bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Review article: influence of Helicobacter pylori on gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease in Japan
Authors: Haruma K. 
Published: December 2004

SummaryThere is circumstantial evidence that infection with Helicobacter pylori is relatively protective for the occurrence of gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease (GERD). It has been suggested that the Japanese population are protected against reflux oesophagitis by their high prevalence of H. pylori associated gastritis. Such gastritis, when becoming chronic, can lead to gastric atrophy, thereby reducing the likelihood of GERD. If this hypothesis is correct, the effects of H. pylori induced gastritis may be an important factor determining the earlier lower prevalence of oesophagitis in Japan, where this infection is especially common. In support of this idea a reduced prevalence of H. pylori infection in Japan, as is now being observed in young Japanese adults, may be, at least in part, responsible for the upsurge in the number of cases of reflux disease in Japan. Concomitantly, H. pylori eradication therapy in patients with gastritis or peptic ulcer disease, which is associated with an increase in gastric acid secretion, may also be at least partly responsible for the increased prevalence of reflux oesophagitis in the Japanese population.
Laparoscopy in the management of colorectal cancer metastatic to the liver
Authors: Koea Jonathan , Rodgers Michael , Thompson Paul , Woodfield John , Holden Andrew , McCall John 
Published: December 2004

Background:  This investigation was undertaken to define the value of laparoscopy in the staging of patients with colorectal carcinoma metastatic to the liver.Methods:  The clinical details of 59 consecutive patients with colorectal liver metastases undergoing laparoscopy prior to planned hepatectomy were entered prospectively on a computerized database. All patients were staged preoperatively with thin slice (5−7 mm) helical computed tomography chest, abdomen and pelvis. Synchronous metastases were defined as those found during, or on imaging carried out within 1 month of, colorectal resection. Criteria for laparoscopic unresectability were: (i) histologically proven extrahepatic disease; (ii) bilateral inflow or outflow involvement; (iii) the presence of cirrhosis in patients requiring an extended resection (lobectomy or greater); or (iv) hepatic metastases involving more than six hepatic segments.Results:  In 24 patients with synchronous metastases (median age 65 years, range 32−81 years) all were resectable on laparoscopic criteria, of whom 21 were resected. Extrahepatic disease was found at laparotomy in three patients. In 35 patients with metachronous metastases (median age 64 years, range 32−81 years) laparoscopy could not be performed in five patients because of adhesions, and three patients were deemed unresectable on laparoscopic criteria. Of the remaining 27 patients, 25 underwent resection while two proved unresectable. Overall eight of 54 evaluable patients had unresectable disease and laparoscopy correctly identified three patients.Conclusions:  Following computed tomography scan, 15% of patients with metastatic colorectal carcinoma will be found to have unresectable disease. Laparoscopy will identify approximately half. Laparoscopy is of no greater value in staging synchronous versus metachronous metastases.
Relationship between living arrangements and the psychological well‐being of older people in Hong Kong
Authors: Ng Ka‐Man , Lee Tatia MC , Chi Iris 
Published: November 2004

Objectives:  This study explored the relationship between three types of living arrangements, namely living alone, living with family, and living in a hostel, and the psychological well‐being of older people in Hong Kong. The impact of various sociodemographic factors on the choice of living arrangements of older people was also studied. Methods:  Ninety healthy Hong Kong Chinese were recruited from four multi‐service centres and one hostel. An individual interview was conducted with each participant and the General Health Questionnaire‐12 and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale‐10 were administered. Results:  The results suggested that the psychological well‐being of older people living in hostels was better than that of older people living alone, but that the psychological well‐being of older people living with their family was not different from that of older people living alone. Conclusion:  That the psychological well‐being of older people in different living arrangements is different may be explained by the differences in time for leisure, access to social services, as well as changes in their attitude towards co‐residence with children.
What hinders and what helps? Searching for solutions to mature aged unemployment and the residential aged care workforce crisis
Authors: Price Kay , Alde Pamela , Provis Chris , Harris Roger , Stack Sue 
Published: November 2004

