bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
IL-2, IL-6 and IL-8 levels remain unaltered in the course of immunosuppressive therapy after renal transplantation
Authors: Rysz Jacek , Kocur Eugeniusz , Blaszczak Robert , Bartnicki Piotr , Stolarek Robert , Piechota Mariusz 
Published: April 2008

AbstractCytokines regulate the immune reactions elicited by renal transplantation (RT). This study was designed to investigate the blood serum levels of IL-2, IL-6, IL-8 in 25 RT patients (10 female and 15 male, mean 5.4±2.7 yrs after RT) three times over a six-month period during standard immunosuppressive therapy with cyclosporine A, azathioprine and prednisolone. The levels of IL-2, IL-6 and IL-8 were tested with ELISA Quantikine Human Interleukin Immunoassay (R&D Systems, detection level 7,0.7 and 10 pg/cm3, respectively). There was no significant alternation of blood serum levels of IL-2, IL-6 and IL-8 in the study patients.
Successful management of mild atopic dermatitis in adults with probiotics and emollients
Authors: Kaur Sirje , Kullisaar Tiiu , Mikelsaar Marika , Eisen Maigi , Rehema Aune , Vihalemm Tiiu , Zilmer Kersti , Zilmer Mihkel 
Published: April 2008

AbstractAtopic dermatitis is characterized by impaired skin and mucous membrane barrier function. Measures improving barrier integrity decrease the influence of environmental factors that might exacerbate inflammation. Ten adult patients with mild-to-moderate atopic dermatitis consumed for three months fermented with potent antioxidative probiotic, L. fermentum ME-3 (DSM 14241) goat milk 200 mg/day. A control group consisted of six patients, not supplemented by probiotic. All patients used emollients regularly. Skin iron levels, glutathione redox ratios (GSSG/GSH), diene conjugate (DC) amounts, blood glutathione status, oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL), and total antioxidativity was measured at the baseline and after three months. A significant decrease in skin iron levels, DC amounts, and glutathione redox ratio occurred in the probiotic-supplemented group compared to the control group (P < 0.05 for all indices). In the same group, blood levels of oxLDL decreased (p < 0.05), and GSH levels increased (P < 0.001) with concomitant improvement in the GSSG/GSH ratio. Blood antioxidativity markers also showed an improvement. The results of our study demonstrate that regular use of probiotics with antioxidative properties coupled with the use of lipid-containing emollients considerably decreases inflammation and concomitant oxidative stress in adult patients with mild-to-moderate atopic dermatitis. This effect was observed both in the skin and in the blood.
IgA Myeloma and Still’s Disease in a patient with bilateral silicone breast implants
Authors: Yadav Punit , Ordyniec Iwona , Madi Salem 
Published: April 2008

AbstractWe report a case of a woman with bilateral silicone breast implants who presented with recurrent high grade fever, joint and muscle aches. An extensive workup failed to indicate an infectious source of her illness, so based on her symptoms a clinical diagnosis of Adult Onset Still’s disease was made. However, subsequent investigations revealed raised IgA paraprotein levels in her serum which led to a bone marrow examination. Bone marrow examination was consistent with IgA Myeloma. Chemotherapy was commenced which led to a decrease in the paraprotein level. In addition, she was treated with non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and intraarticular steroid injections which provided marked symptomatic relief. The case indicates a possible association of Myeloma and Adult Onset Still’s Disease in a patient with bilateral silicone breast implant.
Aminoterminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and sleep-disordered breathing in morbidly obese females: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Ybarra Juan , Planas Francesc , Pou Jose M 
Published: April 2008

Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is often encountered in morbid obesity (MO) in conjunction with insulin resistance (IR). Aminoterminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is a promising marker for left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) in MO. We sought to explore the factors that may influence the relationships of SDB and IR with NT-proBNP in MO women. We performed a cross-sectional pilot study involving 110 asymptomatic MO (44.5±0.7 kg/m2) young women. SDB risk was assessed using a modified version of the Berlin Questionnaire (BQ). IR was assessed using the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) index and adiponectin levels. LVD was assessed using NT-proBNP and echocardiograms. In this study, NT-proBNP levels and LVD increased significantly along the BQ strata. Multiple regression analysis identified BQ and log-transformed HOMA as the independent variables predicting as much as 48.0% of the variability of logNT-proBNP. In conclusion, NT-pro-BNP levels are independently predicted by SDB and IR in asymptomatic MO women. Larger prospective studies are warranted.
Patients with the metabolic syndrome and a disturbed cortisol balance display more microalbuminuria
Authors: Janssen Sarah F , Twickler Theodorus B , Jublanc Christel , Cramer Maarten J , Bruckert Eric 
Published: April 2008

