bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Role of Interleukin-11 in Pregnancy Involves Up-Regulation of α2-Macroglobulin Gene through Janus Kinase 2-Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 Pathway in the Decidua
Authors: Bao Lei , Devi Sangeeta , Bowen-Shauver Jennifer , Ferguson-Gottschall Susan , Robb Lorraine , Gibori Geula 
Published: September 2006

AbstractIL-11 expressed by endometrial stromal cells is crucial for normal pregnancy. IL-11 receptor α (IL-11Rα) null mice are infertile due to abnormal development of the placenta. In these mice, the mesometrial decidual tissue, which is the site of trophoblast invasion, thins and disappears at mid-pregnancy. Degeneration of the decidua is accompanied by uncontrolled trophoblast invasion. In this report, we show, using IL-11Rα null mice, that a defect in IL-11 signaling in the decidua leads to severe down-regulation of α2-macroglobulin (α2-MG), a metalloproteinase inhibitor crucial for limiting trophoblast invasion. We also present evidence, using uterine stromal cells that decidualize in culture, that IL-11 robustly stimulates the endogenous α2-MG expression and enhances α2-MG promoter activity. Serial 5′ deletion and internal deletion of the promoter reveal two important signal transducer and activator of transcription (Stat) binding sites. Mutation of either one of these motifs decreases IL-11 stimulation, whereas double mutation prevents IL-11 action. We also found that IL-11 activates Janus kinase 2 (Jak2) and induces rapid phosphorylation, nuclear translocation, and promoter binding activity of Stat3 in decidual cells, whereas Jak1, Tyk2, and Stat5 activities are not affected. In addition, Jak2 inhibitor totally prevents α2-MG expression in decidual cells. Taken together, results of this investigation provide, at least in part, an explanation for the overinvasiveness of the trophoblast in IL-11Rα null mice and reveal, for the first time, that IL-11 signals through the Jak2/Stat3 pathway in decidual cells to stimulate the expression of α2-MG, a protease inhibitor essential for normal placentation in pregnancy.
Laryngeal cysts — Their surgical management
Authors: Van Water Frank W. De 
Published: September 2006

AbstractCongenital cysts of the larynx, recently named lateral saccular cysts by DeSanto, arise in one of three ways. They may be derivatives of the third visceral pouch, developmental abnormalities incurred during canalization of epithelial Primordium of the laryngeal ventricle and saccule, or form from epithelial buds sequestered during saccular development.The cysts may become symptomatic at any time from birth to adulthood. The symptoms vary from relatively mild to severe, and consist of vocal changes respiratory distress and deglutatory difficulties. Severe symptoms are usually seen in the infant, and the symptoms in the infant usually become manifest prior to the third or fourth month.A majority of reported cases have been post mortem examinations. Modern medical techniques provide early diagnosis and ease of management of this rare but salvageable problem. Endoscopic stripping of the cyst wall in infants appears to be a satisfactory approach with immediate resolution. An external approach to the large, usually scarred cysts of adults is recommended. The lateral thyrotomy approach to the pre‐epiglottic and paraglottic space provides excellent access with minimal long term postoperative laryngeal dysfunction.Three representative cases are presented in the body of the paper; a neonate requiring immediate airway, an infant age three months with progressive symptoms, and a young adult vocalist who became symptomatic following an upper respiratory infection and postoperatively was able to continue singing.
The results of laryngeal release, tracheal mobilization and resection for tracheal stenosis in 19 patients
Authors: Dedo Herbert H. , Fishman Noel H. 
Published: September 2006

AbstractWe have now used the procedure in 19 patients with high and mid‐tracheal stenosis which measured up to 3‐4 cm in length. Only one recurrent nerve was paralyzed by the surgery. Two patients with severe lung disease expired after surgery from respiratory failure. Three patients restenosed and required replacement of a tracheotomy. The remaining 14 patients have had no evidence of recurrent tracheal stenoses.
Sudden idiopathic sensori‐neural hearing loss: Some observations
Authors: Blair Simmons F. 
Published: September 2006

