bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Impact of atorvastatin treatment on platelet‐activating factor acetylhydrolase and 15‐F2trans‐isoprostane in hypercholesterolaemic patients
Authors: Kom Ghainsom D. , Schwedhelm Edzard , Maas Renke , Schneider Lydia , Benndorf Ralf , Böger Rainer H. 
Published: January 2007

What is already known about this subject • Isoprostanes are the product of free radical oxidation of arachidonic acid bound to phospholipids.• Their hydrolysis from phospholipids is presumably catalysed by phospholipases A2.• Atorvastatin reduces protein concentrations of secretory PLA2s and concentrations of LDL, with which PAF‐AH (group VII phospholipase) is associated. What this study adds • Atorvastatin affects PAF‐AH activity and this effect is strongly associated with its lipid‐lowering effect, but it has no effect on groups IIA and V PLA2s' activity.• Thus, PAF‐AH is no independent risk factor of cardiovascular diseases.• Moreover, a role of PAF‐AH in the liberation of 15‐F2t‐isoP from phospholipids is excluded.AimsIsoprostanes are the product of free radical oxidation of arachidonic acid, whose hydrolysis from phospholipids is presumably catalysed by phospholipases A2 (PLA2s) such as group IIA or V PLA2s, or group VII PLA2[platelet‐activating factor acetylhydrolase (PAF‐AH), lipoprotein‐associated phospholipase]. Atorvastatin reduces concentrations of low‐density lipoprotein (LDL), with which PAF‐AH is associated, and PLA2s' protein concentrations. We investigated the effect of atorvastatin on PLA2s and PAF‐AH activity and the urinary excretion of 15‐F2trans‐isoprostane (15‐F2t‐IsoP, 8‐iso‐PGF2α, iPF2α‐III).MethodsTwenty‐four hypercholesterolaemic individuals naive to lipid‐lowering therapy were randomized to atorvastatin 40 mg or placebo for 6 weeks. The 15‐F2t‐isoP urinary excretion (gas chromatography/mass spectrometry), PAF‐AH and group IIA and V PLA2 activities (photometry) were assessed at baseline and end‐point.ResultsAt end‐point, 15‐F2t‐isoP urinary excretion concentrations as well as PLA2s' activity were unchanged under atorvastatin (mean change 0.21 ± 1.79 ng h−1, 95% confidence interval −0.92, 1.35 and 0.33 ± 0.94 nmol min−1 ml−1, −0.27, 0.93) and under placebo (mean change 0.69 ± 1.69 ng h−1, −0.52, 1.90 and 1.29 ± 2.16 nmol min−1 ml−1, −0.25, 2.84). Atorvastatin treatment decreased total (P < 0.001) and LDL‐cholesterol (P < 0.001) but had no effect on high‐density lipoprotein. PAF‐AH activity was lowered in the atorvastatin group (mean change − 5.27± 1.96 nmol min−1 ml−1, −6.51, −4.03, P < 0.001) but not in the placebo group (mean change 1.02 ± 1.64 nmol min−1 ml−1, 0.15, 2.20), and the change in PAF‐AH activity was correlated with that in total (P = 0.03) and LDL‐cholesterol (P = 0.03).ConclusionOur results show a lowering effect of atorvastatin on PAF‐AH activity associated with its lipid‐lowering effect and exclude a key role of PAF‐AH in the liberation of 15‐F2t‐isoP from phospholipids.
Modern management of non‐Hodgkin lymphoma in HIV‐infected patients
Authors: Mounier Nicolas , Spina Michele , Gisselbrecht Christian 
Published: January 2007

SummaryPatients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are at greater risk of developing non‐Hodgkin lymphoma than the general population and aggressive B‐cell lymphoma has become one of the most common of the initial acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)‐defining illnesses. This review considers the prognostic factors and new approaches to the treatment of patients with AIDS‐related lymphoma (ARL). As highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) became available, the survival of many ARL patients has become comparable to that of HIV‐negative patients. This is partly due to the decrease in the incidence of opportunistic infections and improved prognosis. Both developments can also be attributed to new treatment strategies for ARL, such as the use of effective infusional regimens, Rituximab combinations and high‐dose therapy with autologous stem‐cell transplantation for relapsed disease. However, unresolved issues persist, such as the optimal therapy for patients with Burkitt ARL or central nervous system involvement.
Shigella chromosomal IpaH proteins are secreted via the type III secretion system and act as effectors
Authors: Ashida Hiroshi , Toyotome Takahito , Nagai Takeshi , Sasakawa Chihiro 
Published: January 2007

