bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prevalence and socioeconomic risk factors of obesity among urban female students in Al‐Khobar city, Eastern Saudi Arabia, 2003
Authors: Al‐Saeed W. Y. , Al‐Dawood K. M. , Bukhari I. A. , Bahnassy A. 
Published: September 2006

SummaryThe aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and the socioeconomic risk factors associated with obesity among female school‐aged children and adolescents in primary and intermediate schools in Al‐Khobar city, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This is a cross‐sectional study conducted in Al‐Khobar city, which is located in the eastern part of Saudi Arabia, during the period of January to March 2003. It involved 2239 female schoolchildren randomly selected from 30 regular government and private primary and preparatory schools. The students’ ages ranged from 6 to 17 years, with a mean of 10.49 ± 2.64 years. A multistage stratified random sampling technique with proportional allocation was used. Data were collected using questionnaires and anthropometric measurements. Body mass index interpretation was based on using a table of standard definitions for overweight and obesity in children (Cole’s). The spss version 10 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) was used for data entry and analysis. A chi‐squared test was used in cross‐tabulation analysis to test the significance of association between body mass index and socioeconomic variables. The prevalence of overweight and obesity were 20% and 11%, respectively. The prevalence of overweight was higher among schoolchildren with father in private work (P < 0.01) and the prevalence of overweight and obesity was higher among schoolchildren with highly educated mothers (P = 0.008). The prevalence of overweight and obesity among female school‐aged children and adolescents in the Al‐Khobar city was very high. Accordingly, it is recommended that health education programmes regarding obesity should be provided to all schoolchildren, their families and teachers.
Prevalence of overweight and obesity among children in the United Arab Emirates
Authors: Malik M. , Bakir A. 
Published: September 2006

SummaryThe aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Secondary analysis was undertaken of data on 4381 children aged 5–17 years from the 1999 UAE‐National Iodine Deficiency Surveillance Study. Data on weight and height from that study were used to calculate body mass index. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was estimated using International Obesity Task Force criteria. Overall, 944 (21.5%) of children were overweight and 601 (13.7%) of these were obese. More girls than boys were overweight (22.9% vs. 20.2%; P ≤ 0.001). Non‐citizen girls were more likely to be obese (odds ratios [OR] 1.767, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 1.48–2.102) than UAE girls. Boys in the rural areas had the lowest prevalence (23.6%) and were the least likely of all the children to be either overweight (OR 0.785, 95% CI 0.629–0.974) or obese 0.732 (95% CI 0.591–0.912). This study demonstrates a high prevalence of overweight in children in the UAE. Prompt actions are needed to initiate preventative and interventionist strategies to reverse the trend of this emerging epidemic.
The burden of overweight and obesity in the Asia–Pacific region
Authors:   Asia Pacific Cohort Studies Collaboration
Published: September 2006

SummaryThe rise in the prevalence of overweight and obesity (body mass index ≥25 kg m−2) is, in part, a negative consequence of the increasing economic developments of many lower‐ and middle‐income countries in the Asia–Pacific region. To date, there has been no systematic quantification of the scale of the problem in countries of this region. From the most recent nationally representative estimates for the prevalence of overweight and obesity in 14 countries of the region, it is apparent that overweight and obesity is endemic in much of the region, prevalence ranging from less than 5% in India to 60% in Australia. Moreover, although the prevalence in China is a third of that in Australia, the increase in prevalence in China over the last 20 years was 400% compared with 20% in Australia. In addition, across various countries in the region, the population attributable fractions because of overweight and obesity ranged from 0.8% to 9.2% for coronary heart disease mortality, 0.2% to 2.9% for haemorrhagic stroke mortality, and 0.9% to 10.2% for ischaemic stroke mortality. These results indicate that consequences of overweight and obesity for health and the economy of many of these countries are likely to increase in coming years.
Two‐sample Comparison Based on Prediction Error, with Applications to Candidate Gene Association Studies
Authors: Yu K. , Martin R. , Rothman N. , Zheng T. , Lan Q. 
Published: September 2006

