bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Adherens junctions of the human detrusor
Authors: Wagener Nina , Reitz André , Pfitzenmaier Jesco , Pannek Jürgen , Bastian Patrick J. , Büttner Reinhard , Müller Stefan C. , Hohenfellner Markus , Haferkamp Axel 
Published: September 2005

OBJECTIVETo immunohistochemically identify the protein composition of adherens junctions, which couple smooth muscle cells mechanically, and to confirm their decrease in different bladder dysfunctions, as studies in geriatric bladder dysfunction show fewer such junctions in patients with detrusor overactivity (DO) and bladder outlet obstruction (BOO).MATERIAL AND METHODSDetrusor biopsies were obtained from video‐urodynamically evaluated patients with neurogenic DO (NDO, 31 patients), BOO (six patients) and from six patients with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) with stable, unobstructed detrusors (serving as controls). Specimens were fixed, paraffin‐embedded, sectioned, stained with a polyclonal pan‐cadherin antibody, monoclonal α‐, β‐ and γ‐catenin antibodies, and a monoclonal integrin‐β1 antibody. All antibodies were known to react with proteins of adherens junctions. Two examiners unaware of sample origin evaluated the sections qualitatively and using a semiquantitative scale. The results were correlated with the patient groups.RESULTSSpecific immunohistochemical staining of pan‐cadherin, α‐, β‐ and γ‐catenin could not be detected in any detrusor smooth muscle compartment, but was present in the urothelium. There was integrin‐β1 reactivity in the basement membranes of bladder smooth muscle cells in 38 of 43 detrusor biopsies. There were no differences among the three groups.CONCLUSIONThe known proteins of cell‐cell adherens junctions are not part of the cell‐cell junctions of detrusor smooth muscle. The specific staining of integrin‐β1 indicates either the presence of cell‐matrix junctions or of cell‐cell junctions within the human detrusor. Further studies are needed to identify the complete protein composition of adherens junctions within smooth muscle cells.
A prospective study to evaluate the safety, tolerability, efficacy and durability of response of intravesical injection of botulinum toxin type A into detrusor muscle in patients with refractory idiopathic detrusor overactivity
Authors: Rajkumar Govindaraj N. , Small Douglas R. , Mustafa Abdul W. , Conn Graeme 
Published: September 2005

OBJECTIVESTo assess, in a prospective study, whether botulinum toxin A (BTXA) injected into the detrusor muscle is safe and well tolerated, produces significant changes in urodynamic variables, if the effect is durable, as measured by the Bristol Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptom Questionnaire (BFLUTS), and to assess changes in quality of life, as measured by the Kings Health Questionnaire (KHQ), when it is used to manage idiopathic detrusor overactivity.PATIENTS AND METHODSThis was a single‐centre, prospective unrandomized study of 15 women to assess the efficacy of a single dose of 300 units of BTXA injected intravesically into the detrusor muscle, under cystoscopic control. Patient evaluation included a full history and examination, frequency/volume charts, BFLUTS and KHQ scores, and a conventional urodynamic study at baseline and at 6 weeks after treatment. Symptomatic improvement was assessed at 6 weeks and every 4 weeks thereafter until baseline values were reached.RESULTSAll 15 patients completed the study; 14 noted an improvement in urgency and frequency immediately after treatment. There were no major adverse effects reported to date. The volume at first desire to void increased in 13 patients (P < 0.006), the maximum cystometric capacity increased in 10 (P < 0.011) and six of the 15 had no evidence of detrusor overactivity; in the remaining eight the volume at first overactive contraction increased in six (P < 0.0023) and the volume at first overactivity incontinence increased in 11 (P < 0.005). The median modified projected isovolumetric pressure decreased significantly (P = 0.01), from 69 to 45. The improvement in frequency appeared to last up to 24 weeks, and that in urinary incontinence up to 20 weeks. The overall improvement in quality of life was maintained up to 24 weeks.CONCLUSIONBTXA appears to be a safe treatment with good clinical efficacy in refractory idiopathic detrusor overactivity; the effects seem to last 20–24 weeks.
Urological manifestations of chronic schistosomal myeloradiculopathy
Authors: Gomes Cristiano M. , Hisano Marcelo , Machado Luis R. , Figueiredo Jose A. , Lucon Antonio M. , Trigo‐Rocha Flavio E. 
Published: September 2005

