bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Dialysate calcium and calcium/phosphate balance in hemodialysis
Authors: HUTCHISON Alastair J. 
Published: September 2007

AbstractThe changing pattern of pharmaceutical use in dialysis patients has resulted in several alterations to dialysate calcium concentration over the past 40 years. Non‐calcium–containing phosphate binders and calcimimetics are the most recent examples of drugs that influence the overall calcium balance in dialysis patients. Renal osteodystrophy, vascular disease, and mortality are believed to be linked in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), although to date most of the evidence is based only on statistical associations. The precise pathophysiology of vascular calcification in end‐stage renal disease is unknown, but risk factors include age, hypertension, time on dialysis, and, most significantly, abnormalities in calcium and phosphate balance. Prospective studies are required before “cause and effect” can be established with certainty, but it is an active metabolic process with inhibitors and promoters. Serum calcium levels are clearly influenced by dialysate calcium and may therefore play an important role in influencing vascular calcification. Clinical management of hyperphosphatemia is being made easier by the introduction of potent non‐calcium–based oral phosphate binders such as lanthanum carbonate. Short‐term and long‐term studies have demonstrated its efficacy and safety. Vitamin D analogs have been a disappointment in the control of serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels, but evidence is emerging that vitamin D has other important metabolic effects apart from this, and may confer survival advantages to patients with CKD. Calcimimetics such as cinacalcet enable much more effective and precise control of PTH levels, but at the cost of a major financial burden. While it is unreasonable to expect that any one of these recent pharmacological developments will be a panacea, they provide researchers with the tools to begin to examine the complex interplay between calcium, phosphate, vitamin D, and PTH, such that further progress is fortunately inevitable.
Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis: A nephrologist's perspective
Authors: SAAB Georges , CHENG Steven 
Published: September 2007

AbstractNephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) is a debilitating disorder that affects patients with renal insufficiency. Recent evidence suggests that the development of NSF may be related to the administration of gadolinium‐based contrast media (GBCM) in the setting of magnetic resonance imaging. As no treatment has consistently been effective in the management of NSF, strategies to prevent the development of this condition appear to be the best therapy. Identification of patients at greatest risk for developing NSF after exposure to GBCM is crucial. Risk factors include advanced chronic kidney disease (stages 4 and 5) and acute or chronic inflammatory events. The United States Food and Drug Administration has updated its public health advisory to include patients with moderate renal insufficiency (chronic kidney disease stage 3) as being at risk for developing NSF. However, these data require further verification and the vast majority of affected patients are already on renal replacement therapy. Another strategy in prevention may include consultation with a radiologist for imaging alternatives. If GBCM must be administered, immediate hemodialysis may be protective in patients already on hemodialysis; however, given the lack of data to support this, we do not recommend routine dialysis for patients not yet on dialysis or who are currently being treated with peritoneal dialysis. Decisions such as this should be made on a case by case basis after evaluating additional risk factors.
Acute renal failure and chronic kidney disease following liver transplantation
Authors: YALAVARTHY Rajesh , EDELSTEIN Charles L. , TEITELBAUM Isaac 
Published: September 2007

AbstractAcute renal failure (ARF) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are common complications after liver transplantation (LTx). The incidence of ARF post‐LTx varies between 48% and 94%; 8% to 17% of patients require renal replacement therapy (RRT). The most common cause of ARF early after LTx is ischemic acute tubular necrosis, followed later by cyclosporine toxicity and sepsis. Preoperative serum creatinine >1.5 mg/dL and early hepatic allograft dysfunction are risk factors for the occurrence of postoperative ARF. Of patients with ARF due to the hepatorenal syndrome, approximately two‐thirds will recover, although recovery may be delayed 3 months or longer after LTx. Mortality after LTx is affected modestly by the presence of ARF pretransplant (<2‐fold increase), but increases markedly (up to 8‐fold) in the face of ARF posttransplant. Mortality does not appear to be influenced by the mode of RRT used. The risk of CKD after LTx is approximately 18% at 5 years and increases to approximately 25% by 10 years after transplantation. Calcineurin inhibitor toxicity is the most common cause. Specific prognosticators for predicting CKD after LTx are presently lacking. The occurrence of CKD after LTx markedly impairs long‐term survival.
Hydration abnormalities in Nigerian patients on chronic hemodialysis
Authors: TZAMALOUKAS Antonios H. , ONIME Aideloje , AGABA Emmanuel I. , VANDERJAGT Dorothy J. , MA Irene , LOPEZ Andrea , TZAMALOUKAS Rolinda A. , GLEW Robert H. 
Published: September 2007

