bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Peripheral Blood CD161+ T Cells from Asthmatic Patients are Activated During Asthma Attack and Predominantly Produce IFN‐γ
Authors: González‐Hernández Y. , Pedraza‐Sánchez S. , Blandón‐Vijil V. , Del Río‐Navarro B. E. , Vaughan G. , Moreno‐Lafont M. , Escobar‐Gutiérrez A. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractIn humans, T cells expressing the CD161 molecule NKR‐P1A constitute around 20% of the circulating CD3+ cells and are potentially immunoregulatory in several diseases. Their role in asthma is not well known, but they could participate in asthma attacks. To determinate whether activation of CD161+ T cells and their cytokine production correlate with clinical status of asthma, we analysed blood samples from asthma attack patients (AAP) and stable asthma patients (SAP) in comparison with healthy non‐atopic controls (HC). There was a significant higher baseline expression of CD69 on T cells from AAP and the difference was more notorious on CD161+ T cells; upregulation of CD69 was observed on both CD161− and CD161+ T cells driven by Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus crude extract, whereas polyclonal stimulation with phorbol 12‐myristate 13‐acetate plus ionomycin predominantly induced IFN‐γ but no IL‐4, IL‐5 and IL‐13 by CD161+ T cells in all groups; upon polyclonal stimulation, there were more CD161+ T cells producing IFN‐γ and less CD161− T cells producing this cytokine, contrasting with the opposite results observed in SAP and HC groups. Our results indicate that, during asthma attack, CD161+ T cells are activated and are able to produce predominantly IFN‐γ but no Th2 cytokines. We hypothesize that during an asthma attack, IFN‐γ produced by CD161+ T cells could help to reestablish the Th1/Th2 equilibrium. These observations may contribute to the understanding of the immune mechanisms involved in asthma attacks.
Antisense oligonucleotide targeting fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR)‐1 stimulates cellular activity of hair follicles in an in vitro organ culture system
Authors: Tsuboi R. , Yamazaki M. , Matsuda Y. , Uchida K. , Ueki R. , Ogawa H. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractBackground  The hair cycle is regulated by various molecules, among which FGF‐5 has been shown to promote the transition from anagen to catagen. The FGFR‐1, a trans‐membrane receptor of FGF‐5 with tyrosine kinase activity, is localized in the follicular papilla of hair follicles.Objectives  In order to apply the antisense oligonucleotides targeting FGFR‐1 as a treatment for baldness, we examined the effect of the oligonucleotides on hair follicle growth in a serum‐free organ culture system.Methods  Vibrissal hair follicles from C3H/He mice were cultured in the presence of a reagent at 31 °C in 95% O2−5% CO2 for 72 h. A 20‐mer antisense nucleotide and its randomly arranged counterpart were prepared by predicting the effective target site of FGFR‐1 mRNA. Cellular activity in the hair bulb was estimated by measuring the fluorescence intensity (FI) of the medium after incubation with AlamarBlue™ dye.Results  The addition of 30 µM of the phosphorothioate form of antisense oligonucleotide (A1561TS) to the media increased the FI by 30%, whereas the control produced no detectable change. This effect was reproducible dose‐dependent with maximal stimulation at 30 µM. Incorporation of the oligonucleotide into the follicular papilla was histologically confirmed by incubation with FITC‐labeled phosphorothioate oligonucleotides, and the intact morphological structure of the hair bulb was maintained intact after a 72‐h incubation.Conclusions  These results suggest the clinical utility of antisense nucleotide targeting FGFR‐1 as a treatment for baldness.
Pressure ulcers: A pilot study for treatment with collagen polyvinylpyrrolidone
Authors: Zerón Hugo Mendieta , Gómez Fernando Edgar Krötzsch , Muñoz Rolando Efraín Hernández 
Published: March 2007

