bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Long‐term Therapeutic Efficacy of Lamivudine Compared With Interferon‐α in Children with Chronic Hepatitis B: The Younger the Better
Authors: Choe Byung‐Ho , Lee Ji Hye , Jang You Cheol , Jang Chang Hwan , Oh Ki Won , Kwon Soonhak , Hyun Myung Chul , Ko Cheol Woo , Lee Kun Soo , Lee Won Kee 
Published: January 2007

ABSTRACTObjectives:To assess and compare the long‐term therapeutic response to lamivudine compared with interferon‐α (IFN‐α) in children with chronic hepatitis B.Methods:A total of 40 children (27 male; age, 1.3–18 y, mean, 7.7 y) with chronic hepatitis B who received lamivudine for at least 12 months were followed for a mean period of 39 (24–76) months. Their treatment efficacy was historically compared with that of 19 children (14 male; age, 2.1–17 y; mean, 10 y) who had been treated with IFN‐α and were followed for a mean period of 39 (24–104) months. Therapeutic responses were compared at 2 y after the initiation of either of the treatment methods.Results:Two years after the initiation of treatment, the results for children treated with lamivudine versus IFN‐α were as follows: hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) seroconversion occurred in 26 (65%) of the 40 children versus 7 (37%) of the 19 children, P < 0.05. In the lamivudine‐treated group, the results for children treated before the age of 7 versus age >7 were as follows: HBeAg seroconversion occurred in 17 (89%) of the 19 children versus 9 (43%) of the 21 children, P < 0.01, and loss of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) occurred in 8 (42%) versus 0%, P < 0.001.Conclusions:Long‐term treatment of lamivudine led to significant improvement in the seroconversion rate of HBeAg in children with chronic hepatitis B compared with IFN‐α therapy. Furthermore, in preschool‐age children, it led to significant improvement in the seroconversion rate of HBeAg and HBsAg compared with school‐age children.
Association of endogenous sex hormone with C‐reactive protein levels in middle‐aged and elderly men
Authors: Pour Hamid Reza Nakhai , Grobbee Diederick E. , Muller Majon , Van Der Schouw Yvonne T. 
Published: January 2007

SummaryBackground  In women, postmenopausal oestrogen supplementation increases levels of systemic markers of inflammation, which are important predictors of coronary heart disease (CHD) risk. Whether endogenous sex hormone levels in men are also related to systemic subclinical inflammation is still unknown.Objective  We tested the hypothesis that higher endogenous sex hormones levels within the physiological range may be associated with systemic subclinical inflammation.Methods  Circulating sex hormone and high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein (hs‐CRP) levels were determined in 400 apparently healthy men aged between 40 and 80 years. We used multivariate linear regression analysis with the various sex hormones as determinant, and natural log hs‐CRP as outcome.Results  Higher levels of total as well as bioavailable oestradiol (E2) were associated with increased natural log hs‐CRP levels, which remained statistically significant after adjustment for age and cardiovascular risk factors. Natural log hs‐CRP was 0·26 mg/l higher [95% confidence interval (CI) −0·02 to 0·54] in the fourth than in the first quartile of total E2; the P‐value for linear trend was 0·05. For bioavailable E2, the difference in natural log hs‐CRP between the fourth and the first quartile was 0·30 mg/l (95% CI 0·03–0·56; P‐value for linear trend 0·04). After adjustment for age and cardiovascular risk factors, physiological levels of total (TT) or bioavailable testosterone or dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) were not associated with hs‐CRP.Conclusion  Endogenous total and bioavailable E2 levels are significantly associated with CRP among middle‐aged and elder men.
Extraintestinal focal infections in adults with nontyphoid Salmonella bacteraemia: predisposing factors and clinical outcome
Authors: Chen P.‐L. , Chang C.‐M. , Wu C.‐J. , Ko N.‐Y. , Lee N.‐Y. , Lee H.‐C. , Shih H.‐I. , Lee C.‐C. , Wang R.‐R. , Ko W.‐C. 
Published: January 2007

