bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Can sildenafil treat primary premature ejaculation? A prospective clinical study
Authors: Wang Wei‐Fu , Wang Yang , Minhas Suks , Ralph David J 
Published: February 2007

Background:  Recently, sildenafil has been demonstrated to be effective in treating premature ejaculation (PE). However, these studies ignored female factors and could not exclude the probability of drug interaction when combined with paroxetine. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of sildenafil alone in the treatment of primary PE, taking female factors into consideration.Methods:  One hundred and eighty potent men with primary PE were randomly divided into three groups and followed up for 6 months. Group A were treated with 50 mg sildenafil as needed, group B with 20 mg paroxetine daily and group C with squeeze technique daily. Intravaginal ejaculatory latency time (IELT), PE grade, intercourse satisfactory score (ISS), frequency of intercourse, and adverse effects of drugs were recorded before treatment, and 3 and 6 months after treatment.Results:  Compared with pretreatment, the three groups had significant differences in all the parameters after 3 or 6 months treatment, except the frequency of intercourse in Group C (all P = 0.00). However, there were no significant differences between 3 and 6 months. Compared with paroxetine and squeeze technique, after 3 or 6 months, sildenafil had significant differences in all the parameters (all P = 0.00). After 6 months, 1.7%, 18.3% and 36.7% patients in groups A, B and C, respectively, withdrew from the study and 86.7%, 60.0% and 45.0% patients, respectively, wanted to be treated further with the original administration, and this was statistically significant (both P = 0.00).Conclusion:  Sildenafil is very effective and safe to treat PE, and has much higher efficacy than paroxetine and squeeze technique.
Stratified Case‐Cohort Analysis of General Cohort Sampling Designs
Authors: SAMUELSEN SVEN OVE , ÅNESTAD HALLVARD , SKRONDAL ANDERS 
Published: February 2007

Abstract. It is shown that variance estimates for regression coefficients in exposure‐stratified case‐cohort studies (Borganet al.,Lifetime Data Anal.,6, 2000, 39–58) can easily be obtained from influence terms routinely calculated in the standard software for Cox regression. By allowing for post‐stratification on outcome we also place the estimators proposed by Chen (J. R. Statist. Soc. Ser. B, 63, 2001, 791–809) for a general class of cohort sampling designs within the Borganet al.’s framework, facilitating simple variance estimation for these designs. Finally, the Chen approach is extended to accommodate stratified designs with surrogate variables available for all cohort members, such as stratified case‐cohort and counter‐matching designs.
The electrophysiological correlate of contour integration is similar for color and luminance mechanisms
Authors: Mathes Birgit , Fahle Manfred 
Published: February 2007

AbstractContour integration perceptually links together similarly oriented line elements hidden between randomly oriented distracters. To investigate how contour integration depends on early sensory processing, we compared the electrophysiological correlate of contour integration of elements defined by luminance (black‐and‐white) or isoluminant color (red‐and‐green) contrasts. Detection performance for color‐ and luminance‐defined contours (both open and closed) was matched. Detectable contours elicited a negative shift over posterior electrodes starting 220 ms after stimulus onset. The shift occurred for both color and luminance contrasts, even when possible luminance artifacts in red‐and‐green stimuli were masked. This indicates a common physiological processing stream for orientation‐based contour integration of red‐and‐green and black‐and‐white elements.
A psychological refractory period in access to visual short‐term memory and the deployment of visual–spatial attention: Multitasking processing deficits revealed by event‐related potentials
Authors: Brisson Benoit , Jolicœur Pierre 
Published: February 2007

AbstractIn this psychological refractory period (PRP) experiment, a tone (T1) was presented, followed by a visual target (T2) embedded in a bilateral display, and a speeded response was required for each target. The T1–T2 stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) was 300, 650, or 1000 ms. Mean response time to T2 increased as SOA was reduced, replicating the well‐known PRP effect. Importantly, the N2pc component of the event‐related potential was progressively attenuated as SOA was reduced, and the onset latency of the sustained posterior contralateral negativity (SPCN) that follows the N2pc was progressively lengthened. Conditional analysis based on Task1 difficulty corroborated the analyses based on effects of SOA. The results suggest that central processing leading to the PRP effect interferes with the deployment of visual–spatial attention (as indexed by the N2pc) and delays encoding into visual short‐term memory (as indexed by the SPCN onset latency).
Difficulty of discrimination modulates attentional capture for deviant information
Authors: Sawaki Risa , Katayama Jun'ichi 
Published: February 2007