AbstractThe state of hydration affects the outcomes of chronic dialysis. Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) provides estimates of body water (V), extracellular volume (ECFV), and fat‐free mass (FFM) that allow characterization of hydration. We compared single‐frequency BIA measurements before and after 14 hemodialysis sessions in 10 Nigerian patients (6 men, 4 women; 44±7 years old) with clinical evaluation (weight removed during dialysis, presence of edema) and with estimates of body water obtained by the Watson, Chertow, and Chumlea anthropometric formulas. Predialysis and postdialysis values of body water did not differ between BIA and anthropometric estimates. However, only the BIA estimate of the change in body water during dialysis (−0.8±2.9 L) did not differ from the corresponding change in body weight (−1.3±3.0 kg), while anthropometric estimates of the change in body water were significantly lower, approximately one‐third of the change in weight. Bioelectrical impedance analysis correctly detected the intradialytic change in body water content (the ratio V/Weight) in 79% of the cases, while anthropometric formula estimates of the same change were erroneous in each case. Compared with patients with clinical postdialysis euvolemia (n=7), those with postdialysis edema (n=5) had higher values of postdialysis BIA ratios V/FFM (0.77±0.01 vs. 0.72±0.03, p<0.01) and ECFV/V (0.53±0.02 vs. 0.47±0.06, p<0.05), respectively. Bioelectrical impedance analysis appeared to underestimate body water and extracellular volume in a patient with massive ascites and bilateral pleural effusions. Anthropometric formulas are not appropriate for evaluating the state of hydration in patients on chronic hemodialysis. In contrast, BIA provides estimates of hydration agreeing with clinical estimates in the same patients, although it tends to underestimate body water and extracellular volume in patients with large collections of fluid in central body cavities.
Shifts in dialysis patients from natural disasters in 2005
Authors: KLEINPETER Myra A. 
Published: September 2007

AbstractHurricanes Katrina and Rita alerted the world to North America's Gulf Coast's vulnerability to natural disasters. This vulnerability was most evident in poor, minority and elderly populations, and patients with chronic diseases requiring treatment such as dialysis. These hurricanes resulted in massive devastation of the healthcare infrastructure, including dialysis units, across the Gulf Coast region, and often resulted in temporary or permanent closure of dialysis units, predominately in the New Orleans metropolitan area; however, Hurricane Rita primarily affected Lake Charles. Most notable was the population shift of dialysis patients in Louisiana due to hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Before the 2005 hurricane season, there were 2011 and 362 dialysis patients residing in the parishes (the Louisiana equivalent to counties) most affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita, respectively. Each of these parishes had experienced increases in dialysis patient populations over the past 5 years. However, following the storms, there were 1014 and 316 dialysis patients residing in the affected parishes. Reasons for the population shifts were multifactorial in nature and included individual, provider, and healthcare system factors. As patients and physicians return to these affected areas, dialysis services will need to be reallocated based on new demographics and distribution of services in Louisiana communities. In planning for future dialysis services, adaptations will need to occur to prevent future interruption of services and loss of patient access to dialysis services.
Rafs constitute a nodal point in the regulation of embryonic endothelial progenitor cell growth and differentiation
Authors: Bidzhekov Kiril , Hautmann Martina , Semisch Matthias , Weber Christian , Engelmann Bernd , Hatzopoulos Antonis K. 
Published: September 2007

