bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Fournier′s gangrene in Mansoura Egypt
Authors: Ghnnam WM 
Published: February 2009

Background:
Fournier's gangrene (FG), caused by synergistic aerobic and anaerobic organisms, is a life-threatening disorder in which infection of the perineum and scrotum (can affect penis alone) spreads along fascial planes, leading to soft-tissue necrosis. Despite antibiotics and aggressive debridement, the mortality rate of FG remains high.

Materials and Methods:
We analyzed 74 patients admitted to our institution's emergency surgical unit presenting with FG between January 2002 and January 2007, considering the anatomical site of infective gangrene, predisposing factors, etiological agents, and outcomes.

Results:
All the 74 patients included in this study were males; their mean age was 51±10.8 years (21-72 years). The mean duration from the onset of symptoms to admission to the hospital was 3.74±2.09 days (1-8 days). The mean hospitalization time was 9.2± 6.6 days (1-31). Forty patients (54.05%) had FG secondary to anorectal conditions. No etiologic factors for FG were found in 27 patients (36.5%). Diabetes mellitus as a predisposing factor was found in 38 patients (51.35%). There was no definite predisposing factor in 24 patients (32.43%). The microbiological finding was polymicrobial in 48 patients (64.8%) and monomicrobial in 26 patients (35.1%). The most frequent bacterial organisms were Escherichia coli (75.6%). Simple sigmoid loop colostomy was done in one patient (1.4%). Unilateral orchidectomy was done in one case (1.4%). The overall mortality rate was 16 patients (21.6%).

Conclusion:
FG is a rapidly progressive, fulminant infection. Even with aggressive surgical and medical treatment, mortality of the disease is high. In the present cases, such a high ratio of 21.6% means that this disease is still serious and fatal in Egypt.
Characterization of adult onset growth hormone deficiency syndrome in patients with hypothalamopituitary diseases
Authors: Bandgar TR , Prashanth M , Joshi SR , Menon PS , Shah NS 
Published: February 2009

Background:
Hardly any data is available on Adult onset growth hormone deficiency (AOGHD) in Patients with hypothalamopituitary diseases in India.

Aims:
To characterize Asian Indian AOGHD syndrome in hypothalamopituitary diseases.

Settings and Design:
Cross-sectional analysis of data from a tertiary care hospital.

Materials and Methods:
Thirty patients with AOGHD were compared with 30 age-, sex-, body mass index-matched controls with respect to endocrine evaluation, biochemistry, body composition (BC), bone mineral density (BMD), cardiovascular risk profile and quality of life (QoL).

Statistical Analysis Used:
Comparisons were performed using two-tailed Student's test (SPSS Software version 10.0).

Results:
Most of the patients had abnormal BC with central obesity [Truncal FM (%): males {33.9±4.4 (patient) vs. 29.31±6.2 (control); P -0.027}; females {39.87±5.93 (patient) vs. 35.76±3.16 (control); P - 0.025}] and poor QoL. Patients aged over 45 years did not show low bone mass or lipid abnormalities as compared to controls. Low BMD and abnormal lipid profile {Triglycerides [mg/dl]:170.55±72.5 (patient) vs101.24±31.0 (control); P -0.038}; {very low density lipoprotein cholesterol [mg/dl]: 33.54±14.9 (patient) vs. 20.25±6.18 (control); P - 0.05} was seen in female patients less than 45 years of age.

Conclusions:
Male and female (more than 45 years) AOGHD patients have increased cardiovascular risk factors and poor QoL while BMD is unaffected. Females less than 45 years of age have the major characteristics of AOGHD and would be the group to benefit maximally with recombinant human Growth Hormone treatment, which is similar to that in the western literature.
Comparison of a dipstick enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with commercial assays for detection of Japanese encephalitis virus-specific IgM antibodies
Authors: Shrivastva A , Tripathi NK , Parida M , Dash PK , Jana AM , Lakshmana Rao PV 
Published: February 2009

Background:
Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a major public health concern in Asia including India.

Objectives:
To evaluate an in-house developed dipstick enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test vis-à-vis two commercial kits for detection of JE virus-specific IgM antibodies.

Setting and Design:
Comparative study carried out in Research and Development centre.