The objective of this study was to investigate whether patients with the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and an imbalance in cortisol metabolism express increased urinary albumin excretion compared to those patients with metabolic syndrome alone. Seventy-four patients with MetS were evaluated using a low-dose dexamethasone suppression test (LDDST) to identify disturbed cortisol balance (cortisol levels > 50 nmol/L after LDDST). The level of albumin in the urine was also evaluated. Disturbed cortisol balance was found in 8% of all evaluated patients with MetS. Microalbuminuria was present significantly more often (p<0.01) in those patients with MetS and an imbalance in cortisol metabolism compared with patients suffering MetS alone (urine albumin: 210 mg/L vs. 26 mg/L, respectively, p<0.01). A substantial percentage of patients with MetS had inappropriate cortisol homeostasis. Of importance, excretion of urinary albumin was increased in these patients. This observation may indicate that this subgroup within the MetS population has a higher cardiovascular risk and possible increased endothelial dysfunction, with a subsequent need for stricter control to prevent cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.
Against Holism: Rethinking Buddhist Environmental Ethics
Authors: James Simon P. 
Published: April 2008

Environmental thinkers sympathetic to Buddhism sometimes reason as follows: (1) A holistic view of the world, according to which humans are regarded as being ‘one’ with nature, will necessarily engender environmental concern; (2) the Buddhist teaching of ‘emptiness’ represents such a view; therefore (3) Buddhism is an environmentally-friendly religion. In this paper, I argue that the first premise of this argument is false (a holistic view of the world can be reconciled with a markedly eco-unfriendly attitude) as is the second (in speaking of emptiness, Buddhist thinkers are not proposing an ‘ecological’ conception of the world). Yet the conclusion is, I suggest, true: Buddhism is in certain respects environmentally-friendly, not for the reasons cited above, but because of the view, encapsulated in its teachings and practices, that certain dispositions to treat the natural environment well are an integral part of human well-being.
A 'Sportsman's Paradise': The Effects of Hunting on the Avifauna of the Gippsland Lakes
Authors: Dow Coral 
Published: April 2008

Abstract
The Gippsland Lakes form an extensive lake system in south-eastern Australia that is fed by rivers draining the Australian Alps. Until the engineered opening of a permanent entrance to the sea in 1889 they were predominantly a freshwater system, regularly inundated by floodwaters that formed marginal wetlands locally known as morasses. Historical sources document an environment of avifaunal abundance, particularly of waterfowl. Although scientists have explained Australian avifaunal decline on habitat modification, historical sources suggest that on the Gippsland Lakes European interaction with nature in the form of hunting had a significant impact in the period before widespread habitat modification in the twentieth century.
Soil: A Real and Imagined Environment for Australian Organic Farmers and Gardeners in the 1940s
Authors: Jones Rebecca 
Published: April 2008

Abstract
Early organic farmers and gardeners of the 1940s in Australia approached organic practice with a set of ideals about nature, but their experience of cultivating the land, growing plants and raising animals often contradicted this ideal. Here I explore the disparity between real and imagined environments in Australian organic farming and gardening. I will consider a significant period in the development of organic growing, the decade after the end of the Second World War, when Australia's first organic societies were established in south eastern Australia. Organic growers attempted to change their environments to fit their imaginings, and in turn their ideals were adapted to fit Australian environmental realities. Weaving real and imagined environments created a form of farming and gardening that was both a set of practical methods for managing the land and a set of environmental ideals.
Return to Eden: Van Diemen's Land and the Early British Settlement of Australia
Authors: Boyce James 
Published: April 2008

