bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Activated T‐lymphocytes with myelosuppressive properties in patients with chronic idiopathic neutropenia
Authors: Papadaki H. A. , Stamatopoulos K. , Damianaki A. , Gemetzi C. , Anagnostopoulos A. , Papadaki T. , Eliopoulos A. G. , Eliopoulos G. D. 
Published: March 2005

SummaryTo characterize the cellular components responsible for the impaired granulopoiesis in chronic idiopathic neutropenia (CIN), we investigated the origin of the proapoptotic cytokine producing cells in the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment of CIN patients. We found that the interferon gamma (IFNγ) and/or Fas‐ligand expressing cells in patient BM mononuclear cells and long‐term BM culture stroma cells were the CD3+ T‐lymphocytes but not the CD14+ monocytes/macrophages. The percentage of activated T‐lymphocytes was increased in patients’ BM as indicated by the proportions of human leucocyte antigen (HLA)‐DR+, CD25+, CD38+, CD69+ and Fas+ cells within the CD3+ fraction. Intracellular IFNγ expression was higher in the BM than peripheral blood of the patients and was associated with increased BM T‐lymphocyte numbers. In crossover experiments, patient CD3+ T‐lymphocytes conferred autologous and allogeneic haemopoietic progenitor cell colony inhibition. Patients’ T‐cell receptor repertoire and polymerase chain reaction analysis did not reveal any clonal T‐lymphocyte expansion, suggesting the absence of a direct, antigen‐driven recognition of CD34+ myeloid progenitor cells by patient T‐lymphocytes. We conclude that CIN patients have increased number of activated T‐lymphocytes in the BM, probably in the setting of a localized polyclonal immune reaction and that these cells confer an inhibitory effect on myelopoiesis through myelosuppressive cytokines including Fas‐ligand and IFNγ.
Overexpression of the Doppel protein in acute myeloid leukaemias and myelodysplastic syndromes
Authors: Travaglino Erica , Comincini Sergio , Benatti Chiara , Azzalin Alberto , Nano Rosanna , Rosti Vittorio , Ferretti Luca , Invernizzi Rosangela 
Published: March 2005

SummaryWe investigated the expression patterns and distribution of Doppel (Dpl), the product of the prion‐like gene PRND, in the leukaemic cell lines HL‐60 and K562 and in bone marrow cells from 44 patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and 63 patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Whereas normal samples were negative or showed very weak expression that was restricted to CD34+ cells, Dpl was detected in both cell lines and in most AML and MDS cases by immunocytochemistry and Western blotting. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction revealed variable mRNA levels in almost all AML and MDS cases, but barely detectable levels in normal bone marrow. These differences were confirmed by in situ hybridization. PRND expression was higher in advanced compared with early MDS (P = 0·01), but Dpl levels did not predict disease progression. In AML there was no correlation between Dpl levels and clinical or laboratory findings. In conclusion, this is the first time that the expression of PRND has been demonstrated in human bone marrow. The molecular mechanism of the observed overexpression is unknown; however, the differential Dpl distribution in AML and MDS versus healthy subjects makes it a possible leukaemia‐associated antigen that could be useful for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.
Prevalence and impact of oral pain in 8‐year‐old children in Sri Lanka
Authors: RATNAYAKE N. , EKANAYAKE L. 
Published: March 2005

Summary.  Objective.  The present study aimed to determine the prevalence and impact of oral pain in 8‐year‐old Sri Lankan children and their parents.Design.  A cross‐sectional study using a multistage cluster sampling technique was carried out in a sample of 614 children attending schools in the Education Division of Badulla, Uva province, Sri Lanka. Data were collected by means of a pre‐tested questionnaire that was sent to each of the children and their parents. The children were also given an oral examination. Of the 614 questionnaires which were sent to parents, 30 were not returned and eight had to be excluded from the analysis because the respondents had answered only two questions. Therefore, the present analysis is limited to data from 576 children and their parents.Results.  The lifetime prevalences of oral pain, as reported by the children and parents, were 49% and 53%, respectively. According to the children's report, 25% had experienced oral pain in the past 2 months while 31% of the parents reported that their child had experienced oral pain within the same period. Of those children who reported that they had experienced oral pain in the past 2 months, nearly 45% stated that the pain was severe. In 48%, the pain was triggered when biting. ‘Presence of cavity/decayed tooth’ was cited as the most common cause of oral pain (67%). Overall, 74% of children had experienced a negative impact as a result of the pain whilst 66% of the parents said that the child's pain had had an impact on them. Ethnic group, parental income and level of education, and the caries experience of the child were significantly associated with the reporting of oral pain in the past 2 months.Conclusions.  The prevalence of oral pain was high among these children, and had a considerable impact on both the children and their parents.
Molluscum contagiosum in Greek children: a case series
Authors: Kakourou Talia , Zachariades Asimina , Anastasiou Tasos , Architectonidou Eleni , Georgala Sofia , Theodoridou Maria 
Published: March 2005