Abstract.Background.  Nontyphoid Salmonella (NTS) isolates lead to not only self‐limited, acute gastrointestinal infections, but also bacteraemia with or without extraintestinal focal infections (EFIs). The risk factors associated with EFIs in adults with NTS bacteraemia were not clearly elucidated.Methods.  In a medical center in southern Taiwan, patients aged ≥18 years with NTS bacteraemia between January 1999 and June 2005 were included for analysis.Results.  Of 129 patients, 51 (39.5%) were complicated with EFIs. The most common EFI was mycotic aneurysm, followed by pleuropulmonary infections and spinal osteomyelitis. Compared to patients with primary bacteraemia, those with EFIs had higher leucocyte counts (P = 0.004) and higher serum levels of C‐reactive protein (P < 0.0001). The development of EFIs was associated with a higher mortality, more severe septic manifestations, longer hospital stays and duration of antimicrobial therapy. Univariate analysis revealed that diabetes mellitus (P = 0.02), hypertension (P = 0.02) and chronic lung disease (P = 0.006) were significantly associated with EFIs. However, patients with malignancy (P = 0.01) and immunosuppressive therapy (P = 0.03) were less likely to develop EFIs. On the basis of multivariate analysis, an independent factor for the occurrence of EFIs was age [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.05; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02–1.07; P < 0.0001], whilst malignancy was negatively associated with EFIs (aOR 0.16; 95% CI 0.14–0.78; P = 0.01).Conclusion.  Amongst patients with NTS bacteraemia, EFIs often occurred in the aged, and were associated with a higher mortality and morbidity. Recognition of specific host factors is essential for identification of EFIs which often demand early surgical interventions and prolonged antimicrobial therapy.
Mycosis fungoides – a review of the management of 28 patients and of the recent literature
Authors: Lenane Patsy , Powell F. C. , O’Keane C. , Dervan P. , O'Sullivan D. , Bourke E. , O’Loughlin S. 
Published: January 2007

AbstractBackground  Mycosis fungoides is an uncommon cutaneous T‐cell lymphoma characterized by malignant monoclonal proliferation of T‐helper lymphocytes. Its course is variable with a potential for lymphatic and hematogenous involvement. We report the investigations, staging, treatment, follow‐up, and outcome of 28 patients. This is the first such study reported from Ireland.Methods  Twenty‐eight patients with mycosis fungoides (14 women, 14 men; average age, 52.5 years) were reviewed over 12 years in the dermatology clinic which assesses an average of 4500 patients per year. All mycosis fungoides patients were referred from their family physicians. The diagnosis was made in all cases from a combination of clinical findings, histology, and immunohistochemistry. TNM staging revealed 11 patients at diagnosis stage IA (T1), 12 at stage IB (T2), four at stage IIB (T3), and one at stage III (T4).Results  The usual male preponderance was not found. Eight patients needed multiple biopsies to establish the diagnosis. Detailed investigations were not useful in the early stages. Patients were followed up over a 12‐year period. Thirteen patients died as a result of cutaneous lymphoma. Two patients with stage IA disease progressed rapidly and died, a feature reported in only 10% of patients at this stage. Five patients showed unusual features, including a long history prior to presentation, the development of the rarely reported bullous mycosis fungoides, and aggressive disease beginning at a young age.Conclusions  Mycosis fungoides is rare; we reviewed 28 patients over 12 years. The prognosis is poor at the later stages; 13 patients died. Two patients who died were unusual in that they rapidly progressed from stage IA disease; however, in the majority of patients with this stage, the prognosis is excellent. Detailed investigations were unhelpful in early stage disease. Close clinical follow‐up is essential to identify disease progression.
Experimental evaluation of creep and fatigue behaviour for microscale solder interconnect
Authors: LU H. , SHI H. G. , ZHOU M. 
Published: January 2007

ABSTRACTThis paper presents a novel experimental study for creep and fatigue of solder‐interconnects in microstructures. The strains are directly measured in the fillet area of solder‐joints with a typical linear dimension of 50 μm. An analytical approach is developed for calculating shear stress based on the shear strain measurement and the established solder constitutive relations. Also obtained is the strain‐rate as well as the separated elastic, plastic and creep components from the measured total strain. The data enables the determination of the strain energy density per temperature cycle for the characterization of the solder joint creep fatigue behaviour. Case studies provide evidence for the shear dominance and the creep fatigue mechanism in thermally induced solder joint deformation in surface‐mounted electronic assemblies. Though a similar trend of variation in stress–strain is found in the joints of different solders, the substantial differences in the hysteresis loop area and shape as well as in the creep rate suggest that the solder constitutive parameters should have a profound impact on the creep fatigue endurance of the joints.
SUBSTANTIAL IDENTITY AND THE RIGHT TO LIFE: A REJOINDER TO DEAN STRETTON
Authors: LEE PATRICK 
Published: January 2007