OBJECTIVETo describe the clinical and urodynamic features of patients with chronic voiding dysfunction secondary to schistosomal myeloradiculopathy (SM), as the clinical involvement of the spinal cord is a well recognized complication of Schistosomiasis mansoni infection.PATIENTS AND METHODSWe reviewed the records and urodynamic studies of 26 consecutive patients (17 males and nine females, aged 8–58 years) with chronic neurological and urinary symptoms secondary to SM. The voiding function history, radiological and urodynamic findings and therapeutic approaches were reviewed. Patients with and without upper urinary tract complications were compared in terms of age, duration of voiding dysfunction and urodynamic pattern.RESULTSThe most common urinary symptoms were difficulty in emptying the bladder (17 patients, 65%), urinary incontinence (14, 54%), and urgency and frequency (13, 50%). Laboratory and radiographic evaluation showed urinary tract infection in eight (30%) patients, bilateral hydronephrosis in five (19%) and bladder calculi in five (19%). Urodynamics showed detrusor overactivity with detrusor‐external sphincter dyssynergia (DESD) in 14 patients (54%), detrusor arreflexia in six (23%), detrusor overactivity with no dyssynergia in four (15%), and detrusor underactivity in two (8%). Comparing patients with and without upper tract complications showed no differences in age and duration of urinary symptoms, but there was a significant association of detrusor overactivity with DESD and upper urinary tract complications (P = 0.04). Urological management consisted of antibiotics, clean intermittent catheterization, anticholinergic medication and stone removal, as appropriate. Conservative treatment failed in three patients and they required an injection with botulinum‐A toxin into the detrusor (two) or ileocystoplasty (one).CONCLUSIONPatients with chronic SM behave clinically like those with other causes of spinal cord disease and neurogenic bladder dysfunction requiring lifelong surveillance. The severity of illness in these patients should re‐emphasize the need for early recognition and treatment of this condition, to prevent or reverse the neurological deficits.
Diabetes mellitus is associated with subnormal serum levels of free testosterone in men
Authors: Rhoden Ernani L. , Ribeiro Eduardo P. , Teloken Claudio , Souto Carlos A.V. 
Published: September 2005

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the relationship between diabetes mellitus (DM) and serum levels of free (FT) and total (TT) testosterone.PATIENTS AND METHODSA cross‐sectional study was carried out including 746 men, of whom 116 (15.6%) were diabetics. Both groups, diabetic and nondiabetic, were paired according to age. Body mass index (BMI) and waist‐to‐hip ratio (WHR) were calculated, and a stratification analysis correlating DM and elevated BMI (>25 kg/m2) and WHR (>1) with the presence of subnormal FT and TT levels was performed.RESULTSFT and TT serum levels were subnormal in 46% and 34% of diabetics, respectively, and in 24% and 23% of nondiabetics. Subnormal FT levels were strongly correlated with DM (odds ratio (OR) 2.7; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.8–4.1) but not with elevated BMI (OR 1.4; 95% CI 1.0–2.0). Subnormal TT levels were more strongly associated with elevated BMI and WHR (OR 2.6; 95% CI 1.7–3.9 and 2.0; 1.4–2.9) than with DM (1.7; 1.1–2.6 and 2.0; 1.3–3.2).CONCLUSIONThese data strongly suggest that DM is associated with subnormal FT levels, and that TT levels are influenced more by obesity and central adiposity.
Interaction between neurotransmitter antagonists and effects of sacral neuromodulation in rats with chronically hyperactive bladder
Authors: Riazimand Seyed‐Hossein , Mense Siegfried 
Published: September 2005