Background   Chronic ulcers owing to pressure cause complications with respect to immobilization and develop through limited blood circulation. There are different treatments for these ulcers; nonetheless, the search for an efficient and economical option continues. One choice could be collagen‐polyvinylpyrrolidone (clg‐pvp). Presence of pressure ulcers in hospitalized patients constitutes a frequent medical problem which is difficult to manage and can be an entry route for infection. Also, restoring the dermic continuity offers a means of improving a patient's quality‐of‐life.Objective   The aim of the study was to analyze whether cicatrization on pressure ulcers presents more rapidly with local cleaning with soap, application of zinc oxide paste and clg‐pvp compared with local cleaning with soap, application of zinc oxide paste and placebo (saline solution with polyvinylpyrrolidone).Methodology   From July 2002 to April 2003 the authors conducted a clinical, comparative, prospective, longitudinal, randomized study. Coded flasks containing either clg‐pvp or placebo were designated for patients according to a table of random numbers.The clg‐pvp or placebo was applied to each patient's ulcers at a rate of 1.5 ml intradermically at the four equi‐spaced points around the ulcer. The nominal diameter of each ulcer was measured at the start of the study and then weekly over a 3‐week period. Statistical analysis was carried out using the SPSS (version 10; SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL) software program.Results   The group treated with clg‐pvp experienced a reduction in mean ulcer size from 3.4 to 1.41 cm in diameter, whereas in the placebo group the reduction was from 2.9 to 1.58 cm in diameter. Despite the greater diameter reduction in the first group, the lack of a statistically significant difference could have resulted from the short follow‐up period and small sample size.
Toward a mechanistic understanding of larval dispersal: insights from genomic fingerprinting of the deep‐sea hydrothermal vent tubeworm Riftia pachyptila
Authors: Shank Timothy M. , Halanych Kenneth M. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractLarval dispersal is critical for the maintenance of species populations in patchy and ephemeral hydrothermal vent habitats. On fast‐spreading ridges, such as the East Pacific Rise, rates of habitat turnover are comparable to estimated lifespans of many of the inhabiting species. Traditionally, dispersal questions have been addressed with two very different approaches, larval studies and population genetics. Population genetic studies of vent‐endemic species have been informative for determining whether patterns of dispersal are suggestive of stepping stone or island models and estimating rates of gene flow (effective migrants per generation) over broad geographic ranges. However, these studies leave fundamental questions unanswered about the specific mechanisms by which larvae disperse and species maintain their populations and biogeographic ranges. With the goal of examining genetic structure and elucidating alternative larval dispersal mechanisms, we employed a genomic DNA fingerprinting technique, amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs). To assess the potential utility of AFLPs, and genetic structure of the hydrothermal vent tubeworm Riftia pachyptila, genomic ‘fingerprints’ were recovered from 29 individuals from five vent fields spanning a distance of up to c. 5000 km along the East Pacific Rise. In contrast to previous population genetic studies that found little to no genetic structure using allozymes and mitochondrial DNA, genetic analyses of 630 polymorphic AFLP loci identified distinct subclades within R. pachyptila populations. Significant levels of differentiation were observed among populations from all vent regions as well as within each region. Discrete assemblages of tubeworms separated by as little as c. 400 m within a given vent region were genetically distinguishable and cohorts (based on size‐frequency distribution) within an aggregation were found to be most closely related. These results suggest that mechanisms of larval dispersal act to retain cohort fidelity in R. pachyptila.
Targeting hyperglycaemia with either metformin or repaglinide in non‐obese patients with type 2 diabetes: results from a randomized crossover trial
Authors: Lund S. S. , Tarnow L. , Stehouwer C. D. A. , Schalkwijk C. G. , Frandsen M. , Smidt U. M. , Pedersen O. , Parving H.‐H. , Vaag A. 
Published: March 2007