Summary Shigella possess 220 kb plasmid, and the major virulence determinants, called effectors, and the type III secretion system (TTSS) are exclusively encoded by the plasmid. The genome sequences of S. flexneri strains indicate that several ipaH family genes are located on both the plasmid and the chromosome, but whether their chromosomal IpaH cognates can be secreted from Shigella remains unknown. Here we report that S. flexneri strain, YSH6000 encodes seven ipaH cognate genes on the chromosome and that the IpaH proteins are secreted via the TTSS. The secretion kinetics of IpaH proteins by bacteria, however, showed delay compared with those of IpaB, IpaC and IpaD. Expression of the each mRNA of ipaH in Shigella was increased after bacterial entry into epithelial cells, and the IpaH proteins were secreted by intracellular bacteria. Although individual chromosomal ipaH deletion mutants showed no appreciable changes in the pathogenesis in a mouse pulmonary infection model, the ΔipaH‐null mutant, whose chromosome lacks all ipaH genes, was attenuated to mice lethality. Indeed, the histological examination for mouse lungs infected with the ΔipaH‐null showed a greater inflammatory response than induced by wild‐type Shigella, suggesting that the chromosomal IpaH proteins act synergistically as effectors to modulate the host inflammatory responses.
Luteinizing hormone receptor mediates neuronal pregnenolone production via up‐regulation of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein expression
Authors: Liu Tianbing , Wimalasena Jay , Bowen Richard L. , Atwood Craig S. 
Published: January 2007

AbstractThe functional consequences of luteinizing hormone/human chorionic gonadotropin signaling via neuronal luteinizing hormone/human chorionic gonadotropin receptors expressed throughout the brain remain unclear. A primary function of luteinizing hormone (LH) in the gonads is the stimulation of sex steroid production. As LH can cross the blood–brain barrier, present in cerebrospinal fluid and is expressed by neuronal cells, we tested whether LH might also modulate steroid synthesis in the brain. Treatment of differentiated rat primary hippocampal neurons and human M17 neuroblastoma cells with LH (100 mIU/mL) resulted in a twofold increase in pregnenolone secretion in both cell types, suggesting an increase in P450scc‐mediated cleavage of cholesterol to pregnenolone and its secretion from neurons. To explore how LH might regulate the synthesis of pregnenolone, the precursor for steroid synthesis, we treated rat primary hippocampal neurons with LH (0, 10 and 100 mIU/mL) and measured changes in the expression of LH receptor and steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR). LH induced a rapid (within 30 min) increase in the expression of StAR, but induced a dose‐dependent decrease in LH receptor expression. Consistent with these results, the suppression of serum LH in young rats treated with leuprolide acetate for 4 months down‐regulated StAR expression, but increased LH receptor expression in the brain. Taken together, these results indicate that LH induces neuronal pregnenolone production by modulating the expression of the LH receptor, increasing mitochondrial cholesterol transport and increasing P450scc‐mediated cleavage of cholesterol for pregnenolone synthesis and secretion.
How Caregivers and Workers Fared in Cash and Counseling
Authors: Foster Leslie , Dale Stacy B. , Brown Randall 
Published: January 2007

