bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A randomized trial of artemether-lumefantrine versus mefloquine-artesunate for the treatment of uncomplicated multi-drug resistant Plasmodium falciparum on the western border of Thailand
Authors: Hutagalung Robert , Paiphun Lucy , Ashley Elizabeth A , McGready Rose , Brockman Alan , Thwai Kaw L , Singhasivanon Pratap , Jelinek Thomas , White Nicholas J , Nosten François H 
Published: September 2005

Abstract

Background
The use of antimalarial drug combinations with artemisinin derivatives is recommended to overcome drug resistance in Plasmodium falciparum. The fixed combination of oral artemether-lumefantrine, an artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) is highly effective and well tolerated. It is the only registered fixed combination containing an artemisinin. The trial presented here was conducted to monitor the efficacy of the six-dose regimen of artemether-lumefantrine (ALN) in an area of multi-drug resistance, along the Thai-Myanmar border.

Methods
The trial was an open-label, two-arm, randomized study comparing artemether-lumefantrine and mefloquine-artesunate for the treatment of uncomplicated falciparum malaria with 42 days of follow up. Parasite genotyping by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to distinguish recrudescent from newly acquired P. falciparum infections. The PCR adjusted cure rates were evaluated by survival analysis.

Results
In 2001–2002 a total of 490 patients with slide confirmed uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria were randomly assigned to receive artemether-lumefantrine (n = 245) or artesunate and mefloquine (n = 245) and were followed for 42 days. All patients had rapid initial clinical and parasitological responses. In both groups, the PCR adjusted cure rates by day 42 were high: 98.8% (95% CI 96.4, 99.6%) for artemether-lumefantrine and 96.3% (95% CI 93.1, 98.0%) for artesunate-mefloquine. Both regimens were very well tolerated with no serious adverse events observed attributable to either combination.

Conclusion
Overall, this study confirms that these two artemisinin-based combinations remain highly effective and result in equivalent therapeutic responses in the treatment of highly drug-resistant falciparum malaria.
Neonatal androgenization of hypogonadal (hpg) male mice does not abolish estradiol-induced FSH production and spermatogenesis
Authors: Nwagwu Margaret O , Baines Helen , Kerr Jeffrey B , Ebling Francis JP 
Published: September 2005

Abstract

Background
Testicular development is arrested in the hypogonadal (hpg) mouse due to a congenital deficiency in hypothalamic gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) synthesis. Chronic treatment of male hpg mice with estradiol induces FSH synthesis and secretion, and causes testicular maturation and qualitatively normal spermatogenesis. As estradiol negative feedback normally inhibits FSH production in the male, this study tested whether this paradoxical response to estradiol in the male hpg mouse might be due to inadequate masculinisation or incomplete defeminization in the neonatal period. Previous studies have demonstrated that treatment of hpg mice with testosterone propionate in the immediate neonatal period is necessary to allow full reproductive behaviors to be expressed following suitable endocrine stimulation at adult ages.

Methods
Hpg mice were treated with 100 μg testosterone propionate or vehicle on postnatal day 2. At 35 days of age, subgroups of these mice were treated with silastic implants containing estradiol or cholesterol. Reproductive behavior was scored in tests with steroid-primed female mice, then testicular development was assessed histologically, and measures of pituitary FSH content made at 85 days of age.

Results
The neonatal testosterone propionate treatment successfully defeminized female litter mates, as revealed by impaired vaginal opening and deficiencies in lordosis behavior, and it allowed appropriate male reproductive behavior to be expressed in a proportion of the hpg males when tested at an adult age. However, neonatal androgen supplementation did not block or even reduce the subsequent actions of estradiol in increasing pituitary FSH content, nor did it affect the ability of estradiol to induce qualitatively normal spermatogenesis.

Conclusion
The ability of the hpg male to show a "female" neuroendocrine response to estradiol is not a result of inadequate androgenization during neonatal development, and thus the actions of estradiol revealed in this rodent model are not an artefact of incomplete sexual differentiation, but reflect a physiological role of estradiol occurring during a specific early temporal window of male reproductive development.
Natural history of the ERVWE1 endogenous retroviral locus
Authors: Bonnaud Bertrand , Beliaeff Jean , Bouton Olivier , Oriol Guy , Duret Laurent , Mallet François 
Published: September 2005

Abstract

Background
The human HERV-W multicopy family includes a unique proviral locus, termed ERVWE1, whose full-length envelope ORF was preserved through evolution by the action of a selective pressure. The encoded Env protein (Syncytin) is involved in hominoid placental physiology.