AbstractIt has been reported that an increased difficulty of discrimination between standard and target enhances P3a for typical nontarget. To elucidate the mechanism of this effect on deviant processing, the P300 event‐related brain potential (ERP) was elicited using a visual three‐stimulus oddball paradigm (standard circle, .70, target circle, .15, and nontarget/target square, .15). Four task conditions were defined by a combination of two category types of rare square (nontarget or target) and two levels of discrimination difficulty between standard and target circles (easy or difficult). In the difficult conditions, P3a was elicited by both nontarget and target square. Our findings suggest that the difficulty of discrimination between standard and target enhances attentional capture, rather than inhibition, for deviant information. This study has implications for understanding the attentional mechanisms of deviant processing.
Isolation and characterization of 10 microsatellite loci in the paper wasp Polistes rothneyi (Hymenoptera; Vespidae)
Authors: TAKAHASHI J. , YAMASAKI K. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractWe developed 10 polymorphic microsatellite loci for the Japanese paper wasp Polistes rothneyi using the magnetic particle method. Eight of the 10 loci tested were highly polymorphic, having four to eight alleles in P. rothneyi with an expected heterozygosity of 0.60–0.75. They also appeared to be applicable to other related species such as Polistes jokahamae. These loci can be used to study parameters concerning genetic relatedness such as worker reproduction and kin structure.
EST‐SSR markers from the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas
Authors: YU HONG , LI QI 
Published: February 2007

AbstractTen polymorphic microsatellite repeat markers were identified from Crassostrea gigas, expressed sequence tags (EST) deposited in public sequence database. Number of alleles per locus ranged from three to 18, expected and observed heterozygosities ranged from 0.071 to 0.738 and from 0.306 to 0.913, respectively. Marker transferability was tested on other two Crassostrea species and polymorphic products were detected at nine loci. EST‐derived simple sequence repeats provide robust, informative and potentially transferable polymorphic markers suitable for population genetic, parentage, and mapping studies of C. gigas.
Multiplex panels of polymorphic microsatellite loci for two cryptic bat species of the genus Pipistrellus, developed by cross‐species amplification within the family Vespertilionidae
Authors: KAŇUCH P. , FORNŮSKOVÁ A. , BARTONIČKA T. , BRYJA J. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractThe paper presents multiplex panels of polymorphic microsatellites for two closely related cryptic species Pipistrellus pipistrellus and Pipistrellus pygmaeus. We tested the cross‐species amplification of 34 microsatellite loci, originally developed for five vespertilionid bat species. Ten and nine polymorphic loci in P. pipistrellus (mean number of alleles per locus = 10.5) and P. pygmaeus (8.1), respectively, in three multiplex polymerase chain reactions per species were amplified. All loci can be analysed in a single fragment analysis and can be used as markers to the study of evolution and the ecology of structured populations of socially living bats.
Selective alteration at the growth‐hormone‐ releasing‐hormone nerve terminals during aging in GHRH‐green fluorescent protein mice
Authors: Alonso Gérard , Sanchez‐Hormigo Angela , Loudes Catherine , El Yandouzi Taoufik , Carmignac Danielle , Faivre‐Bauman Annie , Recolin Bénédicte , Epelbaum Jacques , Robinson Iain CAF , Mollard Patrice , Méry Pierre‐François 
Published: February 2007