AbstractSudden idiopathic sensori‐neural hearing loss is more common than generally recognized. Hearing recovers spontaneously within a few hours or days, and the loss is not recognized as cochlear in origin but is blamed on eustachian tube obstruction, because the symptoms can be identical; thus, a large proportion of patients are treated by physicians with decongestants and middle ear inflation, without obtaining audiograms. In an already damaged cochlea, middle ear inflation and other unwarranted procedures, including over enthusiastic audiometry, can lead to further injury. In general, prognosis for recovery from sudden hearing loss correlates best with the interval between symptom onset and the first audiogram, and very poorly with either the type of treatment or the interval between symptoms and the patient's first visit to a physician.
Arytenoidectomy in children
Authors: Cohen Seymour R. 
Published: September 2006

AbstractArytenoidectomy is a rare operation in children. Airway obstruction following a difficult delivery of a newborn with cardinal symptoms of laryngeal obstruction should arouse suspicion of laryngeal paralysis. Midline paralysis in children has varied causes. A tracheotomy is almost always necessary for its initial treatment. When spontaneous recovery fails to occur, arytenoidectomy in the pre‐grammar school age is an effective, safe and successful procedure. This is a report of 11 cases treated by the external surgical approach of arytenoidectomy, following which decannulation was possible. In all cases the voice was better than expected.
Myringotomy and ventilating tubes in the 19th century
Authors: Alberti P. W. 
Published: September 2006

AbstractEustachian tube obstruction was recognized as a cause of deafness in the 18th Century, and the operation of myringotomy popularized by Astley Cooper was widely undertaken in the early part of the 19th Century for hearing loss from this cause, and unfortunately, for hearing loss from many other causes. The procedure fell into disrepute because of postoperative infection and because of the tympanic membrane's property of rapid healing, which meant that relief was only evanescent. Tonsillectomy for hearing loss was introduced in the early 19th Century and had considerable vogue, but it, too, failed to be as effective as its early proponents, particularly Yearsley, expected. Direct assault upon the eustachian tube by air and fluid pushed up through catheters was practiced throughout the 19th Century. Myringotomy was re‐introduced extensively in the 1860's and determined efforts were made to remove secretions from the middle ear by means of medication introduced both through the eustachian tube and the ear canal. Efforts were also made to make permanent openings in the tympanic membrane, or at least to delay closure of the opening. They included turning tympanic membrane flaps and resecting large portions of the membrane including on some occasions the malleus, and on others the annulus. None of these techniques were successful. Attempts were made throughout the century to keep open the hole in the membrane by means of foreign body, initially catgut strings, and then a variety of wire and tube, ultimately leading to the development of a hollow grooved hard rubber eyelet with thread attached which is similar in appearance to the ventilating tubes in use today. A variety of metal prostheses were also used. Ultimately the high failure rate coupled with a high infection rate led to the abandonment of these methods of therapy, and a return to the nasopharynx, for the newly discovered adenoids were being removed in greater quantities and the technique of politzerization were providing an acceptable alternative to some of the previously used methods of eustachian tube medication.
Chronic vestibular and auditory effects of marijuana
Authors: Spector Martin 
Published: September 2006

AbstractThe objective of this study was to ascertain vestibular dysfunction and impaired hearing resulting from the chronic use of marijuana. Electro‐nystagmography was utilized to record gaze nystagmus, tracking a pendulum, spontaneous nystagmus, positional nystagmus, and rotation on the torsion swing. Pure tone thresholds were also obtained. The results of these tests, for normals and heavy marijuana users, were then compared. The comparison of these results showed significant changes in vestibular functions for chronic marijuana users in: a. decrease in maximum amplitude on torsion swing; b. increase in incidence of nystagmus in two or more supine positions; and c. decrease in speed of slow component on caloric tests.
Effects of lead on the vestibular system: Preliminary findings
Authors: Wilpizeski Chester 
Published: September 2006