SummaryTo take advantage of the increasingly available high‐density SNP maps across the genome, various tests that compare multilocus genotypes or estimated haplotypes between cases and controls have been developed for candidate gene association studies. Here we view this two‐sample testing problem from the perspective of supervised machine learning and propose a new association test. The approach adopts the flexible and easy‐to‐understand classification tree model as the learning machine, and uses the estimated prediction error of the resulting prediction rule as the test statistic. This procedure not only provides an association test but also generates a prediction rule that can be useful in understanding the mechanisms underlying complex disease. Under the set‐up of a haplotype‐based transmission/disequilibrium test (TDT) type of analysis, we find through simulation studies that the proposed procedure has the correct type I error rates and is robust to population stratification. The power of the proposed procedure is sensitive to the chosen prediction error estimator. Among commonly used prediction error estimators, the .632+ estimator results in a test that has the best overall performance. We also find that the test using the .632+ estimator is more powerful than the standard single‐point TDT analysis, the Pearson's goodness‐of‐fit test based on estimated haplotype frequencies, and two haplotype‐based global tests implemented in the genetic analysis package FBAT. To illustrate the application of the proposed method in population‐based association studies, we use the procedure to study the association between non‐Hodgkin lymphoma and the IL10 gene.
Unbiased Interpretation of Haplotypes at Duplicated Microsatellites
Authors: Balaresque P. , Sibert A. , Heyer E. , Crouau‐Roy B. 
Published: September 2006

SummaryThe Y‐chromosome is a powerful tool for population geneticists to study human evolutionary history. Haploid and largely non‐recombining, it should contain a simple record of past mutational events. However, this apparent simplicity is compromised by Y‐linked duplicons, which make up ∼35% of this chromosome; 25% of these duplicons are large inverted repeats (palindromes). For microsatellites lying in these palindromes, two loci cannot be easily distinguished due to PCR co‐amplification, and this order misspecification of alleles generates an additional variance component. Due to this ambiguity, population geneticists have traditionally used an arbitrary method to assign the alleles (shorter allele to locus 1, larger allele to locus 2). Here, we simulate these posterior estimate distributions under three different novel allele assignment priors and compare this with the original method. We use a sample of 33 human populations, typed for duplicated microsatellites lying within palindrome P8, to illustrate our approach. We show that both intra‐ and inter‐population statistics can be dramatically affected by order misspecification. Surprisingly, matrices of pairwise F‐statistics or distance estimates appear far less sensitive to order misspecification and remain relatively unchanged under the priors considered, suggesting that these microsatellites can be considered as useful markers for population genetic studies using an appropriate data treatment. Duplicated microsatellites represent an attractive source of information to investigate the extensive structural polymorphism observed among human Y chromosomes, as well as processes of intra‐chromosomal gene conversion acting between duplicons.
Feeding ecology and seed dispersal of sympatric cheirogaleid lemurs (Microcebus murinus, Cheirogaleus medius, Cheirogaleus major) in the littoral rainforest of south‐east Madagascar
Authors: Lahann P. 
Published: September 2006

AbstractThe lemurs of Madagascar are known for their extraordinary species diversity. The mechanisms that allow the coexistence of these species are still poorly known. Here feeding patterns were investigated for three small nocturnal lemur species of Cheirogaleidae (Microcebus murinus, Cheirogaleus medius and Cheirogaleus major) occurring sympatrically in a littoral rainforest in south‐east Madagascar. During three rainy seasons, the plant species eaten by these three lemurs were described in relation to morphological and biochemical characteristics. All three species were mainly frugivorous and fed on 68 different plant species with small‐ and medium‐sized fruits. A total of 91% of these forage plant species was visited by all three lemur species. Fruits larger than 25–30 mm were avoided. Seeds of a total of 51 food plant species were swallowed and passed the gut unharmed. Thus, even these smaller lemur species play an important role in seed dispersal. There were no differences in the morphological and biochemical characteristics of fruits eaten between the three species, but the feeding height was significantly different between the species. Thus, competition avoidance and niche separation are presumably not based on different feeding patterns of M. murinus, C. medius and C. major in the littoral rainforest, but on different habitat utilization.
Cannibalism and kin recognition inDelena cancerides(Araneae: Sparassidae), a social huntsman spider
Authors: Beavis A. S. , Rowell D. M. , Evans T. 
Published: September 2006