OBJECTIVETo investigate to what extent antagonists of spinal neurotransmitters interact with the effects of sacral neuromodulation in a rat model of a chronically hyperactive urinary bladder.MATERIALS AND METHODSIn female rats the urinary bladder was instilled with turpentine oil 2.5% to induce cystitis. After surviving for 10 days the rats were anaesthetized with urethane, the bladder catheterized and connected to a pressure transducer. Stimulating electrodes were placed in the sacral foramina bilaterally. The spinal cord was exposed by a laminectomy, and a small pool was placed on the cord for intrathecal administration of neurotransmitter antagonists. Sacral neuromodulation was applied before and after administering the antagonists. The antagonists used were: memantine, an antagonist for N‐methyl‐ d‐aspartate (NMDA) receptors; CNQX, an antagonist for non‐NMDA receptors, and L‐NAPNA, a blocker of nitric oxide synthase.RESULTSWith no electrical neuromodulation, memantine and L‐NAPNA abolished the cystitis‐induced bladder contractions for ≈ 4 and ≈ 37 min, respectively. The effect of CNQX was similar to that of artificial cerebrospinal fluid. Electrical sacral modulation with no antagonists also transiently abolished the bladder contractions; at the highest intensity used, the pause was 2–3 min. Superfusion of the spinal cord with CNQX reduced this effect of neuromodulation significantly, whereas memantine had no influence, and L‐NAPNA increased the neuromodulation‐induced pause.CONCLUSIONSThe results suggest that non‐NMDA receptors are involved in the effects of sacral neuromodulation, whereas NMDA receptors appear to have no role. Nitric oxide is essential for maintaining the chronic hyperactive state of the urinary bladder.
Time from dosing to sexual intercourse attempts in men taking tadalafil in clinical trials
Authors: Shabsigh Ridwan , Burnett Arthur L. , Eardley Ian , Sharlip Ira D. , Ellsworth Pamela I. , Garcia Carmen S. , Natanegara Fanni , Ahuja Sanjeev 
Published: September 2005

Associate Editor  Michael G. WyllieEditorial Board  Ian Eardley, UK  Jean Fourcroy, USA  Sidney Glina, Brazil  Julia Heiman, USA  Chris McMahon, Australia  Bob Millar, UK  Alvaro Morales, Canada  Michael Perelman, USA  Marcel Waldinger, NetherlandsOBJECTIVETo determine whether patients with erectile dysfunction (ED) and treated with tadalafil use the 36‐h duration of effect of the drug, and to discern if the timing of intercourse attempts is influenced by patient age, baseline severity of ED, or previous experience with sildenafil citrate.PATIENTS AND METHODSIn 11 multicentre, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled studies, 2102 patients with ED were randomized to a maximum of one dose per day of tadalafil 10 or 20 mg (1464 men), or placebo (638 men) with no time restrictions before attempting sexual activity after the dose. A post hoc analysis was used to determine the proportion of men with ED who attempted sexual intercourse during various intervals (>0 to ≤ 1, >1 to ≤ 4, and >4 to ≤ 36, including >12 to ≤ 36 h) after dosing with tadalafil or placebo over a 12‐week period. Patients were stratified by age, baseline severity of ED, and previous history of sildenafil use.RESULTSOf patients in different age groups and various ED severity, ≥ 79% and ≥ 53% chose to attempt sexual intercourse at least once during the 12‐week treatment period at 4–36 and 12–36 h, respectively, after taking tadalafil. Regardless of previous experience with sildenafil, about a third of patients using tadalafil attempted intercourse a mean of at least once per week at 4–36 h after the dose over 12 weeks. Furthermore, 58% of patients attempted intercourse at least once during two intervals (>1 to ≤ 4 h and >12 to ≤ 36 h) after separate doses of tadalafil.CONCLUSIONRegardless of age, ED severity, or previous experience with sildenafil, most patients attempted sexual intercourse at least once at 12–36 h after one dose of tadalafil over a 12‐week treatment period. Furthermore, by engaging in sexual intercourse at both earlier and later intervals after separate doses, most patients on treatment did not adhere to a fixed schedule of intimacy and thus took advantage of the 36‐h duration.
Agrobacterium tumefaciens‐mediated sorghum transformation using a mannose selection system
Authors: Gao Zhensheng , Xie Xueju , Ling Yan , Muthukrishnan Subbarat , Liang George H. 
Published: September 2005