Aim:  Metformin is the ‘drug‐of‐first‐choice’ in obese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) due to its antihyperglycaemic and cardiovascular protective potentials. In non‐obese patients with T2DM, insulin secretagogues are empirically used as first choice. In this investigator‐initiated trial, we evaluated the effect of metformin vs. an insulin secretagogue, repaglinide on glycaemic regulation and markers of inflammation and insulin sensitivity in non‐obese patients with T2DM.Methods:  A single‐centre, double‐masked, double‐dummy, crossover study during 2 × 4 months involved 96 non‐obese (body mass index ≤ 27 kg/m2) insulin‐naïve patients with T2DM. At enrolment, previous oral hypoglycaemic agents (OHA) were stopped and patients entered a 1‐month run‐in on diet‐only treatment. Hereafter, patients were randomized to either repaglinide 2 mg thrice daily followed by metformin 1 g twice daily or vice versa each during 4 months with 1‐month washout between interventions.Results:  End‐of‐treatment levels of haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), fasting plasma glucose, mean of seven‐point home‐monitored plasma glucose and fasting levels of high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein and adiponectin were not significantly different between treatments. However, body weight, waist circumference, fasting serum levels of insulin and C‐peptide were lower and less number of patients experienced hypoglycaemia during treatment with metformin vs. repaglinide. Both drugs were well tolerated.Conclusions:  In non‐obese patients with T2DM, overall glycaemic regulation was equivalent with less hypoglycaemia during metformin vs. repaglinide treatment for 2 × 4 months. Metformin was more effective targeting non‐glycaemic cardiovascular risk markers related to total and abdominal body fat stores as well as fasting insulinaemia. These findings may suggest the use of metformin as the preferred OHA also in non‐obese patients with T2DM.
Conditional Properties of Hedge Funds: Evidence from Daily Returns*
Authors: Li Ying , Kazemi Hossein 
Published: March 2007

Abstract Using daily returns on a set of hedge fund indices, we study (i) the properties of the indices' conditional density functions and (ii) the presence of asymmetries in conditional correlations between hedge fund indices and other investments and between hedge fund indices themselves. We use the SNP approach to obtain estimates of conditional densities of hedge fund returns and then proceed to examine their properties. In general, a nonparametric GARCH(1,1) model appears to provide the best fit for all strategies. We find that the conditional third and fourth moments are significantly affected by changes in the current volatility of returns on hedge fund indices. We examine changes in the conditional probability of tail events and report significant changes in the probability of extreme events when the conditioning information changes. These results have important implications for models of hedge fund risk that rely on probability of tail events. We formally test for the presence of asymmetries in conditional correlations to determine if there is contagion between hedge funds and other investments and between various hedge fund indices in extreme down markets versus extreme up markets. We generally do not find strong evidence in support of asymmetric correlations.
Hedge Fund Indices: Reconciling Investability and Representativity
Authors: Goltz Felix , Martellini Lionel , Vaissié Mathieu 
Published: March 2007

Abstract Following a growing concern among investors about the quality of hedge fund index return data, this paper addresses the question of whether designing hedge fund indices that fulfil the usual requirements (in particular representative and investable) is or not a feasible task, given a variety of features that are specific to that industry. To test whether or not investability should necessarily come at the cost of representativity, we use a well‐known methodology in the asset pricing literature based on the concept of factor replicating portfolios. Our results suggest that it is actually possible to construct representative indices based on a limited number of funds that are open to new investments, except perhaps in the case of equity market neutral strategies, provided that: i) these funds are suitably selected and ii) a portfolio is constructed with the objective of replicating the common trend in hedge fund returns for a given strategy. A range of robustness tests are performed that show that high correlation of the factor replicating portfolios with the common factor of returns for each strategy is remarkably stable with respect to modifying the number of funds in the replicating portfolio or changing the frequency of rebalancing.
The Trickle‐down Effect: Ideology and the Development of Premium Water Networks in China’s Cities
Authors: BOLAND ALANA 
Published: March 2007

AbstractThis article examines the relationship between networked infrastructure and uneven development in transitional cities through a study of premium water networks in China. Beginning in the mid‐1990s, select buildings and housing enclaves began to bypass municipal tap water supply systems through the construction of small‐scale secondary pipe networks for purified drinking water. I focus on the early development of these premium water networks to highlight the ideological interplay between a new more market‐based approach to networked supply and the existing model characterized by relatively universal and uniform access within cities. I illustrate how this dual water supply model was well suited to the ideological conditions and contradictions associated with China’s economic liberalization in the 1990s. While the emergence of premium water networks can be linked to ascendant forms of market reasoning in the environmental and social spheres, I also argue that they were enabled by unresolved ideological tensions associated with China’s transitional program. Rather than providing a basis for resistance in the early development of premium water supply, the socialist legacy in urban water supply left its mark more in the noticeable absence of debate regarding the distributional outcomes. By examining premium water networks in relation to the politics of ideology in China’s transitional period, my analysis highlights the complex and sometimes unexpected ways that ideologies can influence the development of new infrastructural spaces and processes of splintering urbanism.
The Political Construction of the City‐Region: Notes from Sydney
Authors: McGUIRK PAULINE 
Published: March 2007