AbstractSocial behaviour in spiders is rare: of the 39 000 species of spiders known, only 23 are considered to be cooperatively social.Delena canceridesis a social species of the huntsman spider that is endemic to Australia. This species is virtually unique among social spiders, having evolved social behaviour in the absence of a snare web. It is thought that this form of social behaviour inD. cancerideshas evolved via the sub‐social route, that is, the extension of an ancestrally occurring period of maternal care and the delayed dispersal of juveniles. Most social spiders show no aggression towards non‐kin conspecifics, prompting suggestions that spiders cannot recognize kin; however,D. canceridesindividuals are highly aggressive towards conspecifics introduced from outside their own colony. In order to determine whether selective aggression inD. cancerideshas its basis in kin recognition, tolerance behaviour was assessed in the context of kinship and size. We observed that, in general, juveniles preferred to starve than engage in cannibalism of any conspecifics, related or not. However, where cannibalism did occur, non‐kin were preferentially eaten, indicating that this species is clearly capable of kin recognition. Size thresholds were also established, below which juveniles are tolerated by adults and above which aggressive interactions leading to death occur. We conclude that kin recognition and juvenile dispersal explain the uncharacteristically high levels of genetic polymorphism in this species.
The evolution of plant–insect mutualisms
Authors: Bronstein Judith L. , Alarcón Ruben , Geber Monica 
Published: September 2006

SummaryMutualisms (cooperative interactions between species) have had a central role in the generation and maintenance of life on earth. Insects and plants are involved in diverse forms of mutualism. Here we review evolutionary features of three prominent insect–plant mutualisms: pollination, protection and seed dispersal. We focus on addressing five central phenomena: evolutionary origins and maintenance of mutualism; the evolution of mutualistic traits; the evolution of specialization and generalization; coevolutionary processes; and the existence of cheating. Several features uniting very diverse insect–plant mutualisms are identified and their evolutionary implications are discussed: the involvement of one mobile and one sedentary partner; natural selection on plant rewards; the existence of a continuum from specialization to generalization; and the ubiquity of cheating, particularly on the part of insects. Plant–insect mutualisms have apparently both arisen and been lost repeatedly. Many adaptive hypotheses have been proposed to explain these transitions, and it is unlikely that any one of them dominates across interactions differing so widely in natural history. Evolutionary theory has a potentially important, but as yet largely unfilled, role to play in explaining the origins, maintenance, breakdown and evolution of insect–plant mutualisms.ContentsSummary412I.Introduction413IIA historical perspective on mutualism413III.Insect pollination414IV.Protection of plants by ants417V.Ant‐mediated seed dispersal419VI.Discussion420Acknowledgements423References424
Breed, gender and neutering status of British dogs with anal sac gland carcinoma
Authors: Polton G. A. , Mowat V. , Lee H. C. , Mckee K. A. , Scase T. J. 
Published: September 2006

AbstractThis study details the breed, gender and neutering status of a large cohort of British canine patients suffering from histologically confirmed anal sac gland carcinoma. Estimates of the relative risk for the development of this disease attributable to these factors are calculated. To reduce the impact of sampling errors, cases were selected from veterinary histopathology laboratories rather than referral hospital databases, and multiple estimates of the general British canine population were used. The weaknesses of the statistical assumptions made are discussed. There was no evidence to support a gender predisposition for the development of this condition. English cocker spaniels are significantly over‐represented, with a mean relative risk estimate of 7.3. The mean relative risk estimate associated with being neutered was 1.4; the effect of neutering appeared to be more significant in male dogs compared with that in female dogs.
Telomerase activity and telomerase reverse transcriptase catalytic subunit expression in canine lymphoma: correlation with Ki67 immunoreactivity
Authors: Renwick M. G. , Argyle D. J. , Long S. , Nixon C. , Gault E. A. , Nasir L. 
Published: September 2006