Objective:  This paper provides an overview of a research project that investigated strategies to address the workforce crisis currently threatening the provision of health and residential care services to Australia's rapidly ageing population. Underpinning this project's development was the need to understand why, in the face of high levels of sustained mature age unemployment (and under‐employment) and the urgent need for staff in residential and community aged care, mature aged people do not consider, or are unable to undertake, further education and training to gain the necessary skills to work in this particular area. Methods:  This descriptive and exploratory study used a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods. Informed by a critical review of the literature, data were collected from interviews with four participants (aged 40 years or older) as they undertook specific education and training in aged care services, and from a survey of 145 randomly selected mature aged unemployed (and under‐employed) persons. The survey and specific education and training program were located in South Australia. Results:  Findings from this study suggest that, for the mature aged unemployed person, age represents the single most significant barrier to obtaining paid employment. Evidence also exists to suggest a positive relationship between ageing and a person's willingness to undertake formal education, and/or to consider the work of caring for older people as a reasonable career option. However, the extent to which other factors such as health, time spent in unemployment (or under‐employment), type of qualification, and the psychological impact of being unemployed might have had an effect remains unclear. Conclusion:  This study challenges us to rethink how we value ageing, mature aged unemployment, mature aged education and aged care work. The findings have implications for the future of mature aged job seekers and the provision of adequate staffing for residential and community aged care services.
Emergency department admissions, older people, functional decline, and length of stay in hospital
Authors: Conforti David A , Basic David , Rowland Jeffrey T 
Published: November 2004

Objective:  Early identification of patients at risk of a prolonged admission to the hospital may allow targeted management decisions and discharge planning to begin in the emergency department. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of recent decline in function, measured in the emergency department, on length of stay (LOS) in the hospital. Methods:  A total of 469 patients with a mean age of 79.4 years presenting to the emergency department of a tertiary hospital were comprehensively assessed by a nurse practitioner. The Modified Barthel Index (MBI) was used to measure recent decline in function (MBI‐change, the decline in MBI in the month before the emergency visit). Other measures included recent decline in instrumental activities of daily living (IADL‐change, using the Lawton IADL Scale), Folstein Mini Mental State Examination, Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Waterlow Scale, Social Support Instrument (SSI), principal medical diagnosis, living arrangement, care needs, and self‐rated health. Using multivariate survival analysis, the influence of MBI‐change on LOS was modelled in 249 randomly selected patients, and validated in the remaining 220. Results:  In total, 327 patients (69.7%) were admitted to the hospital, for a median LOS of 10 days. In the modelling sample, variables significantly associated with LOS included MBI‐change (hazard ratio [HR] 0.92, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.85–0.98), IADL‐change (HR 1.14, 95% CI 1.02–1.28), whether known to the Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) (HR 1.65, 95% CI 1.04–2.59) and Waterlow score (HR 0.95, 95% CI 0.90–0.99). MBI‐change (HR 0.94, 95% CI 0.88–0.99) and Waterlow score (HR 0.95, 95% CI 0.91–0.99) were also significant predictors of LOS in the validation sample. Conclusions:  Recent decline in function predicts LOS in the hospital, is easy to measure in the emergency department, and may prove useful across the full spectrum of disease. It should be considered when formulating diagnostic and management plans, and when developing funding models.
Evidence for Involvement of at Least Six Proteins in Adaptation of
Lactobacillus sakei
to Cold Temperatures and Addition of NaCl
Authors: Marceau Anika , Zagorec Monique , Chaillou Stéphane , Méra Thérèse , Champomier-Vergès Marie-Christine 
Published: December 2004