AbstractTwelve adult squirrel monkeys were subjected to chronic lead exposure for a period of five to 24 weeks. Poisoning was confirmed by elevated blood lead levels, a consistent drop in body weight and by neurological signs of paresis and convulsions. Five animals died as a direct result of lead poisoning, and the remaining seven were sacrificed either when death seemed imminent (two animals) or at critical times during the experimental schedule. Bilateral cold and warm water irrigations as well as body rotational tests (upright, right side down and left side down, clockwise and counterclockwise), were given prior to lead poisoning and at various times during the experimental period. Positional and induced nystagmus (horizontal for caloric stimulation and both horizontal and vertical for rotatory stimulation) were recorded with eyes closed, by electronystagmography. Auditory detection thresholds for bone‐conducted pure tones were measured in two monkeys by a conditioned avoidance response technique. There was great intra‐ and inter‐subject variability in nystagmus duration and intensity (total number of eye beats and beat rate) for pre‐lead and lead intoxication conditions. Analysis of records was made difficult by the occurrence of positional and provocation nystagmus. Four of the 12 monkeys exhibited some positional nystagmus (mostly vertical when placed on either side) during the pre‐lead phase. Six of the group showed enhanced positional nystagmus or developed it during the lead intake phase. In general, both caloric‐ and rotational‐induced nystagmus decreased slightly in median duration and intensity under lead poisoned conditions, but the differences were not statistically reliable. Control measures of right‐left labyrinthine sensitivity and directional preponderance did not differ significantly from measures obtained under chronic lead intake conditions. After 20 weeks of lead intoxication, three animals showed a directional preponderance opposite that seen at the beginning of the study. Examination of the temporal bones of three monkeys revealed neither hair cell damage nor demyelination of VIIIth nerve fibers. Bone conduction detection thresholds remained within normal limits. A generalized state of muscular weakness due to chronic lead absorption could explain the unsteadiness which may have been mistaken for vestibular ataxia, reported by others in the literature.
Orbital complications of sinus disease
Authors: Welsh Louis W. , Welsh John J. 
Published: September 2006

AbstractOrbital complications of sinus disease continue to appear in clinical practice. A clear appraisal of the situation requires identification of the offending sinus area, the pathogenic bacterial agent, and the appropriate choice of drug therapy.A classification which defines the degree of orbital extension is valuable therapeutically and prognostically.In the diseased child the program is usually successful, employing medical means alone and suggest early diagnosis and aggressive therapy.The adult is less competently managed and often requires adequate drainage procedures. This fact relates to obstructive anatomical structures or systemic diseases.The bacteriologic studies are presented as well as predisposing factors toward the development of complications. Finally, there is a brief review of the guidelines for surgery and the drainage procedures.
Nasopharyngoscopic observations in the alaskan native
Authors: Weymuller E. A. 
Published: September 2006

AbstractOne hundred fifty‐nine Alaskan natives were nasopharyngoscoped in an attempt to determine the incidence of excessive amounts of adenoid tissue in the nasopharynx. Significant amounts of lymphoid tissue are present in the young Alaskan natives and the incidence is about the same as that of the Caucasian. The amount and incidence of adenoid tissue drops rapidly after puberty. In the opinion of the author, the eustachian orifice of the Eskimo appeared to be more widely patent than that of the Caucasian. In children under age 10, the number of cases in which tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy is indicated is about the same as that of the Caucasian.
The Effects of Brain Damage on the Performance of Hand Movement Sequences
Authors: Fox Geoffrey A. , Fox Allison M. 
Published: September 2006

AbstractThe frontal lobes, if damaged, may lead to a host of divergent abnormalities, depending on the extent, site, depth, and laterality of the damage. Because of the extensive connections which exist between the frontal lobes and the other systems of the brain, damage to a more remote system may cause frontal system disorder through disconnection. The Hand Movement Test (HMT, Kaufman & Kaufman, 1983) is thought to be sensitive to damage affecting these systems, although the test was developed for use with children rather than adults. This paper examines the effects of three diverse neuropsychological disorders, where damage to the frontal lobes or to their interconnections has been implicated, on hand movement sequencing performance in adults. The three groups studied included patients diagnosed with alcohol-related brain damage (n = 57), patients diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injury (n = 21), and patients diagnosed with age-related dementia (n = 30). HMT performance was significantly poorer in all three clinical groups relative to controls, supporting the addition of this brief, paediatric test in neuropsychological evaluations assessing these disorders.
Addressing the Sexual Concerns of Persons With Traumatic Brain Injury in Rehabilitation Settings: A Framework for Action
Authors: Simpson Grahame 
Published: September 2006

