediacrylate (p‐PDAEt)‐1,4‐bis(β‐pyridyl‐2‐vinyl)benzene(P2VB) has been studied. Triplet states formation mechanism
is proposed.
Numerical Simulations on Aerodynamics of Thermally Induced Plumes
Authors: Li J. , Chow W. K. 
Published: March 2007

Since the physics of air entrainment is not yet clearly understood, most of the fire plume expressions reported in the literature were derived empirically. Experiments with different fire geometry, fuels, and ambient conditions would be difficult when trying to derive comprehensive plume temperature and velocity fields from existing theories. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD), a practical engineering tool in fire engineering, might give a better understanding of the plume behavior. This technique can eliminate factors which are difficult to control in experiments, but would affect the plume movement. Aerodynamics for thermally induced plumes is studied by CFD in this article. Three types of thermal plumes such as axisymmetric plume, balcony spill plume, and door plume are considered. Four axisymmetric plume equations and three balcony spill plume models are assessed by comparing with the CFD results. For door plumes, qualitative results of the mass entrainment rate are obtained. Investigations in this article are useful for fire engineers in designing smoke management systems in an affordable fashion. This is a critical point in implementing an engineering performance-based fire code.
Risk assessment of dietary exposure to methylmercury in fish in the UK
Authors: Maycock B J , Benford D J 
Published: March 2007

Risk assessment of chemicals in food is generally based upon the results of toxicological studies in laboratory animals, allowing for uncertainties relating to interspecies differences, human variability, and gaps in the database. Use of quantitative human data is preferable if available, as in the example of methylmercury. Methylmercury is a neurotoxic environmental contaminant, for which fish is the main source of dietary exposure. Human data from poisoning incidents and epidemiological studies have been used by expert committees to derive a guideline intake level for methylmercury, based on the susceptibility of the most sensitive lifestage, the developing fetus. In the UK, an expert group of nutritionists and toxicologists was formed to review the benefits and risks associated with fish consumption. A formal risk–benefit analysis was not possible because the nutritional data were not sufficiently quantitative. The Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT), therefore, modified the risk assessment approach to derive different guideline intake levels for different subgroups of the population. The COT opinion was used to provide targeted advice on how much fish can be consumed without undue risk from the contaminants. Consumption by adults of one weekly portion (140 g) of shark, swordfish or marlin, would lead to an exceedance of the guideline intake for methylmercury of 40–90%, set to protect the developing fetus, without considering intake from the rest of the diet. Pregnant women and women who may become pregnant within 1 year were, therefore, advised to avoid consumption of these species. Intakes in other adults would be within a higher guideline intake, set to protect groups of the population other than the developing fetus. However, consumption by children of one weekly portion of these species could lead to an exceedance of this guideline intake by up to 60%, without considering intake from the rest of the diet. It was, therefore, advised that consumption of these species by children should be avoided.
Manganese does not alter the severe neurotoxicity of MPTP
Authors: Baek S Y , Kim Y H , Oh S O , Lee C-R , Yoo C I , Lee J H , Lee H , Sim C S , Park J , Kim J-W , Yoon C S , Kim Y 
Published: March 2007

We utilized a mice model of Parkinsonism: (1) to evaluate 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced neurotoxicity; and (2) to evaluate whether manganese (Mn) exposure can affect MPTP-induced neurotoxicity. A 2 × 3 experimental design (MPTP ×± Mn) was as follows: SS, MPTP(-) × Mn(-); SLMn, MPTP(-) × low Mn(+); SHMn, MPTP(-) × high Mn(+); MpS, MPTP(+) × Mn(-); MpLMn, MPTP(+) × low Mn(+); MpHMn, MPTP(+) × high Mn(+). We administered MPTP (30 mg/kg per day) to male C57BL/6 mice intraperitoneally, once a day for 5 days. Subsequently, mice were treated with either 2 or 8 mg/kg of MnCl2.4H2O intraperitoneally, once a day for 3 weeks. Blood and striatal Mn levels were elevated in the Mnexposed groups. The number of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-immunoreactive (ir) neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta were decreased significantly in the MPTP-exposed groups. The densities of TH-ir axon terminals in caudate-putamen (CPU) were significantly decreased in the MPTP-treated groups. However, Mn treatment did not affect MPTP neurotoxicity. The densities of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-ir astrocytes in the CPU or globus pallidus were significantly increased in the MPTP-treated groups. Concentrations of dopamine in the striatum were decreased significantly in the MPTP-exposed groups only, but Mn had no effect.
Development of a scale for measuring user computer experience
Authors: Yaghmaie Farideh 
Published: March 2007

