bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The effects of health status on the utilization of complementary and alternative medicine
Authors: Avogo Winfred , Frimpong Jemima A , Rivers Patrick A , Kim Sam S 
Published: November 2008

Objective This article addresses the need for comprehensive models that explain the use of complimentary and alternative therapies (CAM). Specifically, the associations between health status, access to care, and patient satisfaction with conventional care and CAM therapies are examined. Design A cross-sectional survey on Disparities in Quality of Health Care that disproportionately sampled minority groups but was designed to generalize to the US adult population. Methods Bivariate and multivariate regression techniques are used. Logistic regression models estimate the effects of health status, access to and patient satisfaction with conventional care on utilization of CAM therapies whilst adjusting for socio-economic factors that impact health. Results An estimated 34.4 per cent of US adults used at least one of four CAM therapies in the two years prior to the survey. Although CAM use was higher among those who perceived themselves to be in excellent or very good health relative to those in fair or poor health, the difference was not statistically significant after adjustments were made. The results, however, showed that those who lacked access to conventional care due to cost and those who had lower satisfaction with the quality of conventional care were more likely to use CAM. Conclusions Estimates of CAM use in this sample are relatively low but consistent with large national surveys that over-sampled minorities. The article highlights the need to include quality of care when defining satisfaction with conventional health care and reinforces findings that cost of conventional care increases the use of CAM. Implications for the integration of CAM into the health care system are discussed.
Protective role of caffeic acid phenethyl ester and erdosteine on activities of purine-catabolizing enzymes and level of nitric oxide in red blood cells of isoniazid-administered rats*
Authors: Yilmaz HR , Uz E , Gökalp O , Özçelik N , Çiçek E , Özer MK 
Published: November 2008

The aim of this experimental study was to investigate the possible role of nitric oxide (NO) and the activities of adenosine deaminase (ADA) and xanthine oxidase (XO) in the pathogenesis of isoniazid (INH)-induced oxidative damage in red blood cells (RBCs), and also to show the effect of caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) and erdosteine, antioxidants, in decreasing this toxicity. A total of 25 adult male rats were divided into four experimental groups as follows: control group ( n = 7), INH-treated group ( n = 6), INH + CAPE–treated group ( n = 6), and INH + erdosteine–treated group ( n = 6). INH, INH-CAPE, and INH-erdosteine–treated groups were treated orally with INH 50 mg/kg daily and with the tap water for 15 days. Control group was given only tap water. CAPE was intraperitoneally injected for 15 days at a dose of 10 μmol/kg. Erdosteine was treated orally for 15 days at a dose of 10 mg/kg/day. The injection of INH led to a significant increase in the activities of ADA, XO, and NO levels in RBCs of rats. Co-treatment with CAPE caused a significant decrease in the activities of ADA and XO and the levels of NO in RBCs. In addition, co-treatment with erdosteine caused a significant decrease in the activities of ADA and XO and the levels of NO in RBCs. The results of this study showed that ADA, XO, and NO may play an important role in the pathogenesis of INH-induced oxidative stress in RBCs. CAPE and erdosteine may have protective potential in this process and they may become a promising drug in the prevention of this undesired side effect of INH.
Capture—recapture and anchored prevalence estimation of injecting drug users in England: national and regional estimates
Authors: Hay Gordon , Gannon Maria , MacDougall Jane , Eastwood Catherine , Williams Kate , Millar Tim 
Published: November 2008