Materials and Methods:
A total of 136 specimens comprising 84 serum and 52 CSF samples were tested by in-house dipstick ELISA, Pan-Bio IgM capture ELISA (Pan-Bio, Australia) and JEV CheX IgM capture ELISA (XCyton, India).

Results:
The overall agreement among all three tests was found to be 92% with both serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples. The sensitivity of the dipstick ELISA was found to be 91% with serum and 89% with CSF samples respectively. The specificity of the dipstick ELISA with reference to both commercial assays was found to be 100% in serum and CSF samples in this study.

Conclusions:
The in-house dipstick ELISA with its comparable sensitivity and specificity can be used as a promising test in field conditions since it is simple, rapid and requires no specialized equipment.
The application of C12 biochip in the diagnosis and monitoring of colorectal cancer
Authors: Chen C , Chen LQ , Yang GL , Li Y 
Published: February 2009

Background:
The 12 tumor markers' (TMs) biochip diagnostic (C12) system has been proven useful in some previous studies but its value for colorectal cancer (CRC) only was not systematically investigated.

Aims:
To evaluate the value of C12 system for CRC.

Settings and Design:
The associations between TMs and clinicopathological characteristics were evaluated. The most relevant TMs, the most useful combinations, and the correlations between TM levels were assessed.

Materials and Methods:
The TMs detected by the C12 system in the sera of 170 pathologically confirmed CRC patients were analyzed. One or more TMs higher than or equal to reference value were defined as positive.

Statistical Analysis:
Chi-square test, Spearman rank correlation test and Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used for the analysis.

Results:
The overall positive rate was 41.76%, and was low in stage 0-I (12.90%). Carcinoembryonic cantigen (CEA) had the highest positive rate of 36.47%. The positive rates were significantly correlated to clinical stages and lymph node status, but not to age, sex, tumor location and pathological types. Any combinations of the five highest positive TMs did not have significantly improvements. The levels of three most related TMs (CEA, CA19-9, CA242) of CRC had positive correlation with each other. CA242 and β-HCG levels were associated with lymph node metastasis.

Conclusions:
C12 system has some value in advanced CRC, but not in early CRC.
Effect of intravenous metoclopramide on intraocular pressure
Authors: Sudheera KS , Bhardwaj N , Yaddanapudi S 
Published: February 2009

Background:
Prevention of rise in intraocular pressure (IOP) is essential in patients undergoing surgery for perforated eye injuries. Metoclopramide, a prokinetic agent, is commonly used to hasten gastric emptying in emergency surgeries.

Aim:
To study the change in IOP after intravenous metoclopramide and to study the influence of metoclopramide on change in IOP after succinylcholine and tracheal intubation.

Settings and Design:
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 60 patients undergoing non-ophthalmic elective surgery.

Materials and Methods:
Sixty American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) I adult patients were randomly assigned to receive normal saline (Group C) or metoclopramide 10 mg (Group M) 30 min before the induction of anesthesia. Thiopentone was used for induction and succinylcholine for tracheal intubation. Intraocular pressure was measured in both the eyes pre and post drug treatment and succinylcholine and tracheal intubation using Perkins applanation tonometer.

Statistical Analysis:
Student's t-test and repeated measures ANOVA were used. A P value <0.05 was considered as significant.

Results:
Intraocular pressure was consistently lower in Group M than in Group C after the test drug, though the difference was not statistically significant. Intraocular pressure decreased significantly after administration of thiopentone and increased significantly in Groups C and M after tracheal intubation (P < 0.01). Intraocular pressure was comparable between the groups at all the times.

Conclusions:
Metoclopramide does not cause a clinically significant change in IOP nor does it influence the changes in IOP during anesthesia and tracheal intubation. Metoclopramide shows a trend towards decrease in IOP, though clinically insignificant. Therefore metoclopramide can be used to promote gastric emptying in patients with perforated eye injury.
Fungal encephalitis following bone marrow transplantation
Authors: Teive HAG , Carsten ALM , Iwamoto FM , Almeida SM , Munhoz RP , Werneck LC , Medeiros C R , Pasquini R 
Published: February 2009

Background:
Central nervous system fungal infections (FI) are important complications and a cause of mortality in patients who receive hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).

