bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Mesenchymal Stem Cells Inhibit the Expression of CD25 (Interleukin‐2 Receptor) and CD38 on Phytohaemagglutinin‐Activated Lymphocytes
Authors: Le Blanc K. , Rasmusson I. , Götherström C. , Seidel C. , Sundberg B. , Sundin M. , Rosendahl K. , Tammik C. , Ringdén O. 
Published: August 2004

AbstractMesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are immunomodulatory and inhibit lymphocyte proliferation. We studied surface expression of lymphocyte activation markers and secreted cytokines, when lymphocytes were activated in the presence of MSC. MSC suppressed the proliferation of phytohaemagglutinin (PHA)‐stimulated CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes. MSC significantly reduced the expression of activation markers CD25, CD38 and CD69 on PHA‐stimulated lymphocytes. Mixed lymphocyte culture (MLC) supernatants containing MSC suppressed proliferation of MLC and PHA‐stimulated lymphocytes dose‐dependently. MSC secrete osteoprotegerin (OPG), but not hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) or transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β). Stromal‐cell‐derived factor‐1 (SDF‐1) is not expressed on the cell surface. A recent report suggested that T‐cell suppression by MSC is mediated by HGF and TGF‐β. MSC suppression was not restored by the addition of neutralizing antibodies against SDF‐1, OPG, HGF or TGF‐β, alone or in combination. Addition of guanosine to PHA‐stimulated lymphocyte cultures containing MSC did not affect lymphocyte proliferation. The immunosuppressive effects of cyclosporine and MSC did not interfere, when present in the cultures of PHA‐activated lymphocytes. In summary, human MSC suppress proliferation of both CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocyte and decrease the expression of activation markers.
How is money spent on children's services?
Authors: Thalange N. , Gardner C. , Reading R. 
Published: August 2004

AbstractFinance and activity data for the year 1999–2000 were used to identify the money spent on children's services in health and social care in a county with a population of 790 000. Total costs were almost £80m. Considerable amounts were spent on high cost, low volume activity. Local health and social care commissioners require this information to implement and monitor changes in children's services, particularly in light of the UK government proposals for children's trusts.
The measure of processes of care (MPOC): validation of the Dutch translation
Authors: Van Schie P. E. M. , Siebes R. C. , Ketelaar M. , Vermeer A. 
Published: August 2004

AbstractAim  The objective was to validate the Dutch translation of the Canadian measure of processes of care (MPOC) questionnaire for use in children's rehabilitation centres in the Netherlands. MPOC consists of 56 items (assessing five domains) and was designed to find out what parents of children with chronic health problems think of the services they and their child receive and to measure the extent to which these services are family‐centred.Methods  The Canadian validation procedures were followed, consisting of construct and concurrent validation and reliability analyses. Participants were parents of 427 children aged 1–18 years recruited through nine children's rehabilitation centres in the Netherlands.Results  The construct validity of the Dutch version of MPOC (MPOC‐NL) was examined with confirmative analyses of the scale structure. These analyses all supported the construct validity of MPOC‐NL. MPOC‐NL showed adequate internal consistency, with Cronbach's α ranging from 0.80 to 0.95. The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) ranged from 0.79 to 0.94, which demonstrated good stability of MPOC‐NL. The Spearman correlations between MPOC‐NL scores and satisfaction questions ranged from 0.39 to 0.73, and thus supported the construct validity of MPOC‐NL. Correlations between MPOC‐NL scores and a question about parents’ stress in relation to services received were moderately negative (rs = −0.28 to −0.39).Conclusion  The construct and concurrent validity of MPOC‐NL was shown by confirmative analyses of the original Canadian scale structure, and by modest Spearman correlations between MPOC‐NL scores and satisfaction and stress variables. MPOC‐NL is internally consistent and reliable.
CD8α+ dendritic cells and immune protection from experimental allergic encephalomyelitis
Authors: PETTERSSON Å , WU X-C , CIUMAS C , LIAN H , CHIRSKY V , HUANG Y-M , BJELKE B , LINK H , XIAO B-G 
Published: August 2004