ABSTRACTIn this article, I reply to criticisms of Dean Stretton of the pro‐life argument from substantial identity. When the criterion for the right to life proposed by most proponents of the pro‐life position is rightly understood – being a person, a distinct substance of a rational nature – this position does not lead to the difficulties Stretton claims it does.
Median‐voter Equilibria in the Neoclassical Growth Model under Aggregation*
Authors: Azzimonti Marina , De Francisco Eva , Krusell Per 
Published: January 2007

AbstractWe study a dynamic version of Meltzer and Richard's median‐voter model where agents differ in wealth. Taxes are proportional to income and are redistributed as equal lump‐sum transfers. Voting occurs every period and each consumer votes for the tax that maximizes his welfare. We characterize time‐consistent Markov‐perfect equilibria twofold. First, restricting utility classes, we show that the economy's aggregate state is mean and median wealth. Second, we derive the median‐voter's first‐order condition interpreting it as a tradeoff between distortions and net wealth transfers. Our method for solving the steady state relies on a polynomial expansion around the steady state.
Rationalisation, Race, and the Weimar Response to Jazz
Authors: Rippey Theodore F. 
Published: January 2007

ABSTRACTSurveying articles on jazz in the Weimar‐era popular press, one finds that commentators and critics commonly read the music as an expression of primitive blackness, a product of a rationally organised, industrial mode of composition, or a strange combination of both. The rationalised/industrialised and black elements perceived in jazz were generally understood as antithetical; the concept of blackness itself was rarely scrutinised. In exceptional cases, writers began to view blackness as a media‐generated construct and thereby re‐situate race itself as a product of modern popular culture. Siegfried Kracauer stands out in this regard. He recognised that the response to jazz was rarely about the music itself, and his critiques of jazz culture and the encompassing fascination with blackness contain an unusual degree of critical reflection on the public imagination of race in the Weimar Republic.
GISP: a novel brain‐specific protein that promotes surface expression and function of GABABreceptors
Authors: Kantamneni Sriharsha , Corrêa Sônia A. L. , Hodgkinson Gina K. , Meyer Guido , Vinh Ngoc Nga , Henley Jeremy M. , Nishimune Atsushi 
Published: January 2007

AbstractSynaptic transmission depends on the regulated surface expression of neurotransmitter receptors, but many of the cellular processes required to achieve this remain poorly understood. To better define specific mechanisms for the GABABreceptor (GABABR) trafficking, we screened for proteins that bind to the carboxy‐terminus of the GABAB1subunit. We report the identification and characterization of a novel 130‐kDa protein, GPCR interacting scaffolding protein (GISP), that interacts directly with the GABAB1subunit via a coiled‐coil domain. GISP co‐fractionates with GABABR and with the postsynaptic density and co‐immunoprecipitates with GABAB1and GABAB2from rat brain. In cultured hippocampal neurons, GISP displays a punctate dendritic distribution and has an overlapping localization with GABABRs. When co‐expressed with GABABRs in human embryonic kidney cells, GISP promotes GABABR surface expression and enhances both baclofen‐evoked extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation and G‐protein inwardly rectifying potassium channel (GIRK) currents. These results suggest that GISP is involved in the forward trafficking and stabilization of functional GABABRs.
RAPID RECOVERY OF DNA FROM AGAROSE GEL SLICE USING A MICROWAVE*
Authors: OUYANG XUEZHI , YU WENWEN , WANG QIANG , HE JIANGUO , LIU QIUYUN 
Published: January 2007

ABSTRACT A method for the rapid recovery of DNA from agarose gel slices for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) applications was described. DNA bands were excised from agarose gel and diluted with distilled water. One‐minute microwave treatment at full power was performed, immediately followed by 1‐min centrifugation. The supernatant thus recovered can be directly used in PCR amplifications with minimal delay. This protocol represents an ultrafast and inexpensive alternative to commercial kits.
COMPARISON OF ENRICHMENT BROTHS FOR DETECTION AND ISOLATION OF ENTEROBACTER SAKAZAKII FROM INFANT FORMULA MILK
Authors: OH SE‐WOOK , CHUNG HYUN‐JUNG , KANG DONG‐HYUN 
Published: January 2007