ABSTRACT

Lactobacillus sakei
is a lactic acid bacterium widely represented in the natural flora of fresh meat. The aim of this study was to analyze the differences in protein expression during environmental changes encountered during technological processes in which
L. sakei
is involved in order to gain insight into the ability of this species to grow and survive in such environments. Using two-dimensional electrophoresis, we observed significant variation of a set of 21 proteins in cells grown at 4°C or in the presence of 4% NaCl. Six proteins could be identified by determination of their N-terminal sequences, and the corresponding gene clusters were studied. Two proteins belong to carbon metabolic pathways, and four can be clustered as general stress proteins. A phenotype was observed at low temperature for five of the six mutants constructed for these genes. The survival of four mutants during stationary phase at 4°C was affected, and surprisingly, one mutant showed enhanced survival during stationary phase at low temperatures.
Metabolic Fluxes in
Corynebacterium glutamicum
during Lysine Production with Sucrose as Carbon Source
Authors: Wittmann Christoph , Kiefer Patrick , Zelder Oskar 
Published: December 2004

ABSTRACT

Metabolic fluxes in the central metabolism were determined for lysine-producing
Corynebacterium glutamicum
ATCC 21526 with sucrose as a carbon source, providing an insight into molasses-based industrial production processes with this organism. For this purpose,
13
C metabolic flux analysis with parallel studies on [1-
13
C
Fru
]sucrose, [1-
13
C
Glc
]sucrose, and [
13
C
6
Fru
]sucrose was carried out.
C. glutamicum
directed 27.4% of sucrose toward extracellular lysine. The strain exhibited a relatively high flux of 55.7% (normalized to an uptake flux of hexose units of 100%) through the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP). The glucose monomer of sucrose was completely channeled into the PPP. After transient efflux, the fructose residue was mainly taken up by the fructose-specific phosphotransferase system (PTS) and entered glycolysis at the level of fructose-1,6-bisphosphate. Glucose-6-phosphate isomerase operated in the gluconeogenetic direction from fructose-6-phosphate to glucose-6-phosphate and supplied additional carbon (7.2%) from the fructose part of the substrate toward the PPP. This involved supply of fructose-6-phosphate from the fructose part of sucrose either by PTS
Man
or by fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase.
C. glutamicum
further exhibited a high tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle flux of 78.2%. Isocitrate dehydrogenase therefore significantly contributed to the total NADPH supply of 190%. The demands for lysine (110%) and anabolism (32%) were lower than the supply, resulting in an apparent NADPH excess. The high TCA cycle flux and the significant secretion of dihydroxyacetone and glycerol display interesting targets to be approached by genetic engineers for optimization of the strain investigated.
Uranyl Precipitation byPseudomonas aeruginosavia Controlled Polyphosphate Metabolism
Authors: Renninger Neil , Knopp Roger , Nitsche Heino , Clark Douglas S. , Keasling Jay D. 
Published: December 2004

ABSTRACTThe polyphosphate kinase gene fromPseudomonas aeruginosawas overexpressed in its native host, resulting in the accumulation of 100 times the polyphosphate seen with control strains. Degradation of this polyphosphate was induced by carbon starvation conditions, resulting in phosphate release into the medium. The mechanism of polyphosphate degradation is not clearly understood, but it appears to be associated with glycogen degradation. Upon suspension of the cells in 1 mM uranyl nitrate, nearly all polyphosphate that had accumulated was degraded within 48 h, resulting in the removal of nearly 80% of the uranyl ion and >95% of lesser-concentrated solutions. Electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy (TRLFS) suggest that this removal was due to the precipitation of uranyl phosphate at the cell membrane. TRLFS also indicated that uranyl was initially sorbed to the cell as uranyl hydroxide and was then precipitated as uranyl phosphate as phosphate was released from the cell. Lethal doses of radiation did not halt phosphate secretion from polyphosphate-filled cells under carbon starvation conditions.
Should selecting saviour siblings be banned?
Authors: Sheldon S , Wilkinson S 
Published: December 2004