SUMMARYDendritic cells (DC) represent a phenotypically heterogeneous population endowed with two important biological functions, immunity and tolerance. Here we report that the injection of splenic CD8α+ DC, derived from rats with experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE), delayed the onset and suppressed the severity of EAE in Lewis rats. This was accompanied by the lack of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) lesions in the brain and spinal cord and by reduced numbers of inflammatory cells within the central nervous system. Injection of CD8α+ DC inhibited T cell proliferation that may relate to increased interferon (IFN)-γ and nitric oxide production. Although CD8+CD28– suppressor T cells, apoptotic cells and co-stimulatory molecules were not altered, CD4+ T cells expressing interleukin (IL)-10 were augmented in rats receiving CD8α+ DC compared to rats receiving total DC or medium. These results demonstrate that rat splenic CD8α+ DC could provide a cellular basis for a novel, individualized immunotherapy using autologous DC as a complement to conventional therapy in diseases with an autoimmune background such as multiple sclerosis.
Development of granulomatous common variable immunodeficiency subsequent to infection withToxoplasma gondii
Authors: MRUSEK S , MARX A , KÜMMERLE-DESCHNER J , TZARIBACHEV N , ENDERS A , RIEDE U-N , WARNATZ K , DANNECKER G E , EHL S 
Published: August 2004

SUMMARYCommon variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is a heterogeneous immunodeficiency that is accompanied by granulomatous lesions in 5–10% of cases. Why some patients develop granulomatous disease remains unclear. Here we describe a 12-year-old previously healthy girl who presented with pancytopenia and granulomatous lymphoproliferation subsequent to infection with Toxoplasma gondii. Loosely arranged non-fibrosing granulomas were observed in the liver, lymph nodes and lung, but no Toxoplasma tachyzoites could be demonstrated and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and culture were negative for Toxoplasma and a wide range of other pathogens. While the patient had a normal peripheral B cell status at presentation, the development of CVID could be observed during the following months, leading to a loss of memory B cells. This was accompanied by an increasingly activated CD4+ T cell compartment and high serum levels of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), tumour necrosis factor (TNF) and sCD25. Steroid therapy reduced pancytopenia, granulomatous lymphoproliferation and cytokine elevations, but did not improve the B cell status. This is the first report of an association of Toxoplasma infection with granulomatous CVID and provides one of the rare examples where the onset of CVID could be documented subsequent to an infectious disease.
CCTTT-repeat polymorphism of the inducible nitric oxide synthase is not associated with HIV pathogenesis
Authors:   THE SWISS HIV COHORT STUDY, HERSBERGER M , BONHOEFFER S , RAMPINI S K , OPRAVIL M , MARTI-JAUN J , TELENTI A , HÄNSELER E , LEDERGERBER B , SPECK R F 
Published: August 2004

SUMMARY
Nitric oxide (NO) produced by the inducible form of nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) has bactericidal and virocidal effects. Although NO synthesis and iNOS expression in macrophages affect several aspects of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type-1 pathogenesis, their role in HIV disease remains largely unknown. In humans, the expression of iNOS is influenced by a functional CCTTT-repeat polymorphism in the promoter region of the gene. We investigated the association of this polymorphism with HIV pathogenesis in naive HIV-infected patients before the initiation of antiretroviral therapy. The allele frequencies of the iNOS CCTTT-repeat polymorphism were assessed by PCR in 857 patients from the Swiss HIV Cohort Study, including rapid progressors and long-term nonprogressors, and in 240 healthy volunteers. In HIV-infected patients, the initial viral load and the decline in total CD4 cells was calculated to estimate disease progression. Allele frequencies of the iNOS CCTTT-repeat polymorphism were similar between the HIV-infected and noninfected blood donors. In treatment-naive HIV-positive patients, there was no association of the iNOS polymorphism with viral load or with the course of CD4 cells. Regulation of iNOS expression by the functional CCTTT-polymorphism does not modify HIV pathogenesis.
Optimization of sub‐band coding method for seismic data compression
Authors: Røsten Tage , Ramstad Tor A. , Amundsen Lasse 
Published: August 2004