Abstract
Tasmania (formerly known as Van Diemen's Land) received approximately 72,000 convicts, mainly from the British Isles and Ireland, between 1803 and 1853, and convicts and their descendants formed the large majority of the population of the island colony throughout this time. This article focuses on the environmental experience of this unusual settler population especially in the first decades of settlement. It argues that, contrary to the dominant paradigm of Australian history, the new land was not experienced as a hostile or forbidding place, but a comparatively benign refuge from the brutality of servitude. The argument is put that Australian environmental history has been distorted by a failure to recognise that the rigorous attempts to reproduce English society - social and environmental - were largely undertaken by a relatively small group of free settlers. The dramatically different experience of convict settlers demonstrates the importance of considering the extent to which socio-economic background shaped the environmental encounter.
Effect of angiotensin receptor blockade on central haemodynamics in essential hypertension: results of a randomised trial
Authors: Schneider Markus P , Delles Christian , Klingbeil Arnfried U , Ludwig Malte , Kolloch Rainer E , Krekler Michael , Stumpe Klaus O , Schmieder Roland E 
Published: April 2008

Objective. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors have been shown to lower central augmentation index (cAI), an index of arterial wave reflection, more than β-blockers. We tested whether this is also true for long-term treatment with an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB). Methods. One-hundred and fifty-six subjects with essential hypertension were randomised to treatment with either irbesartan or atenolol. cAI and central blood pressure (BP) were determined by pulse wave analysis from the radial and the carotid artery after six and after 18 months treatment. Results. Peripheral and central systolic and diastolic BP were reduced to a similar extent A in the two groups. cAI was reduced with irbesartan, but increased with atenolol (derived from the carotid artery: -6±10 vs. -4±12% after six months, p<0.001; —4±12 vs. +1±11% after 18 months; p=0.011). Furthermore, central to peripheral pulse pressure (PP) amplification was unaffected by treatment with irbesartan, but decreased with atenolol. Conclusions. Although treatment with irbesartan and atenolol similarly decreased peripheral and central BP, only treatment with irbesartan had beneficial effects on arterial wave reflection and preserved PP amplification. These haemodynamic effects may at least partly explain the reported differential effects of ARB versus β-blocker treatment on cardiovascular mortality in patients with essential hypertension.
Investigating Sequence Space: How Important is the Spatial Arrangement of Functional Groups in the Asymmetric Aldol Reaction Catalyst H‐Pro‐Pro‐Asp‐NH2?
Authors: Revell Jefferson D. , Wennemers Helma 
Published: April 2008

AbstractH‐Pro‐Pro‐Asp‐NH2 1 is a versatile catalyst for asymmetric aldol reactions. Within the catalyst structure, both the N‐terminal secondary amine and the carboxylic acid are crucial for efficient catalysis. Here, the importance of the arrangement of these two functional groups towards each other was examined. Several analogues of H‐Pro‐Pro‐Asp‐NH2 were prepared in which the secondary amine and the carboxylic acid occupy different positions. Evaluation of their catalytic properties revealed that the placement of these two functional groups is highly critical for efficient catalysis. Even seemingly small structural modifications, for example, one methylene group more or less, can modify the catalytic properties significantly. The results demonstrate the difficulty in rationally designing a peptidic catalyst and the value of combinatorial smart screening methods for catalyst discovery. Abbreviations: Fmoc=9‐fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl; HCTU=2‐(6‐chloro‐1H‐benzotriazole‐1‐yl)‐1,1,3,3‐tetramethyluronium hexafluorophosphate; MSNT=1‐(mesitylene‐2‐sulfonyl)‐3‐nitro‐1H‐1,2,4‐triazole; TNBS=2,4,6‐trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid.
Iridium Catalysts with Chiral Imidazole‐Phosphine Ligands for Asymmetric Hydrogenation of Vinyl Fluorides and other Olefins
Authors: Kaukoranta Päivi , Engman Mattias , Hedberg Christian , Bergquist Jonas , Andersson Pher G. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractNew chiral bidentate imidazole‐phosphine ligands have been prepared and evaluated for the iridium‐catalysed asymmetric hydrogenation of olefins. The imidazole‐phosphine‐ligated iridium catalysts hydrogenated trisubstituted olefins with the same sense of enantiodiscrimination as known iridium catalysts possessing oxazole and thiazole as N‐donors. The imidazole‐based catalysts were shown to hydrogenate vinyl fluorides, in some cases with the highest ee values published to date.
Reassessment of occupational exposure limits
Authors: Stouten Hans , Ott Heidi , Bouwman Carolien , Wardenbach Peter 
Published: April 2008