AbstractBackground  Epidemiological studies of molluscum contagiosum (MC) in children are limited.Patients and method  Between 1997 and 1999, 110 children with MC (60 boys, 50 girls, mean age: 4.8 years) were studied. Treatment consisted of removal of all MC lesions in a single session by sterilized tweezers.Results  In children aged ≤ 2 years, the MC lesions were located mainly on the face, whereas in older children they were located on the trunk. Twenty children had atopic dermatitis (18.2% vs. 5% of Greek children aged 1–6 years; P < 0.001). Four children had numerous and recurrent MC lesions without any other systemic manifestations. In these children, humoral and cellular immunities were found to be normal. Seventy‐seven children (70%) were cured after one treatment session, 22 children (20%) after a second session and 11 (10%) after ≥ three sessions. No patients experienced secondary bacterial infection or scarring.Conclusions  In contrast to cool climates where the age of peak incidence of MC in children is 10–12 years, in a warm country such as Greece, it is at the younger age of 4.8 years. In young children aged 2 years, the MC lesions are located mainly on the face, whereas in older children they are located on the trunk. Atopic dermatitis is a predisposing factor for MC. In cases where MC lesions are numerous and/or persist but there are no other signs of systemic infections, the possibility of immunodeficiency is minimal. Removal of MC lesions by tweezers is an efficient, simple and inexpensive method of treatment without sequelae.
The Political Significance of the George W. Bush Administration
Authors: Aberbach Joel D. 
Published: March 2005

Abstract This article argues that the George W. Bush administration is an important milestone in evolving notions about governance and policy that are increasingly identified with the Republican Party in the United States. Joining ideas about the power of the president that received their major impetus in the Nixon administration (especially the “administrative presidency”) and policy ideas developed by neoconservatives, the Bush administration has implemented an agenda with important consequences for social policy and for the role of government in general. A series of policy examples, including Medicare drug prescription benefits, education, and what is known as the “faith‐based initiative,” demonstrate the active role government has played under Bush and the techniques his administration has used to get what it wants.
Making It Happen: The Case for Compromise in the Federal Cocaine Law Debate
Authors: Sabet Kevin A. 
Published: March 2005

AbstractThe US has taken an active role in formulating drugs policy for over a century, and thus much debate on how best to control drug use occurs in that country. Though most Americans support keeping drugs illegal, voices for changing the specifics of how prohibition is administered have grown louder and more effective in the past ten years—witness the recent success on the state and local level for rolling back restrictions on medical cannabis or punitive state mandatory minimum penalties (i.e. Rockefeller drug laws). Expectedly, these successful reforms have happened with the support of voters in those particular states and localities where reforms have been introduced. On the federal level, the accusation of racism has become a familiar cry among anti‐prohibitionists, who argue that cocaine laws, in particular, disproportionately affect African‐Americans and contribute to racial division. The federal government makes a great distinction in sentencing between powder cocaine, usually snorted, and crack cocaine, which is smoked. A person caught in possession of five grams of crack gets an automatic mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison. Possessing cocaine in its powder form does not carry a mandatory minimum. Additionally, these laws are the target of much debate because, for trafficking in the drug, it takes 100 times more powder cocaine than crack to trigger the same mandatory minimum penalty (the so‐called “100 to 1 quantity ratio”). I will argue that repealing the mandatory minimum sentence for crack is both justified based on the evidence and politically viable. Although the number of people affected by this law every year is minuscule, African‐Americans are undoubtedly disproportionately affected by the penalty. Eliminating the provision should not be expected to have a deleterious effect on crime or drug control efforts, and would instead have a positive effect in reinvigorating faith in the criminal justice system and in promoting positive race relations. Very importantly, it is a politically realistic reform for making prohibition work better. Erasing or dramatically changing the more controversial 100 to 1 quantity ratio—though affecting far more people than the mandatory minimum for crack possession—may or may not justify itself based on the evidence. Nonetheless, it is certainly not a politically realistic option for lawmakers.
Fluctuation Tests for a Change in Persistence*
Authors: Taylor A. M. Robert 
Published: March 2005