AbstractMouse embryonic endothelial progenitor cells (eEPCs) acquire a mature phenotype after treatment with cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), suggesting an involvement of Raf serine/threonine kinases in the differentiation process. To test this idea, we investigated the role of B‐Raf and C‐Raf in proliferation and differentiation of eEPCs by expressing fusion proteins consisting of the kinase domains from Raf molecules and the hormone binding site of the estrogen receptor (ER), or its variant, the tamoxifen receptor. Our findings show that both B‐ and C‐Raf kinase domains, when lacking adjacent regulatory parts, are equally effective in inducing eEPC differentiation. In contrast, the C‐Raf kinase domain is a more potent stimulator of eEPC proliferation than B‐Raf. In a complimentary approach, we used siRNA silencing to knockdown endogenously expressed B‐Raf and C‐Raf in eEPCs. In this experimental setting, we found that eEPCs lacking B‐Raf failed to differentiate, whereas loss‐of C‐Raf function primarily slowed cell growth without impairing cAMP‐induced differentiation. These findings were further corroborated in B‐Raf null eEPCs, isolated from the corresponding knockout embryos, which failed to differentiate in vitro. Thus, gain‐ and loss‐of‐function experiments point to distinct roles of B‐Raf and C‐Raf in regulating growth and differentiation of endothelial progenitor cells, which may harbour therapeutic implications.
Anti‐cholesterol antibody levels in hereditary angioedema
Authors: Varga Lilian , Bíró Adrienn , Széplaki Gábor , Tóth Luca , Horváth Anna , Füst George , Farkas Henriette 
Published: September 2007

AbstractHereditary angioedema (HAE) is a rare disorder caused by the deficiency of the C1‐inhibitor gene (C1INH) and characterized by recurrent bouts of angioedema. Autoimmune disorders frequently occur in HAE. Previously we found, that danazol has an adverse effect on serum lipid profile: reduced high‐density lipoprotein (HDL) and elevated low‐density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels are associated with long‐term prophylactic use, whereas total cholesterol levels are unchanged. Our aim was to study the anti‐cholesterol antibody (ACHA) production in HAE patients and compare it with those of healthy blood donors, and to investigate the possible associations between ACHA levels and serum lipid profile alterations caused by danazol. Anti‐cholesterol IgG levels were measured by ELISA and their correlation with serum concentrations of total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides was determined in HAE patients receiving/not receiving danazol. Serum ACHA levels were significantly higher in HAE patients, compared to healthy blood donors (P < 0.0001). Longterm danazol prophylaxis had no effect on serum ACHA levels in HAE patients. However, we found a significant, negative correlation between ACHA levels and serum total cholesterol (r =−0.4033, P = 0.0200), LDL (r =−0.4565, P = 0.0076) and triglyceride (r =−0.4230, P = 0.0121) levels only in danazol‐treated patients, but not in HAE patients who did not receive long‐term prophylaxis. Patients with HAE have higher baseline ACHA levels compared to healthy subjects, and this might reflect polyclonal B‐cell activation. The latter would be a potential explanation for the lack of an increased incidence of infectious diseases in HAE patients, but might lead to increased autoimmunity.
Platelet‐derived growth factor receptor alpha mutational status and immunohistochemical expression in Merkel cell carcinoma: implications for treatment with imatinib mesylate
Authors: Swick Brian L. , Ravdel Larisa , Fitzpatrick James E. , Robinson William A. 
Published: September 2007