Capture—recapture (C—RC) using four data sources, one of which accounted for 81% of captured injectors, and multiple indicator methods (MIM) were used to obtain national, regional and local estimates of the prevalence of injecting drug use among opiate and/or crack cocaine users in England. Persons aged 15 to 64 years, in contact with health and/or criminal justice services during 2005/2006, and known to be using opiates and/or crack cocaine and injecting drugs were included in the C—RC analysis. The MIM analysis included indicators relating to drug treatment, drug-related deaths, population density and drug offences. There were an estimated 130,000 opiate and/or crack cocaine users who injected drugs in 2005/06 (95% confidence interval 125,800 to 137,000), corresponding to 3.9 per thousand of the population aged 15 to 64 years (95% confidence interval 3.8—4.1). Regional variation in the prevalence of injecting was evident, ranging from 6.1 per thousand of the population aged 15 to 64 years in Yorkshire and the Humber (95% confidence interval 5.6 to 6.6) to 2.3 per thousand in the East of England (95% confidence interval 1.8 to 2.9). Application of gender and age-group distributions for treated injecting drug users (IDUs) to the prevalence estimates suggested that there were 97,200 male injectors (95% confidence interval 94,000 to 102,500) and 63,600 female injectors aged 25 to 34 years (95% confidence interval 61,500 to 67,000). The prevalence estimates provide a basis from which numbers of current IDUs infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) can be approximated.
Estimating current injectors in Scotland and their drug-related death rate by sex, region and age-group via Bayesian capture—recapture methods
Authors: King Ruth , Bird Sheila M , Hay Gordon , Hutchinson Sharon J 
Published: November 2008

Using Bayesian capture—recapture methods, we estimate current injectors in Scotland in 2003, and, thereby, injectors' drug-related death rates for the period 2003—2005. Four different data sources are considered [Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) database, hospital admissions, social enquiry reports, and drug misuse database reports by General Practices or Drug Treatment Agencies] which provide covariate information on sex, region (Greater Glasgow versus elsewhere in Scotland) and age group (15—34 years and 35+ years). We quantified Scotland's current injectors in 2003 at 27,400 (95% highest probability density interval: 20,700—32,100) by incorporating underlying model uncertainty in terms of the possible interactions present between data sources and/or covariates. The posterior probability was 72% that Scotland had more current injectors in 2003 than in 2000. Detailed comparison with 2000 gave evidence of importantly changed numbers of current injectors for different covariate classes. In addition, and of particular social interest, is the estimation of injectors' drug-related death rates. Expert information was used to construct upper and lower bounds on the number of drug-related deaths pertaining to injectors, which were then used to provide bounds on injectors' drug-related death rates. Failure to incorporate expert information could result in over-estimation of drug-related death rates for subclasses of injectors.
Development and mapping of Simple Sequence Repeat markers for pearl millet from data mining of Expressed Sequence Tags
Authors: Senthilvel S , Jayashree B , Mahalakshmi V , Kumar P Sathish , Nakka S , Nepolean T , Hash CT 
Published: November 2008

AbstractBackgroundPearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum(L.) R. Br.] is a staple food and fodder crop of marginal agricultural lands of sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian subcontinent. It is also a summer forage crop in the southern USA, Australia and Latin America, and is the preferred mulch in Brazilian no-till soybean production systems. Use of molecular marker technology for pearl millet genetic improvement has been limited. Progress is hampered by insufficient numbers of PCR-compatible co-dominant markers that can be used readily in applied breeding programmes. Therefore, we sought to develop additional SSR markers for the pearl millet research community.ResultsA set of new pearl millet SSR markers were developed using available sequence information from 3520 expressed sequence tags (ESTs). After clustering, unigene sequences (2175 singlets and 317 contigs) were searched for the presence of SSRs. We detected 164 sequences containing SSRs (at least 14 bases in length), with a density of one per 1.75 kb of EST sequence. Di-nucleotide repeats were the most abundant followed by tri-nucleotide repeats. Ninety primer pairs were designed and tested for their ability to detect polymorphism across a panel of 11 pairs of pearl millet mapping population parental lines. Clear amplification products were obtained for 58 primer pairs. Of these, 15 were monomorphic across the panel. A subset of 21 polymorphic EST-SSRs and 6 recently developed genomic SSR markers were mapped using existing mapping populations. Linkage map positions of these EST-SSR were compared by homology search with mapped rice genomic sequences on the basis of pearl millet-rice synteny. Most new EST-SSR markers mapped to distal regions of linkage groups, often to previous gaps in these linkage maps. These new EST-SSRs are now are used by ICRISAT in pearl millet diversity assessment and marker-aided breeding programs.ConclusionThis study has demonstrated the potential of EST-derived SSR primer pairs in pearl millet. As reported for other crops, EST-derived SSRs provide a cost-saving marker development option in pearl millet. Resources developed in this study have added a sizeable number of useful SSRs to the existing repertoire of circa 100 genomic SSRs that were previously available to pearl millet researchers.
Cell Lineage Mapping of Taste Bud Cells and Keratinocytes in the Mouse Tongue and Soft Palate
Authors: Okubo Tadashi , Clark Cheryl , Hogan Brigid L.M. 
Published: November 2008