AbstractTraumatic brain injury (TBI) impacts upon people's sexuality with 50% to 60% of persons reporting some level of disruption post-injury. However, only small proportions of patients/family members report that rehabilitation health professionals made inquiries about whether they had any sexual concerns. Rehabilitation programs have a responsibility to meet the challenge of addressing this important area of human functioning. An agency framework is described that provides a non-threatening, structured way for services to conceptualise, introduce or upgrade sexuality services in a manner that can be maintained over the long term. The framework contains an underlying philosophy of sexuality, five proposed modalities of service provision and detail of the underlying organisational structures that are required to provide sexuality services with consistency and effectiveness over the long term. Finally, organisational strategies that can be employed to implement the framework are discussed as well as suggestions about the sequencing of such strategies. By using the framework, rehabilitation services can put sexuality back onto their treatment agenda, as they seek to restore patients/clients with TBI to the “highest level of adaptation attainable” (World Health Organisation, 1996, p. 1) in all areas of their lives.
Prospective Memory and Traumatic Brain Injury: A Review
Authors: Shum David , Fleming Jenny , Neulinger Kerryn 
Published: September 2006

AbstractThis article aimed to review the assessment and treatment of prospective memory impairment in individuals with traumatic brain injury. The three assessment techniques reviewed included questionnaires, psychological tests, and experimental procedures. Because interest in this area is relatively new, not many assessment techniques have been specifically developed to assess the various constructs of prospective memory. Of these, most lack a firm theoretical basis, adequate norms, and strong psychometric properties. Rehabilitative techniques, based on remedial and compensatory approaches, were then evaluated. Intervention methods that show promise include a prospective memory training approach, diary or memory notebook use, and electronic aids. Nevertheless, there is a need for further controlled trials with larger sample sizes to more thoroughly evaluate these methods. Self-awareness of memory impairment and generalisation of gains from treatment are another two issues identified as important for assessing and treating prospective memory impairment.
Daisy, Daisy, Give Me Your Answer Do! Case Studies of Left Visual Neglect in Patients with Acute Cerebral Lesions
Authors: Ogden Jenni A. 
Published: September 2006

AbstractPatients with acute brain lesions often demonstrate dramatic forms of visual neglect; however their unstable medical conditions and rapidly changing neglect make it impossible to carry out rigorous experimentation to test theories of neglect. Careful assessment of their disorders can, however, inform rehabilitation strategies, and stimulate tentative neglect hypotheses that can later be tested more rigourously on the much rarer patients who have persisting neglect. The neglect behaviours of two patients with acute lesions are described in terms of environment-centred and object-based frames of reference. TT, with a right parietal glioma, has difficulty describing unexpected details on the left sides of pictures, in contrast to SM, with a right frontal abscess, who describes pictures accurately. Both patients, however, show left-sided neglect when copying pictures. When asked to copy daisy pictures, including half daisies, TT copied half daisy heads, including half of the half daisies, but SM missed only whole daisy heads to the left of other daisies. Their different responses to these daisy pictures is tentatively explained in terms of their ability to perceive whether or not half daisies appear “ridiculous”. SM also embellished the right sides of her drawings, suggesting an interaction between this dysexecutive behaviour and neglect.
Serum cytokine levels and the expression of estrogen and progesterone receptors in breast cancer patients
Authors: Fuksiewicz Malgorzata , Kaminska Janina , Kotowicz Beata , Kowalska Maria , Rubach Maryna , Pienkowski Tadeusz 
Published: September 2006

AbstractClin Chem Lab Med 2006;44:1092–7.
Lower expression of the α2,3-sialylated fibronectin glycoform and appearance of the asialo-fibronectin glycoform are associated with high concentrations of fibronectin in human seminal plasma with abnormal semen parameters
Authors: Kątnik-Prastowska Iwona , Kratz Ewa M. , Faundez Ricardo , Chełmońska-Soyta Anna 
Published: September 2006