AbstractIncreased telomerase activity (TA) has been found in human and canine solid tumours, stem cells and somatic tissues with enhanced proliferative potential. The relationship between TA in normal and malignant lymphoid tissues remains unclear. The TA and the expression of canine telomerase reverse transcriptase catalytic subunit (dogTERT) messenger RNA (mRNA) were analyzed in malignant lymph nodes from 30 dogs with lymphoma, from two dogs with non‐neoplastic illness and from two clinically normal dogs, demonstrating a statistically significant difference between TA in lymphoma lymph nodes (n= 30) and normal nodes (n= 4) but no significant difference in dogTERT mRNA expression. In addition, the expression of telomerase reverse transcriptase catalytic subunit (TERT) protein and Ki67 was analyzed in malignant lymph nodes from 10 dogs with lymphoma and from two clinically normal dogs by immunohistochemistry. TERT expression was associated with Ki67 in all lymphoma nodes (n= 10), and differences were illustrated between TERT and Ki67 expression between lymphoma (n= 10) and non‐lymphoma (n= 2) nodes. This data support further investigation of telomerase in canine haematopoietic neoplasia through large‐scale prospective studies.
Quantitative trait loci analysis of mice administered the methionine–choline deficient dietary model of experimental steatohepatitis
Authors: Rangnekar Amol S. , Lammert Frank , Igolnikov Alexander , Green Richard M. 
Published: September 2006

Abstract: Background: Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a common disease with a poorly understood etiology, and the methionine–choline‐deficient (MCD) diet is a nutritional model of NASH. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis is a standard method for chromosomal mapping of polygenic disease traits. The purpose of this study is to administer mice an MCD diet in order to determine the strain‐specific susceptibility for developing steatohepatitis, and to apply a computational methodology of QTL analysis to identify associated chromosomal susceptibility loci.Methods: Inbred mice were fed an MCD diet and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), hepatic triglycerides, liver weight, and weight loss were measured as phenotypic markers of steatohepatitis.Results: A/J mice developed the highest ALT and hepatic triglyceride levels. Using linear regression analysis, gene loci affecting serum ALT levels were identified on four chromosomes, and four loci that affect liver weight were also identified. In contrast, no QTLs for hepatic triglycerides or body weight were identified. Of note, loci for ALT and liver weight co‐localized to proximal segments of chromosomes 2 and 15, in regions previously identified as QTLs for liver fibrosis.Conclusions: These data indicate that experimental steatohepatitis is a polygenic disease with genes determining ALT, liver weight, and liver fibrosis.
Small hepatic nodules (≤2 cm) in cirrhosis patients: characterization with contrast‐enhanced ultrasonography
Authors: Wang Jing‐Houng , Lu Sheng‐Nan , Hung Chao‐Hung , Chen Tai‐Yi , Chen Chien‐Hung , Changchien Chi‐Sin , Lee Chuan‐Mo 
Published: September 2006

Abstract: Aim: We evaluated the efficacy of contrast‐enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) for the characterization of small hepatic nodules (≤2 cm) in cirrhosis patients.Patients and methods: Thirty cirrhosis patients with 30 hepatic nodules (1–2 cm) were enrolled in this study. Eighteen hepatic nodules were hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) and 12 were benign lesions. CEUS was performed using microbubble contrast (Levovist). With surrounding hepatic parenchyma as a reference, two characteristics of hepatic nodules, including arterial phase enhancement (AE) and the absence of delayed phase enhancement (ADE), were evaluated as criteria for the diagnosis of HCC. A radiologist independently reviewed the dynamic computed tomographies (CT) of 26 hepatic nodules.Results: CEUS showed AE in 15 nodules (13 HCC and two benign) and ADE in 17 lesions (14 HCC and three benign). For HCC, the coincidental AE of both CEUS and dynamic CT was 40%. Using both AE and ADE for HCC diagnosis, the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value and negative predictive values were 55.6%, 91.7%, 70%, 90.9% and 57.9%, respectively. When using either AE or ADE for HCC diagnosis, the same parameters were 94.4%, 66.7%, 83.3%, 81% and 88.9%, respectively. One benign hepatic nodule with both AE and ADE was diagnosed as HCC 29 months after the CEUS study.Conclusions: A combination of characteristics of AE and ADE as determined by CEUS was highly specific for small HCCs in cirrhosis patients. Concurrent delayed phase imaging is useful in the diagnosis of small hypovascular HCCs.
Viral factors correlate with hepatitis B e antigen seroconverson in patients with chronic hepatitis B
Authors: Liu Chun‐Jen , Chen Pei‐Jer , Lai Ming‐Yang , Lin Feng‐Yi , Wang Tzusan , Kao Jia‐Horng , Chen Ding‐Shinn 
Published: September 2006