Abstract
The epithelium of the mouse tongue and soft palate consists of at least three distinct epithelial cell populations: basal cells, keratinized cells organized into filiform and fungiform papillae, and taste receptor cells present in tight clusters known as taste buds in the fungiform and circumvallate papillae and soft palate. All three cell types develop from the simple epithelium of the embryonic tongue and palate, and are continually replaced in the adult by cell turnover. Previous studies using pulse-chase tritiated thymidine labeling in the adult mouse provided evidence for a high rate of cell turnover in the keratinocytes (5–7 days) and taste buds (10 days). However, little is known about the localization and phenotype of the long-term stem or progenitor cells that give rise to the mature taste bud cells and surrounding keratinocytes in these gustatory tissues. Here, we make use of a tamoxifen-inducible K14-CreER transgene and the ROSA26 LacZ reporter allele to lineage trace the mature keratinocytes and taste bud cells of the early postnatal and adult mouse tongue and soft palate. Our results support the hypothesis that both the pore keratinocytes and receptor cells of the taste bud are derived from a common K14+K5+Trp63+Sox2+ population of bipotential progenitor cells located outside the taste bud. The results are also compatible with models in which the keratinocytes of the filiform and fungiform papillae are derived from basal progenitor cells localized at the base of these structures.
Prevalence of Prior Hysterectomy in the Seattle- Tacoma Area
Authors: Koepsell Thomas D. , Weiss Noel S. , Thompson Donovan J. , Martin Diane P. 
Published: November 2008

Hysterectomy is the most common major surgical procedure performed in the United States. The frequency of hysterectomy among women in the general population is of interest because it affects the population at risk for uterine diseases and because the procedure itself carries significant personal and socioeconomic consequences. We studied factors related to the occurrence of hysterectomy by interviewing a representative sample of women ages 35-74 (n= 1087) in two urban Washington counties during 1976-1977. One-third of the women studied had had a hysterectomy. Later birth cohorts were at higher risk. The ageadjusted prevalence of prior hysterectomy was negatively associated with education and age at first childbirth; it was positively associated with parity, history of irregular menses, and history of a variety of other health conditions. Contrary to expectation, income was negatively associated with hysterectomy rates in one county and showed no association in the other. Part of the income effect was due to confounding by age at first childbirth, which was a surprisingly strong predictive factor. We conclude that: 1) despite economic predictions based on the discretionary nature of the procedure, hysterectomies are not necessarily more common among high-income women; 2) age at first childbirth may be a more important risk factor for uterine disease than previously thought; and 3) estimates of hysterectomy frequency based on clinic populations may be misleading. (Am J Public Health 70:40-47, 1980.)
CO2 diffusion in polar ice: observations from naturally formed CO2 spikes in the Siple Dome (Antarctica) ice core
Authors: Ahn Jinho , Headly Melissa , Wahlen Martin , Brook Edward J. , Mayewski Paul A. , Taylor Kendrick C. 
Published: November 2008

AbstractOne common assumption in interpreting ice-core CO2 records is that diffusion in the ice does not affect the concentration profile. However, this assumption remains untested because the extremely small CO2 diffusion coefficient in ice has not been accurately determined in the laboratory. In this study we take advantage of high levels of CO2 associated with refrozen layers in an ice core from Siple Dome, Antarctica, to study CO2 diffusion rates. We use noble gases (Xe/Ar and Kr/Ar), electrical conductivity and Ca2+ ion concentrations to show that substantial CO2 diffusion may occur in ice on timescales of thousands of years. We estimate the permeation coefficient for CO2 in ice is ∼4 × 10−21 mol m−1 s−1 Pa−1 at −23°C in the top 287 m (corresponding to 2.74 kyr). Smoothing of the CO2 record by diffusion at this depth/age is one or two orders of magnitude smaller than the smoothing in the firn. However, simulations for depths of ∼930–950 m (∼60–70 kyr) indicate that smoothing of the CO2 record by diffusion in deep ice is comparable to smoothing in the firn. Other types of diffusion (e.g. via liquid in ice grain boundaries or veins) may also be important but their influence has not been quantified.
A study of determinant factors of stakeholder environmental pressure perceived by industrial companies
Authors: González‐Benito Javier , González‐Benito Óscar 
Published: November 2008