AbstractClin Chem Lab Med 2006;44:1119–25.
Protein Z levels and prognosis in patients with acute coronary syndromes
Authors: Sofi Francesco , Cesari Francesca , Marcucci Rossella , Fatini Cinzia , Gori Anna Maria , Giglioli Cristina , Valente Serafina , Fedi Sandra , Abbate Rosanna , Gensini Gian Franco 
Published: September 2006

AbstractClin Chem Lab Med 2006;44:1098–102.
Detection of circulating tumour cells in blood by quantitative real-time RT-PCR: effect of pre-analytical time
Authors: Benoy Ina H. , Elst Hilde , Van Dam Peter , Scharpé Simon , Van Marck Eric , Vermeulen Peter B. , Dirix Luc Y. 
Published: September 2006

AbstractClin Chem Lab Med 2006;44:1082–7.
IFCC primary reference procedures for the measurement of catalytic activity concentrations of enzymes at 37°C: International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC): Scientific Division, Committee on Reference Systems for Enzymes (C-RSE): Part 8. Reference procedure for the measurement of catalytic concentration of α-amylase: [α-Amylase: 1,4-α-D-glucan 4-glucanohydrolase (AMY), EC 3.2.1.1]
Authors: Schumann G. , Aoki R. , Ferrero C.A. , Ehlers G. , Férard G. , Gella F.-J. , Jørgensen P.J. , Kanno T. , Kessner A. , Klauke R. , Kytzia H.-J. , Lessinger J.-M. , Miller W.G. , Nagel R. , Pauwels J. , Schimmel H. , Siekmann L. , Weidemann G. , Yoshida K. , Ceriotti F. 
Published: September 2006

AbstractThis paper is the eighth in a series dealing with reference procedures for the measurement of catalytic activity concentrations of enzymes at 37°C and the certification of reference preparations. Other parts deal with: Part 1. The concept of reference procedures for the measurement of catalytic activity concentrations of enzymes; Part 2. Reference procedure for the measurement of catalytic concentration of creatine kinase; Part 3. Reference procedure for the measurement of catalytic concentration of lactate dehydrogenase; Part 4. Reference procedure for the measurement of catalytic concentration of alanine aminotransferase Part 5. Reference procedure for the measurement of catalytic concentration of aspartate aminotransferase Part 6. Reference procedure for the measurement of catalytic concentration of γ-glutamyltransferase; Part 7. Certification of four reference materials for the determination of enzymatic activity of γ-glutamyltransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, alanine aminotransferase and creatine kinase at 37°C. The procedure described here is deduced from the previously described 30°C IFCC reference method. Differences are tabulated and commented on.Clin Chem Lab Med 2006;44:1146–55.
Towards the Development of Accelerated Methods for Assessing the Durability of Wood Plastic Composites
Authors: Silva A , Gartner BL , Morrell JJ 
Published: September 2006

Abstract
While wood plastic composites have gained an increasingly large share of the market for decks and other outdoor structures, there are many questions about the long-term potential for biodeterioration of these materials. While the plastic does appear to retard moisture uptake, thereby slowing the rate of degradation, a number of laboratory and field studies have found that fungal attack can occur. One approach to addressing this issue is to alter the WPC by either adding biocides or altering structure to retard fungal attack; however, assessing the durability of these new materials poses a challenge because of the lack of standard methods for accelerating the decay. In this study, we explored the use of agar, soil, vermiculite, and liquid media for accelerating the decay rates of pine and maple based WPCs under laboratory conditions. Agar and soil proved to be the most effective substrates, although the agar systems were far easier to prepare, but the degree of fungal attack was a function of moisture uptake. Thicker samples, which tended to absorb moisture more slowly, tended to have sharply lower weight losses. Maple WPCs tended to be more susceptible to fungal attack than those made with pine, suggesting that altering the wood source could be one simple method for enhancing durability without supplemental biocides.