Background:  It is not known if Merkel cell carcinomas (MCCs) show mutations in the platelet‐derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRA) gene similar to a subset of gastrointestinal stromal cell tumors. The purpose of this study was to analyze MCCs for mutations in the PDGFRA gene as well as to analyze those MCCs exhibiting a possible mutation in the PDGFRA gene for immunohistochemical expression of PDGFRA.Methods:  We extracted tumor DNA from nine MCCs, performed polymerase chain reaction amplification of PDGFRA exons 10, 12, 14 and 18, and directly sequenced those gene products for mutations. In addition, we evaluated for PDGFRA immunostaining in three MCCs showing a possible PDGFRA gene mutation.Results:  Three out of nine (33.3%) MCCs showed an identical novel single heterozygous base change in exon 10 of the PDGFRA gene leading to an amino acid substitution at codon 478. In addition, all three (100%) of those MCCs expressed PDGFRA.Conclusions:  Although it is unknown whether the base change described above represents a true mutation or a single nucleotide polymorphism, the fact that this change was absent in our control specimens suggests that this mutation may be oncogenic in nature and may make imatinib mesylate a possible therapeutic option in MCC.
Voltaire and Russia in the Age of Enlightenment
Authors: Gorbatov Inna 
Published: September 2007

Voltaire's long interest in Russia was probably stimulated during his research for the Histoire de Charles XII. His ties to Russia became even closer in 1746, during the reign of Elizabeth, daughter of Peter the Great, when he was made an honorable member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and appointed a Historiographer of the Russian Empire. In 1757, the Empress asked Voltaire to write the history of Peter the Great. Voltaire's Histoire de l'empire de Russie sous Pierre le Grand became an important undertaking for Russia's new sovereign, Catherine II, who wanted to publicly demonstrate her firm support for Peter's Western‐looking reforms.Catherine had been reading Voltaire's works for most of her adult life before she began her correspondence with him in 1763. The empress counted on Voltaire to favorably influence public opinion in Europe. Ultimately, he played a predominant role in creating the image of Catherine the Great as a wise, just, and democratic ruler. However, the revolutionary events that swept France instantly transformed Catherine from a ruler charmed by the new Enlightenment ideas into a reactionary autocrat, who ultimately broke up forever with Voltaire.
Dietary guidance for obese children and their families using a model nutritional balance chart
Authors: SATOH Atsuko , MENZAWA Kazuko , LEE Sangun , HATAKEYAMA Aiko , SASAKI Hidetada 
Published: September 2007

AbstractAim:  Childhood obesity has been described as a public health disaster. Nutritional balance is surely one of the key factors to reduce obesity, but successful nutritional education has not been reported yet. In the present study, an easily handled model nutritional balance chart (MNBC) for obese children and their families was investigated.Methods:  Twenty‐one children received dietary guidance using the MNBC once per month for 6 months. Eight control children did not receive dietary guidance but cooperated in providing data once per month. The effectiveness of the program was judged by changes in nutritional balance, percentage overweight values based on age‐ and sex‐specific standard body weights for height, and responses to questionnaires.Results:  The percentage overweight values significantly decreased after 6 months for the intervention group, while the percentage overweight values for the eight control children showed a tendency to increase. Improvement in the nutritional balance was observed for sugar and beans. Most children using the MNBC described paying more attention to their nutritional balance than before.Conclusion:  Our guidance method seems to be useful for obese children and their families.
Independent Japanese midwives: A qualitative study of their practise and beliefs
Authors: GEPSHTEIN Yana , HORIUCHI Shigeko , ETO Hiromi 
Published: September 2007

AbstractAim:  In the midwifery literature in English, little attention is paid to midwifery practise in Asian countries. To remedy this, we explore the knowledge and beliefs of independent Japanese midwives.Methods:  We collected data in natural settings through the active participation of the authors in midwifery work after receiving informed consent. We visited midwives’ practise settings and observed ante‐partum, intra‐partum, and post‐partum midwifery practise. We also interviewed the midwives. Throughout the study, the authors discussed the findings with the participating midwives.Results:  The concepts that summarize what midwives and women in our study described as the desired outcomes of care were: (i) feelings of happiness and joy; (ii) positive change; (iii) mother–child bonding; and (iv) lifelong health. The concepts that guided the midwifery process were: (i) positive communication; (ii) the woman’s commitment to her health; (iii) supporting the woman’s own way; (iv) the support of other pregnant women; (v) food as care; (vi) warmth; and (vii) respect for the natural process. The two encompassing features of midwifery practise were: (i) awareness, which includes the assurance of normalcy and the prevention of abnormalities; and (ii) networking and collaboration, which describes the relationships of midwives with their colleagues, doctors, and other health professionals.Conclusion:  The traditional knowledge of Japanese midwives offers concepts that might be useful to international midwifery and should be studied more in depth.
Recovery of isolated third nerve palsy related to treatment of unruptured posterior communicating artery aneurysm
Authors: Tsang Jane P.K. , Wong George K.C. , Ng Stephanie C.P. , Poon Wai‐Sang 
Published: September 2007