Results
In order to infer the natural history of this domestication process, a comparative genomic analysis of the human 7q21.2 syntenic regions in eutherians was performed. In primates, this region was progressively colonized by LTR-elements, leading to two different evolutionary pathways in Cercopithecidae and Hominidae, a genetic drift versus a domestication, respectively.

Conclusion
The preservation in Hominoids of a genomic structure consisting in the juxtaposition of a retrotransposon-derived MaLR LTR and the ERVWE1 provirus suggests a functional link between both elements.
Top-down precooled natural ventilation
Authors: Chenvidyakarn T , Woods A 
Published: September 2005

This paper studies the summertime regime of precooled natural ventilation of an auditorium or other occupied open-plan space equipped with a high-level vent and a low-level vent. A chiller unit is connected to the high-level vent to provide precooling. Fresh air from the exterior comes into the room through the high-level vent passing through the precooling system. Precooled air then produces negative (downward) buoyancy, which overcomes positive (upward) buoyancy produced by the occupants, and displaces original air in the room downwards and out through the low-level vent. This leads to an equilibrium in which a steady downflow is maintained, and in which the room becomes thermally uniform at a temperature below that of the exterior. A quantitative model is developed to describe these conditions and successfully tested with analogue laboratory experiments. The model shows that for a given room geometry and chiller, there is a maximum heat load which can be accommodated while maintaining ventilation and thermal comfort through downward ventilation. We show how effective and energy-efficient ventilation may be achieved through coordinated adjustment of the vent area and the amount of cooling. Practical application: Top-down precooled natural ventilation can be an effective and energy efficient technique for providing thermal and ventilation comfort in a wide range of modern buildings during high summer or in warm climates. The present work describes how the system works, and how it may be controlled to achieve satisfactory results in terms of comfort and energy efficiency.
Multiglazed windows: potential for savings in energy, emissions and cost
Authors: Menzies GF , Wherrett JR 
Published: September 2005

This paper details case studies undertaken in four office buildings in Edinburgh, Scotland. Analyses were undertaken of the energy requirements to maintain room temperature in each building. Alternative high performance window specifications were analysed and compared to results for existing specifications. Comparisons were made between the additional embodied energy and associated emissions, and financial cost required to install higher performance windows at the initial build stage, and the potential savings in life-cycle energy and running costs. Results showed substantial savings can be made over the lifespan of windows by optimizing specification. Payback periods for energy and financial cost for some window systems were within acceptable limits, when specified in the initial build. The financial payback periods for replacement windows were higher, emphasizing the need for sustainable and energy efficient choices at the initial design stage. Practical application: This paper contains recent case study findings and practical issues relating to the embodied energy of materials and components used in multiglazed windows; and life cycle costing issues which prevail in all current building sectors. Many construction professionals are calling for more detailed and widely available information relating to the sustainability of building components. Pressure is rising for manufacturers and suppliers to meet this demand effectively. 1 Introduction
Content Differences for Abstract and Concrete Concepts
Authors: Katja Wiemer‐Hastings Katja , Xu Xu 
Published: September 2005

AbstractConcept properties are an integral part of theories of conceptual representation and processing. To date, little is known about conceptual properties of abstract concepts, such as idea. This experiment systematically compared the content of 18 abstract and 18 concrete concepts, using a feature generation task. Thirty‐one participants listed characteristics of the concepts (i.e., item properties) or their relevant context (i.e., context properties). Abstract concepts had significantly fewer intrinsic item properties and more properties expressing subjective experiences than concrete concepts. Situation components generated for abstract and concrete concepts differed in kind, but not in number. Abstract concepts were predominantly related to social aspects of situations. Properties were significantly less specific for abstract than for concrete concepts. Thus, abstractness emerged as a function of several, both qualitative and quantitative, factors.
Deontic Reasoning With Emotional Content: Evolutionary Psychology or Decision Theory?
Authors: Perham Nick , Oaksford Mike 
Published: September 2005

AbstractThree experiments investigated the contrasting predictions of the evolutionary and decision‐theoretic approaches to deontic reasoning. Two experiments embedded a hazard management (HM) rule in a social contract scenario that should lead to competition between innate modules. A 3rd experiment used a pure HM task. Threatening material was also introduced into the antecedent, p, of a deontic rule, if p then must q. According to the evolutionary approach, more HM responses (Cosmides & Tooby, 2000) are predicted when p is threatening, whereas decision theory predicts fewer. All 3 experiments were consistent with decision theory. Other theories are discussed, and it is concluded that they cannot account for the behavior observed in these experiments.
Evolution and the Study of Human Behaviour: A Primer for the Scientist—Practitioner
Authors: Daws Alisdair G. , Boyd Candice P. 
Published: September 2005