By using tissue typing in conjunction with preimplantation genetic diagnosis doctors are able to pick a human embryo for implantation which, if all goes well, will become a “saviour sibling”, a brother or sister capable of donating life-saving tissue to an existing child.This paper addresses the question of whether this form of selection should be banned and concludes that it should not. Three main prohibitionist arguments are considered and found wanting: (a) the claim that saviour siblings would be treated as commodities; (b) a slippery slope argument, which suggests that this practice will lead to the creation of so-called “designer babies”; and (c) a child welfare argument, according to which saviour siblings will be physically and/or psychologically harmed.
Acupuncture and Transcutaneous Electric Stimulation in the Treatment of Chronic Sacrolumbalgia and Ischialgia
Authors: Laitinen Jaakko 
Published: November 2004

A comparison was made between 50 patients treated with acupuncture and 50 patients treated with transcutaneous electric stimulation. All patients suffered from chornic sacrolumbalgia or ischialgia of more than six months' duration. Two to 10 treatments were given at weekly sessions, the mean being 5 in both groups. Stimulation points were selected by the same principle in both groups: one point ialong the course of the nerve trunk affected, and one point at a dermatome proximal to the affected segment. The stimulation was given bilaterally. Needles were inserted as deep as the muscular layer and twirled at 5 min intervals. In the electric stimulation square-wave impulses of 1.0 msec duration and 5.0 Hz frequency were used. The electrodes were 0.9 cm in diameter. Each acupuncture and electric stimulation was of 20 min duration. Pain relief was complete or moderate in the acupuncture group in 58% of the cases, and in 46% in the electric stimulation group. After 2 months 30 patients in the acupuncture group and 23 patients in the electric stimulation group still reported satisfactory relief of pain. After 6 months 15 patients in the acupuncture group and 10 patients in the electric stimulation of group still reported satisfactory relief of pain.
Effect of Glycyrrhizin on Lysosomes Labilization by Phospholipase A2
Authors: Shiki Yasuko , Ishikawa Yo , Shirai Kohji , Saito Yasushi , Yoshida Sho 
Published: November 2004

The influence of glycyrrhizin on the effect of phospholipase A2 on lysosomes was studied. Treatment of rat liver lysosomes with venom phospholipase A2 caused release of acid phosphatase. This release of acid phosphatase was inhibited by 0.1 mM glycyrrhizin. Glycyrrhizin also inhibited acid phospholiase A2 with pH optimum of 4.5, which is thought to be present in the lysosomal membrane. These results suggests that glycyrrhizin stabilizes lysosomes by inhibiting phospholipase A2 activity in the lysosomal membrane.
Effects of Hachimijiogan, Tokishakuyakusan and Keishibukuryogan on Estrogen and Progesterone Secretions by Rat Preovulatory Follicles
Authors: Usuki Satoshi 
Published: November 2004

Ovaries of rats 48 hours after injection of 10 IU PMS when 27 days old were incubated or perifused with NIH-LH, Hachimijiogan (TJ-7), Tokishakuyakusan (TJ-23) and Keishibukuryogan (TJ-25). TJ-7, TJ-23 and TJ-25 decreased estradiol-17 β(E2) and LH effects on progesterone secretions, while they increased progesterone in media and LH effects on E2 secretions. These results suggest that TJ-7, TJ-23 and TJ-25 stimulates preovulatory follicles to secrete progesterone but to suppress E2 secretions. Furthermore, it is indicated their combination treatment with LH multiplies the sole effect of LH on E2 secretions but suppresses LH effects on progesterone.
A DYNAMIC CONCEPTUAL MODEL TO EXPLORE TECHNOLOGY-BASED PERTURBATIONS TO A COMPLEX SYSTEM: THE LAND FORCE
Authors: CURTIS NEVILLE J. , DORTMANS PETER J. 
Published: December 2004