AbstractBackgroundAlthough the Netherlands currently has its own procedure for evaluating chemical compounds and setting occupational exposure limits (OELs), most of these limits were originally adopted in the 1970s from threshold limit values (TLVs) set by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH). However, beginning in the late 1980s, criticism about non‐scientific considerations being used to set TLV's suggested that TLVs might not offer sufficient health protection to workers. This situation prompted the Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment to request that the Health Council of the Netherlands reassess the health protection of MAC values that were contained in the 1994 Dutch MAC list.MethodsCriteria documents were prepared for 161 compounds. They were evaluated by a committee of the Health Council of the Netherlands consisting of international experts who reassessed the toxicological hazards of these substances and recommended, whenever possible, health‐based OELs. The results of the reassessment by the Health Council were compared with the MAC values of the 1994 Dutch MAC list, ACGIH TLVs, and existing German OELs.ResultsThe toxicological database met the committee's criteria for a health‐based OEL for only about 40% of the compounds.ConclusionsMany older MAC values were either too high or not scientifically supported and therefore not health‐based. Am. J. Ind. Med. 51:407–418, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Back injuries among union carpenters in Washington State, 1989–2003
Authors: Lipscomb Hester J. , Cameron Wilfrid , Silverstein Barbara 
Published: April 2008

AbstractBackgroundThere is limited information on occupational back pain specific to carpenters despite their known exposures to recognized occupational risk factors and limited opportunities for modified work due to the predominantly heavy nature of their work.MethodsBy combining union records with worker's compensation claims, we describe work‐related back injuries, including associated medical diagnoses, among a well‐defined cohort of union carpenters between 1989 and 2003. High risk subgroups were explored based on age, gender, union tenure, and predominant type of work. Paid lost time claims were contrasted to less serious events, and injuries sustained from overexertion activities were contrasted with those sustained through more acute trauma.ResultsBack injuries occurred at an overall rate of 6.2/200,000 hours worked. Most injuries were coded in the compensation records as sprains, but there was little agreement between these nature of injury codes and ICD9 diagnosis codes. Injury rates declined most significantly over time for injuries secondary to overexertion. In multivariate analyses, we observed similar patterns of risk for the types of claims evaluated despite disparate mechanisms and severity. Those who worked predominantly in residential carpentry or drywall installation were consistently at greatest risk.ConclusionsOverexertion injuries from manual materials handling activities are responsible for the largest burden of back injuries among these carpenters, but a growing proportion of injuries result from acute traumatic events. Interventions are called for which specifically address risk among residential carpenters and drywall installers. These data provide additional evidence that Bureau of Labor Statistics data underestimate work‐related injuries. Am. J. Ind. Med. 51:463–474, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
High risk studies and developmental antecedents of anxiety disorders
Authors: Hirshfeld‐Becker Dina R. , Micco Jamie A. , Simoes Nicole A. , Henin Aude 
Published: April 2008

AbstractThe past two decades have witnessed significant growth in our understanding of the developmental antecedents of anxiety disorders. In this article, we review studies of offspring at risk for anxiety disorders, longitudinal studies of the course of anxiety disorders in clinical, epidemiologic, and at‐risk samples, studies of hypothesized temperamental risk factors for anxiety, and give a brief overview of the literature on environmental risk factors. Clear developmental antecedents to anxiety disorders identified include (1) childhood anxiety disorders [in particular, separation anxiety and overanxious disorder/general anxiety disorder (GAD)], (2) behavioral inhibition which predicts later social phobia, (3) anxiety sensitivity which predicts later panic disorder, and (4) negative affectivity, which predicts a spectrum of psychopathology including anxiety disorders. Further prospective studies are needed to examine the roles of environmental factors such as parenting practices, peer influences, stressful life events, and perinatal stressors. Future studies could benefit from (1) beginning earlier in development and following individuals into adulthood, (2) assessing the overlap between multiple temperamental constructs, (3) greater use of observational measures of temperament and of parent–child and peer interactions, (4) greater attention to parental psychopathology which may confound associations noted, (5) exploration of other features of anxiety disorders (neurofunctional correlates, cognitive features, other aspects of emotional regulation) as potential precursors, and (6) intervention studies exploring whether modifying developmental antecedents can alter the course of anxiety disorders. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effect of cupric ion on thermal degradation of chitosan
Authors: Ou Chun‐Yan , Li Si‐Dong , Li Cheng‐Peng , Zhang Chao‐Hua , Yang Lei , Chen Chong‐Peng 
Published: April 2008