Objectives. To assess the effects of Cash and Counseling on Medicaid beneficiaries' primary informal caregivers and describe the experiences of their directly hired workers.Study Setting. Beneficiaries in Arkansas, Florida, and New Jersey voluntarily enrolled in the demonstration and were randomly assigned to direct their own Medicaid supportive services as Cash and Counseling consumers (the treatment group) or to rely on Medicaid services as usual (the control group). Beneficiaries identified their primary informal caregiver during a baseline interview and their primary paid worker during a 9‐month follow‐up interview.Data Sources. Data were collected through telephone interviews with caregivers and workers. These interviews were conducted about 10 months after beneficiaries' random assignment, between February 2000 and May 2003, depending on the state.Data Analysis Methods. We estimated program effects with regression and logit models and compared the mean characteristics of directly hired workers and agency workers, by state.Principal Findings. Compared with caregivers in the control group, those in the treatment group had modestly to substantially better outcomes for measures of satisfaction with care, worry, and physical and financial strain. For hours of care and emotional strain, outcomes in the treatment group were similar to or somewhat better than those in the control group. Directly hired workers reported greater satisfaction with wages, similar satisfaction with working conditions, and similar rates of injuries as agency workers. Workers who were related to the beneficiary reported more emotional strain than agency workers.Conclusions. Cash and Counseling can lessen some of the burden associated with caring for a child or adult with disabilities. The experiences of hired workers suggest consumer direction is a sustainable option, but support networks for workers might be a welcome program improvement.
The Public/Private Partnership behind the Cash and Counseling Demonstration and Evaluation: Its Origins, Challenges, and Unresolved Issues
Authors: Knickman James R. , Stone Robyn I. 
Published: January 2007

Objective. To discuss why and how the Cash and Counseling Demonstration came to be designed, implemented, and evaluated through a partnership between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).Principal Findings. This public/private partnership was created by two colleagues who were motivated by the need for funding to conduct a large‐scale demonstration and evaluation, the prestige that both organizations brought to the project, the ability to draw on both organizations' experience and expertise, and the potential to maximize flexibility in the design and implementation of the demonstration. The partnership, which has lasted over a decade and has supported two generations of Cash and Counseling programs, overcame several challenges including getting approval for the project through their respective bureaucracies, managing the decision making process and the ongoing program across the two organizations, dealing with leadership and staff turnover, and reaching consensus on how to apportion credit for the success of the program. Several unresolved issues remain, including how the program gets operationalized within each state, how case management is addressed within the context of a consumer‐directed model like Cash and Counseling, how quality is assured in this type of program, and how the Internal Revenue Service views and treats Cash and Counseling and other consumer‐directed programs.Conclusion. This public/private partnership is an illustration of how public dollars can be leveraged effectively to examine a pressing policy issue and to produce information that can be translated into better policy and practice. The ASPE/RWJF collaboration made it possible to develop, test, and expand a policy‐oriented demonstration project that has become a pivotal strategy in most states' efforts to build their home and community‐based service systems.
Consumer Enrollment and Experiences in the Cash and Counseling Program
Authors: Schore Jennifer , Foster Leslie , Phillips Barbara 
Published: January 2007

Study Context. Consumer direction of Medicaid supportive services raises concerns about who should be permitted to self‐direct, whether consumers should be allowed to pay family members, whether a self‐directed option increases demand for services, and how to ensure quality. The Cash and Counseling programs contained features designed to address these concerns.Demonstration Enrollment. Many consumers used representatives to manage the allowance on their behalf and others chose to disenroll, suggesting that beneficiaries were capable of deciding for themselves whether the programs were suitable for them. Participation among eligible beneficiaries during the demonstration was modest, suggesting that consumer direction did not itself substantially increase the demand for services.Consumer Experiences. Most consumers were able to assume the role of employer without difficulty, many hiring relatives or acquaintances as workers. In each state, more than 85 percent reported they would recommend the program to others seeking more control over their care, and more than half said the program had “improved their lives a great deal.”
A Comparative Pharmacokinetic Study in Healthy Volunteers of the Effect of Carbamazepine and Oxcarbazepine on Cyp3a4
Authors: Andreasen Astrid‐Helene , Brøsen Kim , Damkier Per 
Published: January 2007