AbstractIn this paper, we develop a set of new persistence change tests which are similar in spirit to those of Kim [Journal of Econometrics (2000) Vol. 95, pp. 97–116], Kim et al. [Journal of Econometrics (2002) Vol. 109, pp. 389–392] and Busetti and Taylor [Journal of Econometrics (2004) Vol. 123, pp. 33–66]. While the exisiting tests are based on ratios of sub‐sample Kwiatkowski et al. [Journal of Econometrics (1992) Vol. 54, pp. 158–179]‐type statistics, our proposed tests are based on the corresponding functions of sub‐sample implementations of the well‐known maximal recursive‐estimates and re‐scaled range fluctuation statistics. Our statistics are used to test the null hypothesis that a time series displays constant trend stationarity [I(0)] behaviour against the alternative of a change in persistence either from trend stationarity to difference stationarity [I(1)], or vice versa. Representations for the limiting null distributions of the new statistics are derived and both finite‐sample and asymptotic critical values are provided. The consistency of the tests against persistence change processes is also demonstrated. Numerical evidence suggests that our proposed tests provide a useful complement to the extant persistence change tests. An application of the tests to US inflation rate data is provided.
Mitochondrial DNA depletion in liver tissue of patients infected with hepatitis C virus: contributing effect of HIV infection?
Authors: Bäuerle J , Laguno M , Mauss S , Mallolas J , Murillas J , Miquel R , Schmutz G , Setzer B , Gatell JM , Walker UA 
Published: March 2005

ObjectivesIt has been suggested that chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection depletes mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in the liver. Because decreased mtDNA levels were also found in humans infected with HIV, we investigated whether HIV may have aggravated hepatic mtDNA depletion in individuals with HCV infection.MethodsIn this cross‐sectional study, liver biopsies were performed in a total of 40 individuals prior to any antiviral therapy. The individuals were recruited from the Hospital Cliníc, Barcelona and the HIV Centre, Düsseldorf. Seventeen patients were negative for HIV and HCV and were biopsied for liver enzyme elevation of unknown cause (controls), 14 individuals had chronic HCV but no HIV infection, and nine subjects were coinfected with both viruses. mtDNA and liver histology were centrally assessed.ResultsThe groups did not differ with respect to age, gender, liver function tests and HCV viral load, where applicable. mtDNA levels were decreased by 19% in the HCV‐monoinfected group (P=0.03) and by 27% in the HIV/HCV‐coinfected subjects (P=0.02) compared to controls. The mtDNA content, however, did not differ between individuals with HCV monoinfection and HCV/HIV coinfection (P=0.75). The degrees of liver fibrosis, inflammatory activity or steatosis did not correlate with mtDNA content.ConclusionsLiver mtDNA content is reduced in both HCV‐monoinfected and HIV/HCV‐coinfected patients. Under the limitations of our study, we could demonstrate only a slight trend towards more pronounced mtDNA depletion in HIV/HCV‐coinfected subjects.
The adolescent outcome of hyperactive girls: self‐report of psychosocial status
Authors: Young Susan , Heptinstall Ellen , Sonuga‐Barke Edmund J.S. , Chadwick Oliver , Taylor Eric 
Published: March 2005

Background:  The aim of the study was to clarify the developmental risk associated with hyperactive behaviour in girls in a longitudinal epidemiological design.Methods:  This was investigated in a follow‐up study of girls who were identified by parent and teacher ratings in a large community survey of 6‐ and 7‐year‐olds as showing pervasive hyperactivity or conduct problems or the comorbid mixture of both problems or neither problem. They were later investigated, at the age of 14 to 16 years, with a detailed self‐report interview technique.Results:  Hyperactivity was a risk factor for later development, even allowing for the coexistence of conduct problems. Hyperactivity predicted academic problems and interpersonal relationship problems. Relationships with parents, by contrast, were not portrayed to be as problematic as relationships with peers and the opposite sex. Their psychological, social and occupational functioning was objectively rated to be more deviant and their self‐report showed them to be more ambivalent about their future. There was a trend for hyperactivity to be self‐reported as a risk for the development of continuing symptomatology but neither hyperactivity nor conduct problems were self‐reported to be a risk for antisocial behaviour, substance misuse or low self‐esteem in adolescence. However, they were at risk for the development of state anxiety.Conclusions:  The results suggested girls’ pattern of functioning may differ from that of boys because girls self‐report a more pervasive range of social dysfunction than that previously reported in boys.
LE SYSTEME ACTUEL DE COMPTABILITE NATIONALE ET LA PLANIFICATION
Authors: Vanoli Andre 
Published: March 2005