The use of computers at work has resulted in researchers searching for factors that affect computer performance and usage. One of the factors that has been identified is user computer experience. However there does not seem to be any consensus on the definition or construct of this. Researchers have either used one-item scales of prior experience or measured the years of experience or number of applications used. Some have recognised the need for multiple measures (Szajna and Mackay, 1995), as it is a multi-dimensional construct. Weil, Rosen, and Wugalter (1990) argued that computer experience measured by such objective measures alone would not necessitate positive attitudes as the subjective nature of experience is important. There is a need for a valid and reliable measure of subjective computer experience for future research on information systems. The purpose of this study was to develop a scale for measuring subjective computer experience and test its reliability and validity. Item construction was undertaken following a thorough search of the literature, focus groups and interviews with computer experts and users. The subjective computer experience scale (SCES) with 38 Likert-type items was tested for content validity by a panel of ten experts and face validity by 15 students. Following these processes, the scale was reduced to 25 items. The 25-item SCES was distributed to 202 second- and third-year computer science and business students along with Dambrot’s Computer Attitude Scale (CATT). A test-retest of SCES was given to 162 of the same students. Following Principal Component Analysis, a 12-item scale with two factors was selected. An Internal Consistency reliability of 0.97 and 0.66 and a test-retest reliability of 0.80 or 0.65 were found for the two factors. The two factors correlate with the CATT scale of 0.62 and 0.36 respectively. A useful measure of subjective computer experience has been developed, but it needs further validation in different settings.
An exploration of the support received by people with intellectual disabilities who have been bereaved
Authors: Gilrane-McGarry U. , Taggart L. 
Published: March 2007

Little is known about the views of the primary and secondary support offered to people with intellectual disabilities by formal carers around the time of a death of a loved one. This paper investigates the perceptions of the types of support provided by front-line staff to this population at the time of, and following, bereavement.In total, 11 people with intellectual disabilities participated in semi-structured interviews. Practical supports (for example, involvement in events surrounding the death and access to the rites of passage) provided to these individuals were reported to be positive interventions, whereas the provision of emotional support (for example, formal and informal supportive counselling) by front-line staff were cited by the participants to be lacking. The use of alternative approaches (for example, reminiscence work, the creation of a life story book/family tree, art therapy and pictorial material) was also reported to be limited.These findings highlight the need for education and training to provide front-line staff caring for people with intellectual disabilities with the insights, knowledge and skills necessary to practically and emotionally support this population who are facing the loss of a loved one. In addition, these training needs should be aligned with ongoing managerial and specialist bereavement supports, so that the specific needs of people with intellectual disabilities can be fully addressed.
An investigation into the advocacy role of the learning disability nurse
Authors: Llewellyn Penny , Northway Ruth 
Published: March 2007

This paper discusses the interaction between the first and second stages of a three-stage grounded theory study that investigated the advocacy role of learning disability nurses in Wales. Definitions of advocacy and their advocacy support needs obtained from people with learning disabilities in the first stage informed the design of focus groups in which nurses compared their own perceptions of advocacy with those of people with learning disabilities. The nurses also discussed barriers to advocacy, independent advocacy services and their requirements for advocacy education. Findings revealed that all nurse participants advocated for their clients, but some definitions of advocacy by people with learning disabilities were not considered relevant to their current practice by some nurses. Nurses’ advocacy role varied with their work situation and was influenced by adherence to either the individual/medical or the social model of disability. All nurses recognised barriers to advocacy, but ability to access independent advocacy services was inconsistent, as was participants’ attitude towards and willingness to use these. Nurses’ received education in advocacy varied, but they expressed a need for ongoing support and training in advocacy related to their own work area and had specific requirements regarding how and by whom this should be provided.