AbstractThe theory of evolution has transformed biology from a largely descriptive science to a causal one. However, few psychologists have a thorough understanding of evolution. As a result, psychologists tend not to consider evolutionary explanations for the phenomena they investigate, or they present flawed evolutionary arguments that violate fundamental principles of evolutionary theory. The primary objective of this article is to outline the basic principles of evolution as they relate to the study of behaviour in general. The article then goes on to demonstrate the application of evolutionary theory to the study of human behaviour in particular, and concludes with a discussion of problems that can occur when evolutionary theory is applied incorrectly.
The Effectiveness of Group Triple P and the Impact of the Four Telephone Contacts
Authors: Gallart Sonia C. , Matthey Stephen 
Published: September 2005

AbstractThe aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of the four telephone contact sessions that are prescribed as an integral component of the Group Triple P parenting program, and to compare the efficacy of Group Triple P to a waitlist control group. Parents of children aged 2 to 8 years were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: the usual Group Triple P program, consisting of four group sessions and four telephone calls (n = 16); a modified Group Triple P condition, consisting of just the four group sessions (n = 17); or a waitlist control condition (n = 16). Pre- and post-intervention assessments were conducted using the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI), the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) and the Parenting Scale (PS). Statistically and clinically significant main effects were found for attending either the full Triple P or the modified Triple P program on both the DASS and the ECBI, but not on the participant's perception of their parenting style (PS). We conclude that (a) the four telephone sessions are not an essential component for the initial effectiveness of the Group Triple P program (though further research needs to explore whether they impact on maintenance of gains), and (b) that Group Triple P is effective in bringing about change, as measured using these self-report instruments.
Selective Information-Processing in Depressed Children and Adolescents: Is There a Difference in Processing of Self-Referent and Other-Referent Information?
Authors: Timbremont Benedikte , Braet Caroline 
Published: September 2005

AbstractIn this study, selective memory-processing of self-referent and other-referent information in depressed children was examined. A control group (N = 50) and a depressed group (N = 22) were given two intentional self-referent encoding tasks, in which participants were presented with positive and negative adjectives. In the first experiment, participants were given self-referent and structural instructions. The second experiment included a self-referent instruction and an other-referent instruction. The encoding tasks were followed by a recall task. The results of the first experiment supported the selective processing hypothesis for self-referent information in depressed children and adolescents. However, the recall ratios of positive and negative information after focusing on self and others in the second experiment revealed that depressed children diverted their attention away from negative self-referent information and displayed memory-processing similar to nondepressed children.
The Application of Cognitive—Behaviour Therapy in Altering Illness Representations of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Authors: Goodman Donna , Morrissey Shirley , Graham Deborah , Bossingham David 
Published: September 2005

AbstractThere is evidence to suggest that illness representations are associated with chronic illness outcomes. Accordingly, several authors have recommended that interventions aimed at improving illness outcomes should include an illness-representations component. While a few researchers have attempted to develop such interventions for chronic illness and chronic pain, no such intervention has been developed for individuals with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a chronic auto-immune illness which results in a variety of negative physical and psychological symptoms. This article reports on a pilot program that investigated the feasibility of a cognitive and behavioural—based intervention for treating SLE which included an illness-representations-change component. The effectiveness of the intervention compared to usual treatment for SLE was evaluated. Also investigated was whether changed illness representations had a beneficial effect on physical health and psychological wellbeing. It was found that the intervention did change participants' treatment control and emotional representations, and that perceived stress was reduced following the intervention. The importance of these findings is discussed, two rival hypotheses for the findings obtained are explored and directions for future research are suggested.
Cognitive Change During Treatment of Compulsive Checking
Authors: Overton Sarah M. , Menzies Ross G. 
Published: September 2005

AbstractCognitive variables hypothesised to be mediating obsessive—compulsive behaviour include an overestimation of the probability and consequences of danger, a sense of overinflated personal responsibility for harm to oneself or others, a belief in the overimportance of thoughts, a lack of confidence in memory, an intolerance of uncertainty and a need to control thoughts. In the present study, the relationship between these variables and improvement in OCD symptoms was examined. Fourteen obsessive—compulsives with checking concerns completed a 12-session treatment program of exposure and response prevention (ERP). Before and after treatment, subjects completed the Maudsley Obsessional-Compulsive Inventory (MOCI) and a self-rating of severity (SER), and each week they completed the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (YBOCS) and answered seven questions that were used to rate their beliefs in the six cognitive domains outlined above. Changes in perception of danger, intolerance of uncertainty and need to control thoughts all correlated significantly with improvement in symptoms. Moreover, significant changes in these variables occurred immediately prior to or concurrent with major symptom improvement, supporting the possibility that they are mediators of the disorder. Changes in ratings of responsibility, overimportance of thoughts and confidence in memory were not related to improvements in compulsive checking on any scale and, in the case of responsibility, ratings actually increased (i.e., worsened) in the week prior to major improvement in symptoms. For most subjects, major reductions in responsibility ratings only took place after symptom reduction. The implications of these findings for the role of these variables in mediating obsessive—compulsive checking are discussed.
APOE genotypes and dyslipidemias in a sample of the Portuguese population
Authors: Rodrigues Maria Odete , Fonseca Aidil , Matias Dias Carlos , Albergaria Isabel , Martins Gisela , Liseta Alpendre Maria , Martins Maria do Carmo 
Published: September 2005