AbstractAlthough several articles have studied the effect that stakeholder pressure has on the environmental behavior of firms, little research has attempted to identify the contingencies that explain such pressure. This article investigates the effects of six relevant variables on stakeholder environmental pressure perceived by industrial companies: size, internationalization, location of manufacturing activities, position in the supply chain, industrial sector, and managerial values and attitudes. The effect is theoretically determined by distinguishing between pressure intensity and perception capacity and empirically tested with a sample of 186 Spanish manufacturers. The analyses reveal two dimensions of stakeholder pressure, governmental and nongovernmental, and show that variables such as environmental awareness among managers, internationalization, industrial sector and company size play important roles in determining both dimensions. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
Effect of cerebrocrast on body and organ weights, food and water intake, and urine output of normal rats
Authors: Briede Janina , Stivrina Mara , Stoldere Dzintra , Vigante Brigita , Duburs Gunars 
Published: November 2008

AbstractType 2 diabetes is associated with obesity, insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, hyperphagia, polyuria, body weight gain, excessive secretion of glucocorticoids (GCs), thymus involution, adrenal gland hypertrophy, diabetic nephropathy, etc. We examined the effect of cerebrocrast, a new antidiabetic agent (synthesized in the Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis), on body weight, food and water intake, urine output, and on changes of organ weight: that is, kidney, thymus, adrenal gland of normal rats. Cerebrocrast was administered at doses of 0.05 and 0.5 mg kg−1 per os (p.o.) once a day for three consecutive days, and its effects were observed from 3 to 27 days after the last administration. Cerebrocrast, during the experimental period, decreased body weight by an average of approximately 32.3%, food intake by about 10–15% at the beginning of the experiments and by 22.6% at the end of the experiments, especially at a dose of 0.5 mg kg−1. Water intake and urine output in comparison with controls were decreased. The daily food intake decreased about 1.0 and 2.1 g by administering single cerebrocrast doses of 0.05 and 0.5 mg kg−1 body weight (b.w.), respectively, but by administering for three consecutive days, food intake decreased by about 2.2 and 3.4 g, respectively. The weekly body weight gain decreased by administering a single dose of cerebrocrast by 2.61 and 2.51 g, respectively, and by triple administration it decreased by 4.36 and 3.07 g, respectively. Cerebrocrast has long‐lasting effects on these parameters and on thymus and adrenal gland weight. As cerebrocrast decreased glucose levels in normal and streptozotocin (STZ)‐induced diabetic rats, it also promoted glucose uptake by the brain, intensified insulin action and formation de novo of insulin receptors. We can conclude that cerebrocrast may regulate food intake and body weight through glucose sensing by proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons, that are involved in control of glucose homeostasis, stimulation of α‐melanocyte‐stimulating hormone (α‐MSH) secretion, activation of MC4‐Rs and inhibition of neuropeptide Y (NPY) in the ARC of the hypothalamus, affecting the kidney, and causing decreased urine output and water intake. Moreover, it could stimulate secretion of vasopressin. By administration of cerebrocrast thymus mass was increased, thereby preventing the action of GCs. As cerebrocrast inhibited L‐ and T‐type calcium channels, it can prevent vasoconstriction of kidney arterioles and aldosterone secretion that have significant roles in the development of hypertension and diabetic nephropathy. These properties of cerebrocrast are important for treatment of Type 2 diabetes and its consequent development of hypertension and diabetic nephropathy. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The elimination of Anaplasma phagocytophilum requires CD4+ T cells, but is independent of Th1 cytokines and a wide spectrum of effector mechanisms
Authors: Birkner Katharina , Steiner Birte , Rinkler Christina , Kern Yvonne , Aichele Peter , Bogdan Christian , von Loewenich Friederike D. 
Published: November 2008