SummaryGrowth hormone (GH) secretion decreases spontaneously during lifespan, and the resulting GH deficiency participates in aging‐related morbidity. This deficiency appears to involve a defect in the activity of hypothalamic GH‐releasing hormone (GHRH) neurons. Here, we investigated this hypothesis, as well as the underlying mechanisms, in identified GHRH neurons from adult (∼13 weeks old) and aged (∼100 weeks old) transgenic GHRH‐green fluorescent protein mice, using morphological, biochemical and electrophysiological methods. Surprisingly, the spontaneous action potential frequency was similar in adult and aged GHRH neurons studied in brain slices. This was explained by a lack of change in the intrinsic excitability, and simultaneous increases in both stimulatory glutamatergic‐ and inhibitory GABAergic‐synaptic currents of aged GHRH neurons. Aging did not decrease GHRH and enhanced green fluorescent protein contents, GHRH neuronal number or GHRH‐fibre distribution, but we found a striking enlargement of GHRH‐positive axons, suggesting neuropeptide accumulation. Unlike in adults, autophagic vacuoles were evident in aged GHRH‐axonal profiles using electron microscopy. Thus, GHRH neurons are involved in aging of the GH axis. Aging had a subtle effect at the nerve terminal level in GHRH neurons, contrasting with the view that neuronal aging is accompanied by more widespread damage.
Long‐term effects of supportive therapy in periodontal patients treated with fibre retention osseous resective surgery. I: recurrence of pockets, bleeding on probing and tooth loss
Authors: Carnevale Gianfranco , Cairo Francesco , Tonetti Maurizio S. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractBackground: Periodontal surgery is indicated in the treatment of persistent pockets following cause‐related therapy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the long‐term effect of supportive therapy in periodontal patients treated with fibre retention osseous resective surgery.Methods: Three‐hundred and four consecutive patients were identified and retrospectively examined while presenting for a supportive periodontal care (SPC) appointment (T2). All had received non‐surgical periodontal treatment and osseous resective surgery as needed, to obtain no sites with probing depth (PD) >3 mm before being enrolled in the SPC programme. The mean SPC duration for the patients was 7.8±3.2 years while the mean interval of SPC was 3.4±0.8 months.Results: During SPC, a total of 67 teeth had been removed (0.9%). At T2, mean full‐mouth plaque scores (FMPS) was 13±11.3% and full‐mouth bleeding scores (FMBS) was 2±3%. In 98.5% of the sites, PD was minimal (3 mm). The majority of pockets at T2 showed PDs of 4–5 mm (83.4% of pockets). At the same time, the total number of pockets 6 mm was 68 and limited to 41 patients (13.8% of sample). Initial periodontal diagnosis of severe periodontitis, smoking habits, FMBS, number of teeth at completion of active periodontal therapy (T1), number of surgically treated teeth, number of teeth with furcation involvement and number of multi‐rooted teeth were associated with the number of pockets at T2. A total of 598 sites (2.1%) displayed bleeding on probing (BOP) at T2. The odds ratio of sites 4 mm or deeper to be BOP positive was 32.9 compared with sites of <3 mm depth. Gender, FMBS, FMPS, furcation involvements and overall number of pockets were associated with the number of bleeding pockets at T2.Conclusion: Shallow PDs achieved by treatment of the persistent pockets by fibre retention osseous resective surgery can be maintained over time. These patients displayed minimal gingival inflammation and tooth loss during SPC.
Long‐term effects of supportive therapy in periodontal patients treated with fibre retention osseous resective surgery. II: tooth extractions during active and supportive therapy
Authors: Carnevale Gianfranco , Cairo Francesco , Tonetti Maurizio S. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractBackground: Long‐term tooth retention is the main objective of periodontal treatment. The aim of this retrospective study was to describe the prevalence and reasons of tooth extraction during active periodontal therapy (APT) and supportive periodontal care (SPC) in periodontal patients.Material and Methods: Three hundred and four periodontal patients were examined. APT consisted of non‐surgical periodontal treatment and fibre retention osseous resective surgery, where needed, to obtain no sites with PD>3 mm. All patients participated in an SPC programme for 3–17 years (mean time 7.8 years).Results: At the initial examination, 45% of the patients had moderate periodontitis and 41% severe periodontitis. During APT, 576 teeth were extracted (7.5%). The main reason for tooth extraction during APT was the presence of advanced periodontal lesions (44%). The number of tooth extractions was higher in cases with severe periodontitis. Extracted teeth showed a mean bone loss of 76% of the total root length. During SPT, a total of 67 teeth were removed (0.9%) in a subgroup of 50 patients. The clinical problems were primarily related to the incidence of root fracture (48%) and secondarily to the progression of periodontal disease (30%).Conclusion: Prevalence of tooth extraction during APT is associated with the severity of periodontal disease. Tooth loss during supportive periodontal care may be negligible when a meticulous SPC programme is performed in patients where minimal probing depth is consequential to APT.
A randomized‐controlled trial of low‐dose doxycycline for periodontitis in smokers
Authors: Needleman Ian , Suvan Jean , Gilthorpe Mark S. , Tucker Richard , St George Geoff , Giannobile William , Tonetti Maurizio , Jarvis Martin 
Published: February 2007