SummaryA dual‐marker plasmid containing the selectable marker gene, manA, and the reporter gene, sgfp, was used to transform immature sorghum embryos by employing an Agrobacterium‐mediated system. Both genes were under the control of the ubi1 promoter in a binary vector pPZP201. The Escherichia coli phosphomannose isomerase (PMI) gene, pmi, was used as the selectable marker gene and mannose was used as the selective agent. The sgfp gene encoding green fluorescence protein (GFP) was the reporter gene and served as a visual screening marker. A total of 167 transgenic plants were obtained from nine different embryogenic callus lines grown on a selection medium containing 1%−2% mannose. Embryoids and shoots regenerated via embryogenesis, that showed strong GFP fluorescence, were selected from two sorghum genotypes: C401, an inbred line, and Pioneer 8505, a commercial hybrid. The GFP accumulation in transgenic plants was observed with a dissecting stereomicroscope. The integration and expression of the manA gene was confirmed by Southern blot and Western blot analyses, and the feasibility of manA selection was demonstrated by the chlorophenol red (CPR) assay. Our results indicated that transgenes segregated in the Mendelian fashion in the T1 generation. The conversion of mannose to a metabolizable fructose carbon source is beneficial to plants. In addition, except in soybean and a few legumes, no endogenous PMI activity has been detected in plant species, indicating that PMI is useful in the transformation of sorghum. In addition, PMI has no sequence homology to known allergens. Optimization of this selection system for sorghum transformation provides an efficient way to produce transgenic plants without using antibiotic or herbicidal agents as selectable markers, and our results showed that the transformation efficiency reached 2.88% for Pioneer 8505 and 3.30% for C401, both values higher than in previously published reports.
Manganese peroxidase from the white‐rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium is enzymatically active and accumulates to high levels in transgenic maize seed
Authors: Clough Richard C. , Pappu Kameshwari , Thompson Kevin , Beifuss Katherine , Lane Jeff , Delaney Donna E. , Harkey Robin , Drees Carol , Howard John A. , Hood Elizabeth E. 
Published: September 2005

SummaryManganese peroxidase (MnP) has been implicated in lignin degradation and thus has potential applications in pulp and paper bleaching, enzymatic remediation and the textile industry. Transgenic plants are an emerging protein expression platform that offer many advantages over traditional systems, in particular their potential for large‐scale industrial enzyme production. Several plant expression vectors were created to evaluate the accumulation of MnP from the wood‐rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium in maize seed. We showed that cell wall targeting yielded full‐length MnP, whereas cytoplasmic localization resulted in multiple truncated peroxidase polypeptides as detected by immunoblot analysis. In addition, the use of a seed‐preferred promoter dramatically increased the expression levels and reduced the negative effects on plant health. Multiple independent transgenic lines were backcrossed with elite inbred corn lines for several generations with the maintenance of high‐level expression, indicating genetic stability of the transgene.
Up‐regulation of sucrose synthase and UDP‐glucose pyrophosphorylase impacts plant growth and metabolism
Authors: Coleman Heather D. , Ellis Dave D. , Gilbert Margarita , Mansfield Shawn D. 
Published: September 2005

SummaryThe effects of the overexpression of sucrose synthase (SuSy) and UDP‐glucose pyrophosphorylase (UGPase) on plant growth and metabolism were evaluated in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum cv. Xanthi). T1 transgenic plants expressing either gene under the control of a tandem repeat cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter (2×35S) or a xylem‐localized 4CL promoter (4‐coumarate:CoA ligase; 4CL) were generated, and reciprocally crossed to generate plants expressing both genes. Transcript levels, enzyme activity, growth parameters, fibre properties and carbohydrate content of stem tissue were quantified. The expression profiles of both genes confirmed the expression pattern of the promoters: 2×35S expressed more strongly in leaves, while 4CL expression was highest in stem tissue. In‐depth plant characterization revealed that the single‐transgene lines showed significant increases in the height growth compared with corresponding control lines. The double‐transgene plants demonstrated an additive effect, proving to be even taller than the single‐transgene parents. Several of these lines had associated increases in soluble sugar content. Although partitioning of storage carbohydrates into starch or cellulose was not observed, the increased height growth and increases in soluble carbohydrates suggest a role for SuSy as a marker in sink strength and lend credit to the function of UGPase in a similar role. The up‐regulation of these two genes, although not increasing the percentage cellulose content, was effective in increasing the total biomass, and thus the overall cellulose yield, from a given plant.
Evidence‐based Engagement in the Voluntary Sector: Lessons from Canada
Authors: Laforest Rachel , Orsini Michael 
Published: September 2005