AbstractAnaplasma phagocytophilum is a Gram‐negative, obligate intracellular bacterium that exhibits a striking tropism for neutrophils. When we depleted mice of neutrophils, we found that murine susceptibility to anaplasmal infection was dependent on their presence. While serving as sites of bacterial replication, neutrophils do not seem to act as efficient killer cells in A. phagocytophilum infection, because mice deficient for antimicrobial effectors of neutrophils such as myeloperoxidase, granulocyte elastase, and cathepsin G were fully competent in pathogen elimination. To identify components of the immune system other than neutrophils that control A. phagocytophilum, we studied the course of infection in several gene‐deficient mouse strains. IFN‐γ production by NK cells was important for initial defense, but not critical for pathogen elimination. In contrast, bacterial clearance was strictly dependent on CD4+ T cells, but unexpectedly achieved in the absence of perforin, Fas/FasL and major Th1 cytokines such as IL‐12, IFN‐γ, and MCP‐1. These findings provide a novel paradigm for the control of an intracellular pathogen, which appears to be strikingly different from the CD4+ T cell‐, IL‐12‐, and IFN‐γ‐dependent immunity to other intracellular bacteria.
Topological Diversification in Metal‐Organic Frameworks: Secondary Ligand and Metal Effects
Authors: Liu Jian‐Qiang , Wang Yao‐Yu , Zhang Ya‐Nan , Liu Ping , Shi Qi‐Zhen , Batten Stuart R. 
Published: November 2008

AbstractA series of interesting coordination polymers have been prepared by the combination of a V‐shaped 4,4′‐oxybis(benzoic acid) (H2oba) and neutral organonitrogen ligands with different metal ions, namely, {[M(oba)(bpe)]·H2O}n [M = Mn (1), Co (2)], [M(oba)(N3)]n [N3 = dipyridin‐2‐ylamine; M = Cd (3), Cu (4)] and {[Zn(oba)(N5)]·2H2O}n (5) [bpe = 1,2‐bis(4‐pyridyl)ethene, N5 = bis(pyridin‐2‐yl)pyridine‐2,6‐diamine]. The framework structures of these neutral polymeric complexes have been determined by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction studies. Compound 1 has a threefold pcu‐type network structure. Although 2 has the same ligands and coordination modes as 1, it consists of corrugated 2D layers formed of a series of squares, which allows the sheets to interpenetrate in an unusual 2D → 3D parallel fashion. Polymers 3 and 4 exhibit double‐helical chains formed by π–π stacking interactions from the phenyl rings of the N3 ligands. Compound 5 forms a 2D supramolecular architecture directed by hydrogen bonding between the NH groups of the N5 ligand, the uncoordinated carboxylate oxygens, and the intercalated water molecules. This work markedly indicates that the effect of auxiliary ligands is significant in the construction of these network structures, which are also well regulated by the metal centers. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and XRPD results for compound 1 as well as luminescent properties for compounds 3 and 5 are discussed.(© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2009)
Residual income, non‐earnings information, and information content
Authors: Tsay Ruey S. , Lin Yi‐Mien , Wang Hsiao‐Wen 
Published: November 2008

AbstractWe extend Ohlson's (1995) model and examine the relationship between returns and residual income that incorporate analysts' earnings forecasts and other non‐earnings information variables in the balance sheet, namely default probability and agency cost of a debt covenant contract. We further divide the sample based on bankruptcy (agency) costs, earnings components and growth opportunities of a firm to explore how these factors affect the returns–residual income link. We find that the relative predictive ability for contemporaneous stock price by considering other earnings and non‐earnings information is better than that of models without non‐earnings information. If the bankruptcy (agency) cost of a firm is higher, its information role in the firm's equity valuation becomes more important and the accuracy of price prediction is therefore higher. As for non‐earnings information, if bankruptcy (agency) cost is lower, the information role becomes more relevant, and the earnings response coefficient is hence higher. Moreover, the decomposition of unexpected residual income into permanent and transitory components induces more information than that of the unexpected residual income alone. The permanent component has a larger impact than the transitory component in explaining abnormal returns. The market and industry properties and growth opportunity also have incremental explanatory power in valuation. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.