Aims:
To study the clinical aspects of fungal encephalitis (FE).

Settings and Design:
The study was carried out at the HSCT Center of the Hospital de Clνnicas, Federal University of Paranα, Curitiba, Brazil.

Materials and Methods:
Clinical records and autopsy reports from patients submitted to HSCT with a diagnosis of FE.

Results:
Twelve patients were diagnosed with FE presenting with lowered level of consciousness, hemiparesis and seizures. We were able to identify two subgroups regarding susceptibility to FE: (1) patients with early onset FI and severe leucopoenia, and (2) patients with later onset FI with graft-versus-host disease using immunosuppressive drugs. Eleven of the patients died directly due to the neurological complication, all had post-mortem confirmation of the diagnosis of FI.

Conclusions:
These clinical, paraclinical and temporal patterns may provide the opportunity for earlier diagnosis and interventions.
Right movies on the right seat: Laterality and seat choice
Authors: Okubo Matia 
Published: February 2009

AbstractVarious forms of lateral preferences are found in human behaviour. Conducting two experiments, we investigated the lateral preference for seat choice exhibited by people at the movie theatre. The right‐handed participants (N = 269) tended to choose seats to the right of the screen when they were positively motivated to see the movie. This rightward bias disappeared when they were negatively motivated. In addition, the non‐right‐handed participants (N = 105) did not show any substantial bias in their seat choice. It is well known that visual and emotional information is better processed in the right hemisphere. Considering the visual and emotional nature of movie experiences, the rightward seating bias among right‐handers appears to be determined by their motivation to effectively utilize their right‐hemisphere functions. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Electrolytic admicellar polymerization of pyrrole on natural rubber/clay nanocomposites
Authors: Pojanavaraphan Tassawuth , Chirasakulkarun Adisorn , Muksing Nattaya , Magaraphan Rathanawan 
Published: February 2009

AbstractOrganic–inorganic composites consisting of natural rubber (NR), polypyrrole (PPy), and sodium montmorillonite (Na‐MMT) were synthesized via electrolytic admicellar polymerization. A constant potential of 9 volts was chosen for the synthesis. The PPy concentration was fixed at 100 mM, and the clay contents were varied from 1 to 7 parts per hundred of rubber (phr). The synthesized nanocomposites were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), together with thermal stability (TGA), mechanical properties, and electrical conductivity (σdc) studies. The FTIR spectra indicated the characteristic peaks of both PPy and MMT clay and also evidenced a slight interaction between the PPy chain and the clay layers, verifying the success of electrolytic admicellar polymerization. XRD and TEM results pointed out the good dispersion of clay platelets in the polymer matrix, suggesting an exfoliated structure. The morphology of the nanocomposites was greatly dependent on the amount of MMT clay, especially at a 7 phr loading. The initial modulus and tensile strength of the nanocomposites containing the 7 phr loading were about four and two times higher, compared with unfilled NR/PPy, respectively. Thermal stability studies revealed a slight improvement in the decomposition temperature for the PPy component by the clay layers, whereas the opposite trend was found for the NR component. More interestingly, the electrical conductivity of the admicelled rubber increased significantly (∼ 19–32 times) with increasing clay contents from 1 to 7 phr, in comparison with unfilled NR/PPy. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009
Ultraviolet‐induced aging of flexographic printing plates studied by thermal and structural analysis methods
Authors: Andersson C. , Johnson J. , Järnström L. 
Published: February 2009

AbstractThe properties of photopolymer printing plates subjected to artificial aging processes were investigated with differential scanning calorimetry and microscopic analysis. The results showed that exposure to extended ultraviolet radiation type C in the prepress process caused changes both in the thermal properties and in the structure of the outermost surface layer. Long exposure to ultraviolet radiation type A in a weathering tester led to structural changes at a deeper level and a simultaneous increase in the glass‐transition temperatures of the polymeric material. Spectroscopic analysis showed that extensive oxidation occurred in the outermost surface layer. This study provides insight into important aging processes of the photopolymer printing plates. The knowledge can be used to predict the lifetime of printing plates and to understand the effects of their aging on print quality. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009
Improvement of poly(vinyl alcohol) properties by the addition of magnesium nitrate
Authors: Kubo Jun‐ichi , Rahman Nelly , Takahashi Nobuaki , Kawai Takahiko , Matsuba Go , Nishida Koji , Kanaya Toshiji , Yamamoto Masahide 
Published: February 2009