Summary: Purpose:Carbamazepine (CBZ) and oxcarbazepine (OXCZ) are well‐known inducers of drug metabolism via CYP3A4. Indirect interaction studies and clinical experience suggest that CBZ has a stronger potential in this regard than OXCZ. However this has never been subject to a direct comparative study. We performed a study in healthy volunteers to investigate the relative inductive effect of CBZ and OXCZ on CYP3A4 activity using the metabolism of quinidine as a biomarker reaction.Methods:Ten healthy, male volunteers participated in an open, randomized crossover study consisting of two periods separated by a 4‐week wash‐out period. The subjects received 1200 mg oral OXCZ daily for 17 days and 800 mg oral CBZ for 17 days. A single 200 mg oral dose of quinidine was administered at baseline and following administration of CBZ and OXCZ. Outcome parameters were the formation clearance of 3‐hydroxyquinidine dose and the ratio of the AUCs of 3‐hydroxyquinidine to quinidine.Results:Formation clearance of 3‐hydroxyquinidine was increased by means of 89% (CI: 36–164; p = 0.0022) and 181% (CI: 120–260, p < 0.0001) after treatment with OXCZ and CBZ, respectively, compared to baseline. The relative inductive effect of CBZ was 46% higher than for OXCZ. AUC ratio increased by means of 161% (CI: 139–187, p < 0.0001) (OXCZ) and 222% (CI: 192–257, p < 0.0001) (CBZ). Quinidine Cmax decreased by means of 29% (CI: 16–40, p = 0.0018) (OXCZ) and 33% (CI: 18–45, p = 0.0020) (CBZ). T½decreased by means of 12% (CI: 6–17, p < 0.0014) (OXCZ) and 32% (CI: 25–38, p < 0.0001) (CBZ). tmaxwas not changed in either period.Conclusion:We confirm a clinically significant inductive effect of both OXCZ and CBZ. The inductive effect of CBZ was about 46% higher than that of OXCZ, a difference that may be of clinical relevance.
Effects of honeydew sugar composition on the longevity of Aphidius ervi
Authors: Hogervorst Petra A. M. , Wäckers Felix L. , Romeis Jörg 
Published: January 2007

AbstractFeeding on sugar‐rich foods such as nectar and honeydew is important for survival of many adult parasitoids. Especially in agricultural systems, honeydew is often the most prevalent carbohydrate source. However, relative to plant nectar, honeydew may be relatively unsuitable, as a result of an unfavourable sugar composition or the presence of secondary plant compounds. We studied survival of the aphid parasitoid Aphidius ervi Haliday (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) on honeydew collected from various aphid species feeding on potato (Solanum tuberosum L., cv. Desiree) (Solanaceae), wheat (Triticum aestivum L., cv. Bobwhite) (Poaceae), or artificial diet, as well as the sugar composition of the different honeydews. Honeydews from the tested aphid species on potato, wheat, or artificial diet were found to be relatively suitable food sources for adult A. ervi, although not always as suitable as a 2 M sucrose solution. There were differences in honeydew sugar composition among the different aphid species on the various host plants. Multivariate statistics showed that the factor ‘aphid species’ had a significant influence on the sugar composition of the honeydew, explaining 27% of the variation in the potato system and 89% in the wheat system. When exploring the relationship between carbohydrate composition of the honeydews from aphids on potato and wheat plants, and their nutritional value for A. ervi, data revealed that differences in parasitoid longevity can to some extent be explained by carbohydrate composition. Furthermore, our results confirm that sucrose and its hexose components glucose and fructose are very suitable carbohydrate sources for hymenopteran parasitoids and show that parasitoid survival on an equimolar solution of the two monosaccharides glucose and fructose does not exceed performance on the disaccharide sucrose.
Thermography as a Physiological Measure of Sexual Arousal in Both Men and Women
Authors: Kukkonen Tuuli M. , Binik Yitzchak M. , Amsel Rhonda , Carrier Serge 
Published: January 2007

ABSTRACT

Introduction
Current physiological measures of sexual arousal are intrusive, hard to compare between genders, and quantitatively problematic.

Aim
To investigate thermal imaging technology as a means of solving these problems.

Methods
Twenty-eight healthy men and 30 healthy women viewed a neutral film clip, after which they were randomly assigned to view one of three other video conditions: (i) neutral (N=19); (ii) humor (N=19); and (iii) sexually explicit (N=20).

Main Outcome Measures
Genital and thigh temperatures were continuously recorded using a TSA ImagIR camera. Subjective measures of sexual arousal, humor, and relaxation were assessed using Likert-style questions prior to showing the baseline video and following each film.

Results
Statistical (Tukey HSD) post-hoc comparisons (P &lt;0.05) demonstrated that both men and women viewing the sexually arousing video had significantly greater genital temperature (mean=33.89°C, SD=1.00) than those in the humor (mean=32.09°C, SD=0.93) or neutral (mean=32.13°C, SD=1.24) conditions. Men and women in the erotic condition did not differ from each other in time to peak genital temperature (men mean=664.6 seconds, SD=164.99; women mean=743 seconds, SD=137.87). Furthermore, genital temperature was significantly and highly correlated with subjective ratings of sexual arousal (range r =0.51–0.68, P &lt;0.001). There were no significant differences in thigh temperature between groups.