ABSTRACTEnterobacter sakazakii is a member of the Enterobacteriaceae and has physiological characteristics similar to those of Escherichia coli O157:H7 (negative D‐sorbitol fermentation, positive glucose and lactose fermentation, and negative H2S production). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of enrichment broths recommended for E. sakazakii enrichment. Growth and recovery ratio of E. sakazakii were compared in media including modified tryptone soya broth supplemented with novobiocin (mTSB + N), modified Escherichia coli broth with novobiocin (mEC + N), Enterobacteriaceae enrichment (EE) broth, buffered peptone water supplemented with vancomycin, cefixime and cefsulodin (BPW + VCC), and rehydrated infant milk formula (IMF) with or without antibiotics. The EE broth that was recommended by the FDA showed the most effective enrichment for growth of E. sakazakii, followed by rehydrated IMF. Other media such as mTSB + N, mEC + N and BPW + VCC did not support growth of E. sakazakii compared to EE and rehydrated IMF. They were not considered suitable for the enrichment of E. sakazakii. When evaluated for recovery of E. sakazakii among other Enterobacteriaceae, strains of E. sakazakii were all recovered in EE broth after 6 and 18 h; thus, the EE broth was considered the most effective enrichment broth in this study. Rehydrated IMF also showed higher recovery ratios (3/4, 4/4) after 6 and 18 h than the other recommended enrichment broths.
Frequent In Vitro Recombination in Internal Transcribed Spacers 1 and 2 during Genotyping of
Pneumocystis jirovecii
Authors: Beser Jessica , Hagblom Per , Fernandez Victor 
Published: January 2007

ABSTRACT

Pneumocystis jirovecii
is the causative agent of
Pneumocystis
pneumonia (PCP) in immunocompromised persons. Knowledge of the transmission and epidemiology of PCP is still incipient, and investigations on these subjects are based exclusively on applications of molecular typing techniques. The polymorphic internal transcribed spacers ITS1 and ITS2 in the ribosomal DNA operon, which in the
P. jirovecii
genome exist as single-copy DNA, are commonly used as target loci for isolate typing. In the course of genotyping
P. jirovecii
in respiratory specimens from PCP patients by amplification and cloning of a large number of ITS sequences, we found mixed infections (two or more types) in 50% of the samples. In a majority of the specimens with mixed infections, we detected many ITS haplotypes (combinations of ITS1 and ITS2 types) that appeared to be products of recombination between globally common ITS haplotypes present in the same sample. Here we present results of a series of experiments showing that essentially all ITS recombinants are chimeras formed during the genotyping process. Under standard conditions, as many as 37% of the amplified sequences could be hybrid DNA artifacts. We show that by modifying PCR amplification conditions, ITS chimera formation could be largely abolished and the erroneous establishment of artifactual haplotypes avoided. The accurate assessment of genetic diversity is fundamental for a better understanding of the epidemiology and biology of
P. jirovecii
infections.
ATP-Dependent Minor Groove Recognition of TA Base Pairs Is Required for Template Melting by the E1 Initiator Protein
Authors: Schuck Stephen , Stenlund Arne 
Published: January 2007

ABSTRACT
Template melting is an essential step in the initiation of DNA replication, but
the mechanism of template melting is unknown for any replicon. Here we
demonstrate that melting of the bovine papillomavirus type 1 ori is a
sequence-dependent process which relies on specific recognition of TA
base pairs in the minor groove by the E1 initiator. We show that
correct template melting is a prerequisite for the formation of a
stable double hexamer with helicase activity and that ori mutants that
fail to melt correctly are defective for ori unwinding and DNA
replication in vivo. Our results also indicate that melting of the DNA
is achieved by destabilization of the double helix along its length
through multiple interactions with E1, each of which is responsible for
melting of a few base pairs, resulting in the extensive melting that is
required for initiation of DNA
replication.
Clinicopathologic Analysis of Breast Cancers with PIK3CA Mutations in Japanese Women
Authors: Maruyama Naomi , Miyoshi Yasuo , Taguchi Tetsuya , Tamaki Yasuhiro , Monden Morito , Noguchi Shinzaburo 
Published: January 2007