AbstractAiming at the improvement of mechanical and dielectric properties of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), we prepared composites of PVA and magnesium nitrate hexahydrate. It was found that the composites were very soft and rubber‐like, and the glass transition temperature decreased with increasing the salt concentration. Wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction and small‐angle X‐ray scattering revealed that the crystallites of PVA were destroyed by the additive and it was the cause of the softening. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009
Preparation of acrylic copolymers and crosslinking agents and properties as a film
Authors: Yoo Youngjae , Hong Geun‐Hye , Hur Soon‐Ryoung , Kim Yong Seok , Lee Sung‐Goo , Kim Hyung‐Joong , Lee Jae Heung 
Published: February 2009

AbstractCopolymers of butyl acrylate (BA)‐methyl methacrylate (MMA)‐acrylic acid (AA) and intraparticle crosslinking agents containing N‐methylol acrylamide (NMA) and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) were prepared by emulsion copolymerization. After that, films were prepared from the mixture of copolymers and the interparticle crosslinking agents. The interparticle crosslinking agents were prepared from hexamethylene diisocyanate and aziridine ethanol. Mixtures of the copolymer and the interparticle crosslinking agent were cast to films and crosslinked in a convection oven. The effects of the contents of the intra/interparticle crosslinking agents were also evaluated. By increasing the contents of EGDMA, roughness of the films was increased because of the effects of EGDMA acting as an intraparticle crosslinking agent. By increasing the contents of the interparticle crosslinking agent, roughness was also increased by the reaction between the copolymers and interparticle crosslinking agent. Tensile strength and water and chemical resistance of the film were increased, whereas elongation of film was decreased by increasing the contents of interparticle crosslinking agents. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009
Synthesis and property investigation of three core‐shell fluoroacrylate copolymer latexes
Authors: Junyan Liang , Ling He , Yuansuo Zheng 
Published: February 2009

AbstractThree core‐shell fluoroacrylate copolymer latices with different fluorinated side chain structure were synthesized in this article by semicontinuous seed emulsion polymerization, using butyl acrylate (BA) and methyl methacrylate (MMA) as acrylate monomer and trifluoroethyl methacrylate (TFEM, C6H7O2F3), hexafluorobutyl methacrylate (HFBM, C8H8O2F6), and dodecafluoroheptyl methacrylate (DFHM, C11H8O2F12) as fluorine‐containing acrylate monomer. The core‐shell fluoroacrylate copolymer latices were named as BA/MMA/TFEM, BA/MMA/HFBM, and BA/MMA/DFHM, respectively. The latex particle morphology and the particle size were determined by transmission electron microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. The final chemical structure of the latex was analyzed by NMR. The effect of the fluorinated side chain on the core‐shell copolymer latex and film properties, as well as on the superiority of core‐shell copolymer latex to general fluoroacrylate copolymer latex was investigated by energy dispersive X‐ray detector, thermogravimetric analysis, and the determination of contact angle. The analysis results indicated that the particle of fluoroacrylate copolymer latex presented uniform sphere core‐shell structure. Compared with core‐shell BA/MMA/TFEM and BA/MMA/HFBM, BA/MMA/DFHM exhibited not only better surface property as increasing temperature but also better thermal stability. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009
Thermal and structural characterization of nanofibers of poly(vinyl alcohol) produced by electrospinning
Authors: Guerrini Lilia M. , de Oliveira Maurício P. , Branciforti Marcia C. , Custódio Tassiana A. , Bretas Rosario E. S. 
Published: February 2009