Abstract: Background/Aims: Seroconversion (SC) from hepatitis B envelope antigen (HBeAg) to anti‐HBe usually indicates lower viral loads, resolved hepatitis activity and improved long‐term outcomes. However, the role of viral factors in the development of SC remains largely unknown. We thus comprehensively studied these factors in 25 patients with sustained HBeAg SC and seven control patients with sustained loss of HBeAg.Methods: We determined viral factors in serum samples obtained 1 year before, 6 months before, 3 months before, at the time of, 6 months after and 1 year after HBeAg SC or HBeAg loss. Precore A1896 and basal core promoter T1762/A1764 mutants were determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)‐based assays. Serum HBV levels were determined by a real‐time PCR assay.Results: We found that decline of serum viral load, frequently accompanied by hepatitis exacerbation, occurred within 1 year before HBeAg SC. The proportions of precore and BCP mutations also increased gradually throughout the process of HBeAg SC. The virologic features were similar between HBeAg SC group and HBeAg loss group. Before HBeAg SC or loss, genotype B patients had higher serum viral loads and lower proportions of BCP mutation compared with genotype C patients.Conclusion: Our findings suggested that viral factors correlate with the development of sustained HBeAg SC or loss.
Comparison of 11C‐acetate positron emission tomography and 67Gallium citrate scintigraphy in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Li Shuren , Beheshti Mohsen , Peck‐Radosavljevic Markus , Oezer Simon , Grumbeck Elke , Schmid Monika , Hamilton Gerhard , Kapiotis Stylianos , Dudczak Robert , Kletter Kurt 
Published: September 2006

Abstract: Aims: Nuclear imaging may have an increasing role in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of this study was to compare prospectively the Gallium‐67 citrate (67Ga) scintigraphy results with those obtained by positron emission tomography (PET) using 11C‐acetate in patients with HCC.Methods: We prospectively analysed 21 patients (mean age, 64±11 years) with histopathologically verified HCC undergoing 11C‐acetate PET and 67Ga scintigraphy. 67Ga scans were not performed in three of these 21 patients due to the exacerbation of the disease. Whole‐body 11C‐acetate PET were performed following intravenous injection of 850 MBq of 11C‐acetate. For 67Ga scintigraphy, whole‐body, planar and single photon emission computed tomography imaging acquisitions were performed after intravenous application of a mean dose of 189 MBq 67Ga.Results: 67Ga scintigraphy found abnormalities only in 10 of 18 patients (56%) and detected 22 of 46 clinically involved sites (48%); it was false‐positive in two patients. 11C‐acetate PET found abnormalities in 14 of 18 patients (78%) and detected 36 of 46 clinical lesions (78%); it was false‐positive in one patients. In one patient with left supraclavicular lymph node metastases, neither the 67Ga scintigraphy nor the conventional computed tomography have shown the lesions, which were clearly demonstrated by the 11C‐acetate PET.Conclusion: Our results indicate significantly higher sensitivity and specificity of 11C‐acetate PET than 67Ga scan in detection of HCC lesions. This study suggests that imaging with 11C‐acetate PET might play a potential role in the diagnostic workup of patients with HCC.