AbstractCity‐region theory — fuzzy as the boundaries of such a theory may be — centres on the claim that the territorial basis and organizational architecture of the global economy is now a mosaic of globally connected city‐regions rather than nations. Despite some intuitive appeal, there is a growing body of critique which targets specific frailties arising from the theoretical reliance in such arguments on a global capitalist‐logic and, relatedly, the focus on global exchange relations. In exploring the limits of these theoretical tendencies, this paper provides a critical account of the processual and practical formation of Sydney (NSW, Australia) as a city‐regional space of governance. It pays particular attention to the contingent emergence of Sydney’s metropolitan policy regionalism through political mediations of the particular and complex politics elicited by the spatial distributional consequences of city‐region development. Its concluding argument is that city‐region formation must be understood as an ongoing and multiscalar process without autonomy from the national political economy or from its territory.
Incidence of Motion Loss of the Stifle Joint in Dogs with Naturally Occurring Cranial Cruciate Ligament Rupture Surgically Treated with Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy: Longitudinal Clinical Study of 412 Cases
Authors: JANDI AVTAR S. , SCHULMAN ALAN J. 
Published: March 2007

Objective— To report the incidence of loss of stifle extension or flexion and its relationship with clinical lameness after tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO) for treatment of cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) rupture.Study Design— Longitudinal study.Animals— Dogs (n=280) with CCL rupture (n=412).Methods— TPLO was performed without meniscal release or arthrotomy. Angles of extension and flexion of the stifle were measured by goniometry to determine range of motion. Based upon motion loss, stifles were divided in 3 groups: no loss of extension or flexion (n=322), <10° loss of extension or flexion (n=78), ≥10° loss of extension or flexion (n=12).Results— Loss of extension or flexion ≥10° was associated with significantly (P=.001) higher clinical lameness scores in comparison with no loss, or loss of extension or flexion <10°. Osteoarthrosis in the cranial femorotibial joint was significantly correlated (P<.005, r2=0.55) with loss of extension. Loss of extension ≥10° was less tolerable and less amenable to physical rehabilitation than flexion loss.Conclusions— Loss of extension or flexion ≥10° was responsible for higher clinical lameness scores. Osteoarthrosis in the cranial femorotibial joint led to extension loss.Clinical Relevance— Loss of extension or flexion should be assessed in dogs with persistent clinical lameness after TPLO so that early intervention can occur. Our study provides guidelines to define clinically relevant loss of extension or flexion of stifle joint after TPLO.
Recombinant Human Bone Morphogenetic Protein‐2 in Absorbable Collagen Sponge Enhances Bone Healing of Tibial Osteotomies in Dogs
Authors: FARIA MARIA L. E. , LU YAN , HEANEY KATHLEEN , UTHAMANTHIL RAJESH K. , MUIR PETER , MARKEL MARK D. 
Published: March 2007

Objective—To compare the efficacy of 2 doses of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein‐2 (rhBMP‐2) on tibial osteotomy healing in dogs.Study Design—Experimental, randomized complete block (n=7).Animals—Adult female dogs (n=21).Methods—Right midshaft tibial osteotomies were created and stabilized with a 1‐mm gap using type I external fixators. Seven dogs were untreated controls and 14 with osteotomies were treated with either 0.05 or 0.2 mg/mL rhBMP‐2 delivered in an absorbable collagen sponge (ACS). At 8 weeks, dogs were euthanatized and bones were mechanically tested and examined by microscopy.Results—Bone healing based on radiographic scoring, was significantly improved in dogs treated with 0.2 mg/mL of rhBMP‐2 compared with the other groups; these tibiae were also significantly stronger and stiffer than 0.05 mg/mL rhBMP‐2 and control osteotomized tibiae. Histologic scores were significantly better for 0.2 mg/mL rhBMP‐2 group than 0.05 mg/mL rhBMP‐2 group, but neither was significantly different from control.Conclusions—rhBMP‐2 in ACS at a concentration of 0.2 mg/mL improves healing of tibial osteotomies in dogs compared with untreated controls and 0.05 mg/mL rhBMP‐2 based on force plate analysis and radiographic evaluation. This was not confirmed histologically but treated bones had improved mechanical properties at 8 weeks.Clinical Relevance—After a long bone fracture, dogs may face a long recovery period before full return of limb function. rhBMP‐2, in association with good fracture fixation principles, may enhance bone healing in dogs with diaphyseal fractures.
Clinical Application of Recombinant Human Bone Morphogenetic Protein‐2 in 4 Dogs
Authors: MILOVANCEV MILAN , MUIR PETER , MANLEY PAUL A. , SEEHERMAN HOWARD J. , SCHAEFER SUSAN 
Published: March 2007