ABSTRACTSeismic data volumes, which require huge transmission capacities and massive storage media, continue to increase rapidly due to acquisition of 3D and 4D multiple streamer surveys, multicomponent data sets, reprocessing of prestack seismic data, calculation of post‐stack seismic data attributes, etc. We consider lossy compression as an important tool for efficient handling of large seismic data sets. We present a 2D lossy seismic data compression algorithm, based on sub‐band coding, and we focus on adaptation and optimization of the method for common‐offset gathers. The sub‐band coding algorithm consists of five stages: first, a preprocessing phase using an automatic gain control to decrease the non‐stationary behaviour of seismic data; second, a decorrelation stage using a uniform analysis filter bank to concentrate the energy of seismic data into a minimum number of sub‐bands; third, an iterative classification algorithm, based on an estimation of variances of blocks of sub‐band samples, to classify the sub‐band samples into a fixed number of classes with approximately the same statistics; fourth, a quantization step using a uniform scalar quantizer, which gives an approximation of the sub‐band samples to allow for high compression ratios; and fifth, an entropy coding stage using a fixed number of arithmetic encoders matched to the corresponding statistics of the classified and quantized sub‐band samples to achieve compression. Decompression basically performs the opposite operations in reverse order. We compare the proposed algorithm with three other seismic data compression algorithms. The high performance of our optimized sub‐band coding method is supported by objective and subjective results.
Multiple cognitive deficits during the transition to Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Bäckman L. , Jones S. , Berger A.‐K. , Laukka E. J. , Small B. J. 
Published: August 2004

Abstract.The literature on cognitive markers in preclinical AD is reviewed. The findings demonstrate that impairment in multiple cognitive domains is typically observed several years before clinical diagnosis. Measures of executive functioning, episodic memory and perceptual speed appear to be most effective at identifying at‐risk individuals. The fact that these cognitive domains are most implicated in normal cognitive aging suggests that the cognitive deficit observed preclinically is not qualitatively different from that observed in normal aging. The degree of cognitive impairment prior to the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) appears to generalize relatively well across major study characteristics, including sample ascertainment procedures, age and cognitive status of participants, as well as time to diagnosis of dementia. In episodic memory, there is evidence that the size of the preclinical deficit increases with increasing cognitive demands. The global cognitive impairment observed is highly consistent with observations that multiple brain structures and functions are affected long before the diagnosis of AD. However, there is substantial overlap in the distribution of cognitive scores between those who will and those who will not be diagnosed with AD, hence limiting the clinical utility of cognitive markers for early identification of cases. Future research should consider combining cognitive indicators with other types of markers (i.e. social, somatic, genetic, brain‐based) in order to increase prediction accuracy.
P‐75  Development of an in vitro test to evaluate cerumen‐dissolving properties of veterinary ear cleansing solutions
Authors: Nielloud F. , Reme C. A. , Fortune R. , Laget J. P. , Mestres G. , Gatto H. 
Published: August 2004

This study aimed to evaluate objectively the cleansing properties of four veterinary ear care solutions. An in vitro test was developed, based on dissolution of synthetic dog cerumen in test tubes. Artificial cerumen was produced, based on literature data, with a melting point and consistency very close to natural canine cerumen. One millilitre of test solution was poured into haemolysis tubes containing 100 mg of synthetic cerumen. Contact time was 10 min at 37°C. Moderate agitation was then applied for 10 s to mimic in vivo application. Solutions were vacuum‐filtered on filter paper and cerumen remaining in the tube or on the paper was weighed after drying. The experiment was repeated five times for each formulation. One‐way ANOVA was performed to detect differences between formulations. In order to validate the test, measurement of the solution wetting power was performed in parallel using the reference ISO 8022 method. Mean quantities of cerumen dissolved were 4.7, 6.5, 7.7, 14.7 and 23.2 mg for Cerulane®, Otolane®, distilled water (control), Otoclean® and Physiological Ear Cleanser®, respectively. The latter was the only solution that demonstrated greater ability for cerumen dissolution as compared to water (P < 0.05). Macroscopically, Physiological Ear Cleanser® solution became white and opaque in test tubes, reflecting the formation of an emulsion. Other solutions remained clear or only partially turbid. This cerumen dissolution test proved a practical and valuable model to assess the cleansing power of ear solutions before in vivo trials. Funding: Virbac SA.
FC‐41  A prospective pilot study on the use of cyclosporin on feline allergic diseases
Authors: Noli C. , Scarampella F. 
Published: August 2004