AbstractBackground/Aim: Tobacco use reduces the effect of non‐surgical periodontal therapy. Host‐modulation with low‐dose doxycycline (LDD) might favour repair and promote an improved treatment response. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of LDD in smokers on non‐surgical periodontal therapy.Material and Methods: This was a parallel arm, randomized, identical placebo‐controlled trial with masking of examiner, care‐giver, participant and statistician and 6 months of follow‐up. Patients received non‐surgical therapy and 3 months of test or control drug. Statistical analysis used both conventional methods and multilevel modelling.Results: Eighteen control and 16 test patients completed the study. The velocity of change was statistically greater for the test group for clinical attachment level −0.19 mm/month (95% CI=−0.34, 0.04; p=0.012) and probing depth 0.30 mm/month (95% CI=−0.42, −0.17; p<0.001). However, no differences were observed for absolute change in clinical or biochemical markers at 6 months.Conclusions: This study does not provide evidence of a benefit of using LDD as an adjunct to non‐surgical periodontal therapy in smokers.
Diagnosing appendicular osteosarcoma with ultrasound‐guided fine‐needle aspiration: 36 cases
Authors: Britt T. , Clifford C. , Barger A. , Moroff S. , Drobatz K. , Thacher C. , Davis G. 
Published: February 2007

Objectives: To determine the ability to obtain diagnostic cytology samples from appendicular bone lesions using ultrasound‐guided needle aspirations. Secondary objectives were to compare cytological evaluations with histopathological results and to determine the utility of staining malignant mesenchymal cells for the presence of alkaline phosphatase. Methods: Aspirations from 36 aggressive appendicular bone lesions with histological diagnoses were included in the study. Ultrasound was used to guide the needle to the medullary cavity or the adjacent soft tissue mass. The smears stained with Wright‐Giemsa and nitroblue tetrazolium chloride/5‐bromo‐4‐chloro‐3‐indoyl phosphate toluidine salt (NBT/BCIP) were examined. Results: A diagnostic sample was obtained in 32 of the 36 cases. Of the 32 diagnostic samples, cytology indicated sarcoma, with a sensitivity of 97 per cent (confidence interval: 83 to 100 per cent) and a specificity of 100 per cent (confidence interval: 16 to 100 per cent). When a diagnosis of sarcoma was made on cytology, alkaline phosphatase staining indicated osteosarcoma, with a sensitivity of 100 per cent (confidence interval: 87 to 100 per cent). Clinical Significance: The results of this study indicate that ultrasound‐guided needle aspiration of aggressive bone lesions is a viable technique for identifying malignant mesenchymal cells and for diagnosing sarcomas. It is cost‐effective and minimally invasive. Furthermore, identifying alkaline‐phosphatase‐negative malignant mesenchymal cells from a bone aspiration may rule out osteosarcoma, whereas alkaline‐phosphatase‐positive malignant mesenchymal cells are suggestive of osteosarcoma.
Treatment of tibial fractures with plates using minimally invasive percutaneous osteosynthesis in dogs and cats
Authors: Schmökel H. G. , Stein S. , Radke H. , Hurter K. , Schawalder P. 
Published: February 2007

Objectives:The aim of the here described case series was to develop and evaluate the minimally invasive percutaneous osteosynthesis for the plate fixation of tibial fractures in dogs and cats.Methods:Six dogs and four cats with shaft fractures of the tibia were treated using minimally invasive percutaneous osteosynthesis. Follow‐up radiographs four to six weeks after fracture fixation were evaluated for fracture healing. For the long‐term follow‐up (minimum 2·4 years), owners were contacted by phone to complete a questionnaire.Results:All fractures healed without the need for a second procedure. Follow‐up radiographs obtained after four to six weeks in seven cases showed advanced bony healing with callus formation and filling of the fracture gaps with calcified tissue in all seven. All the patients had a good to excellent long‐term result with full limb function. The time needed for regaining full limb use was two to three months.ClinicalSignificance:Minimally invasive percutaneous osteosynthesis seems to be a useful technique for the treatment of tibial shaft fractures in dogs and cats.
Application of Regression Spline to Reverse Modeling
Authors: Moroni Giovanni , Rasella Marco 
Published: February 2007