Objective— To describe outcome in dogs with insufficient bone healing treated with recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein‐2 (rhBMP‐2).Study Design— Retrospective study.Animals— Four dogs clinically affected with delayed union or nonunion bone healing.Methods— Medical records were reviewed for signalment, clinical problem, treatment, and outcome.Results— Four dogs that had delayed‐ or nonunion of bone fracture, osteotomy, or arthrodesis were treated with either minimally invasive, fluoroscopically guided, percutaneous administration or direct surgical application of rhBMP‐2. Doses used ranged from 0.2 to 1.6 mg of rhBMP‐2. In 3 dogs, a calcium phosphate matrix (CPM) carrier was used whereas in 1 dog commercially prepared rhBMP‐2 impregnated in an absorbable collagen sponge (INFUSE® Bone Graft) was used. This latter dog had osteomyelitis associated with implant infection before rhBMP‐2 administration. Rapid radiographic union was noted in all dogs with excellent long‐term outcome. Adverse effects were minimal and included transient worsening of lameness after percutaneous administration of rhBMP‐2 in 2 dogs.Conclusions— rhBMP‐2 stimulated rapid bone formation at delayed‐ or nonunion sites resulting in radiographic bone union with minimal adverse effects and excellent long‐term outcome in 4 dogs.Clinical Relevance— Direct intraoperative administration or fluoroscopically guided, minimally invasive delivery of rhBMP‐2 may be an effective treatment modality for bone delayed‐ or nonunions and could potentially be used to stimulate new bone production in a variety of orthopedic surgical conditions in dogs.
In Vitro Comparison of Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy with and Without Use of a Tibial Plateau Leveling Jig
Authors: SCHMERBACH KAY INGO , BOELTZIG CHRISTIAN KONRAD MATTHIAS , REIF ULLRICH , WIESER JAN CARSTEN , KELLER THOMAS , GREVEL VERA 
Published: March 2007

Objective— To evaluate the influence of a tibial plateau leveling jig on osteotomy orientation, fragment reduction, and postoperative tibial plateau angle (TPA) during tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO).Study Design— In vitro experimental study.Animals— Large‐breed canine cadavers (n=20).Methods— TPLO was performed on 40 hindlimbs using 4 methods. Group 1: Jig; dogs in dorsal recumbency with the osteotomy parallel to the distal jig pin. Groups 2–4: No jig; dogs in lateral recumbency with the osteotomy in a vertical orientation (group 2: tibia parallel to the table top; group 3: controlled superimposition of the femoral condyles; group 4: internal rotation of the tibia). Postoperative TPA, fragment reduction, and osteotomy orientation relative to the tibial plateau were compared. Positive or negative values denoted deviation from parallel relative to the tibial plateau.Results— Postoperative TPA, fragment reduction, and proximodistal osteotomy orientation were not significantly different between groups. Craniocaudal osteotomy orientation was significantly different (P<.005) from the tibial plateau. Median deviations were −4.0° (group 1), 11.8° (group 2), 11.2° (group 3), and 0.2° (group 4). Group 1 was not significantly different from group 4.Conclusions— A jig is not essential for osteotomy orientation, tibial plateau rotation, or fragment reduction. Comparable results were achieved performing a vertical osteotomy with the tibia slightly internally rotated (10°–15°) and parallel to the table surface.Clinical Relevance— TPLO without use of a jig reduces surgical trauma, is less time consuming, and reduces cost.