Conceptual models are the critical first step to gaining distilled insights of complex systems. We use influence diagrams to link intuitive measures for Land Force actions with the inputs of the environment, and friendly and threat force actions. This approach provides a rich semiquantitative model that allows exploration of the effect of perturbation introduced through the adoption of enhanced equipment, innovative operational concepts, or novel technology concepts. We have built a construct for the Army based upon a set of influence diagrams for the skills of: engagement; information collection; sustainment; communication; protection; movement; and decision making. These produce mental maps that link military technologies, desired effects, and higher-level outcomes. Thus, there is a gradation of type within the influence diagram with position the key to the nature of the variable. In this paper we describe these models and how we use them to deduce likely future military concepts through "what if" contemplations of possible technology or environmental changes. In reverse, this process advises on the criticality of the constituent components. Inter-relationships between various skills and issues associated with balancing requirements between these will be highlighted. This work thus leads to further distillation-like simulations such as agent-based modeling.
Knowledge Combustion: A Knowledge Chemistry Approach and a Description of the Process of Information Dissipation
Authors: Randles Theodore J. , Fadlalla Adam 
Published: November 2004

Weaving concepts from the decision making, information systems, telemedicine, cognitive psychology, and epistemology literatures, we propose a knowledge combustion analogy to explain the relation between information, knowledge, and action. By linking these concepts to engine mechanics, which are well-understood physical systems, the knowledge combustion analogy provides a framework that might extend knowledge management theory. The analogy suggests that different knowledge types are used to extract value from information, which results in insight. This insight culminates in action, and this action produces new insights, to generate systematic action. Hence, the analogy provides a description of the process of information dissipation, which is not well understood.The paper presents specifications for four blends of knowledge, which rely on three types of pragmatic knowledge. Each knowledge blend is designed to fuel a different form of knowledge combustion, and each form of knowledge combustion permits the attainment of a different form of insight. Finally, each knowledge blend requires the application of a different cognitive force to permit its combustion, and we propose that these fuel and force specifications must be satisfied for the effective dissipation of information. In developing these fuel and force specifications, we introduce a new approach to knowledge management thinking, which we call knowledge chemistry, and provide a conceptual framework that highlights two characteristics of knowledge, its substance and its force. We believe that organizations can increase their knowledge capital by determining ways to take advantage of the different characteristics and functions of knowledge described in this paper.
Response-Selection-Related Parietal Activation during Number Comparison
Authors: Göbel Silke M. , Johansen-Berg Heidi , Behrens Tim , Rushworth Matthew F. S. 
Published: November 2004

Abstract
Neuroimaging studies of number comparison have consistently found activation in the intraparietal sulcus (IPS). Recently, it has been suggested that activations in the IPS vary with the distance between the numbers being compared. In number comparison, the smaller the distance between a number and the reference the longer the reaction time (RT). Activations in the right or left IPS, however, have also been related to attentional and intentional selection. It is possible, therefore, that activity in this region is a reflection of the more basic stimulus and response-selection processes associated with changes in RT. This fMRI experiment investigated the effect of numerical distance independently from RT. In addition, activations during number comparison of single-digit and double-digit stimuli were compared. During number comparison blocks, subjects had to indicate whether digits were greater or smaller than a reference (5 or 65). In control blocks, they were asked to perform a perceptual task (vertical line present/absent) on either numerical or nonnumerical stimuli. Number comparison versus rest yielded a large bilateral parietal-posterior frontal network. However, no areas showed more activation during number comparison than during the control tasks. Furthermore, no areas were more active during comparison of numbers separated by a small distance than comparisons of those separated by a large distance or vice versa. A left-lateralized parietal-posterior frontal network varied significantly with RT. Our findings suggest that magnitude and numerical-distance-related IPS activations might be difficult to separate from fundamental stimulus and response-selection processes associated with RT changes. As is the case with other parameters, such as space, magnitude may be represented in the context of response selection in the parietal cortex. In this respect, the representation of magnitude in the human IPS may be similar to the representation of magnitude in other nonhuman primates.