AbstractPoly(vinyl alcohol) (PVOH) was obtained from the alkaline hydrolysis of poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc). Nonwoven membranes (mats) of PVOH nanofibers were produced by electrospinning of solutions of PVOH in water with and without aluminum chloride. The concentration of the PVOH/water solution was 12.4% w/v. The morphology of the mats was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The thermal properties and the degree of crystallinity of the nanofibers were measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC); the crystal structure of the mats was evaluated by wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction. The best nanofibers were obtained by electrospinning the PVOH/water solution with aluminum chloride (45% w/v) in which an electrical field of 3.0 kV/cm was applied. It was observed that the addition of the aluminum chloride and the increase in the applied electrical field decreased the number‐average nanofibers diameters. The mats without aluminum chloride had higher melting temperatures and higher degrees of crystallinity than the mats with the salt. The crystal structure of the mats was found to be monoclinic; however, the mats were neither highly oriented nor have a high degree of crystallinity. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009
Embryonic Staging System for the Black Mastiff Bat, Molossus rufus (Molossidae), Correlated With Structure‐Function Relationships in the Adult
Authors: Nolte Mark J. , Hockman Dorit , Cretekos Chris J. , Behringer Richard R. , Rasweiler John J. 
Published: February 2009

AbstractThe helmeted appearance of the black mastiff bat, Molossus rufus, at embryonic stage 21 results from the anterior margins of the ears being progressively situated near the facial midline during development. Comparative bat embryology provides a foundation for understanding unique mammalian and chiropteran (bat) adaptations, such as the marked ability of M. rufus to use its compactly folded wings during terrestrial quadrupedal locomotion. See Nolte et al., on page 155, in this issue.
External concept support for group support systems through Web mining
Authors: Li Jia , Zhang Pengzhu , Cao Jinwei 
Published: February 2009

AbstractExternal information plays an important role in group decision‐making processes, yet research about external information support for Group Support Systems (GSS) has been lacking. In this study, we propose an approach to build a concept space to provide external concept support for GSS users. Built on a Web mining algorithm, the approach can mine a concept space from the Web and retrieve related concepts from the concept space based on users' comments in a real‐time manner. We conduct two experiments to evaluate the quality of the proposed approach and the effectiveness of the external concept support provided by this approach. The experiment results indicate that the concept space mined from the Web contained qualified concepts to stimulate divergent thinking. The results also demonstrate that external concept support in GSS greatly enhanced group productivity for idea generation tasks.
Markovian analysis for automatic new topic identification in search engine transaction logs
Authors: Ozmutlu Huseyin C. 
Published: February 2009

AbstractTopic analysis of search engine user queries is an important task, since successful exploitation of the topic of queries can result in the design of new information retrieval algorithms for more efficient search engines. Identification of topic changes within a user search session is a key issue in analysis of search engine user queries. This study presents an application of Markov chains in the area of search engine research to automatically identify topic changes in a user session by using statistical characteristics of queries, such as time intervals, query reformulation patterns and the continuation/shift status of the previous query. The findings show that Markov chains provide fairly successful results for automatic new topic identification with a high level of estimation for topic continuations and shifts. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effect of pulsed electromagnetic field on the proliferation and differentiation potential of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells
Authors: Sun Li‐Yi , Hsieh Dean‐Kuo , Yu Tzai‐Chiu , Chiu Hsien‐Tai , Lu Sheng‐Fen , Luo Geng‐Hong , Kuo Tom K. , Lee Oscar K. , Chiou Tzyy‐Wen 
Published: February 2009

AbstractPulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) have been used clinically to slow down osteoporosis and accelerate the healing of bone fractures for many years. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of PEMFs on the proliferation and differentiation potential of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSC). PEMF stimulus was administered to BMMSCs for 8 h per day during culture period. The PEMF applied consisted of 4.5 ms bursts repeating at 15 Hz, and each burst contained 20 pulses. Results showed that about 59% and 40% more viable BMMSC cells were obtained in the PEMF‐exposed cultures at 24 h after plating for the seeding density of 1000 and 3000 cells/cm2, respectively. Although, based on the kinetic analysis, the growth rates of BMMSC during the exponential growth phase were not significantly affected, 20–60% higher cell densities were achieved during the exponentially expanding stage. Many newly divided cells appeared from 12 to 16 h after the PEMF treatment as revealed by the cell cycle analysis. These results suggest that PEMF exposure could enhance the BMMSC cell proliferation during the exponential phase and it possibly resulted from the shortening of the lag phase. In addition, according to the cytochemical and immunofluorescence analysis performed, the PEMF‐exposed BMMSC showed multi‐lineage differentiation potential similar to the control group. Bioelectromagnetics 30:251–260, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.