The present system of national accounting (revised SNA and existing national systems) is a good framework for physical projections of goods and services produced by enterprises. It is less well suited to planning in value terms, because data on income are poor and the system is badly adapted to analysis at the level of decision‐making centers of the relationships of production, prices, income, and investment; the picture which it gives of the non‐market economy is inadequate; and it yields a static view of successive states of the economy, the last accented by the scarcity of structural information.The usefulness of the accounts for the formation of economic policy varies greatly according to the problems considered. Important for general aspects of economic policy in the relatively short term, they are limited in terms of fine decisions on public intervention in the market economy, and for the relatively detailed study of economic policy in the public sector itself. These shortcomings, although in part remediable, raise questions concerning the scope, object, flexibility, and spacial and temporal coverage of national accounting. Finally, the newly emerging needs of planning, especially those arising from the extension of the dialogue between social groups, the attempts at planning in value terms, and the increasing interest in the non‐market economy, suggest a need for some deconsolidation of the system.To answer these demands, a more flexible system is needed. Such a system might comprise two stages. One, a statistical framework and presentation of data, would remain close to business and public accounting. The other, a more abstract and elaborate framework for macro‐economic analysis, would correspond in large part to the present system. This system would include, around the central nucleus, a number of satellite accounts, consistent with the nucleus but articulated with it by very flexible and diverse rules. It could be extended to new fields where quantification without valuation is possible.
REGIONAL DISTRIBUTION OF GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURES IN YUGOSLAVIA
Authors: Sicherl Pavle 
Published: March 2005

Regional distribution of government expenditures is examined first in relation to other indicators of economic and social development. This shows both the magnitude of regional disparities and the degree of redistribution in the field of government expenditures brought about by the federal subsidy. The static aspect of regional disparities is analysed by decomposing per capita income into demographic, employment and productivity components. The time‐dimension of disparities is analysed by introducing the concept of time‐distance, which is a dynamic measure of disparity that is complementary rather than competitive with existing static measures.Institutional aspects are explored next, along with some implications of the present system of federal subsidy as an instrument towards regional equalization of the budgetary resources available to lower levels of government. A few alternative technical solutions to improve the present system are discussed and a set of macro‐variables is suggested as a framework within which the degree of equalization, which is basically a political decision, could be discussed in an explicit and systematic way. While the question of the appropriate degree of equalization remains a problem with many facets, it can be shown that government expenditures have been distributed much more equally than the corresponding levels of regional economic activity.
THE ESTIMATION OF PRICE EFFECTS IN A SOCIAL ACCOUNTING MATRIX
Authors: Greenfield C. C. , Fell H. A. 
Published: March 2005

The estimation of true basic prices in a Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) has long been recognized as necessary in order to achieve uniform valuation of inputs for meaningful manipulation of the input‐output table contained in a SAM, in order to assess the real effects of changes in demand, etc. In practice, approximate basic prices only have normally been calculated in order to avoid matrix inversion among other things. It is equally the case that true basic prices are required if one wishes to assess the price‐raising effects of commodity taxes. It is shown through an example that approximate basic prices, as conventionally calculated, are inadequate and potentially misleading for this as indeed they are for achieving uniformity of valuation. There are also problems with the present procedure for calculating true basic prices.An alternative method of calculating true basic prices is given, which has various advantages over the existing method, and a new approximate method is also derived which appears to represent a definite improvement on the present method. For the main purpose of the paper, however, the prices of concern are those charged by producers to which the methodology equally applies.
THE PRIMARY, SECONDARY, TERTIARY AND QUATERNARY SECTORS OF THE ECONOMY
Authors: Kenessey Zoltan 
Published: March 2005

The recognition of differences among the major sectors of the economy, such as agriculture, commerce, or manufacturing, has a considerable tradition in economic thinking. Also, there is evidence that important national and international predicaments of our time are closely related to sectoral‐structural developments. Yet economists in the developed countries are often disinclined to study the shifts among the megasectors.This paper suggests that an intensified study of the topic may be profitable. In order to support this proposition it first reflects on the traditions of sectoral emphasis in literature. Second, it considers the evidence for the ascendancy of the quaternary activities. Third, it deals with the input‐output relations among the four megasectors of the economy. Thereafter it points to the emergence of potential inefficiencies among quaternary activities and raises the possibility of a megasector misequilibrium. Finally it outlines certain connections to the thoughts of Leontief and Sraffa; considers services in the neoclassical framework; explores the relationships to institutional thought; and ponders the extension of its basic hypothesis to the developing nations, the socialist countries, and to historical analysis.
FEATURES OF THE HIDDEN ECONOMY IN THE NETHERLANDS
Authors: van Eck Robert , Kazemier Brugt 
Published: March 2005

This paper presents survey results on the size and structure of the hidden labour market in The Netherlands. According to the results total income from hidden work is at least 1 percent of national income. The hidden income is shared by more than one million participants (nearly 12 percent of the corresponding population). This result is lower than various other estimates of the magnitude of the hidden economy. Some definitional and methodological issues are discussed in order to explain the difference from the other estimates.The most notable results of the survey refer to the structure of the hidden labour market. At one end of this market are people with a high wage rate, working relatively few hours. They have the characteristics which given them a favourable position in the formal labour market. At the other end are people with low hidden wages, who work more hours. They have difficulty in finding a formal job. The income from hidden labour is distributed in very much the same way as income from formal activities. There is no evidence that the hidden labour market compensates those who are worse off in the formal economy.