Aim:  To investigate the timing and degree of recovery of isolated third nerve palsy due to unruptured posterior communicating artery aneurysm among a Chinese population.Methods:  A total of seven eligible patients were studied during a 4‐year period by retrospective review. The degree of recovery and time to achieve recovery after presentation were the main outcome measures.Results:  There were seven patients with isolated third nerve palsy related to posterior communicating artery aneurysm. After treatment the median recovery time from the initial symptoms was 14 weeks, ranging from 1 to 60 weeks. Two patients (29%) in this group had mild residual symptoms.Conclusion:  The present study demonstrated that in patients with isolated third nerve palsy related to posterior communicating artery aneurysm, recovery occurred within the first year and the prognosis of recovery was good.
Pulmonary resection for metastases from colorectal cancer
Authors: Lo Cheuk‐Kin , Chu Colin S.H. , Zhu Tong , Ma Chan‐Chung , Ko Kai‐Ming , Ho Kwok‐Keung 
Published: September 2007

Aim: The prognosis of patients with disseminated colorectal carcinoma is poor except for those with single organ pulmonary or hepatic metastases. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the result of pulmonary metastasectomy for colorectal secondary and to identify the prognostic factors.Methods: This was a retrospective study of 80 patients who had pulmonary metastasectomy for pulmonary secondary from colorectal carcinoma in Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Hong Kong.Results: The overall 5‐year and 10‐year survival rates of the entire cohort were 42.5% and 35.5%, respectively. High premetastasectomy carcinoembryonic antigen (> 20 μg/dL), short disease‐free interval (< 12 months) and incomplete resection were the independent prognostic factors. Neither the characteristics of the primary colorectal tumour nor the number of metastatic nodules had a significant contribution to the long‐term survival. Six patients underwent second pulmonary metastasectomy and three were still free from tumour recurrence after the second operation.Conclusion: Patients with pulmonary metastases from colorectal carcinoma would benefit from pulmonary metastasectomy. High premetastasectomy carcinoembryonic antigen and short disease‐free interval were negative predictive factors for survival. Long‐term follow‐up study is required, as recurrence can occur more than 5 years after pulmonary metastasectomy. Also, whether the survival benefit is due to surgical treatment effect or lead‐time bias remains undecided.
Fig Wasps: A Staple Food for Ants onFicus
Authors: Schatz Bertrand , Kjellberg Finn , Nyawa Samhan , Hossaert‐McKey Martine 
Published: September 2007

ABSTRACTMutualisms involve the exchange of resources and these resources attract exploiters and predators. Because predators may have a stronger effect either on mutualists or on exploiters, their net effect on the mutualism may be positive or negative. Ants andFicus‐associated wasps are a potential example. These wasps could represent sufficient food to ensure a permanent presence of predators. If this is the case then we may expect divergent selection (dependent on fig species) on traits facilitating or impeding ant predatory activity. DioeciousFicusspecies in Brunei present the opportunity to determine whether presence of fig wasps on a tree ensures increased presence of ants because: (1) wasps are mainly present on male trees, thus allowing study of the effect of wasp abundance on ant presence; and (2) preliminary observations showed that ants present on trees were mainly predatory species that do not tend hemipterans. We show here, for several dioeciousFicusspecies, that many more ants were present on male trees than on female trees. Furthermore, these ants were mainly dominant predatory taxa that often nested in the male trees. Hence, wasps on male trees provide a sufficient resource in terms of quantity and reliability to ensure the continuous presence of dominant ants on the trees.