Abstract
Purpose: Somatic mutations of PIK3CA, which encodes the p110α catalytic subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, have recently been shown to play an important role in the pathogenesis and progression of human breast cancers. In this study, the frequency of PIK3CA mutations and their relationship with clinicopathologic and biological variables were investigated in Japanese breast cancers.
Experimental Design: Mutational analysis of PIK3CA was done in 188 primary breast cancers of Japanese women. Relationship of these mutations with various clinicopathologic variables [histologic type, tumor size, histologic grade, lymph node status, estrogen receptor (ER)-α and progesterone receptor status, and prognosis], biological variables [phospho-AKT (pAKT) and HER2 expression determined by immunohistochemistry], and p53 mutation status was studied.
Results: Missense mutations of PIK3CA were found in 44 of 158 invasive ductal carcinomas, 4 of 10 invasive lobular carcinomas, 1 of 4 mucinous carcinomas, 2 of 2 squamous carcinomas, and 2 of 2 apocrine carcinomas, but no mutation was found in 12 noninvasive ductal carcinomas. PIK3CA-mutated tumors were found to be more likely to be ER-α positive (P &lt; 0.05) and pAKT positive (P &lt; 0.05). There was no significant association between PIK3CA mutations and p53 mutation status. PIK3CA mutations were significantly (P &lt; 0.05) associated with a favorable prognosis, and multivariate analysis showed that PIK3CA mutation status was a significant (P &lt; 0.05) prognostic factor independent of the other conventional prognostic factors.
Conclusions: The frequency of PIK3CA mutations in Japanese breast cancers is similar to that of Caucasian breast cancers. Association of PIK3CA mutations with positive pAKT and positive ER-α suggests that PIK3CA mutations might exert their effects through activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/AKT/ER-α pathway. PIK3CA mutations seem to have a potential to be used as an indicator of favorable prognosis.
Pancreatic islet cell therapy for type I diabetes: understanding the effects of glucose stimulation on islets in order to produce better islets for transplantation
Authors: Ren Jiaqiang , Jin Ping , Wang Ena , Liu Eric , Harlan David M , Li Xin , Stroncek David F 
Published: January 2007

AbstractWhile insulin replacement remains the cornerstone treatment for type I diabetes mellitus (T1DM), the transplantation of pancreatic islets of Langerhans has the potential to become an important alternative. And yet, islet transplant therapy is limited by several factors, including far too few donor pancreases. Attempts to expand mature islets or to produce islets from stem cells are far from clinical application. The production and expansion of the insulin-producing cells within the islet (so called β cells), or even creating cells that secrete insulin under appropriate physiological control, has proven difficult. The difficulty is explained, in part, because insulin synthesis and release is complex, unique, and not entirely characterized. Understanding β-cell function at the molecular level will likely facilitate the development of techniques to manufacture β-cells from stem cells. We will review islet transplantation, as well as the mechanisms underlying insulin transcription, translation and glucose stimulated insulin release.
The co-evolved Helicobacter pylori and gastric cancer: trinity of bacterial virulence, host susceptibility and lifestyle
Authors: Akhter Yusuf , Ahmed Irshad , Devi S Manjulata , Ahmed Niyaz 
Published: January 2007

Abstract

Helicobacter pylori is an important yet unproven etiological agent of gastric cancer. H. pylori infection is more prevalent in developing Asian countries like India and it is usually acquired at an early age. It has been two decades since Marshall and Warren (1984) first described curved bacilli in the stomach of ulcer and gastritis patients. This discovery has won them the Nobel Prize recently, but the debate whether H. pylori is a pathogen or a commensal organism is still hot. Associations with disease-specific factors remain illusive years after the genome sequences were made available. Cytotoxin-associated antigen A (CagA) and the so-called plasticity region cluster genes are implicated in pathogenesis of the carcinoma of stomach. Another virulence factor VacA whose role is still debatable, has recently been projected in pathology of gastric cancer. Studies of the evolution through genetic variation in H. pylori populations have provided a window into the history of human population migrations and a possible co-evolution of this pathogen with its human host. Possible symbiotic relationships were seriously debated since the discovery of this pathogen. The debate has been further intensified as some studies proposed H. pylori infection to be beneficial in some humans. In this commentary, we attempt to briefly discuss about H. pylori as a human pathogen, and some of the important issues linked to its pathophysiology in different hosts.
'We dance around in a ring and suppose, the secret sits in the middle and knows' – Robert Frost