AbstractWhen dealing with inspection or reverse modeling, the problem of free-form curves and surfaces reconstruction has to be faced starting from a set of measured points. Because in point sampling the acquisition error is unavoidable, curves and surfaces fitting should be based on a rigorous diagnostic phase. We consider statistical regression analysis in which, treating error as a variable of the problem, we distinguish between the systematic behavior of measured points and noise in the reconstruction of curves and surfaces. The model we introduce for a regression based free-form reconstruction is the so-called regression spline. It is a well known model in the literature, with a consolidated theory and applications in fields such as chemical, econometric, and biomedical. Our purpose is to discuss the application of this powerful and flexible approach in a reverse modeling environment.
Comparative High-Density Microarray Analysis of Gene Expression during Growth of
Lactobacillus helveticus
in Milk versus Rich Culture Medium
Authors: Smeianov Vladimir V. , Wechter Patrick , Broadbent Jeffery R. , Hughes Joanne E. , Rodríguez Beatriz T. , Christensen Tove K. , Ardö Ylva , Steele James L. 
Published: February 2007

ABSTRACT

Lactobacillus helveticus
CNRZ32 is used by the dairy industry to modulate cheese flavor. The compilation of a draft genome sequence for this strain allowed us to identify and completely sequence 168 genes potentially important for the growth of this organism in milk or for cheese flavor development. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the expression of these genes during growth in milk and MRS medium by using microarrays. Oligonucleotide probes against each of the completely sequenced genes were compiled on maskless photolithography-based DNA microarrays. Additionally, the entire draft genome sequence was used to produce tiled microarrays in which noninterrupted sequence contigs were covered by consecutive 24-mer probes and associated mismatch probe sets. Total RNA isolated from cells grown in skim milk or in MRS to mid-log phase was used as a template to synthesize cDNA, followed by Cy3 labeling and hybridization. An analysis of data from annotated gene probes identified 42 genes that were upregulated during the growth of CNRZ32 in milk (
P
< 0.05), and 25 of these genes showed upregulation after applying Bonferroni's adjustment. The tiled microarrays identified numerous additional genes that were upregulated in milk versus MRS. Collectively, array data showed the growth of CNRZ32 in milk-induced genes encoding cell-envelope proteinases, oligopeptide transporters, and endopeptidases as well as enzymes for lactose and cysteine pathways, de novo synthesis, and/or salvage pathways for purines and pyrimidines and other functions. Genes for a hypothetical phosphoserine utilization pathway were also differentially expressed. Preliminary experiments indicate that cheese-derived, phosphoserine-containing peptides increase growth rates of CNRZ32 in a chemically defined medium. These results suggest that phosphoserine is used as an energy source during the growth of
L. helveticus
CNRZ32.
Characterization of Growing Microorganisms in Soil by Stable Isotope Probing with H
2
18
O
Authors: Schwartz Egbert 
Published: February 2007

ABSTRACT

A new approach to characterize growing microorganisms in environmental samples based on labeling microbial DNA with H
2
18
O is described. To test if sufficient amounts of
18
O could be incorporated into DNA to use water as a labeling substrate for stable isotope probing,
Escherichia coli
DNA was labeled by cultivating bacteria in Luria broth with H
2
18
O and labeled DNA was separated from [
16
O]DNA on a cesium chloride gradient. Soil samples were incubated with H
2
18
O for 6, 14, or 21 days, and isopycnic centrifugation of the soil DNA showed the formation of two bands after 6 days and three bands after 14 or 21 days, indicating that
18
O can be used in the stable isotope probing of soil samples. DNA extracted from soil incubated for 21 days with H
2
18
O was fractionated after isopycnic centrifugation and DNA from 17 subsamples was used in terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRFLP) analysis of bacterial 16S rRNA genes. The TRFLP patterns clustered into three groups that corresponded to the three DNA bands. The fraction of total fluorescence contributed by individual terminal restriction fragments (TRF) to a TRFLP pattern varied across the 17 subsamples so that a TRF was more prominent in only one of the three bands. Labeling soil DNA with H
2
18
O allows the identification of newly grown cells. In addition, cells that survive but do not divide during an incubation period can also be characterized with this new technique because their DNA remains without the label.