Conclusion
Thermal imaging is a promising technology for the assessment of physiological sexual arousal in both men and women.
Sexual Dysfunctions: Classifications and Definitions
Authors: Hatzimouratidis Konstantinos , Hatzichristou Dimitrios 
Published: January 2007

ABSTRACT
Sexual classification systems are based on precise and understandable definitions of sexual dysfunctions and are needed for investigative research, determination of diagnostic standards, and delineation of treatment strategies. The four major categories of sexual dysfunctions include disorders of sexual desire/interest, arousal, orgasm, and sexual pain. The purpose of this article is to review the major features, differences, and similarities of the six classification systems widely used in sexual medicine, including the International Classification of Diseases, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the National Institute of Health Consensus Conference on Impotence, the American Foundation for Urologic Diseases, International Consensus Conference on Women’s Sexual Dysfunction, and the First and Second International Consultations on Sexual Dysfunctions.
Cluster Analysis of Hourly Wind Measurements to Reveal Synoptic Regimes Affecting Air Quality
Authors: Beaver Scott , Palazoglu Ahmet 
Published: January 2007

AbstractA clustering algorithm is developed to study hourly, ground-level wind measurements obtained from a network of monitoring stations positioned throughout the San Francisco Bay Area of California. A statistical model based on principal components analysis (or empirical orthogonal functions) is used to cluster these autocorrelated and cross-correlated observations. Patterns at the synoptic time scale are isolated by using windowing and scaling operations to treat the data. Four dominant wind patterns that affect air quality are identified for the study region, and summer days from 8 yr of historical data are assigned to these modes. One cluster captures a high pressure system over the western United States, the anticyclonic winds of which block the typical marine flow through the study region. Differential heating convects a polluted air mass to a nearby valley in which severe episodes of higher-than-average ozone composition occur. A second pattern represents a seasonal, offshore ridge of high pressure that reduces marine flow and produces a shallow boundary layer. These two clusters capture distinct meteorological regimes that are favorable to ozone buildup and account for nearly all “exceedances” of ozone air-quality standards. Two other clusters have strong marine flow that inhibits ozone buildup.
An essential role for IL-17 in preventing pathogen-initiated bone destruction: recruitment of neutrophils to inflamed bone requires IL-17 receptor–dependent signals
Authors: Yu Jeffrey J. , Ruddy Matthew J. , Wong Grace C. , Sfintescu Cornelia , Baker Pamela J. , Smith Jeffrey B. , Evans Richard T. , Gaffen Sarah L. 
Published: January 2007

AbstractIL-17 and its receptor are founding members of a novel family of inflammatory cytokines. IL-17 plays a pathogenic role in rheumatoid arthritis (RA)–associated bone destruction. However, IL-17 is also an important regulator of host defense through granulopoiesis and neutrophil trafficking. Therefore, the role of IL-17 in pathogen-initiated bone loss was not obvious. The most common form of infection-induced bone destruction occurs in periodontal disease (PD). In addition to causing significant morbidity, PD is a risk factor for atherosclerotic heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Similar to RA, bone destruction in PD is caused by the immune response. However, neutrophils provide critical antimicrobial defense against periodontal organisms. Since IL-17 is bone destructive in RA but a key regulator of neutrophils, we examined its role in inflammatory bone loss induced by the oral pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis in IL-17RA–deficient mice. These mice showed enhanced periodontal bone destruction, suggesting a bone-protective role for IL-17, reminiscent of a neutrophil deficiency. Although IL-17RA–deficient neutrophils functioned normally ex vivo, IL-17RA knock-out (IL-17RAKO) mice exhibited reduced serum chemokine levels and concomitantly reduced neutrophil migration to bone. Consistently, CXCR2KO mice were highly susceptible to alveolar bone loss; interestingly, these mice also suggested a role for chemokines in maintaining normal bone homeostasis. These results indicate a nonredundant role for IL-17 in mediating host defense via neutrophil mobilization.