Abstract The shift towards governance and greater reliance on third parties in the design, implementation and evaluation of policy has created new pressures to ensure that policies are designed and delivered in a consistent and effective manner. In the interest of improving transparency, accountability, effectiveness and efficiency, governments in Canada and in the UK, as in many industrialized countries, have begun to emphasize the need for evidence‐based policy‐making. As a result, knowledge and research have become key assets in the production of policy. Yet, with their current capacity and knowledge base wanting, governments have increasingly relied on the knowledge and information of external actors and have afforded greater authority to them on this basis. This has created a situation in which evidence‐based inputs are given greater weight. This shift has particular implications for voluntary sector organizations whose basis for intervention has lain historically with the interests that they represent. Already, in the Canadian case many national organizations have seen their focus shift to research activities under the impetus of new funding initiatives explicitly encouraging activities grounded in knowledge and policy analysis. Moreover, policy guidelines have been elaborated in order to enhance the sector's capacity to contribute to the development of policy in a depoliticized manner. Using a series of interviews conducted with representatives from national voluntary organizations in Canada, this article explores the implications of such a shift for the voluntary sector in Canada, and asks whether the Canadian case holds some lessons for voluntary sector–state relations in other jurisdictions.
“Not a Cigarette Paper Between Us”: Integrated Inspection of Children's Services in England
Authors: Hudson Bob 
Published: September 2005

Abstract Children's services in England are undergoing their most radical transformation since 1948 following the passage of the Children Act 2004. A key part of these changes is the legal requirement to have an Integrated Inspection Framework to assess the extent to which the new Children's Services Authorities have succeeded in meeting five key outcomes—being healthy, staying safe, enjoying and achieving, making a positive contribution and achieving economic well‐being. To this end, up to ten national inspectorates have to coordinate their activities to a hitherto unparalleled extent. This article describes the nature and scale of the new remit and identifies a number of unresolved issues that could impede progress. It is argued that the policy has the hallmarks and accompanying limitations of a top–down exercise in policy formulation and implementation.
Reforms to Schooling in the UK: A Review of Some Major Reforms and their Evaluation
Authors: McNally Sandra 
Published: September 2005

AbstractWe aim to give a brief overview of some important reforms to the school system in the UK and existing evidence on their consequences. These reforms include a change in the type of secondary school open to pupils - from a selective to comprehensive system; a change in the examination system; quasi-market reforms; area-based initiatives; reforms to the content and structure of teaching; payments to encourage the pursuit of education beyond compulsory schooling.
Learning Why More Learning Takes Place in Some Classrooms Than Others
Authors: Murnane Richard J. , Willett John B. , Somers Marie-Andrée , Uribe Claudia 
Published: September 2005

Abstract
The relatively poor average performance of German students on the recent PISA international evaluations of 15- and 16-year-olds’ literary skills (2000) and mathematical skills (2003) and the wide variation in performance, with lowincome students scoring particularly poorly, have led to calls for reforms of the German educational system. Understanding why students in some classrooms learn more than do those in other classrooms is an important first step in considering alternative reform strategies. Possible explanations include differences in teacher quality, class sizes and peer groups, and also differences among the types of secondary schools that parents select for their children. This paper illustrates a set of techniques that are useful in examining the roles these factors play in predicting why, net of family background and prior achievement, the average achievement of children in some classrooms is much higher than that of children in other classrooms. We illustrate the use of these techniques with a dataset from Bogota´, Colombia, that has two attractive properties. First, some teachers teach multiple classes of students. Second, students are enrolled in schools in two sectors ( public and private). Application of the techniques described in this paper could shed light on the reasons why the average academic achievement of German students attending some schools is much higher than that of German students attending other schools.
Educational Production in East Asia: The Impact of Family Background and Schooling Policies on Student Performance
Authors: Wößmann Ludger 
Published: September 2005

AbstractEast Asian students regularly take top positions in international league tables of educational performance. Using internationally comparable student-level data, I estimate how family background and schooling policies affect student performance in five high-performing East Asian economies. Family background is a strong predictor of student performance in Korea and Singapore, while Hong Kong and Thailand achieve more equalized outcomes. There is no evidence that smaller classes improve student performance in East Asia. But other schooling policies such as school autonomy over salaries and regular homework assignments are related to higher student performance in several of the considered countries.