The efficacy of cyclosporin in canine atopic dermatitis has been well documented, but reports on its use in feline allergic dermatoses are scarce. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of cyclosporin in cats affected by pruritus and eosinophilic dermatoses. Ten otherwise healthy cats were selected. All cats had no response to a hypoallergenic diet trial, had not been treated with short‐acting corticosteroids or antihistamines for at least 2 weeks, had not been treated with long‐acting steroids for 2 months, and had been treated with endo‐ and ectoparasiticidal drugs with no improvement 2 weeks before entering the study. All cats were pruritic and had erythema, seven had alopecia, five had an eosinophilic plaque, three had facial pruritus, one had miliary dermatitis, and one had an eosinophilic granuloma. Cyclosporin was administered daily at the dosage of 5 mg/kg for 1 month. Owners assessed pruritus by means of a visual analogue scale, and veterinarians evaluated cutaneous lesions on days 0 and 30 by a newly developed index called Feline Eosinophilic Granuloma, Eosinophilic Plaque, Extension and Severity Index (FEGEPESI), similar to the Canine Atopic Dermatitis Extension and Severity Index (CADESI). Fifty percent of the cats had a reduction of pruritus ≥ 50%, and in 50% of the animals, the lesions improved or disappeared completely. However, overall pruritus and FEGEPESI scores did not improve significantly. In conclusion, cyclosporin was helpful in symptomatically treating about half of the cases of feline pruritus and eosinophilic dermatitides. Funding: Novartis.
Functioning of family nursing in transition: an example of a small town in Poland. Are there any benefits for patients?
Authors: Marcinowicz Ludmiła , Chlabicz Sławomir 
Published: August 2004

AbstractObjective  To evaluate whether organizational changes in the Polish health care system affected patients’ opinions about selected aspects of the quality of care provided by family nurses.Design  Two independent surveys conducted in 1998 and 2002 using face‐to‐face interviews with structured questionnaires.Setting and participants  The study was performed in a small town in Poland, where family physicians were introduced in 1995. The study groups consisted of two samples of patients randomly selected from those registered on the patient list. Altogether 1000 interviews were obtained in survey I (in 1998) and 1000 from another sample in survey II (in 2002). In 1998, family nurses were employed by family physicians, but in 2002 they had established their own practices and held direct contracts with the National Health Fund.Results  The surveys carried out at a 4‐year interval showed a significant increase in the percentage of patients reporting home visits by family nurses, both at the request of physicians and on the nurses’ own initiative (from 16.3 to 45.8%, P < 0.05). Comparative analysis showed that in survey II the percentage of the respondents who were satisfied with nursing care increased from 35.8 to 53.6% (P < 0.05).Conclusion  Care provided by independent nurses was available to a larger group of patients. Patients were more satisfied with the services of family nurses working as independent contractors. The investigations in the present study should be supplemented by a qualitative study.
Non‐pharmacologic treatment strategies in gastroesophageal reflux disease
Authors: SOLLANO JOSE D 
Published: August 2004