AbstractThe objective of this work was to study the distribution of apolipoprotein E (
Erythrocyte zinc content in critically ill patients
Authors: Cutinha Darren , Vaja Sashi , Treacher David , Swaminathan R. 
Published: September 2005

AbstractAbnormalities in thyroid hormone metabolism are common in critically ill patients. However, it is not known if these patients are truly hypothyroid at tissue level. Erythrocyte zinc has been shown to be a tissue marker of thyroid hormone status. In this study we have measured the erythrocyte zinc in critically ill patients.In this observational study we measured the zinc content of young erythrocytes in blood samples from 33 healthy subjects, 26 hypothyroid patients, four hyperthyroid patients, and 44 patients in the intensive care unit – 22 of these were admitted after a major surgical procedure (surgical group) and the other 22 patients had a variety of conditions (non-surgical group). Erythrocytes were separated according to age by centrifugation. Plasma thyroid hormone concentrations were abnormal in 70% of the critically ill group. Erythrocyte zinc was significantly lower in hyperthyroid patients and higher in hypothyroid patients. In the non-surgical patients, erythrocyte zinc of young cells (median 256μmol/L of cells) was significantly higher than (p<0.01) the corresponding cells in the healthy controls (202μmol/L of cells), whereas in the surgical group it was not different (197μmol/L of cells). We conclude that in non-surgical critically ill patients, erythrocyte zinc content is higher, suggesting that these patients may be hypothyroid at tissue level.
Systemic levels of interleukin-6 and matrix metalloproteinase-9 in patients with multiple myeloma may be useful as prognostic indexes of bone disease
Authors: Sfiridaki Aikaterini , Miyakis Spiros , Tsirakis George , Alegakis Athanassios , Passam Andreas M. , Kandidaki Ermioni , Margioris Andrew N. , Alexandrakis Michael G. 
Published: September 2005

AbstractMultiple myeloma is characterized by accelerated production of the proteolytic enzyme matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9. We hypothesized that myeloma-produced MMP-9 may influence the rate of bone turnover in a paracrine manner. Thus, we examined the correlations of MMP-9 levels, disease severity, and bone turnover rate as evaluated by markers of bone formation and resorption.Thirty-seven newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients (nine of Durie-Salmon stage I, 12 of stage II and 16 of stage III) and 12 age-matched controls were studied. Serum MMP-9 levels were significantly higher at stage II compared to stage I (188.78±91.27 vs. 59.25±33.09 ng/mL, p<0.004). Additionally, free urine pyridinolines (F-Pyd), free urine deoxy-pyridinolines (F-Dpd) and urine N-telopeptide fragment (NTx) were elevated, their level correlating with disease stage (p<0.001, p<0.03, p<0.001, respectively), as were bone marrow infiltration and serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels (p<0.0001, p<0.01, respectively). MMP-9 levels were lower in patients compared with controls (p<0.001), whereas IL-6 and bone resorption marker levels were higher in patients than in controls (p<0.001 in all cases). Significant correlation was found between infiltration, MMP-9, free urine pyd, free urine dpd and NTx for each stage of the disease (p<0.03, p<0.003, p<0.002, p<0.003 and p<0.001, respectively). Levels of MMP-9 and of IL-6 in multiple myeloma correlate well with bone turnover rate and may be useful in disease evaluation.
Analysis of the applicability of artificial neural networks for studying blood plasma: determination of magnesium ion concentration as a case study
Authors: Liparini Alexandre , Carvalho Sandra , Belchior Jadson C. 
Published: September 2005

AbstractArtificial neural networks are suggested for use in predicting metal ion concentration in human blood plasma. Simulated and available experimental data are used to train the artificial neural network. Particularly, using 850 simulated samples, the network predicted the magnesium-free ion concentration with an average error smaller than 1%. Clinical data recently reported for 20 patients were considered and the artificial neural network predicted the concentration of free magnesium ion with an average error of about 6%. Overall, the approach of using artificial neural networks as an alternative or complementary strategy to deal with the analysis of human blood plasma can be useful for clinical diagnostics, if there is sufficient data to train the artificial neural network.