AbstractThe thermal degradation of chitosan and chitosan–cupric ion compounds in nitrogen was studied by thermogravimetry analysis and differential thermal analysis (DTA) in the temperature range 30–600°C. The effect of cupric ion on the thermal degradation behaviors of chitosan was discussed. Fourier transform‐infrared (FTIR) and X‐ray diffractogram (XRD) analysis were utilized to determine the micro‐structure of chitosan–cupric ion compounds. The results show that FTIR absorbance bands of NH, CN, COC etc. groups of chitosan are shifted, and XRD peaks of chitosan located at 11.3, 17.8, and 22.8° are gradually absent with increasing weight fraction of cupric ion mixed in chitosan, which show that there are coordinating bonds between chitosan and cupric ion. The results of thermal analysis indicate that the thermal degradation of chitosan and chitosan–cupric ion compounds in nitrogen is a two‐stage reaction. The first stage is the deacetylation of the main chain and the cleavage of glycosidic linkages of chitosan, and the second stage is the thermal destruction of pyranose ring of chitosan and the decomposition of residual carbon, in which both are exothermic. The effect of cupric ion on the thermal degradation of chitosan is significant. In the thermal degradation of chitosan–cupric ion compounds, the temperature of initial weight loss (Tst), the temperature of maximal weight loss rate (Tmax), that is, the peak temperature on the DTG curve, and the peak temperature (Tp) on the DTA curve decrease, and the reaction activation energy (Ea) varies with increasing weight fraction of cupric ion. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008
Synthesis of copolymer beads with various phenolic derivatives attached via different linkages and their antioxidation activity
Authors: Ogata Tomonari , Maeda Shuuji , Kawasaki Tomonori , Kurihara Seiji , Nonaka Takamasa 
Published: April 2008

AbstractMacroporous copolymer beads with various phenolic derivatives introduced via three types of linkages—amide, methylene, and ether—were prepared from chloromethyl styrene/tetra(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate copolymer beads. The antioxidation activity of these phenolic copolymer beads was investigated by the measurement of the inhibition activity against the hydroperoxidation of 1,4‐dioxane. The phenolic copolymer beads with the dihydroxybenzene moiety exhibited the highest antioxidation activity, and the antioxidation activity of methylene‐ or ether‐linked phenolic copolymer beads was higher than that of amide‐linked copolymer beads. Thus, the antioxidation activity of the phenolic copolymer beads was affected by not only the kinds of phenolic moieties attached but also the type of linkage group. In addition, the swelling of the copolymer beads in an organic solvent was greatly affected by the linkage type of the phenolic copolymer beads. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008
Polymer blends based on poly(vinyl chloride) and biodegradable aliphatic–aromatic copolyester
Authors: Andričić B. , Kovačić T. , Perinović S. , Klarić I. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractBlends of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and biodegradable aliphatic–aromatic copolyester (AAC) were prepared, and their physical, thermal, and mechanical properties were studied. Biodegradation in the presence of the lipases of Rhisopus arrhisus or Candida cilindracea was monitored as well. The physical properties of the blends, such as density and softening temperature, were between those of each component. Differential scanning calorimetry measurements showed that the blend components were completely amorphous and miscible. Obviously, PVC suppressed the crystallization of the partially crystalline copolyester. AAC was the thermally more stable component, and it seemed to improve the thermooxidative stability of PVC in the blends. The lipases of R. arrhisus and C. cilindracea no doubt catalyzed the ester hydrolysis of AAC, although the PVC matrix limited the rate and extent of the hydrolysis. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008