Abstract  In the West, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common and well‐recognized disease. Lately, it has been described as an emerging problem in the East as well. While it is not a rapidly fatal illness, it causes a myriad of disturbing symptoms that remarkably reduce the patients’ quality of life (QOL). The economic impact that results from multiple consultations, diagnostic investigations, and administration of a variety of treatment regimens, including surgery, is enormous.The operative management for GERD is fundoplication, for example Toupet (270 degree wrap of the distal esophagus) and Nissen (360 degree wrap of the distal esophagus). These surgical procedures are aimed at permanently controlling acid reflux by reconstructing the gastroesophageal junction. Currently, the ease, aesthetic advantages, and the comparable outcomes achieved by minimally invasive laparoscopic fundoplication have rekindled interest in the operative alternatives of GERD management. Fundoplication controls or diminishes considerably the severity of the symptoms associated with GERD. However, appearance of new symptoms i.e. dysphagia, ‘gas–bloat syndrome’, etc. as postoperative events have been reported.Recently, several innovative endoluminal treatment modalities have been introduced, namely; endoscopic plicator/suturing devices, bulking injections, and radiofrequency treatment. They are focused on enhancing the performance of a malfunctioning lower esophageal sphincter. While results of several case series reflect substantial improvements in GERD‐HRQL scores, lack of long‐term durability data is a major concern when recommending these novel, relatively simple, peroral techniques to a long suffering patient. It is clear that these therapies are still evolving and long‐term outcomes of properly designed comparative efficacy trials are awaited.
Stoichiometry of actual vs. potential predator–prey interactions: insights into nitrogen limitation for arthropod predators
Authors: Fagan William F. , Denno Robert F. 
Published: August 2004

AbstractLiterature‐compiled data sets demonstrate wide interspecific variation in nitrogen content among terrestrial arthropods and raise the possibility of nitrogen (N) limitation for predatory species. It remains unclear, however, whether the same disparities between N supply and demand that appear in literature compilations also exist in particular ecological communities. To address this uncertainty, we compared arthropod predator–prey stoichiometries derived from a compiled database with those from a natural Spartina saltmarsh community. Separate assessments of potential N‐limitation were made for arthropod predators feeding on herbivores and for intraguild predators feeding on intraguild prey. Relative to the compiled database, saltmarsh consumer–resource interactions exhibited increased disparity between N‐content of herbivores and N‐demand by predators. The high N content of saltmarsh arachnids relative to predatory insects at large may contribute to the supply‐demand disparity. Whether N‐limitation of terrestrial arthropod predators is widespread in the marsh, and in nature in general, depends sensitively on the predatory species’ gross growth efficiencies for N and carbon. Obtaining hard empirical data for these efficiency parameters should be a research goal.
A bidirectional gene trap construct suitable for T‐DNA and Ds‐mediated insertional mutagenesis in rice (Oryza sativa L.)
Authors: Eamens Andrew L. , Blanchard Chris L. , Dennis Elizabeth S. , Upadhyaya Narayana M. 
Published: August 2004

SummaryA construct suitable for genome‐wide transfer‐DNA (T‐DNA) and subsequent transposon‐based (Ds) gene trapping has been developed for use in rice (Oryza sativa). This T‐DNA/Ds construct contains: Ds terminal sequences immediately inside T‐DNA borders for subsequent Ds mobilization; promoterless green fluorescent protein (sgfpS65T) and β‐glucuronidase (uidA) reporter genes, each fused to an intron (from Arabidopsis GPA1 gene) to enable bidirectional gene trapping by T‐DNA or Ds; an ampicillin resistance gene (bla) and a bacterial origin of replication (ori) to serve as the plasmid rescue system; an intron‐containing hygromycin phosphotransferase gene (hph) as a selectable marker or Ds tracer; and an intron‐containing barnase gene in the binary vector backbone (VB) to select against transformants carrying unwanted VB sequences. More than a threefold increase over previously reported reporter gene‐based gene trapping efficiencies was observed in primary T‐DNA/Ds transformant rice lines, returning an overall reporter gene expression frequency of 23%. Of the plant organs tested, 3.3–7.4% expressed either reporter at varying degrees of organ or tissue specificity. Approximately 70% of the right border (RB) flanking sequence tags (FSTs) retained 1–6 bp of the RB repeat and 30% of the left border (LB) FSTs retained 5–23 bp of the LB repeat. The remaining FSTs carried deletions of 2–84 bp inside the RB or 1–97 bp inside the LB. Transposition of Ds from the original T‐DNA was evident in T‐DNA/Ds callus lines super‐transformed with a transposase gene (Ac) construct, as indicated by gene trap reporter activity and rescue of new FSTs in the resulting double transformant lines.